Devcember Industry Stars: Game Changers in DEI

We’re celebrating our game-changers in DEI!

Last month, we asked you to nominate people from across the games industry to be celebrated this Devcember as Industry Stars – people who’ve made this year a little brighter! Today we’re celebrating Industry Stars who are making waves in DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), through workplace initiatives or courses!

Many of our Devcember nominations showed huge promise in advocacy for DEI in games, but we’ve narrowed it down to the top four nominees who shined the brightest.

Without further ado, let’s learn more about and celebrate the achievements of today’s Industry Stars!

Adam Clewes-Boyne

Adam uses his experiences to drive advocacy around ADHD within game development and the games community. As an ADHD professional himself, Adam fearlessly tells his story to help break down stigma and foster open and judgement-free conversations around the intersection of neurodiversity and mental health. Adam truly goes above and beyond in all of his endeavours, building on initiatives such as Playing Attention and supporting Safe In Our World.

“Personally, I first reached out to Adam through LinkedIn a few years ago, seeking support as someone living with ADHD and dyslexia. Despite being strangers, Adam responded immediately, offering a call where his kindness, openness, and genuine passion for helping others left a lasting impression. Since then, our monthly calls have deepened into a cherished friendship, mentorship, and an ongoing source of mutual learning and support.”

Adam supports and creates more safe and inclusive spaces in gaming. To put it simply, “Adam is a true industry star, embodying the mission to make every gamer and professional feel seen, heard, and supported.”

Emma Gomersall

Emma is someone who’s making their impact within and outside the team at MPG. In addition to leading the Talent efforts at MPG, she has taken on the role to lead the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging strategy. A Women in Games Ambassador and Mental Health First Aider, Emma is using her voice to advocate for others within the industry. She’s even pushed herself beyond her comfort zone by taking on public speaking to continue to loudly advocate for others within games!

Emma continues to be a shining light for others around her, creating comfy and safe environments for her peers and colleagues. “From the moment I met her at my first job interview for MPG, she made me feel instantly at ease and I knew I wanted to be part of a business with more fabulous people like her.”

Cinzia Musio

Known for their consistent championing of under-represented developers, Cinzia continues to uplift and support marginalised people in the games industry. In their work at Code Coven, they consistently break down barriers and allow access to free courses and resources for marginalised developers, as well as championing the needs of others across the industry.

Cinzia’s work has been especially important of late, as many games industry professionals face redundancies and uncertainty. Cinzia even released data around those who were impacted by redundancies to underline the crucial effect this has on marginalised talent in our industry.

“On a personal note, Cinzia has helped me navigate my first year officially working in games, providing me advice and helping me find mentors.”

Gareth Miller

Gareth is a beacon at Junkfish, where he has created and implemented a supportive employee resource group aimed to uplift every single person who works there.

The resource group is made possible by Gareth’s dedication and his team of wonderful volunteers, leading the charge in focus subjects including mental health, LGBTQ+ support, physical health, and DEI topics. This also includes a new menstrual leave policy that is already hugely helping people who need it at the company.

“Trying to describe why Gareth truly deserves this recognition could take hours. Gareth has been in the industry for just under 10 years now and has continually lifted people up quietly in the background. Not one for social media he doesn’t do thing to be seen, but is a huge advocate for each and every employee of Junkfish.”

Join us in celebrating these incredible Devcember DEI stars! We believe every single industry star within Devcember deserves more recognition for their hard work and achievements.

Reach out to these Industry Stars if you’d like to learn more about what they do, learn about ADHD in gaming, discover ways to be an effective advocate in your workplace, or to uncover strategies to support marginalised people in games getting the opportunities they deserve.

So, thats it for our Devcember DEI stars! Stay tuned for more Devcember industry stars this month on the Safe In Our World website!