Highlighting the inspiring journeys of women in game development, from math prodigies and literary scholars to game design and artistry
Xbox, Predator Gaming, and SkillSearch signed as sponsors
July 2nd, 2024 – Women in Games Italia and Event Horizon School today announced the speaker lineup for the first Women Create Games Forum, set to take place on September 13, 2024, at Event Horizon School’s Milan campus and broadcast on Event Horizon School’s YouTube channel. This day-long educational event offers a comprehensive look into the intricate world of game development, through the lens of professional women in the industry, with a special focus on STEM disciplines.
In a survey conducted by Women in Games during GDC 2024 they found less than one third of game developers are women and only 13% of women are in decision making roles (Women in Games). The forum is an opportunity for industry leaders from creative and technical fields to share their career stories and insights into game development best practices to inspire the next generation of talent.
Attendees will gain valuable knowledge on a wide range of topics, including the multifaceted role of game producers, the art of lighting as a storytelling tool, the nuances of game design and its impact on player experience, the importance of cross-team collaboration in development, the global perspective of environment artistry, and the crucial role of UI/UX in player engagement.
The Women Create Games Forum introduces:
- Alessandra Tomasina, Senior Producer, Nacon Studio Milan: Transitioned from game critic to overseeing entire production pipelines, offering an insider’s view on coordinating complex game launches.
- Arianna Fusetti, Lighting Artist, Frontier Developments: Took a winding road through 2D motion graphics before finding her passion in world illumination for AAA titles.
- Carola Pettinato, Associate Game Designer, Criterion Games: Pivoted from studying modern literature to landing a coveted internship at EA, now shaping the latest Battlefield experiences.
- Lisa Gobbi, Senior Environment Artist, Avalanche Studios: Merged economics expertise with environment artistry, creating worlds for major studios across Italy and the UK.
- Maria Elena Silletti, Lead UI, Nacon Studio Milan: Dedicated to elevating user interface experiences in Italian games, turning childhood passion into UI mastery.
- Irene Filoscia, GFX/UI Programmer, Milestone Srl: Transitioned from pure mathematics to game development, highlighting the importance of cross-team synergy and programmers’ role in unifying development processes.
Fiona Cherbak, the Lead Talent Program Manager at Xbox Game Studios who drives inclusive hiring across first party studios, will be the keynote speaker. Fiona is a champion for diversity and inclusion in gaming having formerly held positions as Talent Acquisition Lead for Sony Interactive Entertainment and Chairperson of IGDA Women in Games SIG and a Co-Founder of Women in Games International.
The event will also be co-hosted by Micaela Romanini, Founder of Women in Games Italia and Consultant in DEI, Sustainability, and Communication, alongside Fabio Cristi, Project Manager at Event Horizon School.
Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, shared: “We are delighted to be partnering and supporting the Women Create Forum, standing alongside Women in Games Italia and Event Horizon School to celebrate and champion the work of women across Europe. Events like this are so important – providing a safe and supportive environment for women to come together and inspire each other. We look forward to taking part this September.”
This event is made possible through the support of prominent sponsors: Xbox, Predator Gaming (Acer), SkillSearch, and partners Swipe Right, Women in Games, and Devcom.
The Women Create Games Forum is open to students, professionals, and anyone interested in learning more about the contributions of women in the gaming industry. For more details on the Women Create Games Forum, exclusive rewards, and registration information, visit the official Event Horizon School website. The future of game development is diverse, and it starts here.
About Women in Games Italia: Women in Games Italia is the Italian non-profit organization dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in the gaming industry, eSports, and digital entertainment sectors. Through networking, mentorship programs, and educational initiatives, Women in Games Italia aims to support and empower women working in games and inspire the next generation of female game developers.
About Event Horizon School: Event Horizon School was born in 2013 with the intent of developing a unique hub in Italy dedicated to digital arts and training. Event Horizon is now the largest private Italian organization dedicated to training in game development, with 8 campuses in Italy: Turin, Milan, Padua, Bologna, Rome, Florence, Jesi, and Pescara.
About SkillSearch
Skillsearch is a market leader in recruitment across Games & Interactive jobs. For the past 30 years we’ve been busy helping people (like you) with sought after skills find jobs in the Games, Interactive industries, all around the globe.
It’s our mission to end every recruitment experience with exceptionally happy people! We aim to form long-lasting recruitment partnerships by keeping your best interests at heart so you’ll keep coming back.
Games & Interactive recruitment – we’re game, are you?
About Predator: Predator is Acer’s brand dedicated to gamers. It offers a complete range of PCs, laptops, monitors, accessories, and peripherals known for their high performance and iconic design. Founded in 1976, Acer is one of the world’s top ICT companies with a presence in more than 160 countries. As Acer evolves with the industry and changing lifestyles, it is focused on enabling a world where hardware, software, and services will fuse with one another, creating ecosystems and opening up new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike. Acer’s 7,700 employees are dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of products and solutions that break barriers between people and technology.
About Swipe Right: Swipe Right is a global communications agency dedicated to esports and gaming. We manage consumer and corporate campaigns for businesses across all sectors of the industry; from world-leading technology and hardware brands, AAA and indie game publishers, and the biggest esports organizations in the world, including NVIDIA, Red Bull, Twitch, and Coffee Stain & Friends. We create brand strategies, help to shape a company’s identity, and build communities.
About Women in Games: Women in Games is a UK-based, not-for-profit organization operating at a global scale. We are transforming equity, diversity, and belonging in the games industry through galvanising our community into action across the world.
Women in Games’ work aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and is primarily focused on Goal 5: ‘Achieve Gender Equality & Empower all Girls and Women’.
Women in Games advocates for all women, girls, and people of diverse gender identities as well as transgender, gender diverse, and intersex women.
The purpose of Women in Games is to empower girls and women by building a fairer, safer, more equal global gaming ecosystem. Women in Games’ vision is to ensure an environment where full equity of opportunity, treatment, and conditions empowers all girls and women, of any ethnicity, orientation, and background, to achieve their full potential within the global gaming ecosystem.
Women in Games Mission is to create new initiatives, activities, pathways, and synergies that foster opportunities to empower girls and women. By investing in women and girls, we will realize an equal playing field, drive positive cultural and societal change, and deliver significant benefits to the global gaming ecosystem.
We bring together agents of change, advocates, men and boys, champions, experts, grass-roots organizations, and others for new dialogues and campaigns focussed on shared solutions towards achieving fairness and equality for all.
About devcom
devcom is the official game developer event of gamescom and Europe’s biggest game developer community-driven industry conference. Offering additional content and events throughout the year, devcom constantly emphasizes its core values of diversity, inclusion and sustainability.
Established in 2017, devcom is the official game developer event of gamescom, the world’s largest computer and video games event, and Europe’s annual “must attend” developer’s conference. Originally started as a five-day umbrella framework for a series of events, devcom is now a full-year experience focused around game development, game publishing, networking and community building.
devcom Developer Conference and all devcom branded formats are developed and organized by game events GmbH, a subsidiary of game, the association of the German games industry.
Home – devcom Developer Conference
For sponsorship inquiries please contact:
micaela.romanini@womeningamesitalia.org, f.cristi@eventhorizonschool.com
