DMG at your conference or workplace

We consult on hiring and retention strategies and diversity and inclusion programs, providing auditing tools, policy gap analysis and recommendations.

We work with small to mid-size game studios, visual/media arts organizations, startups and scaleups, and industry/professional associations across North America to implement and improve D&I programs.

We'd love to help – get in touch, or book an intro chat with our executive director, Jennie Robinson Faber, today.

DMG Toronto directors are available for speaking at conferences, in the workplace, and for groups and organizations interested in fostering diverse voices in game development.

Pricing

Our directors do not have set speaker fees. However, we only travel to conferences where flight and accommodations are covered, and appreciate venues that provide an honorarium for presentations and participation on panels.

Past Engagements

• VRTO – June 25 (Toronto)
• Digital Odyssey 2017 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, 2017 (Los Angeles)
• Capital Gaming Expo April 1-2, 2017 (Ottawa)
• Game Developers Conference Making Diversity and Inclusion Work; Animation Bootcamp: Animation Microtalks – Feb 26-March 3, 2017 (San Francisco)
• Ryerson Entertainment Conference February 26, 2017 (Toronto)
• Supporting Your Volunteers and Community Media 3.0? Gaming, Interaction and Self-Representation Community Media Convergence conference, November 2015 (Ottawa)
• Playing the Lead: Feminism in Media Art and Gaming Feminist Art Conference, September 2015 (Toronto)
• Alter Interface: Experimenting with Physical Game Controllers Different Games, April 2015 (New York City)
• Dames Go Digital panel Women in Film and Television Atlantic, February 2015 (Halifax)
• Leaps and Maneuvers exhibition keynote Brandeis University (Boston)
• Bridges to and from the Ivory Tower: Community Organizing, Engagement, and Accountability Canadian Game Studies Association, May 2014 (Brock University, St. Catherines, ON)
• We Built a Community, So Can You Indiecade East, February 2014 (New York City)
• Game Design’s Dark Matter Indiecade, October 2013 (Los Angeles)
• #1ReasonWhy Panel FanExpo, August 2013 (Toronto)
• Collaborating at Global Game Jam June 2013 (Toronto)
• Feminists in Games Workshop May 2013 (Vancouver)
• Women in Games panel and plenary GRAND Conference, May 2013 (Toronto)
• Interactive Ontario's GameON: Finance Conference January 2013 (Toronto)
• Diversity in Games panel Digifest, October 2012 (Toronto)
• Women in Film, Games and New Media Day December 2011 (Toronto)

…and more!

DMG has extensive experience organizing small, productive, inclusive and highly collaborative events, and can organize a white-label game jam for your community, company or academic group.

Jams can be customized around a particular theme or technology, and are held in our Queen West studio or at your space. We organize everything from registration to transit subsidies, workshops and tutorials to post-jam parties, and provide daily catered breakfast and lunch.

Yes, we travel! We've recently organized jams from Boston to Berkeley.

Pricing

• For groups up to 20: from $1,250 CAD
• For groups up to 40: from $2,000 CAD

• Planning
  In the weeks leading up to the jam, we'll audit the jam space (if not held at our studio), work with you to recruit participants and mentors, develop custom presentations or workshops as required, and secure materials and equipment (depending on the type of jam, that could mean loaner laptops, paper prototyping materials and a 3D printer, mobile devices, projectors, VR headsets, motion sensors/controllers, or other specialized electronics). Want your team decked out in rad t-shirts? We can provide jam logo design and branding services, and hook you up with our preferred local screenprinter.

• Mentor/volunteer orientation & training
  A critical step in creating a friendly, open, collaborative experience for participants. Mentors provide not only technical support, but also facilitate meaningful connections between participants and more experienced members of the DMG and Toronto game communities. We can provide mentors or train your staff/volunteers.
• Speakers & Workshops
  We will provide a kickoff presentation to frame the jam: A hands-on introduction to game design concepts, how-to-jam tips, software/tool tutorial, critical survey of theme or a facilitated co-design discussion.
  
  Additionally, we'll kick off the jam with a review of our Code of Conduct, and brief guidelines about our expectations around avoiding ableist, sexist, transphobic language and behavior.
• Jam Coordination
  Our coordinators stay onsite throughout the jam (8-12 hours per day for up to 3 consecutive days), providing support to mentors and volunteers, and are the main point of contact for participants, media and your staff. We can provide loaner laptops, tech support, controllers and specialized equipment; plus documentation services including photo, video, and audio recording and editing.
• Post-Jam Support
  We'll organize and host an event, with presentations by willing participants, arcade-style exhibition of finished games, and catering and adult beverages if you'd like more of a party atmosphere. We'll take care of it all, from promotion to clean-up.
  
  Depending on the nature of the jam and your needs, we're also happy to schedule a postmortem with you to review outcomes, provide additional context for research, and develop guidelines for future jams.

DMG directors and members are available to design and lead workshops on a range of topics, from programming to level design.

Workshops can be customized for your group or organization, and held in your space or our Queen West studio. Catering, A/V recording, and registration services available.

Pricing

• 3-hour weekday evening workshop: $500 CAD
• All-day weekend workshop: $700 CAD

• Introduction to Programming
  An accessible, beginner-friendly overview of fundamental principles of computer programming.
• Paper Prototyping
  A hands-on introduction to game design concepts.
• Project Planning
  Overview of phases of game development, with practical exercises and take-home framework resources.
• Playtesting
  Overview of goals and methods for using testing to develop and refine gameplay.
• Software & Programming/Scripting Language Tutorials
  Unity, Glitch, PICO-8, Game Maker, Stencyl, Zbrush, Maya and more.