I have over 40 years in the software industry, from scientific computing to visualization research, to computer games and SOA applications. I was a group leader and project leader for several advanced technology projects at the Lawrence Livermore National Labs before taking a Professorship position at The Ohio State University. I also have extensive consulting experience in computer graphics related technologies, including military simulators, flight simulators and computer game technologies.

Specialties: graphics programming, multi-threaded applications, computer game technologies, C++, C#/.NET, software engineering, Agile programming, flight simulation, scientific visualization

Tom Caprel is a marketer for games, tech enthusiast, and trained opera singer. In 2015, Tom started a dedicated marketing company, Hyperion Marketing, to help indies/software devs create fantastic, community-driven marketing. He has been on the board of IGDA Chicago, and was the Communications/Expo Director at the Video Game Art (VGA) Gallery, and has worked directly for AAA studios like NCSOFT. Tom has been in marketing for 15+ years, and regularly works with game devs all over the world.

Game & Narrative Designer Founded Action Fiction in 2018 Co-Creator, Monsters of Murka series Lead Writer, Cthulhu Dreamt Tabletop Role-playing Game Narrative Designer: Coromon: Rogue Planet (TRAGSoft Games) Unannounced Game (TRAGSoft Games) Freelance: Assistant Instructor, The Art of Writing for Video Games (Classpert) Writer, The Red Opera (Storyteller’s Forge) Writer, The Black Ballad (Storyteller’s Forge)

Gwen in a Character Concept Artist specializing in creature design and is based in Massachusetts. She's worked on World of Warcraft and Spellbreak, and has been working on video games since 2019

I am a concept artist from Ohio working in the games industry! I have been working in the industry since 2015, starting off as a freelance pixel artist on GaiaOnline. I have worked on games such as Spellbreak, Smite, Paladins, Rogue Company, and Icons: Combat Arena. Currently, I am a Character Concept Artist on World of Warcraft working for Blizzard Entertainment and I vend in convention artist alleys under my small business LOKIIart. I love gaming, the Cleveland Guardians, and my dog Odin.

Riley Patrick is a User Experience Designer, Programmer, and Game Developer who has worked in the game design field in a variety of roles. Professionally, a software developer, she made the transition to UX design 5 years ago and have been consulting for fortune 500 companies and game designers ever since. When she’s not making video games or running tabletop RPGS, she’s picking up weird hobbies and making too much art.

Josh is a designer and artist with work centered on video games and natural systems. After working in architecture for six years, working on performing-arts centers, public libraries, and private residences, he pivoted toward interactive media to explore how ecological thinking can enrich video game worlds. Nature has been the consistent thread throughout his creative practice. His architecture projects always featured light wells with plants. His artwork focuses so intensely on natural subjects that horizon lines rarely appear, as if he's solely examining the ground. Now pursuing his MFA in Design, he continues integrating nature into human experience through technology. He works fluidly across interaction, experience, and new-media design, equally comfortable prototyping mixed-reality installations and programming complex systems. This systems-oriented mindset shapes his approach to video games, which he views as powerful spaces for experimenting with social relationships through the seamless integration of narrative, visuals, audio, and interaction. Josh's current thesis research focuses on developing methods that allow digital natural environments to behave as active agents through emergent systems, creating a methodology for bringing more life to natural environments in games so they can function as actors rather than backdrops. His work contributes to an emerging field examining how digital spaces reflect the complexity of living systems. When not designing, Josh can be found working on video game prototypes, taking his dog to the park, or getting carried away in the garden.

Ross A. Hersemann is the Founder of Loading Law, a Chicago-based law practice, and provides legal counsel to creators and creative professionals. Ross is also the Organizer of the Chicago Video Game Law Summit and an Adjunct Professor of Video Game Law at DePaul University. He speaks frequently on hot topics in law and technology. Ross also serves as the Chair of IGDA Chicago, Chair of the CBA YLS Creative Arts Committee, and Associate Boardmember for Lawyers for the Creative Arts.

Prof. Chris Orban is a computational physicist and education researcher at Ohio State University. He leads the STEMcoding project (http://youtube.com/STEMcoding) which aims to reinvigorate introductory science and math courses with computer science and data science

I'm a game design student at the Rochester of Institute of Technology who makes a lot of game jam games and is currently working on two indie games, one casual card game and one competitive platform shooter.

I am a youtuber who sometimes streams, have my own personal channel called EntertainmentLivesOn for personal videos and have a group channel about reviewing oscar movies called Best Pics. I have spoke at GDEX for the last two years and love the event and hope for it to be a 3rd year!

Evan Barr is an Ohio-based composer and game developer currently serving as the Audio Director at Kuneho Studios and owner of Black Tower Audio LLC. Evan's involvement in the gaming community also includes work as an assistant researcher/writer for Finish the Fight: A Gaming Podcast, writing and producing content for the Bearitone Studios YouTube channel, and co-host of the Multiplayer Vault Podcast.

With a background as a former partner with industry giants like Mixer, Discord, Nitrado, and Streamloots, Ash leverages her expertise in building safe and inclusive communities. Her fascination with gaming dates back to her toddler years. This early spark ignited a lifelong passion for gaming and technology, fueling her dedication to creating vibrant and welcoming communities for gamers of all backgrounds.

Born and raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Tommy Truelsen is a Community Relations Manager with SciPlay, a leading mobile games company with studios around the world. SciPlay’s games are played by millions every month. A musician and theater aficionado, Tommy uses his artistic experiences to think outside of the box in finding ways to better understand his players and create engaging opportunities to build in their retention.

With a pedigree in musical and dramatic theater, DB has been acting and directing for more than 30 years. You’ve heard DB in Bioshock 2, Shadowverse, DC Universe Online, Hearthstone, Job Simulator; and in Monster Train where she created voices for 47 Good Guys, 18 Bad Guys, and 10 other creatures for the Legions of Heaven and Hell. Her work on the 2025 release of Monster Train 2 included 37 voices. DB was VO Supervisor for ZeniMax Online Studios; casting and directing 13 projects for The Elder Scrolls Online. She's the voice of the BMW iVISION Dee, featured at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 2023, and the announcer for the 2025 Nordics Bartender’s Choice Awards. DB has narrated corporate films for Chanel, Merck, NVIDIA, and HTC. She's also the narrator for Run. Hide. Fight. -- The FBI’s active shooter training program. She was producer/director for summer stock theater-in-a-barn for 9 years, a classic rock radio deejay for 6, and a commercial announcer for CBS Radio for 13 years. DB is a vocal archetype, creature sound, and video game combat consultant, teaching people how to take bullets, howl in agony, and die since 2007.

Spencer Everhart is a game designer and academic based in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He holds a BFA in Game Design from the Cleveland Institute of Art and is currently working toward an MFA in Visual Communication Design at Kent State University. A jack of all trades, his interests lie in understanding the relationship between games and their players and how to create deeply meaningful experiences that players bring with them after the game ends. He specializes in user experience, accessibility, and rapid game prototyping.

A Senior Interactive Media Developer in the IT Research & Innovation division at Nationwide Children's Hospital with over 15 years of full stack development experience ranging from desktop applications and web apps to mobile games and interactive media. Nearly half his career has been dedicated to bringing innovation to healthcare providers in central Ohio.

Child Life Manager - Family & Volunteer Services Karen has been a certified child life specialist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital for 22 years, supporting children and families coping with hospitalization and healthcare experiences. In addition to being a certified child life specialist, she is also a licensed professional counselor. Karen’s clinical experience has always focused on providing emotionally safe, developmentally appropriate, family centered care. She has experience working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hospice and Palliative Care, Sibling Clubhouse, Radiology, Surgery Unit and treatment foster care. She currently is the manager of the Child Life Program which consists of Child Life Specialists, Coordinators for Creative Engagement, a Resource Coordinator, and a Gaming Technology Specialist.

I am an audio professional with over 15 years of experience in sound and recording, and I have a passion for game sound and technical audio implementation.

Chair of IGDA Indianapolis, professor at Ball State University, and alt control games nerd.