The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has named current top managerial staff members Hans ten Cate as chair of the board and Sylvia Cristina Amaya as the new vice-chair. IGDA invites to the board nominee Natasha Skult and selected member Sonia Michaels. These changes will take effect tomorrow, April 1.
Hans ten Cate
Sylvia Cristina Amaya
The IGDA and Take This have additionally entered into a partnership to host a Virtual Game Development Crisis Conference (VGDCC) to furnish industry leaders with the information and tools expected to support positive development in times of crisis. A series of webinars will occur each Thursday from April 2 to the date of the gathering, May 14, 2020, with both the webinar and the conference occurring on the IGDA Twitch channel at no expense to spectators.
The webinar leading into the VGDCC will feature appearances from speakers, such as , Bungie Diversity, Inclusion, and Learning Lead Kelsey Wesley, Kitfox Games Community Manager Victoria Tran, and Spry Fox Game Designer Pat Kemp on subjects including self-care and community management during an emergency. VGDCC itself will cover the continuous difficulties and chances of making games during a global pandemic.
Natasha Skult is the CEO & Creative Director of MiTale Ltd., a Finnish game development company focusing on mixed reality narratives. She is an active member of the Finnish games industry as Chairperson of IGDA Finland and one of the founders of The Hive – Turku Game Hub. Throughout her career, Skult has worked to improve freedom of speech, equality, and diversity in the gaming industry.
Sonia Michaels is a senior teacher at DigiPen Institute of Technology. Michaels is a functioning coach inside the game business, normally partaking in IGDA’s Mentor Cafes and encouraging GreekGirlCon’s yearly networing event. She is impassioned about improving labor practices, identifying toxic situations, and improving diversity and inclusion within the gaming sector.
“Our new board members are dedicated to improving the lives of game developers and will help drive forward the IGDA’s mission to support and empower industry workers in general and especially in this time of global crisis,” said Renee Gittins, executive director, IGDA. “Their experience and insights will be valuable as we work with Take This to use the Virtual Game Development Crisis Conference to promote good mental health practices while helping studios and their employees through these trying times.”
