Meet Pixelles Ensemble at GDC23

Our GDC Scholarship program, Pixelles Ensemble, is returning to GDC this year with a whole new group of amazing nonbinary, genderqueer and women (trans/cis) game developers. We provide a GDC pass, need-based travel funds, and host 3 events to assist the Ensemble members in feeling welcome, safe, and empowered to pursue their professional goals. For many, attending this conference is not only an inspiration but also a career highlight.

Providing opportunities like this to marginalized developers directly improves the games industry and surrounding culture for years to come, by not only increasing the diversity of those who benefit from GDC, but improving GDC itself with their presence and experiences. Pixelles Ensemble is thrilled to be a part of this changing landscape and, of course, to provide knowledge-sharing, experiences, and a supportive community for all its members.

In 2020, the Pixelles Ensemble group is made up of mid-career developers, many of whom are parents, people of color or based in underrepresented countries. Many of these developers have never before had the chance to attend GDC, and we’re honored to assist them in achieving this career milestone.

→ Thank you to our sponsors
→ Meet everyone
→ Coordinators
→ Contact

Thank You to Our Supporters

Without your generosity and support, many of our scholarship’s talented game developers would not be able to attend GDC.

Platinum Sponsors

Gold sponsors

Silver sponsors

Bronze sponsors

Our Cohort

Andy Vatter Lead Content Designer @ Squanch Games; Indie Developer, Artist, Everything Else @ Proto Dome Games  I lead a team of champions at Squanch Games, but I primarily have a background in a wide smattering of solo indie projects, and even some time on a VR baseball training sim. I am also, it should not go unmentioned, great at parties. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I don’t know NEARLY enough people in the industry, so I’m showing up to schmooze, particularly with the unbelievable cool squad of folks coming with the Pixelles.	Kai Little-White Founder/Creative Lead @ BP Solarpunk Media I’m an entrepreneurial storyteller with a platform agnostic imagination. I bring an outside-the-box, Caribbean-Canadian perspective to storytelling—magical realism, musical, and mysterious—with a splash of comedy. Mix in kids and interactive experiences and these are a few of my favourite things—cue music! I create impact using heart and play. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? Terrified, excited, not sure what to expect. Prepared to have my mind blown, meet interesting and creative people. I make games for kids and their caregivers so I’m keen to learn new insights about making games more accessible, evolving regulations, new financing opportunities, XR and kids, and anything related to movement games. I am especially interested in what’s on the horizon for AR, and games that could be adapted to other mediums and vice versa. Anyone making or interested in a game about mastering empathy and innovation? I’d love to meet them.
Ana Tavera Mendoza UI Artist Ana spent her student years working on games with experimental controllers and giving workshops to help aspiring devs make experimental controllers of their own, and has been making UI professionally for games since 2018. Ana enjoys cooking, collecting rocks, and having animated talks that go late into the night.   What are you most looking forward to for GDC? What I’m looking forward to the most at GDC are all of the panels where devs talk about their experiences and processes! I’ll try to attend as many of those as I possibly can!	Camila Torrano Freelancer Concept Artist I’m a Brazilian Concept Artist who also work with Illustration and have some published comics. I’ve done a bit of everything art-related in Games (from Character Design to UI), but my true love and main goal is to work in a Horror game. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? To meet other women/NB folks who work with GameDev and exchange experiences, the good and the bad stuff we’ve gone through and bring useful intel to my fellow Brazilians game devs.
Christina Qi Concept artist @ OtherSide Entertainment, Organizer at Women in Games Boston I’m a concept artist and illustrator from Hong Kong (+ many other places) currently working in the US. I feel really lucky to get to design big monsters and other crazy things for a living…and hopefully will continue to do so for a long while! I am passionate about diversity and working with students. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? Looking forward to learning tons of new things from talks and hanging out with other devs from all over the world.	Cid Oliveira Game Designer @ Rio PUC Games / Design Student @ Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro Hello, I’m Cid! Being queer and in the autism spectrum while growing up in Rio de Janeiro, I’ve found comfort in the many lives I’ve lived in digital and analog games. Nowadays, my main objective as a game developer is to create safe and empowering experiences for those in need. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I’m looking forward to meeting all the amazing people from all over the world! Hope to make new friends, especially other Latinx and queer developers. :)
Zea Slosar Indie Games Producer Hi, I’m Zea! I am currently based in Melbourne, Australia, working remotely as a Project Manager at Die Gute Fabrik on a new, unannounced title. In my free time I like to help local indie developers release their games, support the growth of women in the industry, mentor, and work on my own projects. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? This will be my first time at GDC, so I am looking forward to finding out what the fuss is all about! Most of all I am excited to meet with my international gamedev friends and collaborators I have worked with over the years, as well as getting to know new people!	Sofi Lamont-Cardinal Senior Game Designer @ Behaviour Interactive I’m a game designer with more than 10 years of experience. I’ve worked at indie, AA and mobile studios on many different types of games, and I’m currently specializing in AI design! I also teach game design to future level designers. I love to read and to solve puzzles, making detective novels my favourites! What are you most looking forward to for GDC? Learning a lot of things at different conferences.
Emilie Deschamps Lead Programmer @ Behaviour Interactive I am a game dev from Montreal, currently working as a lead programmer at Behaviour. I previously worked as a game programmer mostly on mobile games, both at Gameloft and EA. I started in the industry about 12 years ago. Other interests include traveling, skiing and running. I also recently became the mom of a little boy. :) What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I am looking forward to pretty much everything at GDC, as it will be my first time there. I love to learn new things so I am really excited to go!	Farah Brixi Narrative Designer @ Behaviour Interactive Farah Brixi is a Montreal-based Writer & Narrative Designer with over 8 years’ experience in video games. She is currently working on an unreleased project at Compulsion Games studio. Previously, she was a senior Narrative Designer at Behaviour on Dead by Daylight, an asymmetrical horror game. She also worked as a scriptwriter on Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege, a tactical FPS. Her love for building immersive worlds with epic character arcs can only be matched by her passion for traveling. When she’s not reading epic fantasy novels, she’s playing legacy board games or working on her next story. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I can’t wait to meet passionate developers and discuss underrepresented aspects of game development. Specifically, to discuss best practices on representation and diversity in video games.
Emilie Beauchamp Lead Environment Artist @ WB Games Montréal I am a teacher and artist. I have worked on games such as Batman Arkham Origins, Mortal Kombat and Gotham Knights. I am passionate about creating new worlds and I enjoy sharing my experience, training, and helping the next generation of artists. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? Meeting peers and exchanging on new ideas.	Juno Morrow Independent game designer/developer and game design professor Juno Morrow is a multidisciplinary artist, independent game designer, photographer and educator living in Brooklyn. Morrow has presented games and spoken at sites such as SXSW, GDC, MAGFest and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Her unusual games, often infused with dark humor, feature distinctive aesthetics and novel premises. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I’m really looking forward to connecting with like-minded folks, and being inspired and energized by all the amazing work folks are doing!
Katherine Boutin Community Development & Events @ Work With Indies Katherine is a freelance Community Developer and Event Manager based in Montreal. She more recently discovered her passion for live production and has worked on multiple live shows including DemoNights, La Face des Internets, and many more. She forever hopes to own an aibo one day. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? Hanging out with buddies and pals, and learning from the very best.	Katie Benson Game writer @ Galdra Studios I’m a Game Writer working remotely with a gorgeous Danish studio from my home in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. In my spare time, I develop interactive fiction and I’ve recently started tour guiding at a local nature sanctuary. I love travel, food, and running with friends. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I am looking forward to learning from others, especially my fellow Pixelles Ensemble attendees. I may have been making games for a while, but I have so much to learn. Attending GDC is guaranteed to help me be a better games writer and a better human being.
Viviane Feltrin Texture & Look Dev Artist for VFX and Games. Currently @ DNEG VFX. I’m a Texture and Look Dev artist based in Vancouver, BC. I love bringing grey-shaded models to life. I’m passionate about story-driven games, movies, and music. I’m also part of the team of ambassadors for Women in Games. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? Attending GDC has been on my bucket list for quite some time, since when I was working with AAA games in the past and it will be a great opportunity for me to learn new things. I’m interested to know what’s new in surfacing, look development, and tech art. I’m also looking forward to seeing new releases from indie and AAA developers and connecting with like-minded people. If you see me, come and say hi!	María Ambrosoni Lead Artist @ ARF Game Studio I’m a 2D artist from Uruguay, and I’ve been working at ARF since our start 7 years ago. We’re a co-op with several successful published web games, both original and for clients such as Cartoon Network. When I’m not drawing, I’m watching weird movies, playing narrative games, and building overly detailed houses in the Sims. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? This is going to be my first GDC, and I’m looking forward to attending talks, meeting devs from all over the world, especially other artists!
Marie-Andrée Forest Game designer, 3D artist and indie game developer @ Studio Invisible After working as a lead designer in a somewhat big studio, I taught myself most of the other crafts necessary to create games on my own.   From short narratives based on nightmares to experimental VR and accurate architectural simulation(my current day job), I am passionate about the perceived realities and how we can best share them. I also spend quite a bit of time creating ambient noisescapes. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I hope to find inspiration in other creator’s personal approaches and diverse views on what games can be. I am especially looking for underrepresented voices, challenging views and of course, mind-blowing ideas and people.	Melissa Ramsden Tech Designer @ EA Motive I’m a designer of levels, tech and boss fights, originally from Chilliwack, BC who loves all things shiny, dark and spooky! Through hard work and a bit of luck, I’ve been able to be part of some truly amazing teams on such projects as Mass Effect Andromeda and StarWars Battlefront 2! When I can, I love drawing comics to give friends a good chuckle. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? This will be my first conference (both as a dev and ever!) I’m super excited to meet more like-minded folks in the industry, as well as learn and absorb all the talks about art, design, and everything else! I love learning, and even though I’m nervous, I love meeting new folks! I can’t wait to see you all there 😊
Javeria Ali 2D Game Artist / Illustrator Javeria is a 2D game artist and freelance illustrator from Pakistan. While working on indie/casual game titles, she has worn many hats in the past 6 years: from graphic design to concept art, to art direction to UI/UX design for an AR gamified tourism app. She enjoys cozy/wholesome games, learning about media psychology and exploring body-diversity with a focus on games.. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? The visual art & career development talks, connecting with like-minded folks & making new friends!	Jane Tan Narrative Designer @ Scavengers Studio Muriel Rukeyser famously wrote that the universe is made of stories, not of atoms. We may not all be wordsmiths, but we all have stories to tell. Jane is a creator at heart who wants to craft extraordinary experiences. Their current project is to explore and expand how stories are told through video games. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I’m looking forward to the surprises! Honestly, I don’t know what to expect. But if you put a bunch of extraordinary people together, magic is bound to happen!
Alejandra Meza Alvarado Producer and Co-Founder of 360 Dev Lab working on Homeward: a cozy RPG deck-building game Alejandra is an experienced game producer with over 5 years in the industry. Based in Mexico City, she is working with WIGX to help create spaces for women in the industry to connect and share their knowledge. Additionally, she is a mentor at Invaders, teaching topics related to entrepreneurship and game development. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? GDC has always been one of the best opportunity to learn, connect and charge with all the amazing energy everyone has. This year im excited to pitch my game receive feedback and hopefully someone interested in it.	Miriam Karina Melgoza Senior Concept Artist and Graphic Designer @ The OR Strategy and University Professor I’m from México. I started in game dev in 2014, co-founding a studio and developing a game that was released on consoles. Since then, I’ve been doing creative work across the industry and in other transmedia projects, under different roles: artist, educator, PR, and speaker. I love action games, singing, cooking, and drawing! What are you most looking forward to for GDC? Looking forward to broadening my network and exploring career opportunities. I’m excited about meeting new people and learning from them.

Coordinators

Elaine Gusella Game Director @ Artifact 5 Elaine is the Game Director for Montreal-based indie studio Artifact 5 and the Program Coordinator for the Independent Video Game Design AEC at Dawson College. She has previously worked as a game design and discoverability consultant with multiple indie studios and community organizations, including MEGA 2017 and 2018, GamePlay Space, where she managed the IP Discoverability Engine, and the Pixelles Game Incubator. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Game Design from Université de Montréal, where she specialized in communications and social features in games. She is also the super proud mother of an amazing little girl. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I am most excited about meeting new people and catching up with friends I haven’t seen since the last conference. You may find me at the independent games summit or with the Pixelles Ensemble. I would especially love to meet other parent game devs.	Jacquelinne Marcano Morales Freelance Programmer A person with a big heart who tries every day to make video games a form of expression for education, art, and entertainment for everyone involved. Loves to teach, help, and work with everyone, and enjoys what she does very much. One of the founders of PRGDA, an association that helps boost the video game industry in Puerto Rico, and an avid fan of Unreal Engine, and Epic Games’ work in the video game industry. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? Creating amazing bonds with people who share common interests, and helping others with their self-doubts! Super excited to help this industry become a wonderful space for people~
Javiera Paz Game designer @ Animal Shelter Senior QA @ Testronic labs Board chair @ Mujeres En VG Javiera is a Chilean Game designer and QA. Right now, besides working in Testronic as Senior QA, she’s working as Game Designer for a casual mobile game where you manage an animal shelter (@animalshelterGame), from which she intends to donate monthly revenue to real-life animal shelters. She is co-founder of Mujeres en VG (Women in Videogames), an association of female-identified people in Chile who wants to give visibility and a safe space for collaboration to all who form part of this industry. Her prime movers are her kitten, her puppy and her husband. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? GDC is always refreshing for learning new things, staying inspired, sharing with a loud, diverse industry. I’m dying to reconnect with the friends I’ve made in previous years.	Jennifer Sunahara Software Developer @ EA Montreal; Pixelles Director Jennifer is a Software Development Consultant at Unity Technologies, with degrees in both Computer Sciences and Biology. Her dream is to one day make a game about ecosystems and ecology! She has been involved with Pixelles as a coordinator for many years and is now a co-director. If you have any questions about our programs or initiatives, or want to chat about a partnership idea, please feel free to reach out at sponsorship@pixelles.ca! What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I am most looking forward to helping the participants of the GDC ensemble have a great GDC experience, as well as meeting new friends, networking and learning from my peers!
Stephanie Fisher Research Officer, University of Toronto; Pixelles Director   Stephanie is community organizer based in Toronto, Canada. She made her first game in 2012 as part of the Hand Eye Society’s Difference Engine Initiative and has been heavily involved in supporting collaborative, community-driven WIG initiatives and programs ever since. She joined Pixelles as a co-director in 2015. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I’m excited to talk about the impact of Pixelles as part of the GDC Advocacy Track.	Valentine Dessertenne Senior Producer @ The Coalition Valentine is a producer based in Vancouver. She has been coordinating with Pixelles for 5 years. What are you most looking forward to for GDC? I’m looking forward to helping our Ensemble have the best experience possible!