I’m going back to MAGFest y’all. Here’s my panel schedule as part of MAGES.

Mental Health Representation in Games

Thursday Jan 3rd. 4:00 pm MAGES 2

Mental health representation takes many forms in games, and can be helpful or harmful. Games like Hellblade explicitly address psychosis through the use of sound and mechanics, and are highly praised for the care in which they implemented and portrayed this perspective. However, other games may be less careful in their depictions–and reinforce harmful stereotypes. How do tropes such as asylum horror settings, or villains who are labelled “crazy,” implicitly reflect and reinforce harmful ideas about mental health and illness? How can we thoughtfully–and accurately–portray mental health in games, allowing players to empathise and better understand diverse neurodivergent perspectives? In this panel, we will discuss these questions and more, delving into our favorite examples of mental health representation in games, as well as tropes and ideas to avoid.

Real talk on Streaming as a hobby or career

Thursday Jan 3rd. 8:30 pm Forum

A lot of people think Streaming is easy, you just turn on the console, PC a cam and go! We’ll have a real talk convo on what actually goes into streaming whether or not you consider it a serious hobby or want to make a career out of it.

Panelists: Brian Gray, ImperialGrrl, Triel Freschii

Beyond the 101 Diversity Convo

Friday Jan 4th, 2:30pm, MAGES 2

Let’s discuss inclusion and diversity beyond the 101, yes diversity is needed level. Let’s discuss better ways to make gaming (video, ttrpg, etc) more inclusive aside from let’s find one brown person, one queer person, one woman, etc. Let’s talk solutions rather than reconfirming the problem exists.

Hustle and Flow: Real Talk on Making It

Saturday, Jan 5th, 4:00pm MAGES 2

It’s easy to see people where you want to be, but we don’t talk about how they had to hustle, grind and work to get “there”. Let’s have some real talk on what you don’t see beyond the name and fame; especially about what some people think success looks like versus what it is

Panelists: Brian Gray, ImperialGrrl, Triell Freschii

Published by cypheroftyr

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-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, attendance at 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 the industry better and more inclusive for everyone. She’s part of the Rivals of Waterdeep actual play stream on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep, a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics online, at conventions and as a public speaker.. She’s also contributed to publications at Green Ronin, Paizo and Monte Cook Games and is the co-developer for the Fifth Season RPG based on N.K. Jemisin’s three time Hugo award winning Broken Earth trilogy. She’s the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a Twitch supported RPG and Actual Play stream, airing weekly on her channel, twitch.tv/cypheroftyr. Additionally, she is a Senior Annenberg labs Civic Media Fellow at USC. She’s also the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a new sci fi afro-futurist RPG developed with a team of all POC and Black creators; live streamed on her twitch channel, /cypheroftyr. She’s named as one of The Game Awards Future Class 2020, a diverse group of builders, thinkers and dreamers whose voices elevate and diversify our artform. It recognizes individuals around the world who represent the bright, bold and inclusive future for video games. She was also named as one of Gamers of the Year 2020 by Kotaku along with three of her contemporaries. She was also invited to the Xbox MVP program in February 2021. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021. Tanya is the programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX. She also serves on the Board of Directors for OrcaCon and was named the Chair for Take This in January 2023. She often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press) Writer Bio for pubs: Tanya is the Founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago. She’s part of Rivals of Waterdeep, an actual play D&D show on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep; the programming coordinator for OrcaCon & GaymerX; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. She’s on the Board of Take This as well as a Stream Ambassador, and was part of the inaugural cohort of The Game Awards Future Class. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021.