Program

Monday, February 15th

Sane Game Jam
Theme: Refuge

Developers on Diversity: Web-Talk by Kate Edwards (Executive Director, International Game Developers Assocation), Dr. Farhad Javidi (CEO, Symbryo Corporation), and Sheri Graner Ray (Founder, Zombie Cat Studios)
1:00 - 2:00pm Rowe 130 and on-line.  The physical event is cancelled due to icy conditions at UNC Charlotte. However, the on-line event will take place as planned. 

Please join the talk from your computer, tablet or smartphone. 
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/256164365

You can also dial in using your phone. United States +1 (669) 224-3217


Access Code: 256-164-365

More phone numbers
Australia (Long distance): +61 2 9087 3605
Austria (Long distance): +43 7 2088 1403
Belgium (Long distance): +32 (0) 28 93 7019
Canada (Long distance): +1 (647) 497-9351
Denmark (Long distance): +45 69 91 88 64
Finland (Long distance): +358 (0) 942 41 5781
France (Long distance): +33 (0) 170 950 592
Germany (Long distance): +49 (0) 692 5736 7210
Ireland (Long distance): +353 (0) 14 845 979
Italy (Long distance): +39 0 553 98 95 67
Netherlands (Long distance): +31 (0) 208 080 381
New Zealand (Long distance): +64 4 974 7214
Norway (Long distance): +47 21 03 58 98
Spain (Long distance): +34 955 32 0845
Sweden (Long distance): +46 (0) 853 527 836
Switzerland (Long distance): +41 (0) 435 0167 09
United Kingdom (Long distance): +44 (0) 330 221 0086

Organized by Central Piedmont Community College's Simulation and Game Development Program and IGDA Charlotte.

Diversity and inclusion in the game industry have received increased attention over the past two years or so, for various positive and negative reasons, but how do professional game developers actually feel about the topics? What are their insights and opinions? Kate Edwards, Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), and Dr. Farhad Javidi and Sheri Garner Ray, Board Members of the IGDA, will discuss diversity through the lens of the IGDA's annual Developer Satisfaction Survey, and provide insights on where developers stand on the topic.

Kate Edwards - Executive Director, International Game Developers Association
Kate Edwards is the Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), hired in December 2012. She is also the founder and principal consultant of Geogrify, a Seattle-based consultancy for content culturalization, and a unique hybrid of an applied geographer, writer, and corporate strategist, built upon a passion for global cultures and media technologies. Formerly, as Microsoft’s first Geopolitical Strategist on the Geopolitical Strategy team she created and managed, Kate was responsible for protecting against political and cultural content risks across all products and locales. In the Microsoft Game Studios, she implemented a “geopolitical quality” review process and was personally responsible for identifying potential issues in all 1st party games between 1995 and 2005. Since leaving Microsoft, she has provided guidance to many companies on a wide range of geopolitical and cultural issues, and she continues to work on a variety of game franchises. Kate is also the founder and former chair of the IGDA’s Localization Special Interest Group, a former board member of IGDA Seattle, the co-organizer of the Game Localization Summit at GDC, and is a regular columnist for MultiLingual Computing magazine. In October 2013, Fortune magazine named Kate one of the "10 most powerful women" in the game industry, and in December 2014 she was named by GamesIndustry.biz as one of their six People of the Year in the game industry.

Dr Farhad Javidi - CEO, Simbryo Corporation  |  Executive Board Member, International Game Developers Association  |  Professor/Simulation and Game Development Program Chair, Central Piedmont Community College
Dr. Javidi is the founder/CEO of Simbryo Corporation, a North Carolina-based game development company. He serves as professor/chair of the Simulation and Game Development program at Central Piedmont Community College, where he created the first state-approved associate degree program in Simulation and Game Development in the nation. Dr. Javidi's teams have won the ImagineCup US Game Championship twice and have been finalists at the World Finals. Dr. Javidi is a poet, author, nationally-recognized conference speaker and, for three consecutive years, judge for Microsoft's ImagineCup World competition in the areas of Game Development and Mobile App Development. He is the founder of the IGDA Charlotte and served as the organization’s chair for two years.

Sheri Graner Ray - Founder, Zombie Cat Studios  |  Board Member, International Game Developers Association
Sheri Graner Ray is the Founder and CEO of Zombie Cat Studios. A game designer since 1989, she has worked for such companies as Electronic Arts, Origin Systems, Sony Online Entertainment and Cartoon Network. Most recently she worked with Jesse Schell at Schell Games as the studio's Design Director. She is author of the book, "Gender Inclusive Game Design - Expanding the Market", which was nominated for the Game Developer's Book of the Year Award in 1996. As an award-winning designer, her title GeoCommander was named Best Serious Game, Government Division, at the 2008 I/ITSEC Serious Games Showcase and Challenge. She has been awarded the IGDA's Game Developer's Choice award and has been on the Hollywood Reporter and WGEN's lists of top women in games. In 1998 she founded the IGDA's Women in Game Development Special Interest Group and served as its leader for ten years. In 2000 she was a founding member of Women in Games International and served as its Executive Director for six years. She is a sought after speaker on the subject of game design at conferences worldwide.


The New Engine in Gaming: Talk by Michael Plianconis
2:30 - 4:30
Central Piedmont Community College, Central Campus, LT1116.
Organized by Central Piedmont Community College's Simulation and Game Development Program and IGDA Charlotte.

This session will profile twenty-five of the most influential women driving the gaming industry since the 1980's.  Participants will explore examples of their work and learn about their contributions to high profile titles such as Assassin's Creed and Halo.​

Michael Pliaconis is an adjunct professor at CPCC's Simulations and Game Design department. In his role as the Level Design instructor he teaches level design theory, block out and flow and an understanding of Pace and Balance. In the advanced class they take it to the next "level" exploring aesthetic flow and using the levels to continue the narrative and overall theme of the game, further adding to the immersion experienced by the player. He also  instructs the Survey of Game Engines class where he reviews the evolution of the game engine and draws similarities and contrasts from Indie engines to the mainstream AAA game engines used in the program, building a common ground for student understanding. He is an Art Guild Scholar and an award winning 2d and 3d artist and in 2001 founded Pixelverse, and a subsidiary Time-sync Interactive, with a small team to rapidly prototype game ideas and mechanics for future projects. He studied fine arts at Hinds College where his core was composition and sculpture and graduated from the SGD program at CPCC in 2012 with a focus on Level Design and Modeling.

The History of Games for Women, presented by Aleigha Tucker

6:00-8:00pm
Central Piedmont Community College, Central Campus LV1118
Presented by IGDA Charlotte.This session will explore women in games. Since the early 1990’s female gamers have been regarded as a minority. Since then, designing games for women have been considered “Pink Games”. Together we can change this! Today, women are a huge market in the gaming industry, and the industry needs more games geared towards women. In this session, we’ll discuss creative ways to make games geared towards women. Let’s open our minds and get creative. Bring all your ideas to the table.

Aleigha Tucker holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Game Design Development from Southern New Hampshire University, and an Associates of Applied Science degree in Simulation and Game Development from Central Piedmont Community College. Aleigha teaches part-time in the Simulation and Game Development program and is the Assistant Director of the Testing & Assessment Center at Central Piedmont Community College. Aleigha also serves as the Public Relation Officer of the IGDA Charlotte Chapter.

Tuesday, February 16th

Strong Female Characters in Persion Mythology: Talk by Dr. Farhad Javidi (CEO, Simbryo Corporation, Executive Board Member of IDGA, and Chair of Simulation and Game Development at CPCC)
9:30 - 11:30
Central Piedmont Community College, Central Campus, LT1116
Organized by Central Piedmont Community College's Simulation and Game Development Program and IGDA Charlotte.

Video games have long been known as a male-dominated medium, in the terms of player base, market audience, and character representation.  Not unlike other entertainment mediums, female characters in video games appear less frequently than male characters, are less likely to drive the action, and are more likely to play supportive as opposed to primary roles.  This gender bias has received increasing criticism in recent years and rightly so.  The time for change is overdue.  The mythologies of diverse cultures are full of strong female characters – heroic warriors, rulers and guardians who often possess magical abilities.  Developers have an opportunity to seek inspiration from these rich stories.  In this session, Dr. Farhad Javidi will explore some leading female characters from Persian mythology and their potential incorporation in video games.

Dr Farhad Javidi - CEO, Simbryo Corporation  |  Executive Board Member, International Game Developers Association  |  Professor/Simulation and Game Development Program Chair, Central Piedmont Community College
Dr. Javidi is the founder/CEO of Simbryo Corporation, a North Carolina-based game development company. He serves as professor/chair of the Simulation and Game Development program at Central Piedmont Community College, where he created the first state-approved associate degree program in Simulation and Game Development in the nation. Dr. Javidi's teams have won the ImagineCup US Game Championship twice and have been finalists at the World Finals. Dr. Javidi is a poet, author, nationally-recognized conference speaker and, for three consecutive years, judge for Microsoft's ImagineCup World competition in the areas of Game Development and Mobile App Development. He is the founder of the IGDA Charlotte and served as the organization’s chair for two years.

Faculty Gamification Coding Workshop
11:30 AM- 1:00  PM
UNC Charlotte, Fretwell 420 

The Women & Video Games Festival, with the Center for Teaching and Learning, is hosting UNCC’s first faculty gamification jam. Join us Tuesday morning as faculty learn the basics of coding with the web-based program CS First. A Google student ambassador with coding experience will be present to walk you through the first steps in creating your on-line educational game. Please bring headphones with you for this workshop. 

Faculty Gamification Interactive Workshop 
2-4 and 4-6 PM
UNC Charlotte, Kennedy 221 

Faculty of all disciplines and skill levels can join us for an interactive workshop to create their own educational game. Substantial research has been conducted on the benefits of using educational games (gamification) in and outside the classroom, but there are not many options in higher education. Let's change that and help our students learn with an engaging and fun educational tool.  The type of game and format is only limited by your imagination! You can use the coding skills you learned in the morning workshop, team up with other faculty to develop an on-line game, create a board/dice/card game or a prototype. Game-making software, and other gamification resources, can be found in the Resources section of this blog.

If you plan to use downloaded software, please bring the laptop you will be using to the workshop. There will be laptops provided for those using web-based resources. Participants will continue the work on their unique gamifications throughout the week, and submit their final design by midnight on Saturday, February 20th at the festival’s blog.  Winning games will be announced virtually on Sunday, February 21. The Center for Teaching and Learning will showcase the top 3 games with webinars throughout the spring semester. The winning game will be featured as a face-to-face workshop. There are 2 time slots available to accommodate teaching schedules. Sign up for the one that works best for you, and let the gamification begin!
Session 1 (2:00-4:00)
https://teaching.uncc.edu/technology-workshop/2016-02-16/interactive-faculty-gamification-workshop-session-1
Session 2 (4:00-6:00)
https://teaching.uncc.edu/technology-workshop/2016-02-16/interactive-faculty-gamification-workshop-session-2

Wednesday, February 17th

Sexism Response Workshop
9:30am-11am
UNC Charlotte, Cone 111
This workshop is designed to challenge covert sexism within educational settings. The workshops will be suited for anyone in the technology field, and especially for students and faculty, who are interested in combatting sexism. Workshop facilitator Professor Sarah Provencal (Winthrop University) rehearses social change with participants using Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed technique (Boal, 1985; www.theatreoftheoppressed.org), with the explicit intention of creating dialogue as opposed to monologue. The technique was created for non-actors to find non-violent ways to solve real problems, and has been show to be an effective teaching method for increasing student empathy and cultural awareness (Bukhanwala, 2014; O’Brien, Kroner, & Placier, 2015). Using games, role-playing, and conversation, participants brainstorm multiple effective responses to sexist comments and situations, otherwise known as micro-aggressions. By creating a safe and playful space to address these issues, we train ourselves and each other in how to educate society to be a more equitable place. For more information, please contact Celine Latulipe (clatulip@uncc.edu). To register (limited to the first 50 people who sign up) see: http://goo.gl/forms/Rc2yo96idC

Panel Discussion - Strong Female Characters: Complicating the Role of Female Characters in Video Games, Film, Comics and Television.
12:30 - 1:30
UNC Charlotte, Rowe 130
You’re invited to a panel discussion regarding contemporary portrayals of women in media, including video games, film, comics and television. Panelists from across the University will discuss the impacts of diverse characters such as Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder), Hermione Granger (Harry Potter), Jade (Beyond Good and Evil), Cristina Yang (Grey’s Anatomy) or Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel)." Panel led by Bobby Campbell. Panel Participants: Shannon Bauerle, Jennifer Byrd, Justin Cary, Kelly Finley, Erica Lennon, Laura Tamberelli, and Aaron Toscano.

Thursday, February 18th 

The Evolution of Female Characters in Games: Talk by Perry Courter, Vice Chair of IGDA Charlotte, and Instructor of Simulation and Game Development at CPCC. 
9:30 - 11:30am
Central Piedmont Community College, Central Campus, LT1116.
Organized by Central Piedmont Community College's Simulation and Game Development Program and IGDA Charlotte.

This session will explore the slow metamorphosis of female game characters in video games. From damsel in distress to iconic leading heroine, the industry has certainly made some advances, but it still suffers from old clichés and demographic philosophies.  Participants will examine how the image of female characters has changed and how it has stayed the same. Future directions will also be considered.

Perry Courter, Vice Chair, IGDA Charlotte and Instructor, Simulation and Game Development Program, Central Piedmont Community College. Perry holds a Masters of Science in Information Technology with an emphasis in Game Design from Southern New Hampshire University, a Bachelors of Science in Web Design and Development from Full Sail University, and an Associate of Applied Science in Simulation and Game Development from Central Piedmont Community College. Perry was an information technology professional for 17 years before taking on the mantel of instructor in higher education for the past 9 years.

Game Design for Women: Talk by Ellen Makkas. 
2:00 - 4:00pm
Central Piedmont Community College, Central Campus, LT1116.
Organized by Central Piedmont Community College's Simulation and Game Development Program and IGDA Charlotte.

Female gamers have become more prominent in the industry and have attracted the attention of game developers as a means to expand their audience. This session will focus on design considerations for the female market.  The presenter will explore whether or not games should be designed and identified as “woman’s games” to appeal to the growing female market, and the possible impact on male gamers of creating and marketing video games specifically for/to females.

Ellen Makkas holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Game Design and Development with a Minor in Supporting Technologies from Southern New Hampshire University, and an Associates of Applied Science degree in Simulation and Game Development from Central Piedmont Community College. She has been teaching Simulation and Game Development courses at the post-secondary level since 2012.  Additionally, she teaches game development summer camps at Charlotte Country Day School (Charlotte, NC) and Cannon School (Concord, NC).  Ellen also serves as the treasurer of IGDA Charlotte. 

Empathy: Open Discussion about Women and Diversity in Games led by Marc Tucker
1:00 - 2:00pm
LT1118, Levine Technology Building, Central Piedmont Community College, Central Campus.

Organized by Central Piedmont Community College's Simulation and Game Development Program and IGDA Charlotte.

Throughout the week we have discussed many issues regarding Diversity, specifically those related to Women in the Game Industry and the portrayal of Women in Games.  The topic of Women in the game industry has received both Positive and Negative responses from the Gaming Community. Join Marc Tucker and students from the Simulation and Game Development Department at Central Piedmont Community College to discuss some of the topics we have covered this week and other topics related to Diversity.  We will discuss Empathy and it's role in debating topics of a controversial nature such as this.

Marc Tucker – Faculty, Simulation and Game Development, CPCC
Marc Tucker is the co-founder and Former Chair of the International Game Developer’s Association’s Charlotte Chapter and Former Program Chair for the Simulation and Game Development Department at Central Piedmont Community College.  He is currently a Faculty Member for SGD at CPCC and develops course materials for more than 20 courses.  Marc has an AAS in SGD from CPCC and a BS in 3D Computer Animation from FullSail University.  Currently, he is obtaining his Information Systems and Technology Management MS degree from Capella University.

Keynote Speaker - Anita Sarkeesian: I'll Make a Man Out of You: Redefining Strong Female Characters
7:00pm
UNC Charlotte, McKnight Hall
Over the past few decades there has been a significant increase in the number of television shows and movies that showcase female action heroes. These roles have helped transform and challenge historical representations of women in the mass media. But are these examples of Strong Female Characters or are they just replicating traditional masculine archetypes in a sexualized, female body? In this lecture, Anita Sarkeesian will deconstruct the Strong Female Character and argue for a new character archetype that supports feminist values and breaks out of traditional oppressive gender binaries in order to promote, encourage, and envision a more just society.
The keynote speaker for this festival is internationally-renownded feminist game critic Anita Sarkeesian, who is founder of the nonprofit Feminist Frequency, and creator of the video blog series Tropes vs. Women in Video Games. Sarkeesian's critical work illuminates the gender inequities that exist within games and within the gaming industry. She has become one of the leading voices in the call for change in the culture of the gaming industry (as well as related popular culture) and in the advancement of girls and women in game design. 

Note: Please bring a valid UNC Charlotte Student, Faculty, or Staff ID to attend this event. Tickets will be provided to those who are not part of the campus community, as supplies last. Email heatherfreeman@uncc.edu with your snail mail address by Monday February 15th 5pm if you would like to reserve a ticket for yourself or your students. Those without a ticket OR a valid campus ID will not be admitted. Plan ahead, and do not bring bags and backpacks. These will be searched if brought.  Last, film and video are strictly prohibited during this event.

Friday, February 19th 

"Queer Gamers Coast to Coast" Video Presentation 
3:00 PM
UNC Charlotte, Rowe 130 

Matt Baume is a "writer, storyteller, and video maker based in Seattle whose work focuses on LGBT issues, nerds, and anything that is strange and wonderful (Baume)". He is the author of  Defining Marriage, and has been featured in The Advocate. He and his partner created a video ethnography interviewing "gaymers" as they traveled across the country to GaymerX, an annual convention focused on games and gaming culture in a queer space. "GaymerX is a 'queer space', in that many of the panels revolve around queer issues or queer devs, but GX4 is made for everyone and everyone is welcome!" (GX) Matt and his team have recorded their live commentary that accompanied their video presentation as a special request for this festival. Join us for an in-depth look at what sexuality has to do with playing games, from a multi-ethnic/gender/class/age point of view.

Friday, February 19th 

Speaker: Melissa MacCoubrey
7:00 PM
UNC Charlotte, Rowe 130 

Join us for a discussion with Ubisoft's Melissa MacCoubrey! Melissa MacCoubrey is the Narrative Director at Ubisoft Quebec and was the Assistant Narrative Director of Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. Melissa was also a key proponent in making the opening statement for Assassin's Creed more inclusive. She was recently nominated for the Writers Guild of America for her work as a scriptwriter for Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry. MacCoubrey has graciously volunteered her time and is traveling from Quebec for this event. Let's give her a warm welcome and a large turnout!

Image by Ubisoft

Saturday, February 20th

Sane Game Jam Ends on-line at midnight.

Sunday, February 21th

Sane Game Jam Winners announced on-line.

Surrounding Events

Gabriela R. Richard, "Intersectionality at Play: The importance of understanding gendered intersections with race/ethnicity, sexuality and identity in game culture"
February 4th, 2:00-3:30pm
UNC Charlotte, Cone 210.

From Gabriella Richard's abstract: "Marginalizing practices in commercial game culture have made national headlines in the past three years, particularly when it comes to gender. The focal point of this coverage has been the lack of female protagonists, representational issues when women are featured, and the harassment and vitriol disproportionately directed at female players, developers and critics. These are all incredibly important issues, particularly when we consider the continued fallout around #GamerGate and similar anti-feminist and anti-social justice efforts online. Despite recent popular presence, many of these issues have been prevalent in game culture for decades, albeit behind the scenes. A growing body of work has similarly started to address queer players, queer representation and romance. However, what has remained notably absent in headlines and in research on diversity in gaming is work that explores the intersections of gender with race, ethnicity and culture. This talk will discuss the history of academic work that addresses diversity in gaming, highlighting case studies from popular culture, notable academic work, and emerging research. I will make a distinction between work that explores representation (which has a longer trajectory) and work that interrogates the link between representation, participation and player experiences. I will also discuss the implications of this work for inclusivity, not only in commercial game playing, but also in game making and learning from games and related technologies. This will be considered both in terms of youth-oriented work, and trajectories in computing and STEM through adulthood. Finally, I will discuss future directions, including an inclusive design framework, and broader implications for research, policy and practice." Gabriela T. Richard is Assistant Professor of Learning, Design and Technology at Pennsylvaia State University. https://ethics.uncc.edu/news-events/danielle-citron-why-stopping-online-harassment-good-free-speech

Danielle Citron, "Why Stopping Online Harassment is Good for Free Speech"
February 23rd, 2:00 - 3:00pm
UNC Charlotte, Cone 113

Some see the Internet as a Wild West where those who venture online must be thick-skinned enough to endure verbal attacks in the name of Free Speech protection. Professor Danielle Keats Citron rejects this view. Cyber-harassment is a matter of civil rights law, and legal precedents as well as social norms of decency and civility must be mobilized to stop it. Citron is the author of the acclaimed Hate Crimes in Cyberspace (Harvard UP, 2014). Danielle Citron is the Lois K. Macht Research Professor & Professor of Law at the University of Maryland; hosted by the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics at UNC Charlotte. https://ethics.uncc.edu/news-events/danielle-citron-why-stopping-online-harassment-good-free-speech

Talk by Mary Ann Franks - March 14th, time and location TBA.