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Michael DeAnda (center above), who is working toward his Ph.D. in Technical Communication in the Department of Humanities at IIT, participated in the Different Games conference April 3-4 in Brooklyn, NY.

is an annual student and volunteer-led conference on diversity and inclusivity in gaming. Established in 2012, Different Games acknowledges that having diverse perspectives talking and working together can build a rich and vibrant gaming community. The conference includes presentations, workshops, and group discussions that address or promote diversity in the games industry. An arcade is also curated for developers to showcase their creations.

“The space as a whole promotes a more inclusive understanding of games, gamers, and designers,” says DeAnda.

DeAnda primarily worked on the social media team for the conference, as well as reviewed proposals for panels, discussions, workshops, and games in the arcade.

“My main role was as the Inclusivity Coordinator. I revamped the Different Games Inclusivity Statement and developed a method to present it to both conference volunteers and as part of the conference’s opening ceremony,” he says. “The statement contains the guidelines for creating a safer environment at the conference through which participants may engage in effective dialogue.”

Moving forward, DeAnda will be creating two blogs on Tumblr—Different Gamers and Different Game Designers—that will include interviews with conference participants and members of the gaming community.

“The experience has been very moving,” he says. “As the Inclusivity Coordinator, I gained insight into how much the discourse surrounding sensitivity and inclusivity of bodies has changed since I was first exposed to the principles in my undergraduate program. I hope to apply these new understandings in my daily life. I feel I gained a more effective way to talk about how privilege works to shape our perspectives. I was honored to hear the stories and experiences of other designers, academics, and players who are creative, compassionate and who have the conviction to continue to express themselves in their work.”