ACMI, Massive Monster & Melbourne International Games Week presents
Taking Up Space: A Networking Event for Women & Gender Diverse Game Developers
Tickets
When
Sun 6 Oct 2024
12–3pm
Amplifying the voices of Women and Gender Diverse Game Developers and building community in the gaming industry.
Massive Monster and ACMI are proud to present Taking Up Space, an opportunity to bring women and gender diverse game developers together for an afternoon of robust conversation, celebration, and connection.
Featuring three micro-talks from industry professionals discussing the obstacles and triumphs of working in the games industry, this event is aimed at mid-to-senior level developers to focus on building community and demonstrating solidarity with one another.
This daytime, alcohol-free event hosted at ACMI’s Swinburne Studio is a chance to meet and network with other like-minded devs.
As space is limited, please register your interest via this link.
Speakers
Jojo Zhou
JoJo Zhou (she/they) is a writer and dramaturg across many mediums. She is Head of Narrative on Massive Monster’s Cult of the Lamb, was a writer for DragonBear Studios Innchanted, and has written across theatre, screen, multimedia, podcasts and audio, performance art and installations. They provide dramaturgy and literary services for multiple Australian theatre companies, was a member of Screen Australia’s Future Leaders Delegation in 2024 and holds a Master of Fine Arts (Writing for Performance) from NIDA.
Claire Osborn-Li
Claire Osborn-Li (she/her) is a writer living in Naarm/Melbourne, interested in art, digital culture, and videogames, and the host of ACMI’s Women & Non-Binary Gamer Club. She has interviewed various game developers for the club, such as Andy Brophy and Olivia Haines of Knuckle Sandwich, Ruqiyah of Amarantus, Cole Williams of Wood & Weather (Paper House Studios) and game designer Cecile Richard. She is a recent participant of the NGA’s Young Writer’s Digital Residency and is currently guest editing an upcoming issue of Artlink. Her writing has appeared on the ACMI website, Cordite, ArtsHub, GamesHub and Memo Review.
Jae Stuart
Jae Stuart (they/them) is a programmer, narrative designer, curator and event organiser from Lutruwita. They are a co-founder of Serenade which has organised game events and exhibitions in Eora and Naarm, including for film collective Static Vision, Sabby Gallery, Fuzzy Ghost and SXSW Sydney. Games they've worked on include The Freeplay Zone and My Lil Fanfic. Their work has been shown at Amaze Berlin, SXSW Austin & Sydney, National Young Writer's Festival, Wellington Museum and Feminine Play. They're currently working on Screen Australia Emerging Gamemakers funded project King Tidal.
Cecile Richard
Cecile Richard (they/them) is an award-winning artist who makes cool things on the computer. They're best known for works such as Bitsy classic UNDER A STAR CALLED SUN and the recently released sports romance visual novel SUDDEN DEATH.
Alexandria Pagram
Alexandria Pagram (she/her) is a senior software developer by day, game developer by night. She is fascinated by the psychology of note-taking and dreams of making the kind of game that keeps you thinking long after you’ve walked away. Alex was a software developer for the game Jumplight Odyssey.
Melbourne International Games Week 2024
Thurs 3 – Sun 13 Oct 2024
Join us for more than a week of celebration of Australian and international videogames culture and industry.
Projects & Partnerships
We have been working closely with the screen sector and small-to-medium creatives since 2015, providing access to a range of resources, programming and connection to industry.
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Community Code of Conduct
Everyone participating in the Taking Up Space networking event — including, but not limited to the meets, clubs and talks — is required to agree to the following code of conduct. This includes all attendees, speakers, performers, patrons, and volunteers.
ACMI and Massive Monster will enforce this code during this event. We expect cooperation from everyone to ensure a safe, diverse, and welcoming environment.
The condensed version
ACMI is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion (or lack thereof). We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.
Sexist, racist, discriminatory, or harassing language and imagery will not be tolerated during this event. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event and premises, as well as all future events without a refund at the discretion of ACMI.
The less condensed version
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Exception: discussion or images related to sex, pornography, discriminatory language, or similar is welcome if it meets all of the following criteria:
— It is necessary to the topic of discussion and no alternative exists
— It is presented in a respectful manner
— Attendees are respectfully given ample warning and opportunity to leave beforehand.
This exception specifically does not allow use of gratuitous sexual images as attention-getting devices or unnecessary examples.
Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are required to comply immediately.
If a participant engages in any of the aforementioned behaviour, ACMI may take any action they deem appropriate, from warning the offender to immediately expelling the offender with no refund.
Reporting and enforcement
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact an ACMI team member immediately. If you can’t or don’t wish to speak in person, or prefer to talk privately or electronically, contact us via gamerclub2@acmi.net.au.
All reports will be handled in the strictest confidence.
With thanks
This document was based on the work of XOXO Festival, JSConf, Geek Feminism, confcodeofconduct.com, and inspired by resources provided by Ashe Dryden.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.