A good mentor can make someone’s career, while a bad one will break it. Learn how to become one of the “makers” and not “breakers” at the Mentorship Summit that the IGDA Foundation brings to Casual Connect USA 2018 on January 17, 2018.
Game Design In Mentorship
Jen MacLean, the Executive Director of IGDA and IGDA Foundation, will start the day with learnings from game design that can be applied to mentorship programs. Discussion is highly encouraged and will focus on how game companies and the gamedev community can support inclusion and sustainable careers through mentorship.
Learn from Others’ Mistakes
As mentorship becomes a more and more trending thing, and competition is increasing, it’s almost crucial to know what works and what doesn’t – this is why there’s a panel of Mentor Programs in the Games Industry – Learning from What Is (and Isn’t) Working. Dani McKenzie, Operations Jedi from Amazon, Stephanie Hess, Vice President of Communications at Zynga, Don Daglow, President at AIAS Foundation, and Carl Varnado, Resident Faculty, Rancho Solano Preparatory School and Chair, Blacks in Games IGDA Special Interest Group join IGDA’s Jen MacLean to share the best practices and warn about the worst.
Where’s the Money in Mentorship?
Persuading managers that mentorship matters is most efficient when done through money and metrics. The Does Mentorship Matter? Making the (Business) Case for Investing in Your Employees panel is about those key statistics and research on the expected impact of mentorship, especially in a program’s support of under-represented minorities. Learn how to make the most out of the investment that supporting talent is.
Virtual Mentorship
In the Virtual Mentorship – How Technology Can, and Can’t, Help your Mentor Programs, explore how technology can (and can’t) solve some of the most common challenges both communities and companies face. To help understand the perfect blend of technology and humanity for winning mentorship programs, the panelists will dive into issues like retention and engagement – applying learnings from games, human resources, and community management. IGDA’s Jen MacLean, Luke Dicken, Principal Data Scientist at Zynga, Game Mentor Online Founder Karen Clark, and Dennis Mathews, Co-Founder & CEO, Revelation Interactive, will discuss what they’ve learned and tried.
Bringing Mentorship Back To Your Organization
Acting from within by launching mentorship programs in your organization is what these panelists know well: Dani McKenzie, Operations Jedi at Amazon, Stephanie Hess, Vice President of Communications at Zynga, Carl Varnado, Resident Faculty, Rancho Solano Preparatory School and Chair, Blacks in Games IGDA Special Interest Group, and Jen MacLean from IGDA, will discuss how to provide your mentors and mentees the best possible chance of creating and sustaining meaningful, impactful relationships. They will also explore how the day’s speakers and participants can mentor each other in creating a supportive, inclusive community and company.
Mentor Café & More
See the discussed mentorship skills in action and get the advice you need at IGDA Mentor Café on the following day, January 18. You can apply as a mentee on-site to participate in the drop-in section of the Mentor Café. In addition to the Mentorship Summit and Mentor Café, take part in 14 other tracks, great networking parties, our exhibitor area, the Indie Prize Showcase, and great discounts on Disney® hotels and theme park tickets. Purchase your pass now on the official Casual Connect USA website.
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