This panel explores the current political situation in the US around Black Lives Matter, diversity, inclusion and representation with respect to the game industry. From game development, hiring practices, character design, and more, this panel conversation hopes to move beyond visible aspects of racism and look at institutional and structural barriers that prevent black creatives from entering and thriving in the game industry.
Moderated By:
Ashlyn Sparrow | Assistant Director, Weston Game Lab, University of Chicago
Featuring:
Kevin Fair | CEO, I Play Games!
Keisha Howard | Founder, Sugar Gamers
Jacob Mooney | Technical Designer, Level Ex
Derrick Fields | Waking Oni
This virtual event will be hosted by Crowdcast and live streamed to the IGDA Chicago YouTube Channel. Use the link below on July 15th at 6:50pm CST to join the audience on Crowdcast and participate in the event!
Ashlyn Sparrow
Ashlyn Sparrow is the Assistant Director of the Weston Game Design Lab at the University of Chicago. She has worked on scholarly board, card, and digital games, and public health apps. She works closely with researchers and faculty to lead in the development of serious games, interactive learning experiences, and digital media art with youth and for youth. She has a BS in Information Sciences and Technology Design and Development from Pennsylvania State University and an MS in Entertainment Technology from Carnegie Mellon.
Kevin Fair
As the Founder and visionary I helped create I Play Games! a staffing and equipment company that has become a critical part of every anime/sci-fi convention, video game event, and birthday party. Building a energetic and unique video game experience, by providing quality equipment rentals, paired with a staff who is both passionate and committed to creating a fun and exciting video game experience.
Derrick Fields
Derrick Fields is the Lead Designer to indie game company, Waking Oni Games, which focuses on creating narratives at the intersection of African American and Japanese culture. His current project, Onsen Master, was successfully crowdfunded in 2019 and has a target release date of Q4 2020. Derrick is working toward building a physical studio space where he and others can provide education to the next generation of would-be game designers and artists.
Keisha Howard
A fierce competitor and innovator, Keisha Howard would advise you that,“the equipment you need to level-up is hidden within the adventure." Keisha is the founder of Sugar Gamers, an advocacy and networking group for gaming consumers and industry professionals. Drawing on her background in communications, psychology, social media, and her love of gaming, Keisha leads Sugar Gamers in raising awareness of the under-represented minorities in the industry and advocates to ensure corporations consider the needs of diverse consumers. Keisha empowers people as a mentor, community manager, and spokesperson for the gaming industry from her homebase in Chicago.
Jacob Mooney
I'm Jacob Mooney, and I'm a technical designer at Level-Ex Inc. That means I'm in charge of building engaging mobile games for doctors. I also build board games in my free time. I've worked for several kinds of teams large and small both inside and outside the video game industry, which makes me very passionate about studying company cultures and how we can improve our culture of work in Video Games.
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