2012-2024

DMG deleted all historical data and let this domain go after its insolvency, so I'm going to work on building an archive of the work we did and the community we built over nearly a decade. I don't want our collective work, memories, and knowledge to be lost. I'm always open to chatting with former members about your experiences and memories – get in touch.

💜 Jennie Robinson Faber (co-founder and former executive director)

Archived Projects

Available Archives

Coming Soon

  • Damage Camp (2017-2020)
  • New Game Makers (2013-2017)
  • Indigicade (2014-2016)
  • Body Games (2015-2016)
  • Summerworks Adventure Game
  • Swipe Comics Vol. 1 (Various artists)
  • Medication Meditation (Kara Stone)
  • Dames Playing Games
  • No Reading After the Internet (2012)
  • Feminist Game Salon
  • Speaker Socials

Feb Fatale Series

  • Feb Fatale (2013)
  • Feb Fatale 2: The Glitch is Back! (2014)
  • Feb Fatale 3: Killer Interfaces (2015)
  • Feb Fatale 4: xxx (2014)
  • Feb Fatale 5: Transgression (2017)
  • Feb Fatale 6: Killing Cyberpunk (2019)
  • Feb Fatale 7: Presence Tense (2020)

Jams & Arcades

  • Jamuary (January 2012)
  • ANNAJAM: With Anna Anthropy (October 2012)
  • NO JAM 1-4 (November 2012-2016)
  • Digicade (2012)
  • Jeuxly (July 2012)
  • New Peripherals Jam with MakeyMakey (2013)
  • VideoVideo Jam (2013)
  • SystemFailure Jam (2015)
  • Mother, May I? Jam (May 2013)
  • Junicorn (June 2013)
  • Snacktember: The Damage Sandwich! (September 2013)
  • Spookcade (2014)
  • Ad Hoctober (October 2014)
  • Julivewire! A Hardware Game Jam (July 2014)
  • Digital Media Art+Cade at ImagineNATIVE (2015)
  • Gym Jam (May 2015)
  • The Dread Jam (September 2015)
  • Dreadcade (2015)
  • Dames Demaking Games (February 2016)
  • Global Game Jam: DMG Edition! (January 2016 & 2017)
  • Hyperreal Jam (July 2016)
  • Adventure Jam (2019)
  • VVV Jam (2018)
  • Party Party Party! Jam (2018)
  • CREEPIN-IT-REAL 2018
  • RPG Zine Jam (April 2021)
  • Textile Game Controllers Jam (2020)
  • Stationary Stationery Jam! (June-July 2020)

Past Organizers

Soha El-Sabaawi, Santo Aveiro-Ojeda, Jayd Matyas, Kaitlin Tremblay, Natalie Zina Walschots, Shel Kahn, Seb Pines, Gillian Blekkenhorst, Izzie Colpitts-Campbell, Meagan Byrne, Stephanie Fisher, Rose Goodwin, Yifat Shaik

Founders: Cecily Carver • Alex Leitch • Jennie Robinson Faber

Past Speaking Engagements

2017

  • VRTO – June 25 (Toronto)
  • Digital Odyssey: We Got Game – Gaming, Learning and Playing Together – June 9 (Toronto)
  • Different Games – May 31-June 3 (Toronto)
  • Canadian Arts Summit – May 13-15 (Charlottetown, PEI)
  • East Coast Games Conference – Player Agency, Mods and Glitches; Storytelling in Non-linear Time and Space – April 18-20 (Raleigh, NC)
  • Queerness and Games Convention – Resistance Through Play; Humor on Behalf of the Ridiculous – April 1-2 (Los Angeles)
  • Capital Gaming Expo – April 1-2 (Ottawa)
  • Game Developers Conference – Making Diversity and Inclusion Work; Animation Bootcamp: Animation Microtalks – Feb 26-March 3 (San Francisco)
  • Ryerson Entertainment Conference – February 26 (Toronto)

2015

  • Community Media Convergence – Supporting Your Volunteers and Community Media 3.0? Gaming, Interaction and Self-Representation – November (Ottawa)
  • Feminist Art Conference – Playing the Lead: Feminism in Media Art and Gaming – September (Toronto)
  • Different Games – Alter Interface: Experimenting with Physical Game Controllers – April (New York City)
  • Women in Film and Television Atlantic – Dames Go Digital panel – February (Halifax)
  • Brandeis University – Leaps and Maneuvers exhibition keynote (Boston)

2014

  • Canadian Game Studies Association – Bridges to and from the Ivory Tower: Community Organizing, Engagement, and Accountability – May (Brock University, St. Catherines, ON)
  • Indiecade East – We Built a Community, So Can You – February (New York City)

2013

  • Indiecade – Game Design's Dark Matter – October (Los Angeles)
  • FanExpo – #1ReasonWhy Panel – August (Toronto)
  • Global Game Jam – Collaborating at Global Game Jam – June (Toronto)
  • Feminists in Games Workshop – May (Vancouver)
  • GRAND Conference – Women in Games panel and plenary – May (Toronto)
  • Interactive Ontario's GameON: Finance Conference – January (Toronto)

2012-2011

  • Digifest – Diversity in Games panel – October 2012 (Toronto)
  • Women in Film, Games and New Media Day – December 2011 (Toronto)

Press Coverage

Most links have "rotted" over time - screenshots available via Wayback Machine

2020

  • New startup program helps marginalized founders
    A team of creative artists have been helping marginalized communities break into the tech and video game space for years. David Pietrangelo checks in with the people behind the group about how 2020 has changed their approach. posted Aug 30, 2020
  • Riot's Soha El-Sabaawi Is Working To Reprogram Gamer Culture To Be More Inclusive
    DMG board member interviewed about her role at Riot Games, how D&I efforts have changed over the last 6 years, and her first DMG event. posted Jul 23, 2020
  • Inside the 'highly sexualized culture' at Ubisoft: Will mounting harassment allegations finally result in real change?
    DMG programming director Izzie Colpitts-Campbell interviewed in the Toronto Star about exploitation and labour practices in the games industry. posted Jul 17, 2020

2017

2016

  • We Meet the Artist Who Made a Video Game About Her Bipolar Disorder
    VICE Canada posted Oct 26, 2016
  • Organizations share positive social change ideas during Toronto's west-end YIMBY Festival
    Social organizations from Toronto's west-end got together to share ideas on effecting positive change in the city and to strengthen their connections in an effort to do so during the west-end YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) Festival. posted May 26, 2016

2015

  • Creating video games help indigenous girls boost self-confidence
    by Jillian Kestler-D'Amours in the Toronto Star posted Aug 18, 2015
  • Indigenous girls make video games with 'Indigicade'
    by Lisa Charleyboy for CBC's New Fire posted Aug 18, 2015
  • Digital Media Art+Cade and Indigenous Gaming Panel- imagineNATIVE Film Festival
    By Katie Elder for The Strand posted Oct 20, 2015
  • Workshop explores the educational opportunities of 'new media' for 21st Century Learning
    For YorkU's Faculty of Education blog posted Mar 23, 2015
  • Dames making games at Ryerson
    By Richa Syal and Truman Kwan for The Eyeopener posted Mar 23, 2015
  • Dames Making Games and Others Make Programming a Creative Pursuit
    Jess Joho, iQ by Intel Contributor and Kill Screen Author posted Feb 13, 2015
  • Toronto indie arts fest to feature live action laser maze
    By Aubrey Jax for BlogTO posted Feb 11, 2015
  • Techno Tarot Offers Divination On-the-go
    By Chase Ramsey in Kill Screen posted Jan 26, 2015
  • Amateur video games fill WSRC exhibit
    By Emily Wishingrad for The Justice posted Jan 25, 2015

2014

  • Mysticism, meditation and… videogames? Indie game developer Kara Stone reimagines gaming
    by Michael Lyons for Plaid Zebra posted Dec 10, 2014
  • Jennie Faber explains how Dames Making Games aims to make game creation more inclusive
    by Daniel Kaszor for the National Post posted Oct 25, 2014
  • Dames, Games, and Cool Names
    Interview with Jennie and Cecily on the Justice Points podcast posted Oct 13, 2014
  • Canadian Studio Dedicates Efforts to Support Feminism, Diversity in Games
    by Sumari MacLeod in TechVibes posted Aug 01, 2014
  • Am I Turing You On? There's Now a Sexting Robot
    by Zack Kotzer on Motherboard (Vice) posted Jul 11, 2014
  • I had bot sex and it left me confused (Wired UK)
    by Olivia Solon in Wired UK posted Jul 10, 2014
  • Breaking into the Boys' Club
    by Robyn Fiorda for McClung's Magazine posted Jun 13, 2014
  • Art Gallery of Ontario hosts video games made by Toronto developers
    by Julia Alexander for canoe.ca posted Apr 11, 2014
  • High school crush? It's a LongStory
    by Michael Lyons in Daily Xtra posted Mar 21, 2014
  • Power to gamer girls
    by Mika Rekai for Post City posted Mar 04, 2014
  • Dames Making Games teaches political game development
    by Alex Boer on Skedline.com posted Feb 12, 2014
  • Cecily Carver on CBC Radio's Here and Now – Audio • Text
    posted Jan 17, 2014
  • Art Gallery of Ontario hosts video games made by Toronto developers in recent exhibit
    By Julia Alexander on canoe.ca posted Jan 05, 2014
  • Dames Making Games organization helps women make video games
    by Kim Nursall in The Toronto Star posted Jan 03, 2014
  • Hey bro, let's maybe cut sexism out of games in 2014
    By Emma Woolley in The Globe and Mail posted Jan 01, 2014

2013

  • Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Learning How to Code
    by Cecily Carver posted Nov 29, 2013
  • MedicationMeditation transforms mental illness into mini-games
    by Zach Kotzer in Kill Screen posted Oct 22, 2013
  • I Am Not My Gender: A Discussion of Women in the Videogame Industry
    By Raynika Awotwi in Comics & Gaming Magazine posted Oct 01, 2013
  • Dames saving games
    by By Zack Kotzer for NOW Magazine posted Jul 24, 2013
  • JUNICORN!
    by Craig Bamford, Leveling Criticism posted Jul 22, 2013
  • Toronto group aims to get more women developing video games
    A video interview with Cecily Carver from The Globe and Mail posted Jun 10, 2013
  • Sit and Listen: A DMG Toronto Speaker Social
    by Royel Edwards for canada.com posted Jun 05, 2013
  • A Chat with Dames Making Games
    by Megan Patterson for the Toronto Standard posted Apr 25, 2013
  • InnerSPACE interview
    Aired on the Space Channel on April 15, 2013 posted Apr 19, 2013
  • Vector Review: Feminism in Games Panel
    by Soha Kareem posted Apr 07, 2013
  • InnerSPACE Interview with Vector Crew and Artists
    Space Channel posted Feb 22, 2013
  • #1reasonwhy and #1reasonmentors: Alliance, Collaboration, and Action for Change
    by Alison Harvey for the IGDA Perspectives Newsletter posted Feb 01, 2013

2012

  • An Interview with Anna Anthropy
    by Eric Weiss, Dork Shelf posted Oct 27, 2012
  • PsXXYborg: "Because your flesh is the disease!"
    From the TIFF Nexus Blog posted Oct 17, 2012
  • Business Support To Help Women Entrepreneurs
    By Debbie Horovitch posted Oct 16, 2012
  • Guys With Pencils Ep 79 - Gals With Pencils: Women And The Industry
    Guys with Pencils (podcast) posted Oct 04, 2012
  • Jeuxly's First-Time Women Game Creators Are In It to Win It
    By David Demchuk, the Torontoist posted Sep 01, 2012
  • "Jeuxly" incubator produces great games made by dames
    By Peter Kapow, TIFF Nexus Blog posted Aug 26, 2012
  • Girl code: the making of the next Marissa Mayer
    By Amanda Kwan, The Globe and Mail posted Aug 23, 2012
  • Dames Making Games Toronto
    By Avil Beckford, The Invisible Mentor posted Aug 22, 2012
  • Toronto Women Create Games In Six Weeks
    By Jack Moulder and Victoria Liu-Anderson, Gamer Living posted Aug 22, 2012

Scholarly References

  • Stone, Kara (2023)
    "Reparative Game Creation: Disability in Design"
    Design Issues
  • Hartman, Kate, Yiyi Shao, Emma Westecott, Chris Luginbuhl, Izzie Colpitts-Campbell, Olivia Prior, Jennie Robinson Faber, and Manisha Laroia (2021)
    "Textile Game Controllers: Exploring Affordances of E-Textile Techniques as Applied to Alternative Game Controllers"
    Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '21), February 14–17, 2021, Salzburg, Austria
    https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/66079904/TEI_camera_ready_05Jan2021-libre.pdf
  • Poremba, Cindy (2020)
    "VVV: Volumetric video in videogames"
    Proceedings of the 26th International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA 2020), 13-18 Oct 2020, Montreal, Canada
    https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/3186/
  • Young, Christopher James (2018)
    "Game Changers: Everyday Gamemakers and the Development of the Video Game Industry"
    Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto
    https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/8837a4f1-5f9e-46de-aa36-d98042317bb5/content
  • Stone, Kara (2018)
    "Time and Reparative Game Design: Queerness, Disability, and Affect"
    Game Studies
  • Stone, Kara (2018)
    "Reparative Game Design: Queer Time, Crip Time, Deep Time, Quantum Time"
    Canadian Game Studies Association Conference
  • Ruffino, Paolo (ed.) (2018)
    "Independent Videogames: Cultures, Networks, Techniques and Politics"
    Routledge
    https://books.google.ca/books?id=GcX2DwAAQBAJ

    "I thought I was going to keep making experimental video art, but I randomly went to a talk by someone from [the Toronto-based organization] Dames Making Games. I was like, 'Oh my god, women can make video games?' I had never heard of indie game designers.... After the talk, I rushed over and asked how I could get involved. They were hosting a ten-week workshop and I signed up. I've been following the current of video games ever since." — Kara Stone

  • Parker, Felan and Jenson, Jennifer (2017)
    "Canadian Indie Games Between the Global and the Local"
    Canadian Journal of Communication, Vol. 42, No. 5
  • Harvey, Alison and Fisher, Stephanie (2015)
    "Everyone Can Make Games!: The post-feminist context of women in digital game production"
    Feminist Media Studies, Vol. 15, No. 4
  • Fisher, Stephanie, and Harvey, Alison (2013)
    "Intervention for Inclusivity: Gender Politics and Indie Game Development."
    Loading… The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association, vol. 7, no. 11
    http://loading.gamestudies.ca

    "By embracing rather than resisting the dynamism and variation of needs within, the members of DMG are instrumental in rewriting what being indie in Toronto might look like and committed to actively creating opportunities and openings for difference to be engineered."

  • Westecott, Emma (2013)
    "Independent game development as craft"
    Loading… The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association, 7 (11). pp. 78-91
    https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/376/