New games industry social network launched

A new social network for the game development community has been launched.

Called ZeroCrunch, it’s the brainchild of Recruit3D founder Fran Mulhern and game audio specialist Lee Banyard, and exists to help games industry personnel network and foster new connections.

The site also features an at-a-glance view of who is attending which events, while groups and forums allow games industry members to share knowledge, such as the already popular Unreal Technology group.

Despite having ties to Recruit3D, one of the core principles of the site is a strict ‘no recruiters’ policy – including Mulhern himself, who promises that "no-one on the site will be approached by Recruit3D through the site". Furthermore, users are validated at sign-up to ensure that only games industry members can join.

"ZeroCrunch is aimed at providing a tool for those in the industry to keep in touch with each other socially in an environment that’s a bit more industry focused that facebook. Already with over 200 members, it is, and will remain, free and not supported by adverts," said Mulhern.

"Using the site, people can keep in touch, upload their photos or videos, create groups and events. In addition, studios are invited to create their own groups so they can tell the world more about themselves and publish open jobs on there – as well as invite people to apply direct through the site. ZeroCrunch is my attempt to give something back to an industry that not only provides me with an income, but has also provided me with thousands of hours of entertainment."

The site’s founders are also running a competition to design a logo for the new network, with either 3 games of their choice or a copy of Rock Band up for grabs for the winning image.