SELECTION OF LINKS TO INITIATIVES AND ARTICLES TO SUPPORT INCLUSION
The selection is in no way complete, articles often only touch the surface of an issue, but I found the information below useful in my work to understand and improve the way I design and collaborate. Feel free to email supportive links you think are missing.
Accessibility, Diversity, Inclusion, Equity
A straightforward reference for inclusive game design: gameaccessibilityguidelines.com
Able gamers is the leading charity and organization wielding the power of gaming to break down the barriers of economic and social isolation for people with disabilities. www.ablegamers.org
AbleGamers Foundation’s Game Accessibility Guidelines, written by developers, and gamers with disabilities: includification.com
Grizpaw one handed games controller: www.griztech.com
Special Effect has a team of therapists and technologists determined that everyone, whatever their physical disability, should be able to share the fun, laughter and inclusion that video games can bring. From controller modifications to voice controls and switch interfaces, all our customized gaming setups are designed to suit the very specific individual needs of each person they help. specialeffect.org.uk
Mental health resources for gamers https://checkpointorg.com
Fair Play Alliance https://fairplayalliance.org/
Take This https://www.takethis.org/
Games and online harassment hotline https://gameshotline.org/
Women in Games (WIGJ), made up of both female and male professionals, works to promote the inclusion and advancement of women in the global games industry. womeningames.org
Inclusion BC is a federation working with partners to build community and to enhance the lives of children and youth with special needs, adults with developmental disabilities, and their families by supporting abilities, promoting action and advancing rights, responsibilities and social justice. www.inclusionbc.org
The Algorithmic Justice League is a collective that aims to Highlight Algorithmic Bias, Provide Space For People to Voice Concerns and Experiences with Coded Bias and Develop Practices For Accountability During the Design, Development, and Deployment of Coded Systems. www.ajlunited.org
Bias and algorithms www.bbc.com/news/technology
Cyborg inclusion
Painless MRI with magnetic implant. By Joe Leigh. Guide for hospitals and cyborgs. urielxvi.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/painless-mri-with-magnetic-implant
Tech Diversity Files. A compendium of articles examining Tech’s ongoing culture problem with inclusivity, and telling the stories of those feeling the impacts the most. medium.com/tech-diversity-files
University of Michigan Library Resources related to the Computer & Video Game Archive, as well as projects and studies involving video games. guides.lib.umich.edu/cvga/cvga-diversity
Equality vs. equity, image showing that one solution does not work for all as we all have different starting points.
Rainbow Arcade book and exhibition https://www.schwulesmuseum.de/ausstellung/rainbow-arcade-a-queer-history-of-video-games-1985-2018/?lang=en
LGBTQ+ Inclusive Gaming on Steam https://store.steampowered.com/curator/11934326-LGBTQ-Inclusive-Gaming/
Queer tag Discord servers https://discord.me/servers/tag/queer
LGBTQ+ Video Game Archive https://lgbtqgamearchive.com
Gayming magazine https://gaymingmag.com/2021/04/the-positive-impact-video-games-have-on-disabled-queer-gamers/
Queer Characters in Gaming – A Brief History https://techraptor.net/gaming/features/queer-characters-in-gaming-brief-history
Why women quit tech jobs, #1 reason: lack of advancement ops. medium.com/tech-diversity-files/the-real-reason-women-quit-tech-and-how-to-address-it
The top 7 reasons women quit game development https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/356804/The_top_7_reasons_women_quit_game_development.php
Minute-Zero In The Gender Pay Gap by Tarah Wheeler medium.com/tarah-wheeler/minute-zero-in-the-gender-pay-gap
How To Identify A Toxic Culture Before Accepting A Job Offer. With everyone touting their “amazing” culture it can be hard to tell who is telling the truth. Here are a few red flags to look for. fastcompany.com/how-to-identify-a-toxic-culture-before-accepting-a-job-offer
Girls Make Games is a series of international summer camps, workshops and game jams designed to inspire the next generation of designers, creators, and engineers. womeningamesinternational.org
Black girls code aims to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 17 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science and technology. To provide African-American youth with the skills to occupy some of the 1.4 million computing job openings expected to be available in the U.S. by 2020, and to train 1 million girls by 2040. blackgirlscode.com
Girls who code was founded with a single mission: to close the gender gap in technology. girlswhocode.com
Research Shows Three Distinct Thought Styles In People With Autism forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/07/05/research-shows-three-distinct-thought-styles-in-people-with-autism
Apps for autism:
soar.askjan.org/Solution/774
www.tobiidynavox.com
Ageism https://www.who.int/ageing/features/faq-ageism/en/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/ageism
Weight discrimination https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/
Google finds STEM skills aren’t the most important skills michiganfuture.org/01/2018/google-finds-stem-skills-arent-the-most-important-skills
Working from home can increase productivity
hbr.org/2014/01/to-raise-productivity-let-more-employees-work-from-home
hbr.org/2017/02/what-20-years-as-a-remote-organization-has-taught-us-about-managing-remote-teams
Diverse selection of games, a sharing platform for indie & art house game devs https://itch.io
Design thinking
Design thinking, as it was conceived 15 years ago, has outlived its usefulness. Enter systems thinking. Published 05.01.17. fastcodesign.com/90112320/design-thinking-needs-to-think-bigger
Human-centered design is the next necessary skill every professional needs. By Alicia Bonner Ness. Published on March 22, 2016. linkedin.com/pulse/human-centered-design-next-necessary-skill-every-alicia-bonner-ness
Diverse festivals and game jams
IndieCade supports independent game development and organizes a series of international events showcasing the future of independent games. It encourages, publicizes, and cultivates innovation and artistry in interactive media, helping to create a public perception of games as rich, diverse, artistic, and culturally significant. indiecade.com
Different Games Collective creates community resources and events to support marginalized voices in DIY and independent games. differentgames.org
GaymerX focuses on creating a fun and safe space for gamers of all identities to have fun and hang out with like minded folks. GaymerX is a “queer space”, in that many of the panels revolve around queer issues or queer devs, but GaymerX is made for everyone and everyone is welcome. gaymerx.org
Games4change Founded in 2004, Games for Change facilitates the creation and distribution of social impact games that serve as critical tools in humanitarian and educational efforts. We aim to leverage entertainment and engagement for social good. To further grow the field, Games for Change convenes multiple stakeholders, highlights best practices, incubates games, and helps create and direct investment into new projects. gamesforchange.org
GAMERella tag.hexagram.ca/gamerella
A MAZE Berlin is an international festival focusing on the art and culture of games and playful media. amaze-berlin.de
Lyst Summit lyst-summit.org