The GDC #1reasontobe panel will celebrate women game devs in a difficult climate

The emotional and sometimes contradictory # 1reahola The panel returns to the game developers conference. The session is happening in a climate in the United States, which may not feel so welcoming this year.

With US President Donald Trump, who is trying to make illegal diversity, justice and inclusion (DEI), this type of panel may face direct hostility in some circles. But the women on the panel – which often delivers inspirational personal messages about the trip to the opening of games – move on with the session this year.

The session is held for an hour at 11 am Pacific time in the 2002 room in the western hall of the Moscow Center in San Francisco on Thursday, March 20. Bee (CEO of Pincer Games and President of the Uruguay Games Association) returns as a moderator. Bee has been involved in the panel repeatedly, including online during the pandemic in 2021 and personally last year.

“The #1reasontobe panel is a very personal approach to any individual who participates.

This famous panel transfers the legacy of one of the most influential panels for the variety of GDC, which was originally started by Branda Romero and Lee Alexander, and later conducted by Rami Ismail.

#1reasontobe presents women from emerging territories around the world, participating in outspoken conversations about the development of the game within the respective and unique perspectives. In part, because of the challenges of the visa for the people who enter the United States, there are three Americans this year, Bei said in an interview with Gamesbeat.

These presentations will not only emphasize personal motivations, but will also tell their unique trips in the development of the game, touching aspects of the community, culture and opportunities in their internal nations. This year, it included six women from different parts of the game world. They talked about why they were game developers and how it happened.

Included participants in the participation Bee (CEO of Pincer Games and President of the Uruuguayan Games Developers Association); Javiera Sepulveda (QA At Kolibri), Kate Edwards (CEO of Geogrify and Cofounder of Setjetters), Morgan Baker (Game Accessibility Specialist at Electronic Arts) Valorous Games), Hanan Makki (Cofounder of Qindeel Studio)

I have always enjoyed this panel for empowered women from developing markets, telling their stories about their passion for games. This is a panel that is rich in the history of GDC and the movements of diversity that have helped to develop the modern play industry.

In 2013, the # 1reasontobe session was initiated by the longtime game developer Brenda Romero and Game Developer and former colonist Lee Alexander To give visibility to the work and ambitions of women in the industry.

Three years later, former VLAMBEER RAMI ISMAIL developer You gave a new twist by including geographically diverse people – especially those who had difficulty reaching the GDC or reaching the scene of the event. He gave voice to insufficiently represented game developers from around the world, including Lual Malen, a former refugee who is now working on games.

In 2021, Beeco -founder of Pinzers games and coordinator in Latam Game Developer FederationHe organizes the panel in the hope of combining the visions of Romero, Alexander and Ismail. She focused on women from different parts of the world.

But GDC decided to cancel the session in 2021 and 2022, as other advocacy programs and diversity play the role of the #1reasontobe panel. Ismail said he was furious about GDC’s decision to define the panel that requires a trip. And the interesting thing is that GDC returned it last year to a session organized and moderated by Bee. She said the funding was restored to fly people.

Retrieval

GDC said #1reasontobe holds the power to expand the horizons of our industry and the global challenges we face. Giving an idea of ​​the often neglected realities and cultures, the panel sheds light on the dimensions that are not conventionally visible to game developers. The #1reasontobe audience is the game developers community that vote for inspiration. It is a symphony of different voices, especially for the projection of women’s experiences in different cultures. Last year, the session received an 89% excellent estimate.

What to expect this year

This year, the organizer Laia Bee gathered women to deal with important topics such as accessibility and what it is like to be a deaf developer in the industry. The panel will make a deep diving on the journey of a developer in Saudi Arabia, pursuing a career in video games, as well as the experiences of the South American immigrant, navigating a life away from home and culture. In addition, discussions about women’s experience in the development of the game would not be full without dealing with the trans representation and its importance in the industry.

For the first time, the panel introduces the role of “godfather”. This year, Kate Edwards will share #1reasontobe, bringing to her knowledge and insights in the panel industry. This new role is intended to connect participants with key figures in the industry, providing guidance, support and inspiration.

The group talks to Brenda Romero, the first organizer of the panel. Sepulveda will cover what it is to be an immigrant in Germany, as well as the difficult times that there were in Chile, with threats of death that the police will not investigate. Mackenzie will talk about what it is like to be in an environment of hatred and resistance and what it is like to be a trance woman who makes video games.

The voices that couldn’t do it

Bey said that organizing this panel is a huge effort that takes months of planning. Collecting women from insufficiently represented regions – many of whom would usually not be able to attend GDC – is a significant challenge.

Bei noted that Maki is traveling from Saudi Arabia to talk about her experience as a game developer while Sepulveda is a local Chilean who now lives in Germany. The other participants are from the United States and they are votes in the community for accessibility.

“This is the way we got, because we had actually invited two, one from Singapore – Sherry Toch, a journalist with disabilities – and another participant from Kenya.

“I felt that Kate would be good as a godfather figure, as an industry expert who would participate and were also there to support the other participants in the area.

Each year, female developers from remote regions are confronted with rejection of visas, preventing the hearing of their voices. This continuous struggle previously handled former organizer Rami Ismail, and now the bee has this responsibility, tirelessly works to ensure financing and support for developers in the application process.

That is why it is crucial for people to learn about this panel, to attend it, to share it and to support it. Its continuing existence ensures that voices outside the status quo of the industry have the opportunity to be heard, recognized and empowered.

Bey said the panel takes more than a year to get together. The group raises money to help pay costs, and GDC also provides money. Of course, there is a political administration in the United States that signals that it is not interested in much diversity, justice and inclusion, nor practices tolerance of trans people.

“We have so many topics in video games about the disadvantages as trying to rebel against the system.