Coding Grace’s diversity in gaming workshop is expanding this autumn, with a number of workshops in August and September taking place as part of its partnership with Maynooth University (MU).
Founded by Vicky Twomey-Lee, Coding Grace has experience hosting diversity in gaming events that bring those traditionally left outside in the game design sector into the fold.
Having earlier this year hosted a mini data conference in Dogpatch Labs, a number of diversity in gaming workshops will now be held across Dublin, with some help from MU.
Diversity in Irish gaming
These workshops are being held as part of Network in Play – Crafting Diversity in Games, an initiative led by Twomey-Lee and MU’s Dr Aphra Kerr to bring together experts in industry and education from across the Irish games industry and culture.
Based on the initiative’s previous report into diversity, the Irish gaming sector is not a particularly welcoming place for all backgrounds or ethnicities.
In one finding, 44pc of respondents claimed they have witnessed an individual being discriminated against either at an event or online, with gender being perceived as the most likely reason at 83pc.
Three free events are scheduled to take place for beginners that will cover three topics of game creation.
From board games to video games
The first workshop will cover board game design and will be held on 20 August at Pulse College on Halston Street, Dublin.
The second workshop will focus on creating interactive fiction on 27 August, also at Pulse College.
Finally, the third workshop on 3 September in Dogpatch Labs will discuss how to make 2D games in Fungus – an easy-to-use gaming interface – using the Unity 3D engine.
According to the event organisers, these events will be aimed squarely at beginners and those interested must be 18 years of age or older with only 20 places available for each workshop.
Being a beginner means that a participant must not be studying a games-related course, have prior experience making games, or work in the games industry.
People interested in the workshop can apply via Coding Grace’s website.
Playing game on a tablet image via Bloomua/Shutterstock
