Diversity in Games

08/21/2026

✨ Sponsor Spotlight ✨

We’re thrilled to announce Creative BC as a sponsor of FORGE 2026! 💖⭐

Creative BC plays an important role in supporting B.C.’s creative sector, helping local creators, entrepreneurs, and companies develop their work, reach new markets, and build stronger connections both here at home and around the world. 🌎

We’re incredibly grateful for their support of FORGE and their commitment to strengthening B.C.’s creative industries. Their backing helps us create more opportunities to connect, share knowledge, and elevate underrepresented voices in games. 🎮🕹️

Thank you, Creative BC, for believing in what we’re building and investing in the future of our local game development community! 💖🥳

Stay tuned for more sponsor and speaker announcements!

🎟️ Join us on September 12 and get your tickets: https://luma.com/i6xtq510

08/21/2026

Calling B.C. and Canadian game studio founders! 🍁

Diversity in Games is currently developing the Game Founders Report, a community-led research initiative exploring the realities of building and growing a game studio in Canada, and we are looking for founders to add their voices.

The research will examine areas including access to funding and investment, studio sustainability, business growth, founder workload, and the barriers and opportunities facing emerging studios.

Whether your studio is thriving, bootstrapping, pursuing investment, relying on work-for-hire, developing your first IP, or somewhere in between, your experience matters.

How to get involved:
📃 Share your insights! Please start by completing our initial survey here and check “YES” to the follow-up assignment: https://lnkd.in/gHSv-Ar4

☕ Join the community: Bring your laptop and meet us for coffee, snacks, networking, and panel conversations: https://luma.com/i6xtq510

Selected participants will also receive tickets to our upcoming FORGE event for Founders of Rising Game Enterprises.

Thank you for helping shape the future of our industry! 👩‍💻

08/19/2026

A huge congratulations to our wonderful gamescom dev 2026 scholarship recipients! 🎉✨

We are honored to send these exceptionally talented individuals across the globe to Europe's biggest games event! We’re so excited for them to connect, build community, and accomplish all of their goals in Cologne — and more! Wishing our scholars safe travels and an incredible week ahead. ✈️🌍

A massive thank you to everyone who applied this year! We appreciate your time and dedication so much. Please keep pushing toward your goals and stay connected with the Diversity in Games community for future opportunities! 💖

08/13/2026

Less than a month until FORGE 2026!

On September 12th, we’re bringing together indie studio founders, aspiring founders, game developers, and industry professionals for an afternoon of connection, knowledge sharing, and community.

Whether you’re already part of a successful studio, thinking about taking the leap into indie, or are simply navigating your next chapter in games, we want to connect with those who believe in a stronger and more inclusive games industry where we uplift and forge a new path forward in games.

📅 September 12, 2026
⏰ 12 PM–6 PM
📍 FUNK Coffee Bar, Vancouver, BC

Come meet your community, share what you know, learn from others, and help shape what comes next because the future is multiplayer.

Tickets are available now - don’t wait until September!

🎟️ https://luma.com/i6xtq510

08/07/2026

✨ Sponsor Spotlight ✨

Today, we're excited to highlight another incredible supporter of FORGE 2026: Hyper Hippo Entertainment! 🦛💜

Hyper Hippo has built a reputation for creating games that put players first while fostering an inclusive, supportive culture for their team. Their commitment to building welcoming spaces, both in their workplace and their games, makes them a natural partner for Diversity in Games!

Thank you, Hyper Hippo, for your ongoing support of Diversity in Games and for helping us create opportunities that elevate underrepresented voices in our industry. We admire your dedication to building original experiences for players around the world while investing in the future of game development here in British Columbia.

Stay tuned as we continue to introduce the amazing sponsors and speakers helping make FORGE possible! 💖🥳

🎟 Get your tickets to FORGE 2026: https://luma.com/i6xtq510

07/31/2026

🏳️‍🌈 Reminder: Our DIG Pride Meetup is happening this Sunday, August 2! 🌈✨
Join us from 12:00–3:30 PM as we celebrate the Vancouver Pride Parade together! We'll be meeting at Artigiano Roundhouse (126 Davie St.) at 12:00 PM before heading over to catch the parade from 1:00–3:30 PM.
Don't forget your blanket or lawn chair, sunscreen, and your Pride spirit! ☀️💖
➡️ RSVP here:

🏳️‍🌈DIG Meetup - Pride Edition!🏳️‍🌈 We’re excited to celebrate the Vancouver Pride Parade with all of you once again! This year, we’ll be meeting at…

07/31/2026

✨ Sponsor Spotlight ✨

FORGE wouldn't be possible without the support of our incredible sponsors! Today, we're excited to highlight A Thinking Ape, a longtime partner and supporter of Diversity in Games and an official sponsor of FORGE 2026. 🦧💛

Thank you for your continued commitment to building a more diverse and inclusive games industry! We deeply appreciate your support of our community, your dedication to creating meaningful player experiences, and your ongoing investment in helping game developers thrive. 🥰💖

Stay tuned as we spotlight more of the amazing organizations making FORGE possible!

🎟 Get your tickets today: https://luma.com/i6xtq510

07/30/2026

📢 FINAL CALL! Applications for the DIG x gamescom dev scholarship close TONIGHT at 11:59 PM PT! ⏰

Don’t miss your chance to join us at gamescom dev and gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany (August 23–28)! 🌍✨

Recipients receive:
• Complimentary passes to gamescom dev & gamescom
• On-site orientation & daily scholar check-ins
• Curated mentorship & global networking opportunities

Submit your application before midnight! 💙
👉 Apply now: https://forms.gle/uSXLCTCGUj98sArz9

07/27/2026

📢 Reminder: Applications for the DIG x gamescom dev scholarship program close in 3 days! ⏰

Don’t miss your chance to attend this year’s gamescom dev and gamescom (August 23–28), on us! 🌍✨

We’re thrilled to bring diverse, underrepresented creators to Cologne this August. Recipients receive passes to gamescom dev & gamescom 2026, on-site support, daily check-ins, and curated networking.

⏰ Deadline: Thursday, July 30th at 11:59 PM PT
➡️ Apply today: https://forms.gle/rfwCYet1eGoQqMS19

07/24/2026

🔥 Announcing our FORGE host: Carina Kom 🔥

We're thrilled to share that Carina, Co-Founder of Simply Sweet Games and VP of Diversity in Games, will be hosting FORGE!

Carina has spent 18+ years shaping player experiences across indie and AAA titles, contributing to globally recognized franchises along the way. Today, she's building something new: Simply Sweet Games, a Canadian studio creating a category of premium, emotionally intelligent word puzzle games designed for inclusive, underserved audiences.

Her work blends product innovation, player data, and community insight, proving that games can be both commercially successful and deeply human.

A 2025 Business in Vancouver Forty Under 40 recipient and recognized Games Industry Leader, Carina is also a longtime advocate for equity in game development, mentoring and championing underrepresented creators across the industry and illuminating the next generation of talent.

We couldn't be more excited to have her lead the stage at FORGE.

🎤 Now we want YOU on that stage too.

We're looking for speakers ranging anywhere from solo devs to AAA to deliver 10–15 minute microtalks about their journey: the wins, the hard lessons, the moments that shaped you. Maybe it's what motivated you to become a founder, or something you wish you knew before you became one.

We'd especially love to hear from:
🌈 Folks from underrepresented communities in games: women, LGBTQIA+, people of color, disabled creators, Indigenous voices, and more
🌱 Indie studio founders, new or seasoned
📈 Publishing, funding, marketing, ops, and community pros
🧑‍💻 Devs, designers, artists, producers, and tech leads with knowledge to share

Whether you're early in your founder journey or years in, you have a story worth telling, and we want to hear it.

This is a paid speaking opportunity, and you'll also get free full-day access to FORGE.

👉 Interested in speaking at FORGE alongside Carina? Scan the QR code, or follow the link here: https://luma.com/i6xtq510

Let's build a lineup as bold and diverse as the industry we're shaping!