Have one handy guide to interacting with me at conventions, totally 110% free of charge. 😛

Overall I am pretty friendly but I do not like strangers touching me, especially my hair. If you try to pet my hair or touch my locs without express permission or invitation it will not end well for you. So just don’t, especially if you like having fingers.

If we are tumblr/LJ/DW friends but have not met IRL, feel free to say hello and if you ask first I’ll likely give you a hug/want a hug. I’m actually quiet and introverted in real life so if you see me fleeing for a quiet space, it’s not  you I am just feeling overwhelmed and need some quiet time. I have a terrible memory so if we have met just once or twice at previous events I might not remember you immediately, please don’t be offended.

I like to take photos, but I will always ask permission before taking them and again before posting them on tumblr, LJ/DW, flickr etc. I don’t mind being in photos, but ask me first before posting them online.

This weekend I’ll be paneling at Wizard World Chicago, on two panels as well as going to BitBash Chicago for the first time ever!

Saturday, August 22, 2015
So You Want to Be a Nerd Organizer, 3:30-4:15pm, Room 14
#NerdOrganizer
Whether you’re starting a podcast, a meet-up group, an online community, a con, a magazine, or a social movement, being a nerdy organizer of any kind means figuring out a lot of logistics. How do you choose who to work with? Where do you get started? How do you implement rules? How do you choose guests? On this panel, nerd con runners, community organizers, editors, and producers will share their experiences and advice about what’s worked, and what hasn’t.

Panelists include Megan Byrd (Graham Cracker Comics Ladies Night), Sondra de Jong (Nebula Awards), Tanya DePass (I Need Diverse Games), Thomas Glen (ValorCon), Matthew Peters(Mighty Ink Comics), and Michi Trota (Uncanny Magazine).

Sunday, August 23, 2015

THE MOST RACIST PANEL EVER! 1:00-1:45PM ROOM 14

Got your attention now?! So much has changed in our pop culture world- however, there are still many obstacles when it comes to experiencing ethnic or other marginalized heroes in media. Join us for this challenging topic as multicultural nerds discuss the cultural barriers, systemic problems, and the artistic gaps, that keep us from seeing diverse representation in comics, TV, and film.

Moderated by Tony Kim (“Crazy 4 Comic Con” on Con Radio”)
Panelists include Shareef Jackson #ScienceLooksGood, #GamingLooksGood, Spawn on Me podcast, Dawn Xiana Moon RaksGeek & Tanya DePass, I Need Diverse Games

My badge name will be my full name, and I’ll probably add my twitter handle (@cypheroftyr) once I’m there. if you want to chat me up afterward, please ask.

I’ll have business cards with me if one of us needs to dash off after  a panel. Saturday I’ll be wearing a burgundy #INeedDiverseGames tee and on Sunday at Wizard World I’ll be wearing some kind of gaming related tee, IDK yet. A sort of recent pic of me under the cut.

I’m going to Bitbash Chicago just chill and check out the #AltGames festival here. Also get to see friends and hopefully make news friends too!

locs from 020715

Published by cypheroftyr

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. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers attend the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make it better and more inclusive for everyone. She founded and was the EIC of Fresh Out of Tokens podcast where games culture was discussed and viewed through a lense of feminism, intersectionality and diversity. Now she’s a co-host on Spawn on Me Podcast. Along with all of that, she’s the Programming Coordinator for OrcaCon, she often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at multiple conventions throughout the year. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications.