STAGE 5. LAUNCH THE CAREER · HELPING KIDS GET JOBS

Ahmed was shot twice including the head. Now he leads the internship program.

Interns International matches students with active dev teams and senior mentors in gaming, tech, and STEAM. F-1 visa sponsorship (OPT/CPT). Real placements. Real careers. Ahmed leads the program now. Zara went from volunteer to Blue Ox Family Games via OPT. Tiffany is a Technical Designer at Babeltime.

Apply for an Internship →
See How It Works

⭐ #1 Rated Gaming Charity on Charity Navigator|🏆 Platinum GuideStar|✅ 501(c)(3) Verified|🌍 F-1 Visa Sponsored

PROGRAM ECOSYSTEM. YOU ARE HERE

Stage 5. Real shipping. Scholarship-funded grads need their first real job. We open the door.

Kids don’t age out. The loop closes when survivors become sponsors.

Interns International is the career-launch program of Games For Love. The program matches students aged 18+ with active development teams and senior mentors from the League of Pros, in gaming, technology, design, and STEAM industries. Placements are paid, remote-friendly, and include F-1 visa sponsorship (Optional Practical Training and Curricular Practical Training) for international students. 250+ interns matched to date. 18,000+ hours of mentorship donated by industry professionals. Per the 2026 Internship Directive, the program targets 200 interns per year with LA and NY focus aligned to AccessCon operations, a 12-person Intern Leadership Council, and 6 functional squads (Marketing & Content, Hospital Outreach, Events & Activations, Partnerships, Tech, Impact Reporting). Featured alumni include Ahmed (now leads the program after surviving being shot twice including the head), Zara Zahimi (joined GFL as volunteer Game Developer November 2019, promoted to Engineering Coordinator September 2020, OPT-sponsored, now 4+ years at Blue Ox Family Games), and Tiffany Nguyen (Woodbury University Game Design grad, Volunteer Award November 2021, Internship Certificate June 2022, now Technical Designer at Babeltime Inc 4+ years).

THE PROBLEM

“You need experience to get hired. You need a job to get experience.”

The catch-22 that breaks new grads. Especially international students. Especially adversity survivors. We built Interns International to break it.

250+

Interns matched to date

Real placements with real dev teams. Many converted to full-time at host teams or industry partners.

18K+

Hours volunteered by industry pros

Senior devs, designers, producers donating mentorship through League of Pros.

4+ yrs

Tenure at host companies (avg)

Zara: 4+ years at Blue Ox Family Games. Tiffany: 4+ years at Babeltime Inc. Real careers, not gigs.

HOW INTERNS INTERNATIONAL WORKS

Three steps. Real teams. Real outcomes.

No make-work projects. You ship real things with real teams. That is the resume that gets the job.

Apply.

Tell us your background, skills, and where you want to go in gaming, tech, or STEAM. We accept students from anywhere in the world.

Match.

We pair you with an active dev team and a senior mentor from League of Pros. F-1 visa sponsorship (OPT/CPT) if you need it.

Launch.

Ship real products. Build a real portfolio. Get a real reference. Many interns convert directly to full-time.

REAL INTERNS. REAL CAREERS.

Ahmed. Zara. Tiffany.

All three were personally mentored by Nathan Blair, GFL’s CEO. The arc is trauma to leadership, volunteer to AAA studio, university to industry.

Ahmed. Now leads the program

Shot twice including the head. Now leads the internship program.

Shot twice. Left for dead. Learned to walk again. Found his passion in gaming. Came up through the GFL Interns International program. Now leads the program, unpaid, first in line for the salaried Program Director role when budget allows.

Per 2026 Internship Directive: 200 interns/year target, LA + NY focus, 12-person Intern Leadership Council, 6 functional squads. The arc is trauma to leadership in one human life.

See the program he runs →

Zara. Blue Ox Family Games. 4+ years

GFL volunteer to AAA studio via OPT.

Joined GFL as a volunteer Game Developer November 18, 2019. Promoted to Engineering Coordinator September 14, 2020 (40 hours/week). GFL sponsored her OPT post-college.

Her only previous professional experience was Games For Love. Today: 4+ years at Blue Ox Family Games in game programming. GFL was the door that opened her career.

OPT pathway proof →

Tiffany. Babeltime Inc. 4+ years

University to Technical Designer in industry.

Woodbury University Game Design grad. Personally mentored by Nathan Blair through portfolio reviews, resume work, career-target shifts. Earned GFL Volunteer Award November 2021. Internship Certificate June 2022.

Today: Technical Designer at Babeltime Inc, 4+ years. Bilingual in Vietnamese. Adobe Suite, Unity, C#. Interaction design, prototyping. The apprenticeship loop closing on a real career.

Apprenticeship story →

YOUR DOLLAR. THEIR CAREER.

Pick what you can give. See what it funds.

Real per-intern program economics. Software, mentor hours, visa support, stipends.

$25

A week of software access

Unity Pro, Unreal, Adobe CC. Industry tools for one intern building real things.

$100

A month of mentor hours

4 hours/month of senior dev/designer/producer mentorship. The kind that gets interns hired.

Most Impact

$500

Sponsor 3 months of stipend

A focused intern can ship their portfolio. We sponsor stipends so they can choose us over a side gig.

Champion

$1,000+

Champion. Full 6-month placement

One intern, one host team, 6 months. Mentor hours, software, stipend, visa support. Career launched.

Placement economics vary. F-1 visa sponsorship costs vary by country. Full breakdown on request. 150+ interns trained in 2025 per Impact Report.

WE’RE GIVING. INTERN CAMPAIGNS

Three paths. Apply, mentor, or fund.

Wherever you sit in gaming/tech industry, there is a way to plug in.

Student. Apply
OPEN

Apply for an internship

Students 18+ from anywhere in the world. Gaming, tech, STEAM tracks. F-1 visa sponsorship available.

Apply now →

Industry Pro. Mentor
ROLLING

Become a mentor

Senior dev, designer, or producer? 2-4 hours/month with an intern. Help them ship, grow, get hired.

Become a mentor →

Donor. Sponsor
COMING SOON

Sponsor a 6-month placement

$1,000 Champion tier covers a full 6-month placement. Software, mentor hours, stipend, support. You get the launch story when they get hired.

Sponsor an intern →

Applications roll year-round. Spotlight stories published monthly by Ahmed per 2026 Internship Directive. Fund the general intern pool.

WHY YOU CAN TRUST US

Top 0.1% of charities. Every dollar tracked. Every kid named.

A 2022 meta-analysis showed gaming therapy delivers 43% pain reduction and 61% anxiety reduction for hospitalized kids. We use what works.

Rated charity in gaming

On Charity Navigator + Platinum GuideStar

86%

Direct to Programs

14% covers admin + fundraising

$1.50

= 1 life touched

Updated from $1 in 2018

100M

Kids in 10 Years

Our north-star vision

A new grad is about to give up on their career. You can change that today.

Apply yourself. Mentor someone. Or fund the next placement. Every path puts a real human into their dream job.

Sponsor an Intern →
Apply for Internship
Become a Mentor

🎉 THE 1 DAY MOVEMENT

Birthday. Anniversary. Survival day. Working day. Claim ONE day. Turn it into a hospital room.

Claim Your Day →

Helping Kids For Life.

QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK

FAQ. Interns International

What is Interns International?

Interns International is the Games For Love program that matches students (18+) with active development teams and senior mentors from League of Pros, in gaming, technology, and STEAM. Paid placements, real product work, F-1 visa sponsorship available. 250+ interns matched, 18K+ hours of pro mentorship donated.

Who can apply for an Interns International placement?

Students 18+ from anywhere in the world. You need basic skills in your area of focus and the commitment to ship real work. We especially welcome international students. F-1 visa (OPT/CPT) sponsorship available.

Does Interns International sponsor F-1 visas?

Yes. We sponsor F-1 visas (OPT and CPT programs) for qualifying international students. Zara Zahimi is one of our OPT success stories: GFL volunteer to Engineering Coordinator to Blue Ox Family Games full-time, 4+ years tenure.

How long is the internship?

6 months typical placement, with possible extension or conversion to full-time at the host team. Tiffany Nguyen earned her Internship Certificate of Completion June 2022 and is now 4+ years at Babeltime Inc as a Technical Designer.

How do I become a mentor for Interns International?

Apply at gamesforlove.org/mentor-app. Most mentors give 2-4 hours/month. Remote-friendly.

Where does my donation actually go?

86% direct to programs (intern stipends, software, mentor support, visa costs). 14% admin and fundraising. #1 rated charity in gaming on Charity Navigator. $1.50 = 1 life touched.

How does Interns International connect to GFL’s other programs?

Stage 5 of our Program Ecosystem: +1Up Rescue, GFLX (Hospital), Kids of STEAM, Scholarships, Interns International (here), League of Pros. Many interns walk the entire pathway from kid in a hospital bed to industry professional.