A series of presentations and discussions on the role animation plays in social change.
Over the last three decades, digital games have shifted from a subcultural activity to a mainstream form of leisure. In tandem, the games industry has become one of the most profitable creative sectors, rivalling both music and film. The workforce of that industry, despite its significance, remains strikingly homogenous.
While women, people of colour, and LGBTQ+ individuals have always been present in game-making, they are underrepresented and face unique challenges and obstacles, including discrimination, harassment, pay gaps, curtailed career lengths, and marginalization in professional spheres. Those seeking to address the exclusion of these groups often emphasize education- the need to recruit more diverse individuals to games and related subjects in primary, secondary, and post-secondary contexts.
In this roundtable, we discuss the problems with a focus on educational pipelines and explore issues in games work that cannot be resolved by focusing on entry as well as initiatives suggesting promising directions for change.
SPEAKERS
Alison Harvey
Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Communications // Glendon College
Alison Harvey is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Communications program at Glendon College, York University.
Her research and teaching focus on issues of inclusivity and accessibility in digital culture, with an emphasis on gender and labour in digital games. She is the author of Gender, Age, and Digital Games in the Domestic Context (2015, Routledge) and Feminist Media Studies (2019, Polity).
Her work has also appeared in a range of interdisciplinary journals, including New Media & Society, Games & Culture, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Feminist Media Studies, Information, Communication & Society, Social Media & Society, and Studies in Social Justice.
Johanna Weststar
Associate Professor // Western University
Johanna Weststar is an Associate Professor in the DAN Department of Management and Organizational Studies, an Adjust Professor in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Area, and an Affiliate with the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies all at Western University. She specializes in industrial relations and human resource management and is interested in project-based work, game development and the creative industries, occupational identity and citizenship at work.
Johanna is a member of the CRIMT Institutional Experimentation for Better Work Partnership Project, the Executive Committee of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association and President of the Editorial Board for the Canadian journal Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations.
Website // Twitter // LinkedIn
Stephanie Fisher
Co-Director // Pixelles
Stephanie Fisher is a Co-Director at Pixelles. Since 2010, she has been active in building inclusive game design communities in Toronto and Montreal by providing fundraising expertise and support to video game arts organizations, collectives and non-profit organizations that support diverse game makers. In addition to Pixelles (2015 – present), she has served as a co-director for DMG Toronto (2015) and board member for The Hand Eye Society (2017–2021).
MODERATOR
Su Skerl
Over 20+ years, Su has held creative, production, and operations roles in game development and publishing, animation, and agency settings. She’s guided indies to scale, and supported established creative companies through challenging periods of intense change. She’s known as the Nerd Whispererer for her love of fostering high-performing, team-first cultures, and her sizable network.
As a key contributor to several volunteer-led organizations, including Spark CG Society, she works tirelessly to promote inclusiveness and diversity efforts.
A series of presentations and discussions on the role animation plays in social change.
Over the last three decades, digital games have shifted from a subcultural activity to a mainstream form of leisure. In tandem, the games industry has become one of the most profitable creative sectors, rivalling both music and film. The workforce of that industry, despite its significance, remains strikingly homogenous.
While women, people of colour, and LGBTQ+ individuals have always been present in game-making, they are underrepresented and face unique challenges and obstacles, including discrimination, harassment, pay gaps, curtailed career lengths, and marginalization in professional spheres. Those seeking to address the exclusion of these groups often emphasize education- the need to recruit more diverse individuals to games and related subjects in primary, secondary, and post-secondary contexts.
In this roundtable, we discuss the problems with a focus on educational pipelines and explore issues in games work that cannot be resolved by focusing on entry as well as initiatives suggesting promising directions for change.
SPEAKERS
Alison Harvey
Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Communications // Glendon College
Alison Harvey is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Communications program at Glendon College, York University.
Her research and teaching focus on issues of inclusivity and accessibility in digital culture, with an emphasis on gender and labour in digital games. She is the author of Gender, Age, and Digital Games in the Domestic Context (2015, Routledge) and Feminist Media Studies (2019, Polity).
Her work has also appeared in a range of interdisciplinary journals, including New Media & Society, Games & Culture, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Feminist Media Studies, Information, Communication & Society, Social Media & Society, and Studies in Social Justice.
Johanna Weststar
Associate Professor // Western University
Johanna Weststar is an Associate Professor in the DAN Department of Management and Organizational Studies, an Adjust Professor in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Area, and an Affiliate with the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies all at Western University. She specializes in industrial relations and human resource management and is interested in project-based work, game development and the creative industries, occupational identity and citizenship at work.
Johanna is a member of the CRIMT Institutional Experimentation for Better Work Partnership Project, the Executive Committee of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association and President of the Editorial Board for the Canadian journal Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations.
Website // Twitter // LinkedIn
Stephanie Fisher
Co-Director // Pixelles
Stephanie Fisher is a Co-Director at Pixelles. Since 2010, she has been active in building inclusive game design communities in Toronto and Montreal by providing fundraising expertise and support to video game arts organizations, collectives and non-profit organizations that support diverse game makers. In addition to Pixelles (2015 – present), she has served as a co-director for DMG Toronto (2015) and board member for The Hand Eye Society (2017–2021).
MODERATOR
Su Skerl
Over 20+ years, Su has held creative, production, and operations roles in game development and publishing, animation, and agency settings. She’s guided indies to scale, and supported established creative companies through challenging periods of intense change. She’s known as the Nerd Whispererer for her love of fostering high-performing, team-first cultures, and her sizable network.
As a key contributor to several volunteer-led organizations, including Spark CG Society, she works tirelessly to promote inclusiveness and diversity efforts.
