The legal landscape within a game development, publishing or promotion is tricky and challenging. Undoubtedly, it requires careful attention and a separate post on our page. Bandar Alanazi, Legal Assistant at Sandsoft, agreed to shed a bit of a light on the legal side of the gaming industry.
First, we asked Bandar to tell us, how he landed a position in a gaming industry.
“Since I was a little kid, – started Bandar, – I have always loved video games and spent all of my free time playing on my Sega Master System and Nintendo Game Boy and wanted to be involved in the creation of a game that other people loved. I actually wanted to become a video games developer until I realized that, back in 2014 in Saudi Arabia, no video games developing studio or publisher existed. So I opted to my second choice which was law.
Fast forward to my professional career where I started working as a paralegal then a legal translator until one day I saw a position open at the General Commission for Audiovisual Media that combined both my passion for video games and my career as someone who works in a legal department. From there I was lucky to make an impact on the legal side of video games and I was given the opportunity to draft, write and finalize the age rating criteria in Saudi Arabia not just for video games but also for movies and music. This would not happen without the support of my colleagues and bosses and their continued support.
Now, I am lucky to find myself working for Sandsoft and its amazing team where I can see how the sausage gets made and help on the legal side of thing.”
Bandar is convinced that the position of a Legal Assistant plays an important role, “due to the fast pace of the industry and how things are changing in Saudi Arabia for the best. Saudi Arabia is moving very quickly under the guidance of HRH Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to improve many industries in Saudi Arabia including video games, which has proven to be an important industry worldwide. So to navigate the current laws and prepare for any future law a company must have a legal team that is capable.”
Bandar is a passionate gamer himself. “Video games has been a passion of mine for as long as I remember and the older I get the finer my taste in video games gets. As of lately I have been enjoying strategy games especially the ones where you have to manage something. Lately I have been enjoying Sid Mayer’s Civilizations VI, Crusader Kings 3, and Cuphead. And I am looking forward for The Elder Scrolls 6.”
For those of you, considering to pursue a career in legal field, Bandar is happy to share, which skills are required to be successful. And this, to our opinion, can be applied to any position: “Open to learn and listen to criticism. Does not matter how skilled and proficient you are in your job, one day you will come across something that you do not fully understand or need help with. Never be scared of admitting you do not fully understand what is in front of you and ask for help.”
We also talked with Bandar about the changes the role of legal assistant has gone through recently, due to pandemic, market changes and overall shift to international environment of the company. Bandar smiled and replied: “Less paper! Which is wonderful for both the environment and record keeping.”
What are the most exciting things about the role of a legal assistant or advisor in a gaming industry? For Bandar the most exciting thing that keeps him motivated and inspired is “knowing one day all of this work will result in a game that would bring joy to many people around the world.” Oh yes, we all believe in this and we are working hard to make this happen at Sandsoft!
“I highly advise the young people pursuing a career in gaming industry, to never shy away from showing their skills and what they are capable of to others, but do it humbly. Also keep the spark of curiosity always alive and learn something new every once in a while.”
