Taking Up Space: A Networking Event for Women & Gender Diverse Game Developers

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 (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 (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 (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 (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.