Game + Community Design

In this conversation, Dames Making Games (DMG) founder Izzie Colpitts-Campbell shares a brief history of her art and design practice, her motivation behind community organizing, and her thoughts on what drove her to participate in the Digital Economies Lab (DEL). Albeit a brief introduction to her collaboration on Artwork_Local404, Colpitts-Campbell contextualizes her vision for the piece through her experience in design and community solidarity. Countering the misconception that technology is pressuring artists to participate in capitalist models, Colpitts-Campbell asserts this isn’t new, “Leonardo da Vinci sure as hell did not want to paint Jesus.” So how are these discussions shifting in the digital world? Thus far, is the digital world exclusively designed for mass culture? Does the digital world, in its current conception, marginalize and even exclude communities? Does our engagement with digital tools, platforms, and services produce harm? As the world embraces a somewhat forced digital literacy in response to the pandemic, how do we navigate creating digital experiences that counter how digital spaces have been viewed previously? Follow along as we discuss these questions and more. As Colpitts-Campbell explains, there are more similarities between game design and community organization than we may have previously thought. Join us as we explore how game design, tech fashion, and new media art can advance culture and participate in community organization. Be inspired by DMG’s new project, Damage Labs, and their goal to create the gaming studios of tomorrow, today.