2015 Speakers & Talks

The organizers of the 2015 Queerness and Games Conference are honored to present a variety of wonderful speakers from across industry, academia, activism, and art practice!

JESSICA ALDRED, Université de Montréal (view bio and abstract)
Session: “They’re Like Batman and Robin, Except Elsa Is Batman and Iron Man Is Robin”: Transmedia ‘Character Telling’ and Hybrid Play”

BIANCA ANDERSON (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Q&A: Being a Minority in the AAA Industry”

ANNA ANTHROPY, independent (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Witches and Wardrobes: Femme Play in Games and the Development of Be Witching”

STEPHANIE BOLUK, UC Davis (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Games Research in the University: A Community Conversation Hosted by ModLab”

HANNA BRADY, independent (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Building Dusk Mansions”

EDMOND CHANG, University of Oregon (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Soft-Skinned, Hard-Coded: Straight/White/Washing in Video Games”

IRENE CHIEN, Muhlenberg College (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Games of Death: Playing Bruce Lee”

MICHELLE CLOUGH, independent (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Sex Appeal, Shirtless Men, and Social Justice: Diversity in Desire and Fanservice in Games”

JONATHAN COHN, University of Alberta (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Queer Avatar Construction Leads to Homonormative Play”

EVAN CONAWAY, UC Irvine (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Identity and Community in Queer Online Gaming Spaces”

MATT CONN, Midboss (view bio and abstract)
Session: “The Power of Subtle Queer Themes in Games”

CLARIS CYARRON, Silverstring Media (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Post-Mortems from the QGCon Arcade”

GABBY DARIENZO, Dames Making Games (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Make a Game! PICO-8 Workshop”

DEE DIROSA, Georgia Tech (view bio and abstract)
Session: “What Is Success for People in Our Communities?”

LINA EKLUND, Stockholm University (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Between Local Equality Norms and Global Game Culture: Digital Gamers in Sweden”

HARRISON GISH, UCLA (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Pleasure, Game Problems, and Patriarchy”

LINDSAY GRACE, American University (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Affection Games in a World That Needs Them”

LINDAR GREENWOOD, independent (view bio)
Session: Disability Studies Roundtable

JAMES HARRIS, Ohio State University (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Playing in the Dark: Digital Drag and the Virtual Imaginary”

BUNNY HOLMES, Vespertine Circus (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Making Theater Relevant Again”

AUSTIN HOWE, independent (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Interrogations of Masculinity and Struggles of Performed Masculinity in Late Final Fantasy”

VEVE JAFFA, independent (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Post-Mortems from the QGCon Arcade”

BRENDA LAUREL, NEOGAIAN Interactive (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Workshop on Civility”

EVAN LAUTERIA, UC Davis (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Games Research in the University: A Community Conversation Hosted by ModLab”

RICHARD LEMARCHAND, University of Southern California (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Infinite Play in Games of Love, Sex and Romance”

PATRICK LEMIEUX, UC Davis (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Games Research in the University: A Community Conversation Hosted by ModLab”

BRIAN MCDONALD (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Q&A: Being a Minority in the AAA Industry”

CLAUDIA LO, Swarthmore College (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Everything Is Wiped Away: Queer Temporality and the Death Drive in
Queers in Love at the End of the World”

WILLIAM LOCKETT, New York University (view bio and abstract)
Session: “The Queer Reticence of the 1990’s Modder”

RILEY MACLEOD, independent (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Sustainable Artistic Practices for Queer Creators”

COLIN MILBURN, UC Davis (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Games Research in the University: A Community Conversation Hosted by ModLab”

SORAYA MURRAY, UC Santa Cruz (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Poetics of Form and Politics of Identity in Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation”

SEANNA MUSGRAVE, independent (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Dysforgiveness”

AMANDA PHILLIPS, UC Davis (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Games Research in the University: A Community Conversation Hosted by ModLab”

SARAH SCHOEMANN, Georgia Tech (view bio and abstract)
Session: “What Is Success for People in Our Communities?”

NIAMH SCHONHERR, independent (see bio and abstract)
Session: “Post-Mortems from the QGCon Arcade”

KARA STONE, independent (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Writing and Selling Queer Bots: Sext Adventure Design Post Mortem”

SANDY STONE, UT Austin (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Sex and Death among the Cyborgs”

JOSH TANENBAUM, UC Irvine (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Cosplayed Gaming: Exploring Gender Identity through Costumed Play”

KAREN TANENBAUM, UC Irvine (view bio and abstract)
Session: “Cosplayed Gaming: Exploring Gender Identity through Costumed Play”

MICHAEL VOGEL, Georgia Tech (view bio and abstract)
Session: “What Is Success for People in Our Communities?”

JORDAN YOUNGBLOOD, Eastern Connecticut State University (view bio and abstract)
Session: “‘I Don’t Hurt Anymore’: Agency, Genre, and Queer Memory”