Continuing our commitment to mentoring the next generation of game developers, we’re thrilled to announce that Crystal Dynamics will be hosting Girls Make Games summer camps at our San Mateo and Bellevue studios for a third year in a row. 

Girls Make Games is a series of summer camps, workshops and game jams designed to inspire the next generation of designers, creators, and engineers. Launched in 2014, the program has reached 7,200 girls through workshops and camps, and over 25,000 through tutorials, games and resources. 
 

At the end of the three-week camp, teams of students deliver and present playable game demos; all of which have left our teams impressed and assured us that the future of the game industry is bright. You can check out some of the past Demo Day grand prize winners here.  

Now in their 11^th year, Girls Make Games has added another outreach arm to their programming – the 501c3 GMG Scholarship Fund offering financial aid to aspiring college students and to students whose families need assistance with their summer camp tuition.  

“Like much else, GMG camps have had to evolve since Covid,” explained Laila Shabir, the founder and CEO of Girls Make Games. “Our students have always loved being onsite at game studios, but understandably that’s been a challenge across the industry. We’re immensely grateful to the leadership and employees at Crystal Dynamics for opening their doors and welcoming Girls Make Games students for the 3rd time this July!  

“It takes a tremendous amount of effort behind the scenes to put a camp together, and it has always been a pleasure working with the employees at Crystal Dynamics who truly believe in our mission to create a more inclusive industry. 

Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing all of the amazing Lara Croft fan art that comes out of camp every year.” 

We are too!  

You can find more information about the in-person and virtual summer camps here.  

GMG 2023 Summer Camp Art by Ruenis. 

Last year as part of our BHM celebrations we shared profiles of Gerald Lawson and Muriel Tramis, and explored how they became pioneers in the video game industry. With so much rich Black gaming history, it feels often as though gaming in the modern era is making moves, albeit at a slow pace. In December of 2023, Community Coordinator Vanessa Brasfield had the wonderful opportunity to meet the daughter of the gaming pioneer Gerald Lawson. 

Vanessa took this opportunity to dive deeper into this rich history in an interview with Karen Lawson. Watch the interview below to learn more about Karen’s work, advocacy, and her father’s legacy in gaming.  

Check out the video for the interview here on our YouTube.

As a thank-you for her time, we are donating to the American Diabetes Association in honor of the Lawson family.  

Check out some of our other Black History Month content from 2024 and 2023 below: 

• Making Black History: An Interview with Derrick Fields  
• Black History Month: Giving Back 
• Making Black History: 28 Days of Black Cosplay w/ Chaka Cumberbatch
• Black Excellence in Gaming: Gerald Lawson & Muriel Tramis – Crystal Dynamics

Black Charities and Organizations

Black in Gaming: https://www.thebigfoundation.org/
Our Vision is to inspire a world where every individual has equity in the gaming industry. Our Mission is to connect, educate, and empower black talent in the worldwide gaming ecosystem by striving to achieve significant increases in black representation that accurately reflects the diverse participants in the industry.

Black Girls Code: https://www.wearebgc.org/
WE BELONG IN THE ROOM: Black girls and gender nonconforming youth of color can power the future. Their code gets us there. We support their creativity and boldness with skills, training, and resources that launch their leadership.

Gameheads: https://gameheadsoakland.org/
We envision a world where low income youth and youth of color are equipped to thrive and succeed in any field they choose, including the tech and video game industries.

POC in Play: pocplay.org
POC in Play is an independent organization creating a range of initiatives and programs of events designed to increase the visibility and representation of People of Color in the video games industry. We aim to work with industry, educators, and other diverse organizations to create more opportunities for all.

Spawn on Me: https://campsite.bio/spawnonme
Spawn On Me is the internet’s definitive video game podcast featuring and spotlighting gamers of color. Brought to you directly from Brookago bringing you gaming news, previews, and reviews while simultaneously looking at how games affect the world. Humor, insight, and some of the most important people in the gaming world can be found in only one place…the Spawn On Me podcast!

Black-Developed Games

ValiDATE: Struggling Singles in Your Area: https://validategame.com/

Before I Forget: https://www.3foldgames.uk/

Hex Gambit: http://onemanleft.com/games/hexgambit/

Breeze in the Clouds: https://www.breezethegame.com/

She Dreams Elsewhere: https://www.studiozevere.com/

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan: https://aurionthegame.com/?nextLocale=en

Who are you, and what is Waking Oni Games?

“Who am I? What a time to confront that answer, ha! I imagine many, like myself, are contemplating their own answer to that question. Well, today I’d consider myself somewhere in the margin of fleshy and incorporeal, composited together to enact upon an overactive imagination.

“I am a father, a professor, and founder/game director at Waking Oni Games an indie studio most likely built upon the same aforementioned compositions, but I would add that the collective imaginations and talents have come together to make exciting media to drive conversations around the exchange of Black and Japanese media and culture.”

How long have you been involved in gaming?

“You asked for it! Gaming, for me, goes all the way back to cords and cartridges at the neighbor’s house. I did not see my own console till the Sega 16-bit was released, and I can recall many attempts to complete titles like Aladdin, Rocket Knight, and Sonic. By no means would I have considered myself good at them or even really understanding them much. Paired with a loving mother who regularly sent me outside to use my imagination, I spent a lot of time reenacting scenes of my favorite comic and TV characters across yards and up a few trees I had no business climbing (my wrist still makes a funny click if I turn it just right). When I was not outside, I spent a lot of time creating worlds and characters in numerous sketchbooks.

“That radically changed when the PlayStation was first released. Through magazines, demo discs, and the few games I owned, I was thrust into a world that felt truly immersive for the first time. Games like Final Fantasy 9 opened my mind to imaginative character design, while Tenchu or the aptly titled Ninja (Shadow of Darkness) allowed me to embody the coolest interpretations of ninja, which I thought only stayed on the TV or movie screen. The PS1/PSX fundamentally shifted my perspective on video games, and I was officially hooked. I remember begging my mom for a GamePro Magazine subscription so that I could experience new games through some of its demo discs. When I wasn’t challenging myself to complete snippets of titles yet released or too expensive, I often traded and borrowed games from other friends, who continued to introduce me to a variety of role-playing games, fighting games, and action-adventure titles. That’s when I found out about RPG Maker.

“RPG Maker, for those who are not aware, was a creator tool that allowed you to make your own games for PlayStation. It had PC versions but this was the first release I ever knew of. Imagine 5^th-grader me realizing there are tools out there to make your own games. It didn’t even dawn on me before then that actual people were behind all of these experiences. What was I thinking? I would later spend an inordinate amount of time trying to understand the console game engine and probably did not do a very good job, but it unlocked the thought that I could take the worlds sketched across sheets of paper and bring them into something someone could one day play with a controller.”

“That all came rushing back, thanks to PC gaming and massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

“Likening myself a comic artist and illustrator, I was still filling up sketchbooks and being sent out the door by my mom, but this time, I ventured to my friend’s homes to engage with broader games, graphics, and a hefty amount of tabletop roleplaying. I cannot quite remember the order of events here, but during my four years of high school, I was once again deeply entrenched in the idea of creating my own game now, thanks to the very advanced and definitely realistic graphic capability of the PlayStation 2 and eventually Xbox. My moods for inspiration would shift among the genres I now played the most, RPGs and Horror games. From Final Fantasy XII to Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, I continued to be inspired by the potential for video games to bring players to places they have never seen before.

“After graduating, college for me was settled. I would pursue becoming a concept artist for video games and help characters as influential as the one that inspired me. I later attended Columbus College of Art and Design, and while it challenged me to understand art and color theory, something felt off. The idea of creating characters at the time didn’t feel as cutting edge as the 3D characters I was looking at on-screen, and I wanted to have control of that experience. I went to my advisor to ask about 3D modeling and received the unfortunate reply, ‘Sorry, we don’t do that here.’ You see, at the time, CCAD didn’t offer 3D Modeling for games, let alone have a degree for it. I would have had to pursue the animation track instead to get an introduction to software like Maya, but it didn’t feel satisfying enough (time would later see me learning animation anyway). Lucky for me, my mom worked for an education board and had recently heard about a small university down in Portsmouth, Ohio, offering exactly what I was looking for—a degree in game design. Without hesitation, I asked if I could transfer and was transported to Shawnee State University, which had a distinct border to Kentucky, thanks to the Ohio River. I had finally made it! Or so I thought.

“Let me start by saying Shawnee State University is a wonderful university, and its gaming degree and faculty hold some of my most formative introductions to 3D modeling, game engines, and game design. My relationship with the university, however, was complicated by its surrounding town. Outside of the campus, I held several part-time jobs (and almost tried to open a video game café) but unfortunately dealt with a great deal of discrimination and racism. Being a Black queer individual from Columbus, as you might imagine, came with its challenges in this southern Ohio city. My time here would soon end after my life was threatened, and I no longer felt safe to pursue the degree of my dreams among my talented peers. So, I transferred one last time to Kent State University, kept my head down, and completed the last leg of my university adventure largely online. Thanks to my time at the two other universities, I did not have much left to complete and graduated with a degree in Animation Game “Design (there’s that animation returning for vengeance). With a degree in hand and a heaping amount of excitement and naivety, I leaped right into applying my portfolio to some of my favorite game studios. I only knew of the ones I personally played or saw featured in the magazine, so that’s where I started. As it would turn out, getting a job in the industry was not easy by any measure. I did not know about events like the Game Developer’s Conference and certainly could not afford to get across the country, so all of this together made it hard to understand what was out there.

“I once again found myself placing these dreams in the back seat.

“It was not all gloom, however. Being an artist took me to many different anime conventions, where I eventually landed a full-time job with a cosplay wig company. I spent a lot of my time traveling across the country and making wonderful connections all around the second most important influence on my life next to games– anime. I even made it to my very first E3 after creating a small 2D mobile game about crashing cars. Getting a chance to experience this space once again brought my goals to the front seat, and I started to develop a lot of enthusiasm for making more of my own games. Some time and a heaping dose of domestic travel to more pop culture events eventually helped to bridge a connection to new friends who shared a similar dream for leaping into the industry. We would later become roommates and work part-time on a project that eventually became Waking Oni Game’s first title, Onsen Master.

“With that, I had finally made what felt like an official entry into the game’s industry.”

You’re also a professor by day: what are some of the topics you share/teach?

“Correct! I am an Assistant Professor of Instruction at Northwestern University. Go Wildcats! There, I teach sequence courses for Game Design and 3D Modeling and, most recently, have introduced Game Design Entrepreneurship with the hope of helping students understand some of the biz-dev sides of the gaming industry. We hosted our first game jam last year through the revival of a micro game conference and are actively expanding game-related course offerings. To me, the future of games is brightest with the next generation of creators.”

What were some of your biggest inspirations to pursue a career in gaming and teaching?

“Representation and providing access to burgeoning creators remain paramount as my biggest motivators for pursuing a career in games and teaching. I believe the next generation of creators will find new ways to disrupt the industry and continue innovation. That said, I hope to continue contributing to the development of culturally authentic gameplay experiences so that wider audiences may continue to see themselves represented in exciting narratives and experiences. When it comes to teaching, for me this means creating classrooms and curriculum that validate and empower students, providing them with tools and access to opportunities to help them excel. I firmly believe supporting these two pillars can help cultivate environments where everyone feels valued and supported, fostering a sense of belonging and fueling creativity.”

Tell us about your game Onsen Master.

“Onsen Master is an unapologetic love letter to my favorite Ghibli Film, Spirited Away.  It is the first game out of Waking Oni and represents the start of a much larger conversation about exploring the cross-cultural conversation between Black and Japanese media. Through it, I hope to send a signal that we are only just getting started in creating larger, more impactful titles for players to engage with. As for the story, well, I don’t want to spoil anything, but it is a cute tale about one young pupil’s journey in reviving the local onsen on the fantasy island of Izajima while engaging with its locals, confronting peculiar spirits called yokai, and seeking out the great Onsen Master.”

What is your ultimate end goal in creating games at Waking Oni? What are your hopes for Black game devs and educators in the future?

“As a game developer, my mission is to craft immersive and culturally authentic experiences that explore the intersections of Black and Japanese cultures. It’s not only about recognizing the influence of Black culture on anime but also about providing a platform for meaningful dialogue and representation within the gaming world. Over the years, anime has frequently drawn inspiration from Black culture, from its music to its fashion and beyond. Yet, while this influence is evident, there’s often been a lack of agency for Black creators to actively participate in shaping these narratives. My aim is to change that by creating games that not only celebrate the rich tapestry of Black and Japanese cultures but also deepen the cultural conversation by returning the influence through entertainment in the form of gaming.”

“In pursuit of this goal, I draw inspiration from impactful titles that have explored cultural themes with depth and authenticity. These games serve as a foundation upon which to build, providing valuable insights into storytelling techniques, character development, and world-building. However, I also recognize the importance of creating new stories that reflect the lived experiences and perspectives of both Black and Japanese communities. By infusing these narratives with authenticity and nuance, I hope to create games that resonate with players on a profound level, sparking thought-provoking discussions and fostering a greater appreciation for cultural diversity. Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to a gaming landscape that celebrates and uplifts the voices of marginalized communities, creating space for their stories to be told and their experiences to be honored.”

What is your favorite genre, and game in it? 

“IMMERSIVE SIMS!!! I cannot get enough of them, and this goes way back to my earlier mention of Tenchu. The way this game had me hooked on sneaking around and trying to complete levels with perfect stealth sparked a deep interest in systems and replayability. Today, I still revisit the series but now get to accompany this experience with titles like Dishonored, Hitman, and more. I long for the day that a game like Tenchu makes its return, BUT ONLY IF it’s guaranteed to come with the deliberate subterfuge and patient gameplay of its former years. Please, if you are listening FromSoft, I know Sekiro was almost a Tenchu game, but you can still bring it back.

“I also maintain a profound affinity for Bushido Blade 2 but I will have to save that rant for another time.”

You can find Derrick and his gaming studio/work at:

Waking Oni Games
https://wakingonigames.com
https://twitter.com/wakingonigames

Meet some of the Latinx teammates at Crystal, and learn about the ways they carry their Hispanic heritage with them as games industry professionals. 

Illustrations by the fabulous David Alejandro Mejía.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalejomej/
• X: https://twitter.com/dalejomej
• DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/dalejomej

Annette Mercado, Recruiter 

Howdy! My name is Annette Mercado. I am a Recruiter at Crystal Dynamics and am based out of my hometown – Austin, Texas. I have been part of this team for a year and half.  

I adore video games! Video games have a great way of bringing people together in such a charismatic way. I have been playing games since I was a child, with an Atari 5200 (which we still own!). The games industry has been such a great place to grow my career as a recruiter. 

I am so honored to be highlighted for Hispanic Heritage Month at Crystal. Hispanic heritage holds a special place in my heart. It represents the blend of my Mexican-American culture, my traditions, and my values that have been passed down through generations. Embracing my Hispanic heritage is a way of honoring the strength and resilience of my ancestors who navigated challenges with grace and determination. I am my ancestor’s dream! My Hispanic heritage has taught me the importance of adaptability, perseverance, and fostering meaningful relationships, which has been vital to growing my career in video games. 

Stephen Perez, Sr. Software Engineer II 

I’m Stephen Perez, Senior Software Engineer II and Lead Combat Engineer on the Tomb Raider project at Crystal Dynamics, where I started in 2005. 

My generation was the first to have home consoles. I grew up playing Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo NES. However, I have always gravitated towards adventure titles, such as Zelda and Land Stalker, which I played on the Sega Genesis.  At 15, I knew gaming was what I wanted to do professionally. Declaring a major was easy – Software Engineering – as there were no programs at the time that offered a specialization in engineering for gaming. While pursuing my degree, I found myself playing a lot of Tomb Raider on the PlayStation. Fast forward nearly a decade, and I joined Crystal Dynamics to bring Lara Croft to life. 

Perhaps my desire for adventure, whether it’s running Spartan Races, training for triathlons, raising three children, and working on the epitome of adventure gaming titles – Tomb Raider – is primal destiny. I spawn from a long lineage of explorers. My father was an adventurer with a passion for flight. (He was an airplane mechanic and Korean War veteran.) His father, a Merchant Marine, explored the world and then immigrated to the United States from Spain with my grandmother, who was born in Puerto Rico.  

Being part of a team that builds adventure games is a rewarding career; we are explorers building new worlds to explore and discover. Viscerally exciting and instinctively satisfying, gaming connects me to my ancestors. 

Felix Mendoza, Sr. Lighter 

Hello, my name is Felix Mendoza. I’ve been working as a Senior Lighter for Crystal Dynamics for the last five years. I started my career as a graphic designer, but soon transitioned to 3D design. I pushed 3D logos around for a few years until Rhythm & Hues Studios gave me my first break in the movies industry. From there I slowly made my way to Pixar – where I met my wife. 

After several years in the movies industry, my attention turned back to video games and I was able to join Electronic Arts. EA was a great way to learn all about real-time lighting. My wife and I stayed there for nearly 10 years until we left for an amazing opportunity in Japan. 

We were in Japan for a 5-year whirlwind adventure where I worked as a Lighting Director for From Software. 

Five years was a long time to be away from friends and family. We returned home where we landed in Seattle. I worked for several video game companies until I finally found my current company, Crystal Dynamics. In college we used to stay late huddled up at the computer lab to sneak some computer time in to play, Silicon Graphic Inc.’s: Dogfight. (A multiplayer aerial combat game.) As much fun as that was, it wasn’t until Doom came out that the dam was broken for me. Once I figured out how to get that chainsaw – I was hooked! 

As I mentioned, I broke into the games industry later in my career with Electronic Arts. When I joined EA, lighting was such a new concept. I wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms by everybody. As a minority I was never really accepted at school, work, or neighborhoods. But slowly I started changing hearts and minds. My work seemed to speak for itself, and soon I was part of the team. 

When I first came to this country, fitting in was especially hard. I used to come home crying because the kids were so mean. My mom used to say, “¡Deja que con la sonrisas se gane el corazón de todos!” Which can be loosely translated to: “With a smile, you can change hearts and minds.”  

Family, food, music, and dancing are at the center of my heritage. Growing up with abuela’s cooking, and radio WADO (a Spanish radio station that plays salsa/merengue music) playing on the radio is a treasured memory. 

Growing up, my father instilled the virtues of hard work and perseverance. I try to apply that attitude to everything I do. I think my work ethic represents my heritage with the tenacity and fortitude that I put forth every day. 

Wendy Salguero, People Experience Generalist 

My name is Wendy Salguero, and I am the People Experience Generalist at Crystal Dynamics! I have been with Crystal for 5 years now. Wow, how time flies when you are having fun.   

Games have always been part of my life. Growing up, I would spend nights playing Super Mario with my dad and brother. It was our way of spending some quality time together. It is one of the main reasons why Nintendo games have a special space in my heart.  

To be honest, I did not know you could make a career in gaming, so I had not planned to work in it. I just ended up in the gaming industry. When I first moved to Northern California, I would do temporary jobs here and there as a receptionist/admin assistant, however my goal was to make my way into HR. In early 2015, I got assigned to my first ever HR job at a Call of Duty studio and fell in love with the industry and have only been working in games since! I love seeing the passion people have for their work and just how different the vibes are in this industry.  

I was raised in a Guatemalan immigrant household. We grew up surrounded by family and would travel every year to Guatemala to visit and explore parts of the country. One of my favorite places to go in Guatemala is Antigua, which is where the iconic arch with the volcano background is. It is the first thing you see when you search up Guatemala. Guate has so much culture, history, and color that it is easy to lose yourself in it all. It is what I love the most about it!  

Our games at Crystal, especially Tomb Raider, remind me a lot of Guate because you immerse yourself in a different culture and explore various parts of the country and learn about the people. Games have come so far, and it makes me so happy to see how diverse the characters in today’s games are! It makes me even more excited and fortunate to be part of this amazing industry with the most talented people there are! 

A NEW GROUP OF CAMPERS BUILT GAMES FROM SCRATCH AND ENJOYED DAILY SPEAKER SESSIONS FROM THE WOMEN AT CRYSTAL DYNAMICS AND ITS PARTNERS.

A little girl in a tie-dye shirt leans against a standing desk that’s half her height, listening as her friend shares progress on the game she’s making.

Somewhere else, another girl doodles character designs on a whiteboard – different colors indicating each characters’ elemental affinity.

And somewhere else still, a group of girls duke it out in a fiery game of Super Smash Bros. After all, game developers need a break from the workday – even the 8-to-18-year-olds who are building some of their very first games as part of the Girls Make Games summer camp.

Last month, Girls Make Games (GMG) campers congregated at our San Mateo and Belleveue studios, and over three weeks built their very own video games from scratch. GMG is an organization that offers in-person and virtual game-making workshops and summer camps, and this year’s camps marked the second time our studio has had the honor of hosting them on our campuses.

It’s the type of resource for young girls that didn’t really exist before – a need that sisters and founders Laila and Isra Shabir decided to address when they launched Girls Make Games in 2014.

“We started GMG to create a space for girls who love video games to come together and explore game development together,” Laila and Isra said. “When we first launched the summer camp, it was meant to be a one-time thing. Between tearful goodbyes and emails from parents telling us how their daughters had discovered their passion, or that they had found “people just like them!” it became abundantly clear that there was a real need for all-girls programs like GMG.”

Now – nine years later – the organization has reached more than 23,000 young girls through its summer camps, workshops, books, and games; 4,300 girls have received scholarships and financial aid to participate; and 500 GMG Fellows – college students looking to break into the industry – have benefitted from the mentorship and networking opportunities the camps provide. (Check out the 2022 GMG Impact Report to see the full breadth of the group’s impact, including the funding and publishing of campers’ projects on Steam, Google Play, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch!)

Supporting causes like Girls Make Games is integral to who we are as a studio. A note from Studio Head Scot Amos:

“There are some great lines in fiction about what we say versus what we do… and at Crystal, we believe both are important. What one says matters, and what one does matters – they must go hand-in-hand to show one’s authentic self.

Crystal strongly believes that great ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any level… fans, senior developers, fresh minds just starting out in this industry. Passion is the influential element that isn’t a learned habit or a trained skill; it’s an intrinsic internal motivator that is infectious and can be the difference-maker in crafting enduring experiences that create emotions in our players.

The GMG squad exudes that passion – that optimistic sense of creating to make the world a better place. As a company, Crystal strives every day to achieve the extraordinary and live the dream while doing it. We see this natural spirit in the GMG crew and campers, and living by our own values, we want to take every moment to encourage and empower those behaviors in the next generation of game-makers.”

Studio Head Scot Amos

If you’re a game developer, and you’d like your team to get involved with Girls Make Games, the organization recently launched its 501c3 GMG Scholarship Fund offering financial aid to aspiring college students, which you can donate to. If your studio wants to go even bigger, the Girls Make Games team invites other game development studios to host workshops and summer camps too! (It is, after all, incredibly cool as a kid to attend a summer camp inside a game studio.)

“We’ve always prided ourselves in being the summer home for girls who love all things gaming,” Laila and Isra said. “But we’re secretly all about helping our campers find their superpowers – their voice and their confidence in being themselves. And the real change we are working toward is showing the world how amazing girls and women are at game dev, and how much we’re missing out on by not inviting them into this cool club we call the games industry!”

A special thank-you to the incredible women at Crystal Dynamics and our friends at Formosa, Kepler Interactive, The Initiative and beyond, for offering their time to speak to campers about their roles!

Featured Art by Ruenis.

Happy Pride! We hope that you’ve all been having a fantastic month to celebrating and uplifting the LGBTQ+ community. As part of our Pride festivities this year, we want to spotlight trans and nonbinary creators in the gaming space who are creating incredible (queer!) content and who are making a huge impact on the LGBTQ+ landscape. We reached out to seven trans and nonbinary content creators and invited them each to open up about a video game that had an impact on them as a queer person.

NICOLE BOUXNE TWITTER

Nicole Bouxne is one of our newest Official Fansite Program members and a longtime Tomb Raider fan. She creates Lara Croft-centric content like renders, which she shares with the larger community. She runs her own, specialty curated Official Tomb Raider Fan Page. Hear from her in her own words:

“Hello, my name is Nicole Bounxe – I’m 25 years old, Brazilian, and have been in love with Tomb Raider for almost 20 years. Lara Croft is the most iconic game character for me and a character I’m inspired by to this day!

“But when we talk about LGBTQIA+ representation, the character that most inspires me as a person and my identity is Tyler Ronan from Tell Me Why, a very well-built and developed trans character. We need trans people to be represented in a sensitive and welcoming way so that people can see that our existences go beyond the social margin that is imposed on us – and this character was introduced in a splendid way here!

“Representation is necessary so that all of us as human beings can be seen and heard and have our voices echoing forever, whether through television, games, music, etc… We still have a lot of work to do, but I believe that we will keep moving forward over time.”

TIFFANY WITCHER TWITCH | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE

Tiffany Witcher is a non-binary voice actor and accessibility advocate and has fundraised for more than 75 charities on their Twitch channel, from The Trevor Project to The Lupus Foundation. They’re also the creator of Vtubers for Hope which is a 3-day charity event where Vtubers come together to raise money for a cause. They have declared themselves the ‘Twitch Charity Witch.’

CHICHI TWITCH | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE

ChiChi is a cozy variety and social justice advocate streamer. They participate in indie game showcases, and occasionally they discuss social marginalization and identity development on their channels. They work as a social justice advocate for transgender and race-related rights, study psychotherapy, work part-time as a psychotherapist, and cultivate a safe and educational space on Twitch that runs on positivity, accountability, and inclusivity.

NIKATINE TWITCH | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE

Nikatine is a Twitch Ambassador, co-owner of PurpleRolePlay, and founder of Transmission Gaming, one of the largest and oldest communities for trans gamers that offers a safe space to game and feel welcome in gaming. She is a full-time content creator, roleplayer, and author who writes about pop culture and politics.

ESPESYMONE TWITCH | TWITTER | WEBSITE

EspeSymone is a newly appointed Twitch Unity Guild leader, specifically running the Twitch Black Guild and creating events, activations, and opportunities for Black creators on Twitch. She is a drag queen who offers a safe space for Black, queer viewers. They have been performing drag since 2016!

PASSIONSPLANET TWITCH | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE

Passion is a part-time content creator and DJ who spends much of her time participating in sponsored partnerships and panels discussing what it’s like to be a transgender creator in the always-changing, always-shifting creator landscape. Her specialty is in early 2000s gaming.

BREADWITCHERY TWITCH | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE

Breadwitchery is a gender-fluid streamer with a focus on tabletop RPGs, hosting, and spreading positivity around being openly queer in content creation spaces! She loves streaming with her friends and having long, in-depth conversations about video game characters.

We hope that you’ve been having a fantastic Pride month, and we hope you will continue to support your favorite LGBTQ+ creators after June comes to an end.

And don’t forget! We’re still raising money for the It Gets Better Project, with a new goal of $7,500 in support of the LGBTQ community! Happy Pride!

To mark World Refugee Day this year we sat down to chat with Senka Filipovic – Associate Director of Gaming at the International Rescue Committee – and Lual Mayen – a game developer from South Sudan – to highlight how refugees are changemakers shaping the future of communities big and small in extraordinary ways.

Please enjoy our chat below, and feel free to celebrate #WorldRefugeeDay with the IRC on social by raising awareness, uplifting voices, or donating to their great causes.

A WORLD REFUGEE DAY CONVERSATION WITH SENKA FILIPOVIC & LUAL MAYEN

Vanessa Brasfield: Hello everyone! My name is Vanessa Brasfield. I’m a Community Coordinator here at Crystal Dynamics, and today we are talking with some lovely people as part of our efforts to raise awareness for World Refugee Day. First, some quick introductions. Senka Filipovic is the Associate Director of Gaming at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and we are also joined by Lual Mayen, a game developer from South Sudan. Welcome to both of you, glad that we could have you here today!

Senka Filipovic: Thank you so much.

Vanessa: You are very welcome! Senka, can you talk a bit about your journey working at the International Rescue Committee?

Senka: Sure. And a big thanks to Crystal Dynamics for doing this with us, and of course, Lual, for joining us and together marking World Refugee Day. As you know, the International Rescue Committee is a global humanitarian organization that helps people affected by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. We have been around for nearly 90 years, we work in over 40 crisis-affected countries around the world, and we also help refugees resettle into their new communities throughout Europe and the Americas.

My journey with the IRC starts back in the mid-90s and is a pretty personal experience. I was born and raised in Sarajevo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina where unfortunately a conflict occurred. That ultimately forced me and my family to have to flee our country in search of safety. We were refugees in Croatia when we first came across the IRC and it was from there that the IRC helped me and my family resettle in Sacramento, California, where we were ultimately able to start rebuilding our lives. This obviously had a very incredible impact. It was a life-changing experience for me. And even at a very young age, the IRC left a big mark. As a result, all through my education and early career, I continued to pay attention to the IRC and the work the organization was doing with a deep desire to someday return to them as an employee and pay it forward for people unfortunately going through similar experiences today.

I’ve been at the IRC for eight years now. I’m part of the International Philanthropy and Partnerships team where I’ve been working with different companies to support our mission and work. In the last two years I’ve taken on developing our engagement with the gaming industry and communities. As somebody who loves video games, it has been such an amazing, meaningful experience, especially given the incredible generosity of the sector and its communities. So that’s basically my journey, and a little bit about who we are.

Vanessa: Thank you for sharing! Lual, can you set the stage in talking a little bit about your experiences growing up at a refugee camp, and the importance of recognizing World Refugee Day?

Lual Mayen: First, I want to thank the International Rescue Committee for giving me this opportunity. And to Crystal Dynamics for giving us the chance to talk exactly about what World Refugee Day is, and what we experience as refugees.

Like Senka mentioned before, for us as refugees we come from all over the world, and we are all relatable. There are so many issues that affect people worldwide, be it climate change, or war, or anything that doesn’t allow for peace where they are born. I was born in 1993 and my family and I are from South Sudan. There has been war for over 53 years in some way. And when my family left South Sudan, we fled because of war. It wasn’t a good choice for them. My mom and dad woke up that morning trying to find a place of refuge. It was life and death, to choose to flee and not know where you would live tomorrow.

My family didn’t know where they were going. The focus was to find a place to survive, find a place to call home. I was born along the way when my family was fleeing South Sudan. There was no water, and there was no food. It was just about surviving from the viewpoint of my family. Turns out that the government of Uganda was able to help us and welcome us and give us the opportunity to settle in Uganda.

When I became a refugee as a child, that was my home. I didn’t know any different. I didn’t know the country that my family call home. I didn’t grow up there. I grew up in Uganda as a refugee, and so that was all my memories.

Vanessa: Thank you for sharing your difficult story. Senka, how is the IRC recognizing World Refugee Day? And can you speak about some of the themes of refugees being more than they carry?

Senka: Yes. So, every year on World Refugee Day, which falls on June 20, the latest data is released by the UN Refugee Agency on the number of people who are displaced around the world. This year’s data shows that we have a record high of 110 million people that have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, disaster, and other types of crises. And it’s important to know that displacement today is at the greatest level since World War II. So, I think that alone shows the critical need for us to mark this day and to recognize what is happening globally for a variety of reasons. But also, as part of World Refugee Day, it’s not just about the data and the numbers — it’s also about awareness-raising and helping people understand who refugees are, what are their stories, and the importance of welcoming refugees into their new communities. So, for the IRC, every year we focus on having a campaign that uplifts the stories of people behind these numbers in their own words, and celebrating all that refugees bring into their new communities and the resilience that they bring.

This year our theme is “refugees are changemakers.” And we are focusing on highlighting both the remarkable as well as everyday ways that refugees are influencing our society, whether it’s art, food, ideas, policy, games, pretty much every aspect of our culture and our lives in our, you know, respective countries. That’s really what we’re trying to highlight and bring attention to this incredible influence that refugees have on our communities. And people can read these incredible stories that we will be sharing out, and we already are on our social channels, on Rescue.org and then also they can visit, rescue.org/worldrefugeeday, where we provide a lot of different information and stories as part of this campaign.

Vanessa: And it’s come up a couple of times already talking about video games. So, Lual, when did you first become interested in video games and making games and what games were important to you early on?

Lual: First, I was going to add to what Senka just mentioned about World Refugee Day and as a refugee what it means to me. It’s like any country celebrating independence. It’s a platform for us as refugees to be recognized. It’s even more than being recognized for what you’re doing. I always advise people, in your society or community if you know refugees, don’t just hear about their stories, tell them about how important they are in your life. What have you learned from them? What excites you about them, as they are humans as well? Refugees are not just here to survive; we are here to thrive and be changemakers and contribute to society. Some of us can maybe be developers and maybe work with Crystal Dynamics or different companies as entrepreneurs. This is why I am always excited to have a platform to show what I am. And this is why World Refugee Day is the most important day.

One of my favorite quotes is by Martin Luther King Jr. who says, “we may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” No matter the walks of life we come from, the most important thing we can do as humans or companies, or society is to be able to recognize other people.

When I first got into video games, there was a refugee registration, in 2007/2008, and we were standing in the line, and in the line, we were using a laptop to take data. And that was my first time seeing a laptop. So, I look at my mother and I’m like, “what is that?” And she told me it was a laptop. At that time in my mind, I decided I wanted to use a computer one day.

A couple of years later, I came to my mom, and I said I wanted to buy a laptop. She asked about where we would get the money, and where we would find power to charge the computer, where are you going to learn. But because she is a mother she was not discouraging, she worked for three years for $300 to buy me my first computer in a refugee camp.

When I got my first computer, I was like: now what do I do? I live in a refugee camp. There’s no power. There’s no Internet. So, I started to go to a base camp which is a refugee center. I would walk for three hours every day to go charge my computer. And then one day I think I went to an Internet cafe and my friend installed Grand Theft Auto for me.

I came back and I saw the icon and asked “what is this? Oh, it’s a video game!” I never knew that people made video games, I thought they just fell from heaven, you know. And I started to play and realized that… wow, games are so powerful. I’m from a country where 75 percent of the population is under the age of 30. They were born in war or raised in war. So even in a refugee camp, everything they do and the way they solve things is conflict, because that is in their mind. When I was playing a video game I thought: what if I make a game for peace and conflict resolution? Because I realized that games are really very powerful tools that we can tell stories, we can connect, and we can change the world. And that’s the reason why I began trying to make a game.

Vanessa: Thank you so much for sharing that; it’s greatly appreciated. Senka can you share why you are so passionate about games and how you think the gamers can help?

Senka: Absolutely. I mean, so passionate about games. It’s something me and a few colleagues at the IRC have been advocates of for some time now. And luckily our organization has stood behind us and given us the green light to explore gaming. But it’s really because exactly what both of you are talking about: it’s that power of games that can really make such an enormous difference.

There’s so much creativity. There’s such a reach, and it just seemed like it would be a great fit for the work the IRC is doing globally.

I love that there is that connection between the industry and the communities and sort of working together to maximize their impact. And I feel like gaming has also brought this entirely new way of digital philanthropy. So, whether it’s through charity, livestreams, in-game activation, large-scale gaming competitions, tournaments, and so on… I just love that there are so many ways to make a difference, and really, for people to utilize their talents, to make an impact on the world.

I mean, I can’t think of a better way of doing something good in the world. So, we as an organization are very invested in this space. We want to be that organization that is trusted, and that the community turns to in moments of crisis. But also, we want to be there at all times, right? We want to build that connection to the gaming community year-round. You know, come up with new and different ways of engaging together and be active partners in this sort of a joint effort to raise awareness, inspire people and ultimately have a positive impact on our communities. There’s just so much to celebrate in this space.

Vanessa: Excellent. Now we’re going to talk about some game dev. So, Lual, this is your time to shine and talk to us about your company Junub Games and Salaam. What was your goal in developing this game? And what do you hope players will take away from playing it?

Lual: Yeah, thank you so much. I think when I started a new game, my focus was to try to create a game for impact, for education, and to be able to use my experience to be able to create a game. If we are not the ones telling our stories, then it becomes so difficult. That was my biggest inspiration. We can become what we can’t see sometimes.

I always say that the game industry is an industry of people who love and create what they want to play. And so, I look at the industry and I say “wow, okay, why don’t you create something like this that tells a powerful story.” And that’s why I started creating Salaam.

Salaam is a game about the flight of a refugee from a war-torn country who is trying to find a place of refuge. And for you as a player, you can understand what that journey is. For many people being a refugee is a status, but they don’t understand what that journey is. And if as a society we don’t understand what that journey is, then there is no way we can support them when they are settled.

So, my focus in the game is for people to understand what a journey of a refugee is. For example, today many people make policies, and they have no idea what that journey is like. And at the end of the day, you don’t have that experience and empathy. And I always say that empathy is very important in games in a way that even somebody like a 15-year-old can play Salaam and say “Wow! You know, refugees go through this and something like this.” In the next 20 years they’re going to be in a place of power, and because they have experience, they can make better policy. And that’s why education is very important. That’s why we must talk to people about what a refugee goes through. And that’s my focus right now and why I’m working on Salaam. There has been so much support from the industry, and right now we have a showcase in France where people can go to a museum and play the game for free. I also want to not just create a social game; I want to create a business out of the game as well. That is important as a refugee, to show that we create business. And that is why I am always happy to share about it.

I also have my foundation, and my focus is on talent and opportunities. You might see someone in a refugee camp who is super talented, but they don’t have the resources. We focus on game development, graphic design, and teaching kids in the refugee camp how to make games. So, I think we do all these small things that help create a society of refugees that can not only survive, but also work.

Right now, we actually have a festival coming up in DC where we will showcase Salaam and people can play it for free, it’s called First Gen Festival in Washington D.C. But it is coming out very soon. We are trying to finish with some funding and so on. I am also focusing on my foundation, and we have a big announcement happening with Epic Games soon, so those are the two big things.

Vanessa: Senka, how can people support World Refugee Day this year and support the IRC year-round?

Senka: Yeah, thanks so much for that question. And I do want to just acknowledge that we are talking about very heavy topics. And very large-scale global challenges that I think sometimes can feel a little bit overwhelming for people when they think, well, what can I possibly do for something that is on such a massive scale? But I do, you know, really want to stress just how much difference every individual can make. Gamers in general have shown that they have such a great ability to create impact with actions in their control, utilizing their own passion and talents. But in general, there are many ways that people can support us, whether they’re in the gaming community or not, for World Refugee Day and beyond. First, I would say, please don’t get discouraged. You know each act that you make basically strengthens the IRC’s ability to help people. And as part of that, it is important to stay informed. So please follow us on social channels, visit our website at rescue.org and just try to stay on top of some of the things that are happening in the world. Of course, people can donate to us, directly through our website, or we would love to engage with gaming communities in charitable activations, live streams, and so on.

I think the other thing that’s important is to help us spread the word. Use your social networks to highlight the IRC’s work, uplift the voices of the people that we are serving and that we’re trying to highlight during World Refugee Day and beyond, and help us advocate for policies that have a clear impact on the communities that we are serving and ultimately inspire and encourage others.

I mean, I think the only way for us to be able to respond to these global challenges is if we have more and more people get involved and get inspired and just do what they can. I think it’s up to every individual to decide what works for them. But I just want to reassure everyone that every bit helps ultimately. So, in short, you know: give, mobilize, activate your networks, and inspire others. I think that’s the way to go.

Vanessa: Excellent. You heard it here. Anything helps, a dollar helps, word of mouth helps, following socials helps. Make sure that you drop off your gifts over at Rescue.org, and there’s plenty of ways to get involved. We hope to see you supporting World Refugee Day and the IRC year-round. Thank you both so much!

Happy Juneteenth!

Here at Crystal Dynamics, it’s important to us that we continue to uplift communities outside of specific holidays and celebrations. Which is why for this Juneteenth we wanted to focus on a little bit of the history of this monumental day and share some resources that you as a reader can access to support Black communities all year long.

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is now a federally recognized holiday, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. It specifically recognizes the issue of General Order No. 3 in 1865 in Galveston, Texas, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

While Juneteenth has been celebrated annually in many parts of the US, it only became a federal holiday in 2021. Celebrations originated in Texas, then spread across the South through the early 1900s, expanding beyond church celebrations into more community-centric festivals. They then carried more North all the way through the 1970s with the Great Northward Migration – a movement of 6 million African Americans from the South to the Northeast, Midwest, and West. It’s considered the longest-running African American holiday, expanding into lectures, exhibitions on Black history and culture, traditional songs and poetry reading, museum exhibits, and much more.

To learn more about the rich history and legacy of Juneteenth, here are some resources that you can check out:

Juneteenth and the Emancipation Proclamation: https://daily.jstor.org/juneteenth-and-the-emancipation-proclamation/

National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/juneteenth

The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth

Britannica (stub): https://www.britannica.com/topic/Juneteenth

TED-Ed: What is Juneteenth, and Why Is It Important: https://youtu.be/lq8TNKZVEWs

How Can We Continue to Support the Black Community?

With the ongoing dialogue of representation in work, gaming, technology, and many other fields, it can feel overwhelming to find the best way to help and support. No one way is better than another, so we’d like to list some Black groups and organizations in gaming that you can support and uplift year round, along with games created by Black developers that should have your attention!

BLACK GAMING ORGANIZATIONS

Black Voices in Gaming: https://blackvoicesingaming.org/

Cxmmunity: https://www.cxmmunitymedia.co/

Noir Network: https://www.thenoirnetwork.net/

I Need Diverse Games: https://ineeddiversegames.org/

Black Girl Gamers: https://www.theblackgirlgamers.com/

Brown Girl Gamer Code: https://www.browngirlgamercode.com/

Black Games Archive: http://blackgamesarchive.org/

Game Devs of Color Expo: https://www.gamedevsofcolorexpo.com/

Melanin Gamers: https://themelaningamers.com/

Sugar Gamers: https://sugargamers.com/

BLACK-DEVELOPED GAMES

Never Yield: https://www.aerialknight.com/

Season: A Letter to the Future: https://www.play-season.com/

Dandara: http://www.longhathouse.com/games/dandara/

Treachery in Beatdown City: http://beatdowncity.com/

Tiny Bird Garden: https://tinybirdgarden.com/

Chrono Ghost: http://nitetimestudios.com/

Protodroid DeLTA: https://www.humblegames.com/games/protodroiddelta/

SwimSanity: https://www.swimsanity.com/

5 Force Fighters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr2p3xwcVxg

Hello everyone!

Crystal Dynamics has deeply rooted values committed to people living their best lives: our Crystallites, our players, and all of our communities. We love celebrating our differences across all groups as those unique voices, points-of-view, and attributes combine to make us stronger together. One team, one dream; our community in unity. We are at our best when we have family and friends (the families we choose!) as enriching partners in our lives.

Pride isn’t something to recognize in one minute, or one month. It’s more than any one moment – it is a continuous celebration of acceptance for our differences and our choices no matter what they are. It’s about appreciating each other for who we are and where we are on our journey. It’s about respecting one another and allowing each of us to share our authentic best selves in the world in each of our own distinct ways.

The narratives we are privileged enough to create are built, polished, and delivered by a diverse set of eclectic talents from every corner of the world. We love having our content echo our diverse voices and values, and to speak to players about choice and empowerment. Diverse voices and choices make the world a better place; and we love using parts of our story canvases to bring awareness and reflection of the real worlds we adventure through every day into our fictional ones.

We foster a culture of caring at Crystal: for our teammates, our families, our communities. We wish everyone a happy Pride month now and every month ahead! Embrace the differences; achieve the extraordinary; and live the dream.

-Scot Amos and the entire Crystal Team

We are so excited to share how we’ll be celebrating the vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community this month. So now, let’s dive into everything we have planned!

COMMUNITY FUNDRAISER FOR THE IT GETS BETTER PROJECT

From June 1-30, we’ll be fundraising for the It Gets Better Project, an organization whose mission is to uplift and empower LGBTQ+ youth.

This year, we want to give a little extra love to our trans brothers and sisters, who are facing heightened legislative scrutiny across the country. All funds raised during our fundraiser are being directed specifically to the It Gets Better Project’s trans-specific programming.

 Make a Gift Here: https://tiltify.com/+crystal-dynamics-community-team/crystal-dynamics-x-it-gets-better-project

Everyone is invited to join the party, too! If you want to help us reach our $5,000 community goal, you can join the It Gets Better Fundraiser Event, with the opportunity to earn some cool IGBP-branded swag at different milestones.

Help us spread the world on social! Every re-share goes a long way in helping us raise money to empower queer youth.

CRYSTAL CONVOS LIVESTREAM: PRIDE IN GAMING

Crystal Convos is a livestream series we started a few months ago where we chat with Crystal Dynamics developers and other games industry professionals about representation in gaming.

Our series continues this month with “Pride in Gaming” on Wednesday, June 28 at 11 a.m. PT. Some of our LGBTQ+ teammates will be popping on to celebrate their favorite queer representations in games, while also diving deep into their career journeys and offering advice for folks trying to break in!

Follow us on Twitch, and click the little bell to be notified when we go live!

CHARITY LIVESTREAM EXTRAVAGANZA 2: THE SECOND ONE (FT. DRAG PERFORMER ROCK M SAKURA)

She’s not done with you yet!

RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant and drag performer Rock M Sakura returns for another Charity Livestream Extravaganza on Friday, June 30 at 10 a.m. PT on Twitch.TV/CrystalDynamics.

Over the course of the stream, Rock M will be preparing a new Lara Croft-inspired look LIVE while we raise money for the It Gets Better Project. (We might even have some game codes to give away too. )

Follow us on Twitch, and click that little bell to be notified when we go live. You don’t want to miss out!