No Diversity, No Games: Why Inclusion in Video Games Is No Longer Optional

 

Friday, November 28, 2025, at 09:00 a.m. @ S.2.69 | University of Klagenfurt

Abstract: Game development is at a creative standstill.  We’re recycling systems, stories, and perspectives. Jack Gutmann, Syrian refugee and Real-Time VFX Artist/Generalist Artist, makes the case that diversity is not charity or branding – it’s survival. Jack shines a light on how the lack of marginalized voices isn’t just unjust,  it’s making our games boring, repetitive, and financially fragile. This is not about being “nice.” This is about keeping games alive.

Tell Your Story Through Games

 A free, one-day creative event for (and by) people with experiences of migration, displacement, or starting a new life in a different country.

🗓 28 November 2025

📍 University of Klagenfurt

🕓 11:00–18:00

Everyone carries stories. Games let us explore those stories: through play, imagination, and creativity.

This game jam invites you to tell a story that feels meaningful to you, at your own pace and comfort level.

The goal:💻 Create a small digital or ✍️ analog prototype, no experience required! Themes we might explore:

The story of your journey (literal or metaphorical); what home means to you; what helps you feel empowered; or anything else you want to share or wish people would understand about migration.

📧 To join in-person, please contact us with a short message: tell [dot] your [dot] story [dot] jam [at] gmail [dot] com

We can provide food, translation, laptops, and materials during the workshop, as well as a stipend for transportation.

🌐 Facilitation available in: English / German / Farsi / Arabic / Ukrainian

🔗 To learn more: https://www.itec.aau.at/~kseniia/gamejam/

🌍 If you can’t join us in person, you can still join online: https://itch.io/jam/tell-your-story-through-games