So you might be wondering who exactly is behind #INeedDiverseGames tumblr, twitter, etc. Thus, a bit of an info page on us.
Contact us at: indg@ineeddiversegames.org
I Need Diverse Games Founder and Director:
Tanya D aka cypheroftyr
on twitter/tumblr/steam/PSN is 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’s part of the Rivals of Waterdeep live play stream on twitch.tv/dnd, a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions.
She’s contributed to publications at Green Ronin, Paizo and Monte Cook Games. Tanya is the programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX. She often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press)
INDG Community Manager:
Level 250 Dragon Herder – Bunny
WingedLioness On tumblr/twitter
Bunny Hanlon (she/her, ace) was stung by a scorpion from Activision’s Pitfall! as a baby, and became a hopelessly hooked on gaming. She can never rest until All The Games have been played and All The Stories have been told (she’s very tired). Also answers to wingedlioness, Commander Shepard, and Mum.
Tumblr and Twitter Manager:
Level 100 Twitter warrior, Dragonreine
DragonReine’s earliest memory of playing a video game was when she was 7 years old and navigating the dungeons of the very first Prince of Persia on their uncle’s old MS-DOS computer. Since then she’s been steadily playing all sorts of games, although RPGs are her favourite, both of the “western” (BioWare, Bethesda) and “eastern” (Square Enix) variety.
A freelance artist based in Malaysia, she’s been criticising the overwhelming number of “straight white male hero” and “sexualised female-shaped eyecandy” in video game art design, and would like to see more games that reflect the diverse cultures of the world, instead of the Nth instalment of a game set in Yet-Another-Whitewashed-Pseudo-EuroAmerica. She is especially critical of games that put the white hero in a non-white setting, and the “natives” are only villains or victims.
Communications Lead:
Level 50 Technomancer, Cherith
Cherith has been passionate about gaming for more than 20 years. From her beginnings with Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda, she most enjoys playing games that highlight characters and story in a meaningful way.
Though she has spent the better part of the last decade as a business and reporting analyst in the financial sector, she has been heavily involved with gaming communities online, starting with six years as Editor-in-Chief for a gaming news community written by women which she co-founded. Continuing to spend her time in feminist, LGBTQ+ and educational gaming spaces. she uses her experience with games and gaming journalism to work with other gaming news, podcast and social media communities which focus on video game media inclusivity and diversity.
Level 50 Androgynous Alien, GameBoyish
on Tumblr/deviantART/Twitter
GameBoyish has been around videogames as long as she could remember, which mostly consisted of backseat gaming while DragonReine hogged the only computer, soon she was introduced to Pokemon Blue and Age of Empires. Today, she enjoys a multitude of games, usually RPGs and story-based games, though she’s open to most other genres especially a good horror/thriller, if and when they come around.
She’s a full-time model, cosplayer and softcore sex worker.
#INeedDiverseGames Forum wranglers:
Berserkx33 – That Nice Berserk
Steam Group Admin:
I Need Diverse Games 