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New program Infinite Deviation: Games helps emerging game designers develop and launch their ideas on Google Play

ATLANTA, September 15, 2017 – We Make and Ideas United have collaborated with Google Play and Google Computer Science Education in Media to launch a new program that supports emerging game designers and takes their ideas to market. Infinite Deviation: Games is an inclusive development program that gives game designers from all backgrounds the chance to pitch, develop, publish, and promote unique mobile game experiences on Google Play that reach a wider audience.

Infinite Deviation: Games will be accepting submissions for original mobile game design concepts that promote an inclusive story starting on September 13th. The top three ideas will be chosen by a select panel of industry experts for further development, and the designers will receive the resources and support they need to bring their games to life. Infinite Deviation: Games empowers aspiring game designers to play more and change the way people think about gaming.

“We are thrilled to partner with Google CS in Media and Ideas United to bring the Infinite Deviation program to gaming,” say Kate Brennan and Mathilde Cohen Solal at Google Play. “By giving designers of all backgrounds the opportunity to develop original mobile games, we hope to bring new stories and voices to our platform.”

“We are so proud of our work with Google CS in Media, and thrilled to continue to provide exceptional creative opportunities that promote inclusion in STEAM fields,” says Michael Seminer, VP of Partnerships at Ideas United. “We can’t wait to see what these incredible young developers can do.”

“We want to show that a computer science education can be applied to various industries and careers, for all demographics, and that includes game development,” said Daraiha Greene, Google CS in Media’s Multicultural Strategy Lead. “Through our collaboration with Google Play and Ideas United, we look forward to creating more favorable perceptions within the gaming industry for underrepresented groups and going deeper with the Infinite Deviation project.”

Participants must have less than two years of professional game design experience in order to be eligible. Submissions are open from September 13 – October 9, 2017. For more information, including how to submit, please visit InfiniteDeviation.com.

About Ideas United

Ideas United is a creative agency focused on producing authentic, story-driven content with a purpose. We are a tight-knit network of innovators, influencers, and trendsetters who shape cultural narratives around the globe. We know how to speak directly to a youthful audience because that’s who we are. We created Campus MovieFest, the world’s largest platform for student storytellers, in 2001, and have since empowered over a million students to tell their stories on the big screen. Along the way, we’ve invited the best emerging creators we’ve discovered into a community called We Make, and together have partnered with premier brands and nonprofits to develop exceptional content, events, and campaigns. Visit http://www.ideasunited.com to learn more, or http://www.iuwemake.com to join us and make something.

About Google Computer Science in Media

Google aims to inspire young people around the world to be creators of technology, not just users. Millions of jobs that will require skills like problem-solving, collaboration and coding are projected to go unfilled; women, people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities, and additional groups are already drastically underrepresented in technical fields. Our computer science (CS) education work with the entertainment industry strives to create more favorable perceptions of CS across industries and demographics by transforming concepts, storylines, and characters to be more inclusive in mainstream media. This creates more opportunities for underrepresented groups (URGs) to discover and pursue CS careers, developing and sustaining an inclusive pipeline.

For more contextual information, please view this video highlighting some of the work.

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.