GDoC has grown to encompass more diverse elements, in terms of being more than about “pure” game development, but also representing those who also identify as marginal beyond colour. Has that been intentional and important to the event’s growth? Internally, we work to break down our own biases. We want to give as many facets of our community as possible a chance to break through. We make a dedicated effort to find folks who are from a variety of under represented groups. When there is room for all facets of our community to make games, that’s when the industry is at its best.
“Allowing marginalised people to tell their stories in their own voices helps the game industry to pull away from creating boring one dimensional characters.”
In which areas of business or development do you hope to increase interest and therefore promote greater diversity in the industry? You could say we are pushing to increase hiring for storytelling roles given the amount of great talks we have about narrative design this year. Allowing marginalised people to tell their stories in their own voices helps the game industry to pull away from creating boring one dimensional characters. This is something that we clearly support and want to see more of.
GDoC comes from humble beginnings. Is it important to stay humble and how do you achieve that? As far as we have come there is still so much further to go. Our mission has always been to build access to knowledge, funding, and opportunities for people of color in the games industry. The industry itself reminds us to stay humble because there is still so much work to do to achieve our goals.
Are there those that still ask why GDoC needs to exist - how do you respond to those kinds of questions? Constantly. We respond politely and try to treat the question more as a teachable moment than an affront to our existence. The games industry at large is making strides to become more inclusive and equitable, but these initiatives are still in the early stages. We still need Triple A game studios to be more thoughtful when it comes to
employment. We need more PoC represented in games not as stereotypes, but as real characters with real narratives. Until we see that the equity gap is closed there will always be a need for the Expo.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give the fresh- faced organisers preparing for the first GDoC? If you’re ready to go out of your way for the next generation of game developers you’re at the right place. This is a games expo with a purpose, and the fun is in service to an important larger cause. We strive to do better than other game events. GDoC prioritizes paying our talent first and providing opportunities for attendees to experience one of the most vital and vibrant events in the industry.
You will already be planning for 2023, but has there been any thought to bringing GDoC Expo across the pond to Europe? Technically we have… virtually. If anyone wants to reach out and contact us regarding a GDoC Expo Europe we are more than happy to discuss. All the organisers have valid passports and are ready to work!
Where:
www.gamedevsofcolorexpo.com When: September 15th-18th
Highlights: • Semiotic NPC Design: Mapping Symbols Of Identity - Chantal Ryan
• It’s Not About You: Beyond the Hero’s Journey - Jen Coster • The Bridge Between The World And A Game Developer - Ron Jones
• Unionisation and Diversity in the Game Industry - Game Workers of Southern California • The Accidental Afrofuturist - Nate Tannis • Introducing Chaos: Let’s Build Some Procedural Narrative Systems - Sherveen Uduwana
September 2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 47
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