Events

The following events are lectures, panels and workshops hosted by a variety of researchers across the globe, discussing themes related to decolonization, equity, accessibility and diversity in games and game communities. Times are EST/EDT; they are tentative and may be subject to change. Event registration details to come.

This panel highlights emerging scholars in Black games studies. Panelists will present recent and/or ongoing work, sharing a glimpse of the emerging research questions animating the field. 

Much of the contemporary research on race in communication media studies begins with media representations. However, for this talk, Armond R. Towns will focus on the relationship between the modern research university, race, and the development of communication and media studies in the early and mid-twentieth century, with a focus specifically on US and Canadian communication and media studies. Like the modern university, the discipline of communication and media studies, Towns argues, has a difficulty with understanding non-Western life. This talk is a beginning conversation on how to push toward new forms of understanding humanity beyond Western life. The topic of who counts as human is crucial in a context where big tech aims to control the future of so-called humanity and the AI race closes the gap between human and machine communications.

This is a hybrid in-person and virtual event. Following the talk, there will be a short reception for in-person attendees at the Science Teaching Complex (STC) Room 0050.

Across digital media, Black people are portrayed in ways that are derogatory, inaccurate, stereotypical, demeaning, and otherwise harmful. And Black culture is often depersonalized and extracted from Black bodies. Through projects like ‘Ye or Nay? and the Open-Source Afro Hair Library, artist A.M. Darke reimagines the construction and consumption of Black bodies in virtual space, discussing critical approaches to portraying Blackness in games and virtual space.

"Building Equitable and Sustainable Game Development Education" Workshop led by Kenzie Gordon (University of Alberta), Dr. Sean Gouglas (University of Alberta), Dr. Alison Harvey (York University), Vishal Sooknananl (Western University), Dr. Johanna Weststar (Western University), and Dr. Jennifer Whitson (University of Waterloo). 

  With recent waves of layoffs, high-profile workplace harassment cases, and a notoriously short career length for gender minorities and people of colour, the transition of new workers into the game industry involves navigating a spate of barriers to equity and success that have been understudied in academic research. The First Three Years is an ongoing longitudinal study of graduates of game programs in Canada and the United States, following the journey of 207 students as they move into the game industry. In this workshop, our research team will summarise the primary challenges students have identified in their game programs. This summary includes equity and diversity issues inherent in common curricular practices such as the efficacy of capstone courses and internships, the inclusion of crunch-like practices in the classroom, the systematic failure to inform students of actual workplace conditions, and the mismatch between student preparation and industry hiring practices. Afterwards, participants will address whether/how these problems manifest in their own institutions, and what solutions might improve equity outcomes for students seeking careers in games.

This is a full-day design jam on January 20th, 2024, open to all post-secondary students held at the Stratford School.

The focus of the day: Though there are many publicly accessible mental health supports, 6 in 10 Canadians with a mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder go untreated. How can we use design to help reduce the barriers to accessing mental health care and better connect at-risk Canadians with the support they need?

Students will be solving this problem in teams of up to 6. Participants can either select their team in advance or will be assigned one.

Sponsored by: Sun Life and the Stratford School

BLEND: What to expect

At Blend, you'll connect with like-minded professionals, hear stories of designers and leaders facing the future and redefining realities, and participate in workshops that will help you in your industry.

This year features keynotes and workshops from industry leaders and the BLEND after-party. And the best part? You'll be surrounded by people who are just as passionate about breaking boundaries as you are. We're talking about entrepreneurs, creatives, and boundary-pushing thinkers who will inspire you to think bigger and bolder than ever before.

Over the day, you'll be inspired as we hear inspiring stories of people in our community of designers breaking boundaries and overcoming obstacles to redefine our world.

We'd love for you to be part of the conversation. We promise it'll be worth the investment.

When is it?

Join us on March 2, 2024 at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business. This event includes breakfast, lunch, and light appetizers at our networking social evening.

For more information including schedule and speaker line up please check out the Blend website. 

Velocity is proud to present an event which will take place over two lunch hours for GBDA and students at the University of Waterloo Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business. You will have the opportunity to form teams and get creative with using Virtual Reality (VR) programs to elevate your UI/UX skills.

Velocity is proud to present an event which will take place over two lunch hours for GBDA and students at the University of Waterloo Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business. You will have the opportunity to form teams and get creative with using Virtual Reality (VR) programs to elevate your UI/UX skills.