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Cristina Amaya (President & Co-Founder, Latinx in Gaming)
Kenzie Gordon (Project Manager, University of Alberta)
Location: Room 2014, West Hall
Date: Tuesday, March 21
Time: 2:10 pm - 2:40 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass
Topic: Educators
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: Video
Audience Level: All
This talk explores the experiences and fears of new graduates from post-secondary education in video games as they face an industry notorious for difficult working conditions and barriers to long-term career success.
Kenzie Gordon, Project Manager at the University of Alberta, will draw on her extensive interviews with new graduates of game development programs through The First Three Years project (a longitudinal study of their career outcomes) to reveal how graduates approach their entry into the game industry and what preparation is missing in game education.
She will then pass the baton to Latinx in Gaming, whose work advocating for and building community amongst Latinx game developers provides a powerful template for what inclusive game development communities could look like, and how educators can help. Their co-founder Cristina Amaya will reflect on challenges faced by Latinx developers, and what opportunities exist to integrate their approach into postsecondary contexts.
Attendees will gain insight into the experiences and fears of students as they approach careers in the game industry. The realities of game development work for marginalized populations provides a critical reflection point for what students aren't taught and need to know to pursue lasting, rewarding careers in video games.
This is for instructors and program directors in post-secondary games programs, as well as anyone working with or hiring new developers into game companies. Their findings help provide direction for anyone hoping to increase the career longevity and success of entry-level workers, especially those from marginalized populations.