Women in Games 20th Anniversary Global Conference: Play Grounded

August 19, 2024

The one-day global online Women in Games Conference – PLAY GROUNDED – will take place on Friday October 11^th, the Day of the Girl, and celebrates 20 years since the inaugural Women in Games Conference in 2004.

Covering three global time zones, beginning at 7am GMT and ending at 9pm GMT, the Conference will focus on the phenomenon of play and play spaces.

PLAY GROUNDED aims to provide an arena for discussion of the functions of play across multiple strands, from concept to publication – the makers and the players – the pleasures [of playing] and the pain [of toxic spaces].

Delivering the 20th Anniversary keynote will be Dr Aphra Kerr, Professor of Information and Communication Studies, University College Dublin, Principal Investigator SFI ADAPT Centre, Ireland, and author of milestone texts and research on digital games.

Expert speakers will consider the challenging contemporary issue of misogyny in game spaces – gendered toxicity, harassment and discrimination in what should be playful, safe environments – and will showcase some of the best work being done to tackle this persistent issue.

Other sessions will look at the role of the cultural and education sectors in supporting and engaging women and girls in the games space; a discussion around how the media can give more of a voice to women; what women can bring to games development; and more.

Initial sessions and confirmed speakers include contributions from Women in Games Asia Chapter members, and the Geena Davis Institute, as well as:

Misogyny: Poison in the Play Space

Dr Elizabeth Kilmer – Qualitative Researcher, Take This
Emily Thompson – Senior Associate Director, Research Department, Simon Wiesenthal Center
Laura Higgins – Senior Director of Community Safety & Civility, Roblox
Lori Meakin – Author and Founder, The Others and Me
Dr Rachel Kowert – Researcher on the uses and effects of digital games, award winning author, and founder of Psychgeist, a multimedia content production studio for the science of games and pop culture.

Games as Culture: The Role of Museums in Encouraging girls’ and women’s involvement in games

Cat Powell – Co-CEO and Director of Visitor Experience National Video Game Museum, Sheffield
Eva Sturlese – Deputy Director at VIGAMUS, Rome
Helen W Kennedy – Professor of Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Nottingham
Marco Accordi-Rickards – Executive Director and Founder of VIGAMUS group, and Leader of VIGAMUS Museum and Academy, Rome

The Power of the Podcast

Lauren Kaye – Founder, She Plays Games
Rosie Taylor – Content & Community Manager, Safe In Our World
Dr Sharon Coleclough – Senior Lecturer, Staffordshire University

More speakers and sessions will be announced shortly. Conference delegates will also have invaluable networking opportunities through the online platform RingCentral (formerly known as Hopin).

“The 2024 Women in Games Conference will focus on the phenomenon of play and play spaces. How play is designed, developed and published, where play happens, and what play is, and can be, through the Women in Games Lens,” said Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman – Women in Games CEO. “With this, the 20^th Anniversary Women in Games Conference, we will also celebrate the influence of women in the sector, and on play spaces. We will showcase engaging panels and speaker sessions and host distinctive speakers – experts in their respective fields – from across the globe. As with all Women in Games events, the Conference will provide a safe, welcoming and inclusive space for all women and allies – and we look forward to hosting our community from across the world for this special day.”

Women in Games events are not possible without sponsors, and this year the Conference is supported by Inno Games as Silver Sponsors alongside Roblox and Disobey as Event Supporters, in addition to the Women in Games Corporate Ambassador Supporters.

To find out more about the Conference and to purchase tickets, visit events.ringcentral.com/events/the-2024-global-women-in-games-20th-anniversary-conference/registration