presented by gloria o’neill president & ceo storytelling for the next generation harnessing...
TRANSCRIPT
PRESENTED BY
Gloria O’Neill President & CEO
Storytelling forthe Next GenerationHarnessing the power of video gamesto share and celebrate cultures
educational services
employment & service training
Cook Inlet Tribal Council
child & family services
recovery & re-entry services
30-year-old organization serving 12,000+Alaska Native and American Indian people annually
CITC:Based in Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage
CITCService Area
Embracing technologyin Service of Our Mission
CITC Board embraced technology as a tool to preserve culture,reach our youth andadvance CITC’s vision
Engagement can lead to empowerment.
A New Modelof Self-sufficiency
CITC provides critical services delivered in unique ways
CITC wants to control its own destiny• Reduce dependency on
grants and non-sustainable funding streams
Our video game initiative is about making money to support CITC programs as we enter a new era of declining federal funding, coupled with increased need for CITC’s services.
Our Goal
Why Video Games?
Video games are a new way to share traditional wisdom
Video games are a big industry; continues to grow
Huge upside, especially in the education market, for well-designed games engaging youth and educators alike
Sharing Cultures Through Games
Video games can be seen as a modern iteration of the oral tradition
We set out to make games that leverage technology to share timeless, living stories with the world
Commitment to inclusive intergenerational sharing of values
Our Partners
New York City-based
industry leader in games-based learning
leadership team includes experienced professionals from commercial video games studios
commitment to education and achieving social impact
development studios in Seattle and Tempe
Smithsonian Enterprises and ASU are key partners
games in more than 6,000 schools nationwide
inaugural product in World Games genre!
released internationally Nov. 18
cooperative adventure game set in the Arctic
inspired by traditional stories, narrated in Iñupiaq
created through inclusive development process
www.neveralonegame.com
Telling our story in our voices
Process began by reaching out to elders, youth, storytellers and culture bearers for guidance, perspective and insight
This is unique for video games
Pitfalls of the past
“Hi! We’re these people and we would like to use your culture to develop a product!”
- Jack Dalton
Pitfalls of the past
“Those relationships are often called ‘collaboration,’ but really what that typically means is, Native people are advisors and that’s it.”
- Ishmael Hope
A New Game, Made Differently
We changed the process to involve members of the Alaska Native community in meaningful ways
3 dozen Alaska Native people teamed up with game designers during the scope of the project
Deep partnership that reflects the value of interdependence
Meaningful Involvement:Culture Bearers, Elders, Storytellers
Striving for authenticity:Field research at Smithsonian Institution’s
Arctic Studies Center, Anchorage
Intellectual Property Approach
New approach to IP addressed traditional Native concepts of property rights, plus U.S. copyright laws
Research determined that under Iñupiat tradition stories are owned by eldest in the family line
A New Paradigm for Video Games
pioneer the new genre, World Games• to be published under the
Upper One Games brand
sharing cultures from around the worldin compelling, innovative ways
pairing world-class game talent with indigenous experts to share andcelebrate culture
Never Alone in the Media
• Never Alone's message is about the connection between the community and the individual, how the ties that bind people together allow seemingly impossible tasks. If you've ever wondered how people live in painfully frigid environments like Alaska, playing Kisima Ingitchuna will tell you, in the very voice of the community where it happens.”
– Evan Narcisse, authorpublished 11/17/14
Voices From Gamers
”Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna in Iñupiaq) is different. Its very existence challenges me. Instead of eliciting self-pity, it stands in absolute defiance of everything that I've grown to be, not only telling me to be better, but showing me how.
– Daniel Sharkey, authorpublished 11//20/14, Eurogamer.net
“One word sticks with me after finishing Never Alone: respect. This game is full of it. Respect for the Iñupiat, respect for nature and animals, respect for the things we can't control, and respect for those who try to change their community for the better.”
– Jessica Conditt,published December 10, 2014
Games Give Us a Voice
Quyana
Stay connected at:
neveralonegame.com
elinemedia.comcitci.org