June 25 - 27, 2021 Event Celebrates LGBTQIA+ PRIDE Community’s Contributions to Games
LOS ANGELES, Ca. - Jam City, Inc., a leading gaming entertainment company, has announced its partnership with Gay Gaming Professionals (GGP) to host a series of developer and gaming industry events at the 2021 virtual PRIDE Festival, celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and its contributions in bringing awareness to representation and inclusion in the video and mobile games industry. Streaming on GGP’s Twitch channel June 25 through June 27, the online event will feature informative panels covering video game development and business from Jam City citizens, viewer giveaways and virtual dance parties.
“Jam City’s employees, fondly known as “citizens,” are our company's biggest resource. Having a diverse workforce only strengthens us, and this very much includes our LGBTQIA+ members,” said Lindsay Nadler, Vice President of People at Jam City. “Not only do we feel it’s important to foster a environment where Jam City citizens are emboldened to be free, safe and creative, but it’s also important for us to support the larger LGBTQIA+ gaming community through our games and resources.”
The winners of the 2021 GGP Scholars x Jam City program will be unveiled during the festival. Five LGBTQIA+ students will be recognized and receive scholarships and internship opportunities with Jam City.
“We are absolutely grateful to our partners at Jam City and the ESA Foundation. They align with such great intent to our mission of education, employment, expertise, and entrepreneurship for all,” said Gordon Bellamy, CEO at Gay Gamer Professionals. “This expert content and our year round partnership will help cultivate the next generation of creators in our craft.”
Developer Spotlights and Industry Panels: On June 25 and 26, Jam City will host six panels covering various topics including game development, the business of gaming and the value of diversity. Topics include “Breaking into the Industry,” “Bringing your authentic self to work: The value of inclusion in gaming,” “Why gender representation in gaming matters,” and more. These panels will be streamed free online on GGP’s Twitch channel and presented by Jam City “citizens” across multiple areas of the business. See full schedule below.
Scholarship Recipients Announced: On June 26, GGP will announce the 2021-2022 GGP Scholars x Jam City student scholars. Jam City and GGP will meet with each student to coordinate their Fall 2021 internships with Jam City. Last summer, Jam City sponsored three GGP student scholars with paid internships and a $2,500 scholarship each. Scholars from the 2020-2021 program interned with Jam City’s Game Art, Consumer Insights, and Game Design teams.
All PRIDE activities will be streamed live and later available on demand on GGP’s Twitch channel at https://www.twitch.tv/gaygamingpros
Full schedule of Jam City panels is listed below:
Engineering in Games: An overview of engineering and tech in game development
Friday, June 25th
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm PT
Alex Emmet - Manager, Software Engineering
Nicole Zhang - UI Engineer
Joram Clevius - Senior Platform Engineer
Breaking into the industry: An overview of roles in gaming and how to get in
Friday, June 25th
2:00 pm - 2:45 pm PT
Nacia Chambers - VP & Studio General Manager
Bringing your authentic self to work: The value of inclusion in gaming
Friday, June 25th
3:00 pm - 3:45 pm PT
Fran Phillips - Manager, DEI
Andrew Gonzalez - Recruiting Partnerships & Ops Associate
Product Management in gaming: An overview of what it means to be a product owner in games
Saturday, June 26th
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm PT
Simone Heard - Director, Recruiting
Jenny Tai - Director of Product Management
Yash Bharganwar - Senior Product Manager
Suzy Kong - Associate Product Manager
Why gender representation in gaming matters: A conversation with Brooke McKnight of Jam City
Saturday, June 26th
2:00 pm - 2:45 pm PT
Brooke McKnight - Vice President, Product Marketing
Creating the perfect portfolio: Advice on making a standout portfolio for games
Saturday, June 26th
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm PT
Jackson Wang - Director, UI / UX Design
Vincent Parea - Studio Art Director