Inclusive Design for Games & Animation: Embedding Inclusive Storytelling and Playing Experience in Content and Development
“Games are a rich, expansive medium that allow players to explore the possibilities of other realms and realities. Diversity in these stories, mechanics, and environments allows games to appeal to a wide set of this potential player-base while allowing players to become enriched, inspired, and empowered by these games and the stories within them.” – IGDA 2022 Report
Inclusive design and development for games and other modes of storytelling such as animation “not only empowers players who are often underrepresented, but also creates an impassioned fanbase, distinguishes the game and its design from competitors, and improves both user experience and public perception” (IGDA), offering a huge benefit to companies involved in franchise development to reach fans and audiences. This panel will discuss the importance and tactics on how to best equip game and animation developers with the knowledge and resources to make games and animation that are more accessible to all gamers and audiences, tell more stories through different lenses, and show characters with diverse backgrounds.
Panelists:
Stephan Bugaj, Chief Creative Officer, Genvid
Marge Dean, Head of Animation Studio, Skybound
Alyssa Mendoza, Head of DE&I Business Integration, Activision Blizzard
Francisca Phillips, Head of Global Employee Experience & DEIB, Jam City
Moderator:
Cristina Amaya, President, Latinx in Gaming