Veda Cruz is a video game lawyer, educator, and indie game developer passionate about helping creators thrive. Former in-house counsel at award-winning game studio Gearbox Software, she now teaches video game law and business at the University of Miami and advises developers on contracts, IP, and publishing at Odin Law & Media, a boutique video game law firm. She's also certified as a Scrum Master and personal trainer, and founded Mana & Muscle, a game dev wellness initiative.

Mark Fitzpatrick is a 3D artist who specializes in interactive experiences for video games and VR. He has deep knowledge of many tools including Unreal, Unity, Maya, ZBrush and Substance Painter. He has been in the Lead 3D Artist role on projects like the VR game Dungeon BrewMaster and the AR game Hauntibles. His career also includes time in a Virtual Art Department, contributing real-time visual effects to films such as Black Adam and Aquaman 2.

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.

Alyssa is a Character Concept Artist from Ohio working in the games industry. Credits include World of Warcraft, Spellbreak, Smite, Paladins, and more! When not working, she sells fan works and original character art at conventions under the name LOKIIart and spends time with her husband and their dog, Odin.

Hello! I’m Jon, a WI-based 3D environment and prop artist currently working as a Technical illustrator. I’ve been designing 3D scenes, props, and other assets for 8+ years- always looking to try new styles and challenges! In my free time, I enjoy taking care of my 6 different pets and reading nerdy fantasy books.

Hey there, I’m Katie. I’ve been working as a remote contract based 2D and 3D artist and designer in northern Wisconsin since 2019. Combined with some game dev on the side, I work as a volunteer community organizer and social media coordinator in online spaces. Organized friend-fueled chaos is my jam and JAMA Jam is, with immense help from the rest of the team, the latest conquest in the constant mission to build places for comradery and creativity.

Helllooooo! I’m Branson, an Ohio based indie game dev! I lead a group of developers at Findspot Interactive in the creation of a game inspired by the look and feel of late nineties games titled Cubie: Botanical Breakout. I primarily work on 3D modeling and asset creation. I have been working on games for over 5 years now and I love it! When I’m not working on my game I enjoy cooking and 3D modeling : ) .

Howdy! I’m Sam, a MN-based 3D artist and community organizer, with a background in art education. I’ve been working in games + animation for 3+ years, as well as serving as a board member of my local IGDA chapter, facilitating talks, events, and other services to uplift Twin Cities gamedevs. In my free time I lead a small team in developing Grape Juice City, a cartoony, 3D, party platformer about birds competing for juice fame!

Colin is a game designer with over thirty years of experience in tabletop and computer RPGs. He started at TSR where he contributed to Planescape and won two Origins Awards for his boxed adventures / campaigns. He took this knowledge to Black Isle Studios, where he worked on the classic Planescape: Torment and Fallout 2. He was creative lead for 2017's Torment: Tides of Numenera, designed for Wasteland 2 and 3, contributed to Baldur's Gate 3, and was creative lead for Broken Roads.

Garrett Davis is a game developer, serial entrepreneur, and startup accelerator director with a deep passion for building and scaling gaming companies, consulting firms, and startup ecosystems. He is the Managing Director of the ShawneeXP Gaming Accelerator, where he leads efforts to support early-stage game studios through funding, mentorship, and industry connections. His work focuses on strategic partnerships, fundraising, curriculum development, and community engagement.

Sand. Cloth. Metal. Screams. Weeny...worm. Let's Go Plac-...wait, what? Voiceactor and casting / performance director Michael Schwalbe has contributed to over 100 released videogames and anime in their career. Formerly Senior Voice Director for miHoYo's Zenless Zone Zero, Michael has directed over a thousand hours of recording sessions for indies and AAA alike, and specializes in unlocking the physicality and freedom of performance that allows a talent to tap into their true artistry.

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)

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.

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.