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 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.