The International Game Developers Association Foundation (IGDA-F) has announced the appointment of three industry veterans to the board.
Kepler Interactive producer and Girl Geek Academy co-founder Lisy Kane, Black Voices in Gaming board member and ID@Xbox Creative Partner Program lead James Lewis, and the IDGA-F’s director of global development and Electronic Arts development director Sarah Spiers are joining the IDGA-F board, furthering its mission to foster diversity within the games industry and improve the lives of game developers worldwide.
“The IGDA-F is honoured to welcome these three accomplished and impressive individuals to the board,” said IDGA-F chair Christina Alejandre. “Lisy, James, and Sarah’s perspectives as industry professionals will allow the Foundation to go even further in our goals of diversity and inclusion.”
Making the industry a better place
Kane co-founded Girl Geek Academy in 2014, and by 2025 the group hopes to have taught a million girls and women proficient in STEM technologies, as well as helping them found their own start-ups. She was included in Forbes’ 2017 30 Under 30: Games list, being the only Australian developer included on the list. She currently leads production initiatives and Kepler Interactive, as well as acting as a producer and advisor with game investment fund Kowloon Nights.
James Lewis has spent 10 years at Xbox as a publishing producer, Xbox Game Studios producer, and senior business development manager. Lewis currently leads ID@Xbox’s Creative Partner Program to support indie developers. He also holds leadership roles at Black Voices in Gaming and Project Amplify, an initiative to grow the Black game production community.
Sarah Spiers joins the IDGA-F board following her roles at Earplay Inc., Filament Games, PUBG Corporation, and Studio Drydock, and currently holds the role of development director at Electronic Arts’ Maxis Studios. Spiers also holds the position of IDGA-F director of global development, having previously held the role of interim executive director. Spiers was featured in Forbes' 2022 30 Under 30: Games list, and has been inducted into the Women in Games Hall of Game.
These new appointments represent an industry-wide push for greater inclusivity in gaming. In December, Zynga studio NaturalMotion launched Access All Areas, a virtual studio to foster diversity.
