Change is happening in the video game industry, and it's important to be part of it. If you're looking to expand your perspective through our Advocacy talks, this Session Guide and Walkthrough will help you make the most of your GDC 2023.
In our Advocacy track, address topics ranging from diversity to censorship to quality of life within the realm of social advocacy in the game industry—topics include diversity, equity, and inclusion, sustainability, accessibility, and achieving a healthy workplace. As part of our mission to support growth in the game industry, most Advocacy sessions are accessible at all pass levels, from our Expo pass to the All Access pass.
The track includes sessions from: Fair Play Summit.
Sign Up For GDC 2023 Here
The 2023 Game Developers Conference features hundreds of sessions—covering nearly every discipline, topic, and focus that matters to game developers today. It can be hard to choose! That's why we've created this helpful guide. Head here to view all previous GDC 2023 session guides.
It features some standout sessions, panels, and events dedicated to helping your career and company growth efforts. In addition, we've got tips on making the most of your GDC, and links to GDC Vault videos and Game Developer articles that will help you get pumped for GDC 2023.
Be sure to visit our Session Viewer for a full list of Advocacy talks at GDC 2023 and get started on prepping that schedule. For those wanting the option to experience every session at GDC 2023, be sure to register for an All-Access Pass.
DEI and Allyship Sessions
Fair Play Summit: Douglass Knew it and Now You Do, Too
Farley Chery (Associate Professor & Founder, Rigs of Color, Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
Location: Room 2001, West Hall
Date: Tuesday, March 21
Time: 2:10 pm - 2:40 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "This session looks at the Rigs of Color project and the allies who helped the project more than double the characters of color available to the public. Diversifying the industry and improving representation is not expensive, doesn't require being up to date on the latest science, nor does it need to be a time suck. It can bring joy."
Empowerment Playbook: Making and Measuring Change in the Games Industry
Stephanie Fisher (Co-Director, Pixelles)
Alison Harvey (Associate Professor, York University)
Location: Room 215, South Hall
Date: Wednesday, March 22
Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "Working with the leaders and community members of Pixelles Montréal, Stephanie Fisher and Alison Harvey will outline the concrete and specific benefits of inclusion organizing in creating change in the short, medium, and long term."
Unlocking the Power of Neurodiversity in Game Development
Pierre Escaich (Neurodiversity Talent Program Director, Ubisoft)
Aris Bricker (Associate Game Designer, Redstorm, Ubisoft)
Location: Room 2005, West Hall
Date: Wednesday, March 22
Time: 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "At Ubisoft, both employees and employer launched a dual and complementary initiative on Neurodiversity. This lecture will be about their journey and learnings on unlocking the power of neurodiversity in game development."
The History of Latinx Characters in Games
Joe Tirado (Communications & Marketing Lead, System Era Softworks)
Location: Room 2016, West Hall
Date: Friday, March 24
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "In this talk, Latinxingaming's Joe Tirado will do a deep dive on the history of Latino characters in games—including where they succeed and fail—and then discuss the important role that game developers have in creating authentic representation that can mean so much to millions of people."
The Professional Closet: On Being "Out" in the Game Industry
Matt Turnbull (Executive Producer, Xbox Game Studios Publishing)
Location: Room 215, South Hall
Date: Friday, March 24
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "Join Matt Turnbull, Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing and Co-Lead for the Team Xbox LGBTQIA+ Community, as he walks through his personal story of "coming out" professionally as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, shares anecdotes and stories from others on their positive and less positive experiences doing so, and gives practical advice on how to build the kind of environment that empowers people to bring their whole selves to work."
Sustainability and Accessibility Sessions
Climate Crisis Workshop: Use Your Game Developer Superpowers to Fight
Grant Shonkwiler (Commander & Shonk, Shonkventures)
Trevin York (Lead Game Designe, Mindblown Labs)
Chance Glasco (Creative Director, Good Dog Studios)
Arnaud Fayolle (Art Director, Ubisoft, Positive Play)
Paula Angela Escuadra (Senior Design Researcher, Xbox Game Studios Cloud Publishing)
Location: Room 2014, West Hall
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 10:30 am - 6:30 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass
Description: "Through expert lectures and hands-on design activities, participants will both better understand the climate crisis and unlock their own superpowers as game developers, immediately applying new theory and practice to develop an original game pitch by the end of the day."
It Takes A Village: Building a Gaming and Disability Program
Tara Voelker (Senior Accessibility Lead, Xbox Game Studios)
Brannon Zahand (Senior Gaming Accessibility Program Manager, Microsoft)
Location: Room 301, South Hall
Date: Wednesday, March 22
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "Creating an accessible product can't be done by one person, it takes a village. In this talk, Tara and Brannon will describe how Xbox Game Studios runs their accessibility team, the different roles that partner to support Xbox Game Studios, and the importance of inclusion of disabled gamers during the process."
Implementing Accessibility Across a Studio: Year One
Cari Watterton (Senior Designer of Accessibility, Rebellion)
Location: Room 2001, West Hall
Date: Thursday, March 23
Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "This talk looks at the evolution of Rebellion's accessibility initiative over the past year, covering education, practices, and advocacy. Cari Watterton, Senior Designer of Accessibility at Rebellion, will also provide practical examples from the past year, and the impact on the studio and the content it creates."
Climate Games: The Developer's Field Guide
Arnaud Fayolle (Art Director, Ubisoft)
Location: Room 2016, West Hall
Date: Friday, March 24
Time: 11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass
Description: "The Developer's Field Guide for Climate Games aims to help developers use their games to raise awareness and activate players toward pro-environmental goals—by providing a proven step-by-step method to structure the developers' creative journey and make sure they maximize the impact potential of their game."
Sensory Overload: Accessibility Best Practices
Karen Stevens (Game Accessibility Specialist, Independent)
Location: Room 2001, West Hall
Date: Friday, March 24
Time: 11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass
Description: "This session uses concrete game examples to explain how to best support those with interactive differences, including topics such as simulation sickness, photosensitivity, audio processing, and more. Learn how to make gaming a more comfortable and enjoyable experience for everyone."
Employee Advocacy Sessions
Fair Play Summit: Why True Inclusion Matters: A Framework for Addressing Employee Harassment
Eve Crevoshay (Executive Director, Take This)
Location: Room 2001, West Hall
Date: Tuesday, March 21
Time: 4:40 pm - 5:10 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: This session will take survey data about harassment of game developers to build a case for why preventing harassment across games starts with fundamental culture change efforts inside game studios."
Lost XP: Why Junior Game Developers Quit and How to Help
Johanna Weststar (Professor, Western University)
Jakin Vela (Executive Director, International Game Developers Association (IGDA))
Sarah Spiers (Director of Global Development, International Game Developers Association Foundation)
Pierre-Luc Labbée (President, rhum.hr)
Location: Room 207, South Hall
Date: Wednesday, March 22
Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "This panel examines recent empirical data, existing industry interventions, and explores new solutions to keep talented and diverse game developers in the industry."
Open Salaries: Ensuring Equitable Pay Through Pay Transparency
Matt Schembari (CEO, Lightforge Games)
Location: Room 3016, West Hall
Date: Thursday, March 23
Time: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "Pay transparency has been shown to reduce gender wage gaps, fight against structural inequalities, reduce recruiting costs, increase retention, and is better aligned with workplace expectations for the Millennial and Gen Z generations. In short, it's better for both the employee and the employer, and it can play an important role in creating a more equitable and diverse industry."
Squelching Harassment in the Ecosystem
Neil Schwartzman (Chief of Detectives, Unit 221B)
Steven Guris (Director of Investigations, Unit 221B)
Maria Thomas (Investigative Lead, Unit 221B)
Location: Room 303, South Hall
Date: Thursday, March 23
Time: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "While companies and developers can harvest gargantuan amounts of positive feedback or constructive criticism, woven into these communication streams are bad actors and harassers both online and in real world acts of intolerance and harassment."
3 Tips for Making the Most of Your GDC
1. Join our Supporting DEI networking session: This year, GDC is expanding its number of speed networking sessions—including a dedicated session for people in marginalized groups and allies to come together. Speed Networking: Supporting DEI is open to all who wish to connect over shared experiences, new perspectives, and innovative ideas.
2. Attend an Advocacy Roundtable: GDC hosts several roundtables covering a wide range of topics, including several for supporting people in marginalized groups and their allies. Head here for a full list of roundtables happening at GDC 2023. We recommend attending at least one roundtable that pertains to your life experience, and one where you can listen and learn from the experiences of others.
3. Participate in IndieGiving's Hygiene Drive: The Game Developers Conference is committed to supporting the community that supports us. That's why we've partnered with IndieGiving for their Hygiene Drive, where attendees can donate hygiene products that will be collected and donated to families in the community. Look for the donation booth near Registration!
Watch and Read
(VIDEO) A Hotline for the Games Industry: Lessons Since 2020, Jae Lin, Anita Sarkeesian (GDC 2022)
Watch more Advocacy talks on GDC Vault here.
This is the latest in our series of Session Guides for GDC 2023, with recommendations for sessions, events, networking opportunities, and more. Head here to view all previous GDC 2023 session guides.
Of course, the only way to see these sessions, and so much more, is to sign up for GDC!
Register for GDC 2023 Here
We can’t wait to see you at GDC 2023, taking place March 20-24, 2023 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. Head here for information on booking a hotel and other travel inquiries, and follow the #GDC23 hashtag for the latest news and updates for this year’s exciting event.
GDC returns to San Francisco this March 20-24, 2023, and registration is now open! For more information, be sure to visit our website and follow the #GDC23 hashtag on social media.
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