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Lizi is a pioneering producer and partner at Papergames (internationally known as Infold Games), where she serves as both creative director and game director. She has played a key role in shaping many of the studio’s signature titles, including Nikki UP2U: World Traveller, Love Nikki, Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice, and Shining Nikki. Lizi currently leads the development of Love and Deepspace, a groundbreaking 3D interactive narrative that launched globally in early 2024. Under her leadership, the project reimagined emotional storytelling in games through semi-realistic 3D visuals, cinematic presentation, and deeply human themes. The title’s fusion of immersive sci-fi action and richly woven relationships has resonated with players worldwide, establishing it as a landmark in interactive narrative design. Recognized by major gaming media such as IGN, GameSpot, Pocket Gamer, and 4Gamer, Lizi’s work reflects her remarkable ability to merge creative innovation with strategic vision, shaping the future of emotional and story-driven gaming experiences.

Dr. Richard Cole is Lecturer in Digital Futures at the University of Bristol, where he also co-programme directs the MA Games Design (Narrative). His research investigates how video games, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence open up new avenues for humanistic inquiry. He has published widely on games, from inquiries into gameplay structures and immersion, to worldbuilding, paratexts, and gender representation. He has coined key terms for game analysis and has led ground-breaking player studies into AI-native games. As co-Director of the Bristol Digital Game Lab, a pioneering hub connecting academia with the games industry, he aims to unlock the power of play for cultural, educational, and civic transformation.

As a game developer who specializes in narrative design, implementation, and programming. Jarory inspires his colleagues and next generation developers through collaborative projects and teaching game development. As a developer, he has worked on properties such as Madden, Marvel, and Star Wars as both a Narrative and Technical Designer. He dedicates his spare time to a Hip-Hop RPG, which he describes as a passion project. He has participated in multiple game jams including global game jam and train jam. As a developer of color, he seeks to amplify minority voices through inclusive design, unique perspectives in narrative, community service, and activism. Jarory is also a community organizer for Black in Gaming (BiG) and a member of the Latinx in Gaming community, as well as President of the Board for Global Game Jam. His current studio, Coquito Games, is the culmination of his years of experience and passion for telling stories from under-represented voices.

Nate Fox is a Creative Director at Sucker Punch Productions where he works to merge narrative and gameplay as effectively as possible. His 28 years of working in videogames have allowed him to ship 10 games, with the upcoming Ghost of Yōtei to be his 11th. Past titles include the Sly Cooper and inFamous series, as well as Ghost of Tsushima. As a long-time veteran of game production, he's worked in a wide variety of roles: artist, writer and game designer.

Emma Kidwell is a writer and narrative designer who most recently worked at Firaxis on Civilization VII and Marvel’s Midnight Suns. The game she wrote on, Hindsight, was nominated for several awards citing its emotional impact on players. Kidwell has consulted on and freelanced for several NDA projects that she'd love to tell you about (but can't). Some say she still posts on her itch.io, but there’s only one way to find out.

Marissa Koors is a narrative editor and designer with over a decade of experience making stories sharper across book publishing and interactive media. As a book editor, she worked for major publishing houses including Hachette Book Group and John Wiley & Sons, where she edited Kate Cooper's “Queens of a Fallen World”—a Finalist for the Cundill History Prize—among other titles, including major IP tie-ins from Marvel to “The Expanse.” She continues her work in the book industry as a literary agent for the Curious Minds Agency while focusing on interactive editorial and narrative design. Her credits as a game editor include “Alice's Lullaby” (2024), IndieCade nominee “Puckish” (2023), and “Zohran’s Run” (2025), in addition to editorial work for other interactive storytelling formats ranging from immersive theatre (“Disrememberance,” 2025) to ARGs ("MagStock Presents: Camp Gemstone Pond,” 2025). She has also edited and developed original epic and dark fantasy serials at Tapas Entertainment, and numerous indie TTRPGs. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Joshua Labelle is the creative director of Disney Dreamlight Valley and an award-winning author of interactive fiction, with a background in narrative design and film. In 2020, Labelle's Twine game Tavern Crawler tied for first in the Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp), becoming the first Twine game to do so. As a game dev, he has worked with franchises as diverse as Disney, Kim Kardashian, and World of Darkness - which has brought special insight into navigating the relationship with IP partners and licensees, as well as expertise in narrative live ops.

Diandra Anne Lasrado's vast experience spans nearly two decades working for industry behemoths such as Riot Games, BioWare, Blizzard, and Aniplex. Diandra is an industry veteran with a narrative background that covers editorial, characters, dialogue, and carries throughout the voice-over pipeline. Her experience covers AAA, mobile and indie games. With Diandra's focus on diversity, great imagination and team first mentality she has built a name for herself as a positive and creative influence for games. She currently is Narrative Director for iwot games making a Wheel of Time game.

Ariadna 'Ari' Martinez is an Argentinian writer and narrative designer currently typing away amongst the majestic mountains of Vancouver, British Columbia. With prior experience in film, she's forged an eight-year career in the games industry from small startups to AAA studios such as Capcom; Guerrilla (Horizon Forbidden West); and her current home, Sucker Punch Productions (Ghost of Yōtei). She's even briefly delved into theme park writing, another creative love of hers. In her spare time, she teaches Game Writing at Vancouver Film School hoping to pass on her passion and knowledge of narrative design to the next generation of writers.

Joshua Rubin is an Interactive Emmy-winning veteran of the entertainment industry, best known as a Lead Writer for video games such as Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2, Bungie's Destiny, Telltale's Game of Thrones and Walking Dead, and People Can Fly's Outriders. He was recently a Narrative Director for Techland's Dying Light franchise. He won the Emmy in 2022 for Netflix's branching TV series: You vs. Wild: Out Cold. Rubin has been a pioneer in the XR and Immersive space, constantly exploring the frontiers of narrative and future tech, since his 360˚ sci-fi film The Argos File premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won Best Live Action Experience at the VRLA Proto Awards in 2017. He was Narrative Director for Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son, Sony's VR sequel to the classic Bill Murray film, and Asset 15, an innovative AR thriller from director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity). He recently wrote Netflix's Black Mirror location-based VR experience, and is leading the creation of two new LBVR experiences for Felix & Paul. He is the founder of Strange Land Comics and he regularly speaks on the future of immersive storytelling at conferences like SXSW, AWE and San Diego Comic Con. Most recently, Rubin was the Narrative Director for Orion Drift, the new massively multiplayer VR game from the creators of Gorilla Tag, the first $100million VR game.

Carl Varnado is a writer, educator, and narrative consultant with credits on Need for Speed Unbound, Dragon Age: Veilguard, Street Fighter 6, and Wyld Flowers. He is the creator of Black Heroes Matter and Executive Director of Black in Gaming, where he advocates for inclusive storytelling and industry equity. A frequent speaker at GDC, Comic-Con, and the Essence Festival, Carl also teaches game and film production, helping students build real-world pipelines using Unreal Engine, AI, and collaborative narrative tools. His work blends technical rigor, cultural perspective, and deep experience in education - making him a powerful voice at the intersection of design and identity.

Dana Ware is the Founder and CEO of Hidden Realities, an immersive storytelling studio creating interactive worlds that blend physical environments with augmented and mixed reality. Her work focuses on transforming everyday spaces into living story worlds where audiences become active participants rather than passive viewers.

A pioneer in large-scale spatial entertainment, Dana has architected stadium-scale augmented reality platforms capable of synchronizing tens of thousands of participants in real time. Turning live sports and entertainment venues into shared digital experiences layered seamlessly over the physical world.

Previously, Dana served as Creative Director at The VOID, where she helped define the emerging field of location-based virtual reality. She led multidisciplinary teams developing premium immersive experiences in collaboration with global studios including Disney, ILMxLab, and Sony, integrating cinematic storytelling with real-time engines and spatial design.

In addition to leading Hidden Realities, Dana advises several XR startups on product vision, immersive systems design, and scalable creative strategy. Her work sits at the intersection of emerging technology, narrative design, and human connection, exploring how spatial computing can reshape how stories are experienced in the real world.

An internationally recognized Chicana director and advocate for inclusive innovation, Dana serves as Chair of the IGDA Women in Games+ Special Interest Group, a judge for the Webby Awards, and an Advisor to the Future Realities Summit at the Game Developers Conference, helping shape the future of immersive media through community leadership and mentorship. She is also a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Television Academy.

Anna C. Webster is an award-winning freelance writer and narrative designer based in Los Angeles. She holds a BA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University and has written for titles like The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, The Foglands, and multiple unannounced titles. She is a 2025 Hugo Award nominee, a the Chair of the UVW-CWA Freelancing Committee, a panelist for the DICE Awards, a member of BAFTA Connect, and a recipient of The Game Awards "Future Class" award. Her background in the performing arts and interest in clinical psychology informs much of her approach to writing, freelancing, and team leadership. She is still at large.

Yuning Yang is an independent game developer and technical narrative designer currently developing Aelwater, a narrative-driven exploration game examining themes of memory and loss. Previously, she worked as a narrative designer on Persona 5: The Phantom X and released The Falling Star on Steam to positive reception. Yuning holds an MFA in Interactive Technology (Level Design) from Southern Methodist University's Guildhall and a BA in Mathematics and Computer Science from New York University, bringing a unique interdisciplinary approach that combines systematic design thinking with emotionally resonant storytelling.

With a background in pharmacy, academic research, localization, and UX research, as well as being the co-founder of Serious Games Australia New Zealand (now merged with Games for Change Asia-Pacific), Kathleen Yin has been involved in all aspects of serious games ideation, development, and evaluation. She has conducted academic studies on interactive experiences for health and assessed their impact, generating critical evidence on the positive mental health role that games played during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also worked on award-winning Chinese mobile games as a localization specialist, exploring topics ranging from politics to philosophy and acting as the dramaturge in the voice recording booth, bridge cultural differences between the original script and the localized material. She now works in Nvidia to explore narrative design possibilities with AI, and how to construct realistic NPC interactions that allow unprecedented levels of player freedom.