What game design principles can be used to promote friendlier and harassment-free communities? Join us for a discussion on what strategies game designers can use to create safe virtual spaces that are enjoyable for all players. In particular, we focus on game mechanics that encourage community-oriented behaviors, the pros and cons of automated reporting, and how to minimize griefing.

Sande Chen, who was nominated for a Writers Guild award for her work on The Witcher game, brings together a panel of award-winning game designers and community managers to help other game devs remove the toxicity from their communities. Set for June 12 at the virtual Columbus Interactive Media Festival, the roundtable addresses one of the biggest concern for any game studio, AAA or indie.

In addition to Chen, participants in this roundtable include:

• Brad Merritt, director of game design for Cartoon Network;

• Kat De Shields-Moon, PR manager for Schell Games;

• Joshua Quinnett, senior community manager at Gallium Studios;

• Auverin Morrow, esports brand manager at Hi-Rez Studios;

• Jared Creasy, community manager at Tripwire Interactive;

• Isiah Turner, lead community specialist at Hi-Rez Studios;

• Judy Tyrer, founder of Ever, Jane: The Virtual World of Jane Austen; and

• Tony Jones, director of player experience at Hi-Rez Studios.

Other CIMFest sessions include:

• Flavored by Authenticity: How personal experiences amplify narrative / Sande Chen, Kimberly Unger, Matthew Farber, Juliana Loh

• Winning Early Access / Stu Phelps and Jason Hillhouse

• Irrigating The River of Content: How to make workflows that work / Ryan Kline

• Relational Joints: Gameplay / Simon Hoffiz

• Your Text Editor and You / Clark Chambers

• The Quest for Social Connection / Kimmiko and Atlanta Gamer Life

• How Live Streaming can Push the Industry Forward / The VR Girl

• The Clutter Mini-Talks: Tales from the Indie-Dev Front Lines / Joe Cassavaugh
  

CIMFest starts at noon EST June 12 and runs until 7 pm. Anyone can watch the livestreamed presentations on www.youtube.com/GeorgiaGameDevs . GGDA members get access to the Association's Discord channel to network with CIMFest speakers and other game developers. CIMFest began in 2016 at Columbus State University as a celebration of game design. More info on CIMFest can be found at https://ggda.org/blog/cimfest-announces-speakers-and-panels-for-june-12/

Chen's keynote broadcast is 3 pm EST, June 12, and her roundtable is at 1 pm. Livestream attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions via YouTube's chat feature.

About the GGDA
The Georgia Game Developers Association is the nonprofit trade association for Georgia-based businesses and professionals in the video game manufacturing industry. It supports its members with business opportunities, educational services, professional development and public affairs coordination. www.ggda.org