Saturday, October 13, 2018
9:30 AM-10-:30AM

Why Inclusion is Required, and Diversity is Not Enough

Tanya DePass

Often times we talk about diversity and inclusion but we don’t grasp what it means beyond the 101 level conversation. Diversity has been reduced to a meaningless buzz word to many, and inclusion is not considered. What happens when we get past that initial recognition of others in gaming? How do we get off the hamster wheel of 101 talks, and saying yes, we need more people of color, more LGBTQIA+ folks, more non-binary, disabled, and neuro-divergent people in the space? What then? Recognition of the need to widen our view is great, but let’s get past the starting line and up our game so to speak.

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a non-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. She is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, who wants to make gaming better and more inclusive for everyone, the Diversity Liaison & Programming Director for the GaymerX Foundation, is a board member of Con-or-Bust which helps marginalized fans attend Sci Fi and Fantasy conventions. She’s also the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins, an anthology featuring stories from marginalized game developers and others adjacent to the industry. The book released on June 13th, from CRC Press.