Amber Key Collabratorium: Mentorships & Educators
Hello
If you don't know much about the Amber Key Collabratorium, you can head over to our facebook page (like and share, etc etc) here: https://www.facebook.com/Amber-Key-Collaboratorium-868497019897894/?fref=ts
In short, it's an idea for creating a safe space for women to start making games.
I want to take it a level further than it is now and possibly run on-going workshops (ie: learn game maker in 7 weeks, where every Sunday people pitch up at a venue to learn something, adding on to what they learnt the previous weeks) as well as potentially pairing up mentors with keen learners. So, if you would like to volunteer for either of these things, please DM me. Or talk to me in person etc.
Info I'd like from you: Why you want to be part of this initiative, what skills/course you want to teach/offer (generally here I'm looking for skills in a specific game creation tool) OR what you offer as a mentor (can be business skills for eg), how much time you have to dedicate, what you expect in return.
:D
If you don't know much about the Amber Key Collabratorium, you can head over to our facebook page (like and share, etc etc) here: https://www.facebook.com/Amber-Key-Collaboratorium-868497019897894/?fref=ts
In short, it's an idea for creating a safe space for women to start making games.
I want to take it a level further than it is now and possibly run on-going workshops (ie: learn game maker in 7 weeks, where every Sunday people pitch up at a venue to learn something, adding on to what they learnt the previous weeks) as well as potentially pairing up mentors with keen learners. So, if you would like to volunteer for either of these things, please DM me. Or talk to me in person etc.
Info I'd like from you: Why you want to be part of this initiative, what skills/course you want to teach/offer (generally here I'm looking for skills in a specific game creation tool) OR what you offer as a mentor (can be business skills for eg), how much time you have to dedicate, what you expect in return.
:D
Comments
Some other possible options:
Put together some workshops with the help of game developers who are too far away to attend.
Can also include tutorials/guidelines from online resources.
People can share links here.
Then ask people who are nearby to give the workshops.
I know it’ll be better to have mentors on site, but the above suggestions are an alternative if people aren’t available.
The people giving the workshops will also learn in the process.
.
I'd be very stoked to get involved! That said, I'm not exactly sure how best I could help out. My career making games has been short and my approach very haphazard. I don't think I could give a class on the "right" way to design games, or what the best ways to do art or writing would be.
Thinking about it, maybe the best thing I can offer is just coming in and helping provide some inspiration and motivation. I can connecting back to the games I've made with my friends, and possibly also talk about things other people have made at Super Friendship Arcade jams. I guess one of the biggest things with making games is just having the confidence to go for it, even though you don't know what you're doing. I could totally help out with trying to foster that spirit in Amber Key participants!
I'm going to look at sort of kickstarting this again next year and so I'll chat to all the various people who've been in touch and expressed interest over the next few months to see what kinds of things we can arrange for differing skill sets and time availability.
Well I have been reading lots of forums on the issue, but my problem is that I see some things as none issues for as long as the world is not balanced. What people complain about sometimes I just think its plainly stupid and selfish because when you are at the top, you don't generally see the problems of those who are at the bottom. For example, white women will only complain about save space while African women face struggle of conditions they live in, lack of proper meals, real save space of living in the township, lack of technology, lack of broadband , sanitation pads etc. so their dreams of making games might already be shattered by all this things. And between white woman and black woman, there's a black men who is also facing his own struggle. So I think such initiatives are in themselves problematic because they lack focus on who they are really targeting.
In conclusion I will say it is very unfair to other groups if your initiative is trying to help a group that does not really need help.
Oh look, another group of people have even more obstacles in their path (many of which are practically insurmountable), so let's not help a group of people who are already under-represented to have a better chance of success. What?
By your logic, let's also not fight cancer because car accidents also kill people. Let's not solve one problem because another exists. Let's not help women get into the game industry because most of these women are white, and because black men are underrepresented. You say these initiatives lack focus, and then call for them to be less focused by telling them to fix even more, broader issues. What?
Back on topic: @dammit, I'd certainly like to keep helping out. Not too sure about my future, so I'm hesitant to make any large commitments, but I imagine I'll at least be able to help out the capacity that I was before.
I can sympathise with the intersectional concerns raised above, but it's also true that if we burden all initiatives to take action *only* if they can help everybody at the same time, nothing will ever get done.
Let us reflect soberly, if we have to, on how such an argument would condemn the very existence of videogames. In such a case, it would not need to be Amber Key that halts its efforts but rather MGSA as a whole.
Sorry for the late response! I'd like to get involved and my skills are all to do with illustrator, photoshop and just general art and illustration - not sure if that's what you're looking for?