It’s time again for OrcaCon in Bellevue, WA! Join us January 10-12 for this awesome event. I’m there in my capacity as programming and diversity coordinator, as well as a panelist.
Friday, January 10th
How do you give new players the best experience possible? Hear from several GMs on how to put new players at ease and get them hooked on the hobby.
Kate Baker [M], Luis Loza, Joseph Carriker, Adam Davis, Tanya DePass
Hosted by Tanya DePass & Brittanie Boe. Join us for a casual drop in and mingle with other POC attending the convention. No agenda, just a chill space to meet others and network (if you choose). Note: We will not have alcohol for attendees, but you may bring drinks with you if purchased at the hotel bar/restaurant.
Saturday, January 11th
Tabletop is growing and expanding, and with it there’s an increased need for diversity at the table. Let’s talk frankly about why racism at the table shouldn’t be a thing you do as a GM or player. Also, let’s get real about racism in our settings and campaigns, talk about what we can do to stamp it out as much as possible in a land where elves, orcs, and dragons roam but racism seems to be a never-ending boss battle.
Tanya DePass [M], Misha Bushyager, Brian Cortijo, Dungeon Commander (DC), Graeme Barber
Industry panelists lead discussion of gender and sexuality issues in gaming from design and publishing to game-play and community. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people are a part of the gamer community. Although the gaming community is known for its tolerance, LGBT people still often struggle to see places for themselves in the fantasy worlds we create.
Joseph Carriker [M], Katherine Cross, Bianca Anderson, Taya Steere, Tanya DePass, Jeremy Crawford
Sunday, January 12th
A lot of folks want to get into streaming their favorite RPG, but they often want to know how? Let’s get into some basics, like camera, streaming locally or if you’re running an online game and more.
Tanya DePass [M], Anna Cail, Amanda Hamon, Mike Robles, Bebo, Graeme Barber
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.
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