Elena Mortakis on LinkedIn: I want to give a huge shoutout and a massive thank you to Eric McKey at… (2024)

State of the Industry - Diversity in games and tech Game HabitatIt's no secret that the games industry is far from balanced, when it comes to diversity and inclusion, despite an increased attention the last years. But what is the current status in the industry right now, and what is the outlook in the coming year?That is the subject for one of the events of GEM week, where I have the honor of sitting in on a panel, representing Game Habitat and out impression of the situation, and what we are doing to address and work with the issue. If you want an update on the latest numbers on diversity in the indsutry, you can also join the event remote here: https://lnkd.in/dJ7ryQAE

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Quick 2023 wrap-up in six really cool projects I worked on:- The Invincible by Starward Industries and 11 bit studios S.A. - Astrogator, help me, I'm stuck (on an alien planet).- Layers of Fear by Bloober Team and Anshar Studios Inc. - is it a remake? Is it a sequel? Is it an anthology? Yes. And it will scare you!- Everspace 2 by ROCKFISH Games GmbH - spaceship goes vroom, blasters go pew pew.- LEGO Bricktales by ClockStone Software and Thunderful Games - regular free content updates over a year since initial release, just how?!- Timberborn by Mechanistry - BOBER, MORDO! CHODŹ DO MNIE!- Achilles: Legends Untold by Dark Point Games - didn't translate it actually, but the main antagonist sounds a lot like me.Stay tuned for 2024, I'm telling you right now, it's gonna be insane.

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Game Developers Conferencehas drawn to a close! 🌟During the eventAlexander Vasyliev, Head of Engineering atDragons Lake by Room 8 Group, gave a talk titled “Future-Proofing Classics: Adapting Timeless Works to Modern Technologies”.Alex explored the specifics of the Render Engine Infrastructure (REI), a new solution from his team designed to streamline the process of porting and remastering video games.In case you missed it, see more key takeaways in the carousel below 👇#Room8Group#GDC#RnD

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GDC talks are up on the vault, which most of y'all know by now. But this week my talk got moved to the FREE part of the vault! 🆓 "Designing for a Dark Night of the Soul" centers on how games of all sizes and genres can start to create spaces and design moments for those rare chances when a game becomes more than a game, and instead becomes a place of healing and personal reflection. Every game has the capacity to really change someone’s life for the better. We’ve all seen or heard of it, and likely we’ve all experienced it ourselves to some degree. Likely, the games that have pulled off this feat in your experience weren’t designed around or narratively focused on improving the player’s life, or helping players through a tough time. The game was just there at the right moment, and it was the right fit. So how can we move forward with this opportunity in mind, and cherish it as developers, without having our entire project focused on a such a rare player experience?🛣 This talk will provide 3 flexible design strategies, and also a little post-mortem of our 2022 weirdo walking simulator "Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between" which utilized all of these strategies 👾 Oh! And the talk is also set to chill music, so enjoy the vibes! 🎶 https://lnkd.in/g2tmJJpB

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Nikki, an acrobat and sorceress, for the ImagineFX magazine challenge! This month the theme was redesigning characters from old-school games and Pandemonium was one of my favorite games as a kid ✨ I hope to work on Nikki a bit more before adding it all to Artstation, but you can sneak a peek!😉#IFXCharacterRedesign

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🎲✨ Ever wondered about the roots of Monopoly? This iconic game was first created in 1903 by Elizabeth Magie, named "The Landlord's Game," with a mission to shed light on economic inequality. 🏠💡What started as an educational tool to illustrate the pitfalls of land monopolism has evolved into one of the most beloved board games worldwide. From "The Landlord's Game" to the Monopoly we roll the dice for today, the journey is as fascinating as the game itself. 🌍🎩Let's roll back in time and appreciate the deeper message behind the fun and competition. Who knew board games could hold such rich history and insight into our economic systems?#monopolyorigins #elizabethmagie #thelandlordsgame #economicinequality #educationaltool #boardgamehistory #monopolyevolution #rollingbackintime #funandinsight #boardgamelegacy #richhistory #socialcommentary #iconicgames #educationalgames #gamedesign #economicsystems #boardgameenthusiasts #culturalheritage #classicgames

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Happy Monday Gamers,I think I've just about recovered from Guildford.Games fest on Friday.What a day!! Being able to catch-up (even if briefly) with the likes of Andy Coley, Holly Blockley (CertIHR), Tim Browning, Oli Lavender, Pascal Gane and Alex Camm was a pleasure.Meeting Jon Torrens, John Stopforth, CertEd and Nicola Head in the flesh for the first time too.I was present at a number of the panels that were set up through the day and I want to speak about one of them specifically.Lauren Kaye hosted a #diversityandinclusion / #EDI panel with Dom Shaw, Naveen Yadav and Elizabeth P., it was FANTASTIC!! 😍Each of the speakers stories were equally inspiring and filled with challenges. It was quite emotional how each of them overcome their individual barriers, and I took a lot away from the almost 60 minutes back and forth.Including.......How the room was half empty 😪In comparison to the panel about #AI where it was standing room only, it got me thinking 🤔With so many members of the #gamescommunity in some way shape or form also a marginalised person, why was that room not filled with industry leaders, prepared to listen and understand how they can change their studios for the better?We already know that an inclusive team, with diverse set of people and backgrounds, make better more commercially viable games, it's a fact.Players want accessibility, players want options when it comes to characters and narratives, players want EDI friendly games.In 2024, it should not still be the case that a brave few, with their heads above the parapet, are asking nicely to be included, nor should they have to break down doors or shatter glass ceilings, the door should be left wide open with a welcome mat.Let's use the comment section for debate/solutions, and hope that next year, an EDI panel can tell their stories to an auditorium!!

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Hey everyone! Just got my Steam Year in Review 2023, and I'm here to share it with you 😉 Wow, what a year for the industry! As mentioned in the recent post, Baldur's Gate 3 was my go-to, perfect with my passion for DnD5e, TTRPGs, and deep role-playing. Absolutely loved it. If you haven't tried it out yet, then you've got an awesome way to spend your New Year's holidays right there!Cyberpunk's Phantom Liberty DLC? Mind-blowing. Played the whole campaign from the beginning once again. It took the story to a new level, and the action was non-stop. Big kudos to the CD PROJEKT RED team for fixing the bugs – the game is a must-try with its new level of quality!Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous was a total win for me, mixing turn-based battles, exploration, and vast role-playing choices. What really impressed me was how the developers from Owlcat Games made your choices impactful. Like building that massive ziggurat in your Drezen citadel – it's not just a cool feature but a clever way to visually represent your necromancer's influence in the game world and make your actions feel significant (Love necromancers!) That's a solid example of game design done right, making your actions feel substantial. I can't wait to try Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader from my games backlog!And Starfield – it's enormous, with so much to explore. They've got something special there, and I'm stoked to see how it grows with team and community support. DayZ kept me on my toes with its role-play players' modes, especially digging into one of my favorite Stalker universes.All in all, 2023 was a killer year for games. It's incredible to see how these worlds come alive and keep evolving. Can't wait to see what's next! 🌟 So, what does your Steam Year in Review 2023 look like? Share below!#gaming #gamesindustry #steam #2023year #yearinreview

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Here is one hour of game-playing time that is well worth your while. DOT’s Home is a game designed to explore and explain the #racial disparities in #homeownership across life cycles in the United States. The game follows Dorathea 'Dot' Hawkins as she traverses through magical doors transporting her across generations and witnessing the choices her grandmother, parents, and sisters must make. As a player, you can make decisions for Dot’s family. As the narrative unfolds you witness the consequences of the choices they (you?) made for generations to come. The game is a poignant way of talking about racism in housing.Designed by a team of talented game developers, artists, community organizers, and writers, the game is available for free on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Steam, and itch.io.At the heart of this project is a narrative about #race, wealth-building, and community resilience. It's one hour of your time to understand a story that will remain with you for a long time after.https://lnkd.in/eiC-2-F2

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I finished playing FFVII: Crisis Core Reunion over the weekend, and I can't recommend it enough, especially if you're a fan of action games or the Final Fantasy series. 🎮⚔ Fluid Combat: The action gameplay is smooth and impactful. It takes a lot from the intricate combat design in FFVII: Remake.🎵 Stellar Sound Design: As with most Final Fantasy games, the sound design is top-notch and adds a ton of depth.🛠 Build Versatility: The game offers a huge amount of materia (abilities), allowing for a wide range of builds to suit different playstyles.🌏 Rich World-Building: Crisis Core Reunion expands the FFVII universe in many ways, adding layers to an already compelling story.⏳ Strong Runtime: For a spin-off, the game offers a substantial amount of playtime, especially when you dive into the hundreds of side quests and missions.It is the perfect game to scratch the FFVII itch in the lead-up to FFVII: Rebirth coming out early next year (so excited!).It is not often a game leaves me with a feeling of completeness and a pang of sadness when it's over but that is exactly what happened with FFVII: Crisis Core Reunion. It's a testament to how immersive and captivating the game truly is.The small-level mission-based style of FFVII: Crisis Core Reunion has inspired me to do a bit of a level design project so you may see some posts on that in the future. 🗺 If you have played Crisis Core Reunion, what did you think of it? Any other games that are similar that you can recommend?.....#VideoGames #GameReview #FinalFantasy #GameDesign #LevelDesign

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