call
for
volunteers
We are excited to see our volunteer family again this December! Volunteering for Playtopia is a great way to get involved in the digital games and interactive media scene, meet new people, and attend the Playtopia conference and festival! Our volunteers are the face of the festival. They are the people who ensure all the wheels turn to deliver a great attendee experience!
Volunteer registration is now open
What's the deal?
Volunteers receive a Playtopia All Access Pass: when not on your shift you can attend all conference activities as well as before and after parties.
Last year we had a huge excess of applicants with a 50% acceptance rate. We prioritize return volunteers and students, as well as those with strong motivations.
Volunteering always looks good on a CV – and you will gain access to people who can act as valuable references for any future employment possibilities.
Volunteers receive
- Playtopia All Access Pass
- Exclusive 2025 Volunteer T-shirt
- Meals and Transportation
- Memories that will last a lifetime!
Volunteer requirements
Conference Volunteers are required to:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Work a minimum of 2 shifts over the festival (volunteers can choose their available hours. Volunteers who, for example, cannot work at nights, will be allotted day shifts) as well as at least 2 of the set-up days
- Report to the Homecoming Centre for duty between the 1st of December and the 7th of December according to their volunteering schedule.
- Ideally can attend volunteer orientation in the weeks before the festival (TBC)
- Have a valid email address
- Be responsible for working with our Volunteer wrangler (Melissa Nzuza) to create your own schedule
We are looking for volunteers who are:
- Interested in game design or just love playing games AND/OR interested in digital and immersive art
- Competent using computers (mostly you will just need to re-launch games or call a more senior Playtopian)
- Dedicated and responsible
- Friendly
- Problem solvers
- Based in or around Cape Town, South Africa
Volunteer roles
Volunteers might be required to jump between roles depending on their schedules. There will be particular roles during particular times, and switch between day (09:00 – 17:00) and night shifts (16:00 – 00:00).
Volunteers can choose their schedules, but are required to commit fully to the times they’ve signed up for.
Hospitality support
In this role you will:
- Greet and welcome attendees, providing directions and general information for the conference venue, as well as seeing to their general comfort
- Help direct attendees to the right rooms and point out where events are being held
- Checking in volunteers as they report for duty
- Be a beacon for harassment complaints
- Handling Lost and Found inquiries
- Checking supplies in and out from the Production Office
- Act as runners to senior Playtopians if neccessary
Hospitality Volunteers will be stationed at the entrances. Hospitality volunteers must have the ability to stay calm when faced with a large crowd with lots of questions. Enjoying working with people is a must. This position requires ability to trouble-shoot, process questions/information, and be a positive face for Playtopia 2025. Attendees will expect you to have the answer to everything, so familiarize yourself with the conference schedule; special events, locations of exhibitions, and other items that you believe will contribute to an overall positive Playtopia experience including information about the event for first-time attendees.
At Playtopia, in order to maintain a safe space for all participants, we have implemented a solid anti-harassment policy. Hospitality volunteers will be the go-to beacon for any harassment reports. Comprehensive harrassment policy and brief for what to do in various situations will be provided.
Installations and games Arcade support
In this role you will:
- Responsible for checking in and assisting exhibitors
- Monitoring attendee access to the displays
- Encouraging attendees to interact with the games and installations
- Monitoring that all stations are still working and neatly set up.
- Disinfecting controllers and other touch surfaces
- Make sure that nothing is damaged or stolen during your shift
For this role you will be assigned a specific room or display to oversee for a certain portion of your shift. Some artists or developers have specific instructions for their games/artworks. You will be given instructions depending on which room you are covering on the Wednesday during setup. Volunteers will swap out every few hours, and will, in as far as possible, be stationed in groups of two so that you can move around if need be.
Set-up / tear down support
In this role volunteers will:
- Assist in setting up and packing up installations, computers, decor, etc.
Set-up of the festival will happen between Monday the 1st of December and Thursday the 4th of December until the opening event at 18:00. We encourage all volunteers to attend the set-up sessions, as these act as our “backstage” preparation time before all hell breaks loose.
Tear down will take place on Sunday. Only those who assist with tear down are eligible to attend the Free Lives afterparty which we promise will totally be worth your while.
Welcome to the Playtopia family!
Playtopia is a labour of love – consisting of an ever-growing community of passionate developers, artists, thinkers and makers. We welcome all our volunteers into the fold and encourage them to become the exhibitors, the speakers and the senior Playtopians of the future.
Volunteer acceptance will be announced in October 2025.
