Lift Off! workshop for video game development
The Tech Valley Game Space is starting up a new free program -- Lift Off! -- with the goal of keeping the field of video game creation open to a wide range of people. Blurbage:
Lift Off is a free, inclusive, six-week program for self-identified women and non-binary participants to make their first game; no coding or other game development experience needed! This diversity-focused workshop series invites selected applicants of varied backgrounds and interests to create their own game. Participants will learn and practice the skill sets involved in making a game, from design, art, coding, audio composition and more. ...
Have you ever wanted to make a game, but felt uncertain about how to get started? You're not alone. Lift Off is designed for people just like you, because the truth is that you absolutely can make a game! Apply today, and take the first step toward bringing your game idea to life with support from our team of experienced mentors and the friendly community at Tech Valley Game Space.
The workshop meets on a series of Saturday afternoons between September and November at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity in downtown Troy (30 3rd Street). That link above includes an application form and other details.
The deadline to apply is September 8 at midnight.
Earlier: The goal: For everyone in the Capital Region to make a video game
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Comments
Interesting definition of “inclusive.”
... said Herbert on Aug 28, 2018 at 5:25 PM | link
It's 2018 Herbert! If you want to identify as a woman for a day, or a few hours, by all means!
... said Ra on Aug 30, 2018 at 8:28 AM | link
From an International Game Developers Association report on game developer diversity and job satisfaction:
"Survey respondents were predominately male (74%). Only 21% identified as female, 2% identified as male to female transgender and fewer than 1% identified as female to male transgender. An additional 2% selected ‘Other’ as their response. This is in contrast to the biological sex distribution of the 2016 United States Census where 49% were reported men and 51% were reported women. The US census only considered biological sex; however a recent study from the University of California estimated that 0.6% of adults in the US are transgender." (p. 11)
And from the report's conclusion:
"Developers are still young, male, white and most of them do not have children or elder care responsibilities. They are highly educated and three quarters have been trained in specialized programs relevant to game design or game development. As such, important representational challenges remain. These include immediate negative outcomes such as inequity and discrimination for women, ethnic minorities and older workers, but also have implications for the maturation of the industry, innovation in game content, art and design, perpetuating negative occupational identities and norms, and working conditions such as hours and overtime." (p. 32)
... said Greg on Sep 4, 2018 at 5:28 PM | link
@Greg do your part! Identify as a woman and help stem the vicious tide of men dominating certain fields. While you're at it, you can encourage women to be construction workers, sanitary workers, farm hands, and other various blue collar workers. We wouldn't want discrimination now, would we? Only an absolute 50% mandated split between men and women is acceptable!
... said Ra on Sep 5, 2018 at 9:02 AM | link