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{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Tanya Colleen DePass
| name = Tanya Colleen DePass
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| image = [[File:Tanya DePass Biography Photo.jpg|thumb|center|alt=Photo of Tanya DePass]]
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== Early life ==
== Early life ==
DePass grew up on the south side of Chicago, learning to love gaming early in arcades and eventually home consoles. Her love of gaming spread to tabletop RPG's, and Dungeons and Dragons at a young age. She made it through the Satanic Panic, to go on to play games as often as she was looking into inclusion and diversity in the games that she loved, but did not love her back in the same way. Eventually she would create the hashtag #INeedDiverseGames; which became a not-for-profit organization; I Need Diverse Games.
DePass grew up in a poor family in [[Chicago]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=MacDonald |first=Keza |date=2022-04-14 |title='I need diverse games!' How an angry tweet became a life-changing moment |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/apr/14/i-need-diverse-games-how-an-angry-tweet-became-a-life-changing-moment |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref> She has been a fan of tabletop and video games from her early childhood.<ref name="Marie">{{Cite book |last=Marie |first=Meagan |title=Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play |publisher=DK Publishing |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-7440-1993-3 |pages=336–337}}</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==
Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of [https://ineeddiversegames.org/ I Need Diverse Games], a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers, attendance at the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make the industry better and more inclusive for everyone. She’s part of the Rivals of Waterdeep actual play stream on [https://twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep], a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics online, at conventions and as a public speaker..
DePass has written articles on topics of diversity, feminism, and race, for publications including ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' and [[Vice Media|Vice]],<ref name="Marie" /> and provides diversity consultation services to game development studios and organizations.<ref name="Marie" /> She is the programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and [[GaymerX]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tanya DePass's schedule for OrcaCon2020 |url=https://orcacon2020.sched.com/sponsor/tdpass1 |website=OrcaCon 2020 |access-date=10 June 2020}}</ref> DePass is the editor of ''Game Devs & Others: Tales from the Margins'' (2018), an anthology of essays from games industry professionals and players who felt marginalized by the industry.<ref name="Marie" /><ref>{{cite book |editor-last=DePass |editor-first=Tanya |title=Game Devs & Others: Tales from the Margins |date=2018 |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton, FL |isbn=978-1-138-55904-2}}</ref> Additionally, she is a 2020 Annenberg Innovation Lab Civic Media Fellow at [[USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism|USC]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Cohort |url=https://www.annenberglab.com/civic-media-fellowship/2020-cohort/ |website=Annenberg Innovation Lab |access-date=10 June 2020}}</ref>


She’s also contributed to publications at Green Ronin, Paizo and Monte Cook Games and is the co-developer for the Fifth Season RPG based on N.K. Jemisin’s three time Hugo award winning Broken Earth trilogy. She’s the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a Twitch supported RPG and Actual Play stream, airing weekly on her channel, twitch.tv/cypheroftyr. Additionally, she is a Senior Annenberg labs Civic Media Fellow at USC. She’s also the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a new sci fi afro-futurist RPG developed with a team of all POC and Black creators; live streamed on her twitch channel, /cypheroftyr.
DePass is the co-developer for the ''Fifth Season RPG'', based on [[N. K. Jemisin]]'s Broken Earth trilogy (2020).<ref>{{cite news |last=Patterson |first=Adreon |title=N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy Receiving Fantasy RPG Adaptation |url=https://www.cbr.com/n-k-jemisin-broken-earth-trilogy-rpg/ |access-date=10 June 2020 |work=Comic Book Resources |date=5 August 2019}}</ref> Her work has been featured in the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]]'s ''Design/Play/Disrupt'' exhibit.<ref name="Marie" />


She’s named as one of The Game Awards Future Class 2020, a diverse group of builders, thinkers and dreamers whose voices elevate and diversify our artform. It recognizes individuals around the world who represent the bright, bold and inclusive future for video games. She was also named as one of Gamers of the Year 2020 by Kotaku along with three of her contemporaries. She was also invited to the Xbox MVP program in February 2021.
Online, DePass goes by the username Cypheroftyr.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Romano|first=Aja|date=26 August 2019|title=The frustrating, enduring debate over video games, violence, and guns|work=Vox|url=https://www.vox.com/2019/8/26/20754659/video-games-and-violence-debate-moral-panic-history|access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref> She is a streamer on [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]], where she has faced harassment.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Grayson|first=Nathan|date=29 January 2019|title=For Streamers Dealing With Stalkers, Twitch's Solutions Fall Short|work=Kotaku|url=https://kotaku.com/for-streamers-dealing-with-stalkers-twitchs-solutions-1832063386|access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref> In 2020, during the [[George Floyd protests]], DePass ran a charity stream to raise funds for [[The Bail Project]]—the stream raised over $140,000 USD in a single day.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Grayson|first=Nathan|date=4 June 2020|title=Black Streamers Are Grateful For New Twitch Viewers, But Heartbroken It Took Police Violence To Make It Happen|work=Kotaku|url=https://kotaku.com/black-streamers-are-grateful-for-new-twitch-viewers-bu-1843889885|access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0" />


Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021.
She also plays ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' in the ''[[Rivals of Waterdeep]]'' [[actual play]] livestream, which features a cast of [[person of color|people of color]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stuart|first=Keith|date=29 November 2019|title='It's cool now': why Dungeons & Dragons is casting its spell again|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/nov/29/gamers-back-under-dungeons-and-dragons-spell|access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Farough|first=Amanda|date=17 March 2020|title=How tabletop RPG actual play shows are inspiring a new generation of fans — and products|work=VentureBeat|url=https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/17/how-tabletop-rpg-actual-play-shows-are-inspiring-a-new-generation-of-fans-and-products/|access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref> The show began in 2018 in Chicago as an official [[Wizards of the Coast]] production, broadcast on the official ''Dungeons & Dragons'' Twitch channel.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hoffer|first=Christian|date=21 June 2020|title=Rivals of Waterdeep is Dungeons & Dragons' Flagship Show|work=Comicbook.com|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-rivals-waterdeep-show/|access-date=22 June 2020}}</ref> She is also the creative director of the [[Cortex System|Cortex]] actual play series ''Into the Mother Lands''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Knox|first=Kelly|date=29 September 2020|title=A New Twitch Series Will Take You INTO THE MOTHER LANDS|work=Nerdist|url=https://nerdist.com/article/a-new-twitch-series-will-take-you-into-the-mother-lands/|access-date=29 September 2020}}</ref>


Tanya is the programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX. She also serves on the Board of Directors for OrcaCon and Take This. She often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press)
''Fireside Magazine'', for which DePass was the special features editor, was nominated for a [[Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine]] in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Liptak|first=Andrew|date=2 April 2019|title=Here are the 2019 Hugo Award nominees|work=The Verge|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/2/18291920/2019-hugo-award-nominations-science-fiction-fantasy-books|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref> In 2020, the [[Diana Jones Award]] was devoted to "Black Excellence in Gaming", with the committee awarding two dozen black people in the industry specifically, including DePass.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=30 July 2020|title=One of tabletop gaming's biggest awards celebrates Black creators|work=Polygon|url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/30/21348077/diana-jones-award-2020-black-excellence-in-gaming|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref> ''[[Kotaku]]'' named DePass one of their 4 "Gamers of the Year" for 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Totilo|first=Stephen |date=2020-12-30|title=The Gamers Of The Year, 2020|url=https://kotaku.com/the-gamers-of-the-year-2020-1845965574|access-date=2020-12-31|website=Kotaku}}</ref>

In 2021, DePass became a player in ''The Black Dice Society'', a [[Ravenloft]] themed ''Dungeons & Dragons'' actual play show on the official Wizards of the Coast channels.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hoffer|first=Christian|date=April 1, 2021|title=Dungeons & Dragons Launches The Black Dice Society, a Creepy Ravenloft Streaming Show|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-black-dice-society/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-01|website=ComicBook.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web|last=Baird|first=Scott|date=2021-04-01|title=D&D: The Black Dice Society Arrive In Ravenloft On April 1|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-black-dice-society-streaming-interview-ravenloft/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-01|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US}}</ref>

Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in the film ''Game Changer'', directed by basketball player [[Tina Charles (basketball)|Tina Charles]].<ref>https://pressreality.com/2021/06/17/tina-charles-tells-tanya-depasss-story-in-game-changer/ {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=|url=https://pressreality.com/2021/06/17/tina-charles-knows-the-importance-of-representation/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bet.com/celebrities/news/2021/06/16/queen-collective-filmmaker-wnba-star-tina-charles-game-changer.html|title = WNBA Star Tina Charles Uses New Film 'Game Changer' to Incite Change in Gaming|website = [[BET]]}}</ref> The short documentary premiered at [[Tribeca 2021]], as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by [[Queen Latifah]], supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into filmmaking. She was also featured as part of BETHer's 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

=== I Need Diverse Games ===
In 2014, DePass used the hashtag #INeedDiverseGames while responding to a statement from [[Ubisoft]] claiming that it would not be feasible to animate female characters for the upcoming ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' game.<ref name="Marie" /><ref name="Elahi" /><ref name=":0" /> DePass has said she is "sick of games where I don't get to be the hero".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Porter|first=Justin|date=25 February 2017|title=A Fresh Narrative in Gaming|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/us/a-fresh-narrative-in-gaming.html|access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref> Despite pre-dating the controversy, the hashtag became particularly popular during the [[Gamergate controversy|Gamergate harassment campaign]], when it was one of several used in anti-Gamergate tweets. Tweets using the hashtag were primarily those sharing positive messages about a desire for increased diversity and broader representation in video games.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Evans|first1=Sarah Beth|last2=Janish|first2=Elyse|date=2015|title=#INeedDiverseGames: How the Queer Backlash to GamerGate Enables Nonbinary Coalition|journal=QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking|volume=2|issue=2|pages=125–150|doi=10.14321/qed.2.2.0125|jstor=10.14321/qed.2.2.0125|s2cid=141971312}}</ref>

DePass founded a non-profit using the name I Need Diverse Games in August 2016.<ref name="Marie" /><ref name="Elahi" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Spiegelman|first=Karen|date=2 March 2020|title=20 women in gaming you should know|work=VentureBeat|url=https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/02/20-women-in-gaming-you-should-know/|access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref> The organization, based in [[Chicago]],<ref name="Elahi" /> aims to support visibility and access for underrepresented people within the video games industry, and is funded through [[Patreon]] and fundraising campaigns.<ref name="Elahi">{{Cite news|last=Elahi|first=Amina|date=30 March 2017|title=I Need Diverse Games works to give minorities and women a louder voice in gaming|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/blue-sky/ct-i-need-diverse-games-bsi-20170330-story.html|access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref> One of the organization's initiatives is to provide financial support and passes to video game conferences such as the [[Game Developers Conference]].<ref name="Elahi" /> As of 2020, I Need Diverse Games was sending about two dozen people to the Game Developers Conference each year.<ref name="Notis">{{Cite news|last=Notis|first=Ari|date=2 June 2020|title=How You Can Support Black Gamers|work=Kotaku|url=https://kotaku.com/how-you-can-support-black-gamers-1843867230|access-date=6 June 2020}}</ref> The organization also runs seminars on diversity at other games industry events, and highlights the work of underrepresented people.<ref name="Marie" /><ref name="Notis" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==

Revision as of 02:11, 18 December 2022

Tanya Colleen DePass
Photo of Tanya DePass
Born1973 (age 50–51)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Years active2014–present

Tanya DePass, also known by her username Cypheroftyr, is an American journalist, activist and streamer. She is the founder of the non-profit organization I Need Diverse Games, which she established in 2016.

Early life

DePass grew up on the south side of Chicago, learning to love gaming early in arcades and eventually home consoles. Her love of gaming spread to tabletop RPG's, and Dungeons and Dragons at a young age. She made it through the Satanic Panic, to go on to play games as often as she was looking into inclusion and diversity in the games that she loved, but did not love her back in the same way. Eventually she would create the hashtag #INeedDiverseGames; which became a not-for-profit organization; I Need Diverse Games.

Career

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers, attendance at the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make the industry better and more inclusive for everyone. She’s part of the Rivals of Waterdeep actual play stream on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep, a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics online, at conventions and as a public speaker..

She’s also contributed to publications at Green Ronin, Paizo and Monte Cook Games and is the co-developer for the Fifth Season RPG based on N.K. Jemisin’s three time Hugo award winning Broken Earth trilogy. She’s the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a Twitch supported RPG and Actual Play stream, airing weekly on her channel, twitch.tv/cypheroftyr. Additionally, she is a Senior Annenberg labs Civic Media Fellow at USC. She’s also the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a new sci fi afro-futurist RPG developed with a team of all POC and Black creators; live streamed on her twitch channel, /cypheroftyr.

She’s named as one of The Game Awards Future Class 2020, a diverse group of builders, thinkers and dreamers whose voices elevate and diversify our artform. It recognizes individuals around the world who represent the bright, bold and inclusive future for video games. She was also named as one of Gamers of the Year 2020 by Kotaku along with three of her contemporaries. She was also invited to the Xbox MVP program in February 2021.

Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021.

Tanya is the programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX. She also serves on the Board of Directors for OrcaCon and Take This. She often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press)

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