I might feel this way cause of the fact I’m situated in the PNW, but I welcome people of all faiths, beliefs and ethnicity. We’re all human, after all, so why not relish and appreciate the things that make us unique? Well, today there’s an expo that does just that, called Game Devs of Color. It’s entering its 5th year, and like most conventions these days, it’s online only this year. It’s going to take place from September 19-20th, and will feature a diversity of voices in gaming.
Though I haven’t followed the Game Devs of Color expo in past years, there’s some great talent here. Some noteworthy developers include folks who’ve worked on games like No More Heroes, Psychonauts 2, Garden Story, She Dreams Elsewhere and more. Plus, if you’re more of a pen and paper gamer, there’s also board games on display.
You can read more about this year’s event by checking out the press release below. And if you’re interested in some compelling panels, be sure to tune starting next week!
Game Devs of Color Expo, Online-Only in its Fifth Year, Announces Full Lineup of Participating Games and Developer Talks
Event will take place online September 19-20, marking GDoCExpo’s biggest year yet
September 10, 2020 — Today, Game Devs of Color Expo – set to take its fifth edition fully online this year – announced its lineup of speakers, panels, and participating games for its upcoming conference. The 2020 Game Devs of Color Expo Online will take place Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20.
This year’s event will feature a diverse array of main presentations and panels within a private online conference space that encourages conversations between attendees.
Speaker Lineup
- Chase Bethea (Composer, Cubic Climber) – “Composing Music for In-Game Islands, Subterranean Areas and Beyond”
- Shana T. Bryant (Producer) – “No More Heroes: How Game Development Heroics is Killing Us”
- John R. Diaz (Technical Designer, Amazon Lumberyard) – “Culturally-Aligned Game Protagonists Design”
- Claude Jerome (Gameplay Designer, Probably Monsters) – “Advanced Game Feel”
- Sisi Jiang (Narrative Designer, LIONKILLER) – “Authenticity is Balls”
- Evva Karr (Creative Director, GLITCH) – “Rules and Restrictions Apply”
- Johnny Liu (Project Manager, Standing Stone Games) – “Exploring Inclusivity as a KPI Driver”
- Charles McGregor (Founder, Tribe Games) – “Sip the Juice: Adding Game Feel to Your Game”
- Limpho Moeti (Producer, Nyamakop) – “The Importance of Being Authentic”
- Sheila Moore (Co-founder, Combo Queens) – “Visibility in Indie Games”
- Xalavier Nelson, Jr. (Founder, Strange Scaffold) – “Kill Your Dream Game and Use its Body for Parts”
- Latoya Peterson + Mitu Khandaker (Founders, Glow Up Games) – “5 Things We Wished We Knew Before Launching Glow Up Games”
- Ethan Redd (Founder, Virtuoso Neomedia) – “Fight For The Future – Zodiac XX Post-Mortem”
- Salman Shurie (Independent Game Developer) – “Forming Ideas for Games You Don’t Have”
- Lisette Titre-Montgomery (Art Director, Double Fine Productions) – “The Art Of Psychonauts 2 – The Making of a Brain in a Jar”
- Victoria Tran (Communications Director, Kitfox Games) – “Failure Marketing”
- Calbert Warner (Composer) – “Carving Out a Niche in Video Game Music and Using Social Media to Attract Potential Clients”
Panels
“How to Pitch Your Game to Press”
Have you ever wondered why some games get covered, and others don’t? In this session, join three journalists as they answer developer questions related to the news pitching process and offer practical advice on how to get news coverage of your game. Attendees will leave with a stronger understanding of how games coverage gets picked and how newsrooms work. Panelists: Ana Diaz (MinnMax), Shannon Liao (CNN Business), Imran Khan (Kinda Funny), and Gita Jackson (VICE)
“Sex Positivity as a Design Pillar”
How do you meaningfully include sex, kink, & sexuality in games? What are the design & safety considerations? How can we create experiences that aren’t offensive or embarrassing? We will discuss & suggest games that approach the topic of sex in new ways and subvert common design tropes. Panelists: Naomi Clark (Consentacle), Sharang Biswas (Honey and Hot Wax: An Anthology of Erotic Art Games), Jonaya Kemper (Feeding Lucy), Clio Yun-Su Davis (Pass the Sugar, Please), and Rachel Li (The Cheaters)
Games Lineup
Game Devs of Color Expo also announced its 2020 lineup of video games and tabletop games. A showcase on Steam called “Gradient Convergence” will also take place during the event, highlighting Game Devs of Color Expo’s games lineup.
Video Games
- 1000 Deaths (Pariah Interactive)
- Aerial_Knights Never Yield (Aerial_Knight, Neil Jones)
- An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs (Strange Scaffold)
- Breakpoint (Studio Aesthesia)
- DON’T GIVE UP (Taco Pizza Cat Games)
- Duster (Coldrice Games)
- Finders, Keepers (Alex Francois)
- Garden Story (Picogram)
- Jumpala (Yokereba Games)
- Keylocker | Turn Based Cyberpunk Action (Moonana)
- KindFolx (Tristan Barona)
- Koshka’s Kofe (Koshka’s Team)
- LIONKILLER (Sisi Jiang)
- Love Shore (Perfect Garbage)
- Lucifer Within Us (Kitfox Games)
- Museum Multiverse VR (Made in Brooklyn Games)
- Mystic Pillars: A Story-Based Puzzle Game (Holy Cow Productions)
- OneBit Adventure (Galactic Slice)
- Onsen Master (Waking Oni Games)
- ProtoCorgi (Kemono Games)
- She Dreams Elsewhere (Studio Zevere)
- Skate Story (by Sam Eng)
- Solace State (Vivid Foundry)
- ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area (Veritable Joy)
- Xenosis: Alien Infection (NerdRage Studios)
- Yellowface – An Asian American Story (Mike Ren Yi)
Tabletop Games
- Design Eye | The Graphic Design Education Game (Deon Mixon)
- Dogs BOND (Alex Lu)
- Gladius (Cat Quartet Games)
- Hoop Godz (Board Game Brothas)
- Inequality-opoly: The Board Game of Structural Racism and Sexism in America (Perry Clemons)
- MonsDRAWsity (Eric Slauson)
- Tattoo Stories (Eric Slauson)
- The Girl and the Robot – The Card Game (Flying Carpets Games)
- Winsults (Davon Ford, Lanee Higgins)
2020 marks the Game Devs of Color Expo’s fifth year. In a historic first, the event moves entirely online so as to continue to champion access and inclusivity within its showcasing of games by creators of color, even as COVID-19 precludes in-person gatherings. The expo was first envisioned by founders Catt Small and Chris Algoo in 2016, who sought in conjunction with Brooklyn Gamery to construct a safe space where people of color from any and all intersections of identity could connect to discuss their passions and projects.
“Since 2016, the amount of excitement that this event has brought to the games industry has proven to be something we all needed,” said Catt Small, co-founder of Game Devs of Color Expo. “We’re looking to continue these vibes in 2020.”
Tickets for the 2020 Game Devs of Color Expo Online can be purchased on Eventbrite for a sliding scale of $5-10.
