About the Panel
The cyberpunk genre offers so much possibility space for presenting alternative identities, non-Western cultures and values, as well as examining social ruptures. These BIPOC indie game creators discuss how their sociocultural examinations and lived experiences reflect in worldbuilding and character development. Join us on a panel discussion about how diverse developers use aesthetics, narrative, and game mechanics to build resonant and meaningful speculative fictions about marginalized groups that challenge the status quo. This can include the investigation of imperialism and hegemony, uneven political access, and discrimination in urban spaces and the periphery. Featuring developers from Love Shore, Solace State, Umurangi Generation, and VA-11 Hall-A!
Panelists
Tanya Kan, Son M., Christopher Ortiz, Naphtali Faulkner
Tanya Kan
Tanya Kan is the Executive Producer and Director of Vivid Foundry, a Canadian game studio creating dramatic games that reflect the social changes of our time. Tanya has worked in the Interactive Digital Media industry for 8.5 years, creating digital media for games, amusement parks, fashion storefronts, real estate, illustration software, and providing narrative and game design consultation to incubators and studios. Tanya is currently developing the award-winning Solace State, a cyberpunk choice-driven drama game about young hackers and activists speaking truth to power in a militarized biotech city.
Son M.
Son M. is the Studio Director of Perfect Garbage and one half of the narrative behind their game Love Shore. Son is a published author, having done work in comics, screenplays, games and more. They’re known for their love of horror and sci-fi and hope to bring new perspectives and unique stories into these genres.
Christopher Ortiz
Christopher Ortiz (AKA Kiririn51) is the head of Sukeban Games, a Venezuelan game studio now spread all over the world between Argentina, Japan and the US. He directed Cyberpunk Bartender Action VA-11 Hall-A in 2016 and a plethora of smaller games for Jam competitions. He describes his work as "A cocktail of everything I love with a dash of what I hate". He's now working on several secret projects, most notably Cyberpunk Bartender Action N1RV Ann-A, a game about a woman juggling between family, motherhood, gangs, and her work at a bar in the middle of a bustling mega city where finding love under the chrome is an everyday struggle.
Naphtali Faulkner
Naphtali Faulkner is a Ngāi Te Rangi designer, he created the award winning Umurangi Generation and its follow up DLC Macro. He is looking to see where Indigenous Knowledge fits in Game Design.