Vivid Foundry and friends discuss grassroots mobilization, civic engagement, and the struggle for Black and Indigenous rights across history. Social movements have always been unevenly experienced in North America; How can we conceptualize ourselves in relation to our social institutions, and what can we do in our everyday capacity?
Solace State has long found basis and inspiration from POC writers, thinkers, and activists for its narrative storytelling. With America in the grip of grief and pain with institutional harm against marginalized folks and visible minorities, this is our time to give back and engage with North American history through the lenses of those who are often silenced. Let's discuss how Black and Indigenous communities have found avenues to build more inclusive institutions, and what each of us can demand from our governance... and from ourselves.
About our speakers
Tanya Kan is the Director and Executive Producer of Vivid Foundry, creating dramatic games that reflect the social issues of our time. She has a degree in Political Science and Cinema Studies, and a certificate in Game Arts. Tanya has been working in the Interactive Digital Media industry for over 7 years, and is currently developing the award-winning Solace State, a game about youth finding human connections in the midst of a biotech militarized city-state.
Josh Boykin is the founder of Intelligame.Us, a game culture site that makes connections between games and society. A journalist and critic since 2009, he's spoken at multiple industry events including Game Devs of Color Expo and multiple PAX events. He aims to help people of all kinds see the importance of games and the ways they can help us better understand each other and ourselves.
Thomas Froh is a citizen of Canada's Métis Nations working as a Policy Analyst for an indigenous government. He has a PhD in Literature and a passion for both analog and digital gaming. Currently he is located in Toronto, Ontario.
Schedule
If you miss the livestream, the talk will be replayed during the course of the Steam Games Festival! Watch this space.