Help us celebrate the 10th anniversary of Women in Games 10-12 September 2019
Below is the agenda for the keynotes and panel sessions taking place on the Main Stage, and the Breakout sessions which will take place in separate rooms.
The Human Resource Summit is an exclusive gathering of like-minded peers from the Games Industry HR community. This event requires a separate ticket.
Opening Remarks from Marie Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, followed by an introduction to our conference hosts, the Nerd Pirates. Welcome from our Venue Host, Larra Anderson – Dean of Screen, London College of Communication.
“Let’s make a game about bullying and child abuse.” How the most unlikely idea for a mobile game ended up with a BAFTA and millions of players the world over. Producer Elin Festøy and Lead Game Designer Catharina Bøhler present the takeaways from the development of “My Child Lebensborn” and how the limitations of historical accuracy and a common vision kept an unusual project on track.
Play is older than culture and games are a subset of that activity. Video games emerge from this lineage and grew up as an industry where male developers, creating masculine products have dominated. But the world is changing and so are the game industries. Women are developing playful experiences targeted to their own gender – which makes sense, since women make up approx. 50% of the population and approx. 50% of players are women. But today, there is a place for people representing all aspects of games, and female developers are increasingly challenging game design orthodoxies and one-dimensional narratives. This panel session examines the opportunities (and challenges) for women in the industry and how the culture of games is evolving through more diversified representation, new genres and cross-disciplinary skills.
Panel Speakers:
Sharon Tolaini-Sage (moderator) – Lecturer (BA Hons) Games & Art Design, Norwich University of the Arts
Claire Boissiere – Games Producer, Writer and Vice-Chair at BGI Trustees
Jasmine Idun Isdrake – CEO & Exec Creative Director, Playcentric Studios
Kate Parkinson – Co-founder, Also Known As
Lucy Kyriakidou – Freelance 2D Artist
Rosa Carbo-Mascarell – Freelance Game Designer
Lunch break in the canteen
Demos of a selection of games & experiences designed by female students and graduates from the LCC VR and Games programmes.
Taking place in The Creative Technology Lab on Day 1 and Day 2.
Learn how games can be a powerful force for good, making a positive impact on the planet, on society and on business.
Games, while fun and entertaining, have the power to do so much more than simply amuse us, they help to create social and behavioral change. They can raise awareness about diseases and global issues, increase health and wellbeing, encourage us to practice empathy, teach us new skills and even raise money for important causes. Games can help us rethink perspectives, make new mental associations, provide fictional messages that change attitudes and disrupt stereo types. In this session, we explore all the ways in which games are being used for good and making the world a better place.
Panel Speakers:
Toni Brasting (Moderator) – Strategic Deisgn & Innovation Mgr, Wellcome
Charlotte Madelon – Independent Game Designer
Claire Baert – Founder, Citizen Science Games
Isabel Van der Keere – Founder & CEO, Immersive Rehab
Jude Ower – Founder & CEO, Playmob
Manjul Rathee – Co-Lead, BFB Labs
With immersive technologies (both hardware and software) advancing each day, there is increasingly more scope for games developers to create new types of playful experiences that engage the user in a natural and compelling way. From virtual and mixed reality to artificial intelligence, gameplay has never been so immersive and true-to-life. We examine the way in which these cutting-edge technologies and new distribution and streaming services are transforming the game industries and all the opportunities available to enhance our user experience.
Panel Speakers:
Sarah Atkinson (moderator) – Head of Culture, Media & Creative Industries, King’s College
Ghislaine Boddington – Founder & Creative Director, Body>Data>Space
Ana-Despina Tudor – Course Leader, MA Virtual Reality, London College of Communication
Emily Short – Chief Product Officer, Spirit AI
Francesca Rosella – Co-Founder & CEO, Cute Circuit
Tara Reddy – Co-Founder & CEO, Loveshark
Closing remarks from Marie Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games.
Women in Games are excited to hold this fantastic event as part of our European Conference in our 10th Anniversary year.
Taking place at The Ministry, a stunning Victorian warehouse in the heart of Borough, London SE1, a venue run by the iconic Ministry of Sound.
Please register for the HR summit at the main conference registration. The HR Summit will begin at 1 pm after the main conference Opening Remarks and Welcome on the main stage.
Lunch will be searched in the same room that the HR Summit is taking place.
How can you develop your personal presence and impact but still be yourself? The ability to influence is critical to healthy relationships and success. This interactive workshop will help you to explore how you can increase your contribution and have a positive impact on others within your team and organisation.
This workshop will be delivered by Clare Wilson from the Collaborative Consulting Group, who has worked with over 30 companies in the past 10 years including 4 Gaming companies.
Educations role in building an inclusive culture at Outplay.
Bob Fahy and Ellie Boyd from VWV Solicitors will present an Employment Law Update addressing key recent developments in case law and what’s coming up in 2019/20. This will cover a wide range of topics including:
Ukie COO, Dan Wood, will talk about the work Ukie is doing to improve diversity and inclusion, in particular how their new Diversity Census aims to produce the most detailed analysis on the diversity of the industry’s workforce ever conducted.
In this practical workshop, you will learn to lean into failure and focus on practising listening and feeling heard by the other.
Video games as cultural objects are entering libraries, museum and other cultural institutions’ collections and agendas. How can libraries and cultural institutions promote video game culture in its diversity and support gender equality in games. This workshop will bring various examples and be a place to exchange ideas! With Marion Loire, Head of Libraries at the French Institute in UK, Stella Wisdom, Digital curator, contemporary British Collection at the British Library, Marion Tessier, Service Development Librarian at The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, and Emilie Reed, Phd Student researching the history of displaying videogames in museums and other arts contexts
Marion Loire (moderator) – Head of Libraries at the French Institute, UK
Stella Wisdom – Digital curator, contemporary British Collection at the British Library
Marion Tessier – Service Development Librarian at The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames
Emilie Reed – Phd Student researching the history of displaying videogames in museums and other arts contexts
Opening Remarks from Maire Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, followed by an introduction to our conference hosts, the Nerd Pirates.
Marie-Claire Isaaman interviews Harinder Sangha, Operations Director, Sumo Digital, about how her career path led her to where she is today at Sumo Digital.
There are so many avenues one can take to get into digital entertainment – from formal university degrees and college certifications to alternative forms of education such as coding courses and apprenticeships. Whether you are at the stage of deciding which education path to pursue, or you are already in the workforce and want to learn new skills to make a career shift, we explore all the options out there today, hearing both from organisations and women who have taken different paths, in order to equip you with all you need to make an informed decision about your future in games.
Panel Speakers:
Lucy Brown (moderator) – Associate Dean of Screen, London College of Communication
Claire Sharkey – Founder, Sharkbit
Emma Smith – Head of Talent, Creative Assembly
Rachel Gregg-Smythe – Producer, PlayStation
Taking Action. That’s what Roberta practices everyday. Taking action when things go badly, so you can make impactful changes. Taking action when things go well, so you can multiply the gains. In this talk, Roberta will take you through her journey of highs and lows in her career, from becoming a rare female founder of a games studio, the BAFTA-winning Bossa, failing at multiple endeavours and most recently starting the Beta Lucca movement as a YouTuber. You’ll leave this session knowing why failure is your best friend and feeling inspired to take action.
So… you have a great idea for a new game that you know will be a success! But how do you turn an idea into a business? What resources are out there to support women who want to become digital entrepreneurs? From how to raise investment (private sector, crowdfunding and government grants), to which accelerators are most relevant, how to pitch your game idea and the emotional rollercoaster that starting a business brings with it… we hear from women who’ve done it as well as those who support them, looking at all aspects of how to master the entrepreneurial journey of building a games company.
Panel Speakers:
Cassia Curran – CEO, Wings Interactive
Roberta Lucca – Co-founder and Brand-in-Chief, Bossa Studios
Shivani Lamba – Founder, Brightlobe
Simay Dinc – Co-Founder, Recontact Digital Arts
Lunch break in the canteen
Demos of a selection of games & experiences designed by female students and graduates from the LCC VR and Games programmes.
Taking place in The Creative Technology Lab on Day 1 and Day 2.
Designing a game is a truly cross-disciplinary collaboration that requires numerous skill sets and talents. Whether you’re an artist, a coder, a scriptwriter or a sound designer, the industry needs you all! This panel discussion looks at some of the key roles needed to make a successful, featuring women who share their personal experiences working in games, and how their area of expertise ties into the finished product.
Panel Speakers:
Marianne Monaghan (Moderator), Head of Production, Hangar 13
Alice Rendell – Senior Narrative Designer, Massive Entertainment
Anna Marsh – Feature Producer, Deep Silver Dambuster Studios
Jessica Kelly – Composer
Rachele Doimo – Art Director, Square Enix
Samantha Roach – XR Developer, Make Real
How one girl went from just playing games to actually making them, seemingly overnight.
Women can have it all! Thankfully, these days both mental and physical wellbeing has come to the forefront and the correlation between a healthy work-life balance and productivity is becoming more known. From flexible hours, remote working, sponsors and mentors to understanding the importance of building diverse teams where we can bring our whole, authentic selves to work and feel included and supported, this session explores all the elements needed for women to thrive and grow in the digital entertainment industry.
Panel Speakers:
Liz Prince (Moderator) – Business Manager, Amiqus & Founder, G into Gaming
Anisa Sanusi – Founder, Limit Break
Gemma Johnson-Brown – Chief People & Business Development Officer, Dovetail Games | Ambassador Director, WIG
Harriet Hadley – Community & Diversity Manager, eSynergy Solutions & Co-organiser of BEEqual
Jessica Hyland – 3D Game Artist, Wonderstruck
Dr Jo Twist OBE – CEO, UKIE
A fun, interactive end to the day.
Summary and takeaways from Day 2, by Marie Claire Isaaman – CEO, Women in Games
What does it mean to lead as a female in today’s world? How does an empowered woman feel, look and think? This workshop will discuss the key elements that no one seems to be talking about, and examine the ways in which we can radically support each other, helping break our own personal glass ceilings.
Research shows that 1 in 2 women experience discrimination in online gaming, and 30% avoid revealing their gender because of this. Abuse and discrimination stops women playing the games they love and ultimately damages the success of games themselves. Join us for an interactive session that will explore how women experience abuse & discrimination within gaming and focus on shaping practical solutions that we can use as individuals and as an industry, to improve the gaming environment for women.
Learn some crucial body language tools and techniques that can help you speak with authenticity and brilliance.
This workshop is taking place in Black Box Studio.
Discover your unique talents, how to use them to help others and how to create meaningful experiences of connection.
This is a skillsharing and networking session like you’ve never experienced before.
You’ll get the chance to:
A chance for WIG ambassadors to get together share event stories and look at future planning of events and how we can help each other and grow the network (open to current WIG ambassadors)
A select group of women from the Rockstar Games development team discuss their paths into technical roles and share their experiences from these roles, offering insight into the many and varied opportunities for women in technical roles within video games.