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We’re very proud to announce that we’re an affiliate of Any Key as of this year!

AnyKey is an advocacy organization dedicated to supporting diverse participation in esports. We hope to foster welcoming spaces and positive opportunities for competitive players of all kinds.

Our current research and initiatives are focused on women in esports — from providing competitive gamers with resources, support, and opportunities, to collaborating with women in the industry, from sectors like game development and broadcasting, to build better gaming spaces. Women have long played an important role in competitive gaming and we are excited to promote, build on, and grow their involvement in the scene.

But AnyKey is committed to a long-term vision of a gaming community that is welcoming to all players, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, religious belief, background, or physical appearance. We believe it is possible to be fiercely competitive and embrace positive play at the same time. We hope to pursue research and initiatives that will help to build a gaming culture in which players are noted for their skills, not personal traits.

Our team is made up of industry professionals working in esports, as well as researchers focused on competitive gaming. Morgan Romine, Director of Initiatives, is known for her previous game industry work as co-founder and captain of the all-women professional gaming team, the Frag Dolls, and as the Esports Director for Firefall at Red 5 Studios. T.L. Taylor, Director of Research, is a Professor at MIT and sociologist whose work has focused on gaming. She is the author of Raising the Stakes: E-sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming (MIT Press, 2012) which examines the rise of e-sports and she is currently at work on a book about live-streaming.

This project is made possible by a generous partnership between Intel and ESL.

Any Key’s mission aligns with ours and we’re looking forward to collaborating on making the industry better through both our organizations.

 

Published by cypheroftyr

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a non-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers attend the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make it better and more inclusive for everyone. She founded and was the EIC of Fresh Out of Tokens podcast where games culture was discussed and viewed through a lense of feminism, intersectionality and diversity. Now she’s a co-host on Spawn on Me Podcast. Along with all of that, she’s the Programming Coordinator for OrcaCon, she often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at multiple conventions throughout the year. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications.

One thought on “We’re now a @anykey Affiliate organization!”

  1. Pingback: ICYMI – We’re doing a lot of things! – I Need Diverse Games

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