Tues, 30 Nov 2021, 1-2:30pm ET / 6-7:30pm GMT
Live-streamed on Twitch and Facebook
RSVP for updates 

Everyone is touched by care at some point in their lives: from working parents to people who are disabled, from migrant care workers to our aging loved ones. COVID-19 has only solidified care as one of the most pressing issues of our time.

To kick-off Care Jam 2021, join leading care activists and game designers from the UK and US to discuss the power of video games in helping us reimagine the story of care. With nearly 3 billion players globally, gaming offers a powerful platform for changing how we value care and caregiving in our societies. 

We will be discussing:

• The narratives that shape how our culture values caregiving and care work.
• The role of lived experience in shaping dominant narratives through games.
• How games can help us raise awareness and educate about the importance of care across the lifespan.
• Ways to increase representation and visibility of diverse caregiving experiences within the games industry and in game storylines.
• How games can challenge rather than perpetuate harmful stereotypes rooted in racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, and xenophobia that keep caregiving and care work invisible and undervalued. 

Welcome (1pm ET / 6pm GMT )

• Marcia Chandra (she/her), Creative Producer at Counterpoints Arts, working on the PopChange initiative exploring how pop culture can be harnessed to shift narratives about migration and displacement. 
• Sarah Vitti (she/her), Culture Change Manager at Caring Across Generations, working on projects that center inclusive, authentic storytelling in pop culture, art, film, and television.

Telling the Stories of Care: How Sharing Lived Experiences Shapes Narratives and Culture (1:05pm ET / 6:05pm GMT)

Care activists and storytellers from the US and UK untangle some of the key narratives that are driving how we feel about and value care as a society.

• Cara Reedy, Program Manager for the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund and their Disability Media Alliance Project, and co-producer of The Guardian short doc “Dwarfism and Me”
• June Barrett, care worker and organiser with the National Domestic Workers Alliance (We Dream in Black initiative) and the Miami Workers Center
• Madeleine Bunting, journalist and author of ‘Labours of Love: the Crisis of Care‘, exploring stories from care workers and carers across the UK
• Moderated by Marzena Zukowska, London-based organiser, communications strategist, co-author of New Brave World, a report on pop culture for social change, and co-producer of Care Jam 2021.

Making Games Accessible (1:40pm ET / 6:40pm GMT)

AbleGamers will share best practices on how to design games with accessibility as a priority and inclusion as the goal.

• Jay Justice, an award-winning editor, consultant with AbleGamers, cosplayer, and advocate from New York City.

Designing Games That Unlock the Potential of Care (1:45pm ET / 6:45pm GMT)

Behind-the-scenes conversation with leading game and narrative designers on how to create inclusive games that engender empathy. Speakers will share examples of games that boldly reimagine care and adjacent themes.

• Evan Narcisse, journalist, game critic and narrative design consultant for Spider Man: Miles Morales and lead writer of Dot’s Home, a narrative-driven video game exploring race, place and home through a young Black woman in Detroit
• Jennifer Estaris, game designer and Game Director at ustwo games, a B Corp studio known for Monument Valley and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure.
• May Abdalla, Co-founder of Anagram, and producer of award-winning VR experience Goliath: Playing with Reality exploring schizophrenia and the power of gaming communities
• Moderated by Karla Reyes, Co-Founder of Square Enix RED (ERG on racial and ethnic diversity), Head of Business Development at Code Coven, and co-producer of Care Jam 2021. 

**Streaming for free on Twitch and Facebook**
Care Jam participants are strongly encouraged to RSVP for this roundtable discussion.

Full details and RSVP on Eventbrite, or set reminders via the live-stream event pages on Twitch and Facebook. 

This online discussion is part of Care Jam 2021 and live-streamed in collaboration with The AbleGamers Charity and Caring Across Generations. Care Jam 2021 is a 7-day game jam bringing game developers, creatives and people with lived experience of care to design exciting new games that can help us reimagine the story of care. Produced in partnership by Caring Across Generations, Code Coven, Counterpoints Arts and National Domestic Workers Alliance and supported by AbleGamers, BAME in Games, Games for Change, POC in Play, Rise-Home Stories, and Raise the Game Diversity Pledge by UKIE.

Care Jam 2021

Has this roundtable got you excited about changing the story of care? Do you want to apply your creative skills to develop a new game that shifts how our culture values care work and caregiving?

Then RSVP for Care Jam 2021!

This 7-day game jam will take place from 2-9 December 2021, and bring together game developers, creators and people with lived experience of care to develop new gaming concepts that uplift stories of care and the people who do it, and help us reimagine a world where care is collective, visible and valued.

The goal of a game jam is to work in teams (or solo!) to create a game based on a specific theme, within a set period of time, testing out new ideas and inclusive narratives, learning new skills and having lots of fun! Previous game development experience is not necessary — game jams are a great place to learn and you can also participate as a sound designer, producer, writer or illustrator.

Click here for more information about how to participate.