‘How Do We Stop Reinventing the Wheel?’ Diversity Work in Game Studies

A talk by DiGRA Diversity Officers, past and present, Dr Cody Mejeur and Dr Mahli-Ann Butt

Saturday 18 September 5:30 p.m IST Link: http://meet.google.com/dfd-whjq-tpo

ABSTRACT
Featuring DiGRA Diversity Officers past and present, Mahli-Ann Butt and Cody Mejeur (respectively), this talk explores the challenges of diversity work in game studies, including insights, best practices, and emerging trends in diversity work drawn from their experiences and collaborative research on the topic. They will share the major projects and lessons learned during their time as DiGRA Diversity Officers, as well as resources for learning more about various types of difference. Major points will include the need for proactive and community-based approaches for building inclusive and equitable scholarly organizations. The second half of the event will feature time for questions and discussion of these topics.

BIO

Cody Mejeur is Assistant Professor of Game Studies at University at Buffalo, SUNY. They have published on games pedagogy, gender and queerness in games, and video game narratives and player experiences, and they are currently the game director for Trans Folks Walking, a narrative game about trans experiences. They are Co-Director of the Palah Light Lab at UB and work with the LGBTQ Video Game Archive on preserving and visualizing LGBTQ representation. They are editor at One Shot: A Journal of Critical Games & Play, and serve as Diversity Officer for the Digital Games Research Association.

BIO

Mahli-Ann Rakkomkaew Butt is a final year doctoral candidate at the University of Sydney in the Departments of Media & Communications and Gender & Cultural Studies. Her dissertation titled ‘Gaming Lifeworlds’ examines the ordinary affective dimensions of ‘(not)coping’ and how everyday struggles over power animate the dynamic forcefields, cultures, industries, publics and counterpublics of digital games. She is an executive board member of the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA), DiGRA’s former inaugural Diversity Officer, and the past Editor-in-Chief of the student game studies journal Press Start.