The emotional and sometimes controversial #1ReasonToBe panel is returning to the Game Developers Conference. The session is happening in a climate in the U.S. that may not feel so welcoming this year.
With U.S. President Donald Trump trying to make diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) illegal, this kind of panel may run into outright hostility in some circles. But the women on the panel — which often delivers inspirational personal messages about the journey to discoverin games — are going forward with the session this year.
The session takes place for an hour at 11 a.m. Pacific time at Room 2002 in the West Hall of the Moscone Center in San Francisco on Thursday March 20. Laia Bee (CEO of Pincer Games and president of the Uruguayan Game Developers Association), is returning as the moderator. Bee has participated in the panel multiple times, including online during the pandemic in 2021 and in-person last year.
“The #1ReasonToBe panel is a very personal approach of each individual that participates. It’s important to give them a moment and the space to speak freely and to tell us what’s on their minds,” Bee said.
This celebrated panel carries forward the legacy of one of GDC’s most impactful diversity panels, which was initially started by Brenda Romero and Leigh Alexander, and later carried on by Rami Ismail.
#1ReasonToBe showcases women from emerging territories across the globe, engaging in candid conversations about game development within their respective and unique points of view. In part because of visa challenges for people coming into the U.S., this year’s panel has three Americans on it, Bee said in an interview with GamesBeat.
These presentations will not only highlight personal motivations but also narrate their unique journeys in game development, touching on aspects of community, culture, and opportunities within their home nations. This year, it featured six women from different parts of the gaming world. They talked about why they’re game developers and how it came to pass.
The panelists included Laia Bee (CEO of Pincer Games and president of the Uruguayan Game Developers Association); Javiera Sepulveda (QA at Kolibri), Kate Edwards (CEO of Geogrify and cofounder of SetJetters), Morgan Baker (game accessibility specialist at Electronic Arts), Liana MacKenzie (owner and lead designer of Valorous Games), Hanan Makki (cofounder of Qindeel Studio)
I’ve always enjoyed this panel about empowered women from emerging markets telling their stories about their passion for games. This is a panel that is rich in the history of GDC and the diversity movements that have helped evolve the modern game industry.
In 2013, the #1ReasonToBe session was initiated by the longtime game developer Brenda Romero and game developer and former columnist Leigh Alexander to give visibility to the work and ambitions of women in the industry.
Three years later, former Vlambeer developer Rami Ismail gave it a new twist by including geographically diverse people — particularly those who have had a hard time getting to GDC or getting onstage at the event. He gave a voice to underrepresented game developers from all over the world, including Lual Malen, a former refugee who is now working on games.
In 2021, Laia Bee, cofounder of Pincer Games and coordinator at the Latam Game Developers Federation, organized the panel in hopes of combining the visions of Romero, Alexander, and Ismail. She focused on women from different parts of the world.
But the GDC decided in 2021 and 2022 to cancel the session because other advocacy and diversity programming was fulfilling the role of the #1ReasonToBe panel. Ismail said he was furious about GDC’s decision to de-fund the panel, which required travel. And interestingly enough, GDC brought it back last year in a session organized and moderated by Bee. She said funding was restored for flying people out.
Takeaway
GDC said the #1ReasonToBe holds the power to broaden the horizons of our industry and the global challenges we confront. By providing insights into the often-overlooked realities and cultures, the panel sheds light on dimensions that are not conventionally visible to game developers. The intended audience for #1ReasonToBe is the game developer community that hungry for inspiration. It’s a symphony of diverse voices, particularly spotlighting women’s experiences across cultures. Last year the session got an 89% excellent rating.
What to expect this year
This year, organizer Laia Bee assembled women to address important topics such as accessibility and what it’s like to be a deaf developer in the industry. The panel will do a deep dive into the journey of a developer in Saudi Arabia pursuing a career in video games, as well as the experiences of a South American immigrant navigating life far from home and culture. Additionally, discussions on female experiences in game development wouldn’t be complete without addressing trans representation and its significance in the industry.
For the first time, the panel is introducing the role of a “godmother.” This year, Kate Edwards will share her #1reasontobe, bringing her expertise and industry insights to the panel. This new role aims to connect panelists with key figures in the industry, providing guidance, support, and inspiration.
The group had a talk with Brenda Romero, the first organizer of the panel. Sepulveda will cover what it is like to be an immigrant in Germany as well as difficult times she had in Chile, with death threats that the police wouldn’t investigate. Mackenzie will talk about what it’s like being in an environment of hate and resistance, and what it’s like to be a trans woman making video games.
The voices that couldn’t make it
Bee said that organizing this panel is a tremendous effort that takes months of planning. Bringing together women from underrepresented regions—many of whom would not typically have the opportunity to attend GDC—is a significant challenge.
Bee noted that Makki is traveling from Saudi Arabia to talk about her experience as a game developer, while Sepulveda is a native Chilean who is now living in Germany. The rest of the panelists are from the U.S. and they represent voices in the accessibility community.
“It is the way it worked out because actually we had invited two more, one from Singapore — Sherry Toh, a disabled journalist — and another participant from Kenya. But the speaker from Kenya got her visa denied. That was when the panel organizers found Liana Mackenzie, a trans woman from the U.S. And they also found Morgan Baker, a test developer working for EA in accessibility.
“I felt Kate would be good as a godmother figure, like an expert from the industry, who would participate and also be there to support the rest of the panelists. So that’s how the three U.S. came up to participate this year,” Bee said.
Every year, female developers from distant regions face visa rejections, preventing their voices from being heard. This ongoing struggle was previously tackled by former organizer Rami Ismail, and now Bee carries that responsibility, tirelessly working to secure funding and assist developers in the application process.
That’s why it’s crucial for people to learn about this panel, attend it, share it, and support it. Its continued existence ensures that voices from outside the industry’s status quo have the opportunity to be heard, recognized, and empowered.
Bee said the panel takes more than a year to assemble. The group raises money to help pay for costs and the GDC provides money as well. Of course, there is a political administration in the U.S. that has signaled it doesn’t care much for diversity, equity and inclusion, nor does it practice tolerance toward trans people.
“In video games, we have so many topics about the underdogs, like trying to rebel against the system. I think that video games and game creators, more than ever, have to be the underdogs and the people who are willing to go there and tell their stories that we need more than ever, in terms of what is the political landscape looking like today in the world,” Bee said.
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