Keynotes

Kaitlyn Jones

Kaitlyn Jones is a Program Manager on Xbox’s Gaming Accessibility Team at Microsoft, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, an Director of Clinical Outreach for the accessible gaming non-profit organization Warfighter Engaged. Her primary roles at Microsoft include driving accessibility initiatives across Xbox hardware and platform programs and creating accessibility resources for game developers including the award-winning Microsoft Gaming Fundamentals Training and recent updates to the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines. Kaitlyn is a life-long gamer and passionate advocate for the creation of accessible solutions within all mainstream technologies.

Xalavier Nelson Jr.

Xalavier Nelson Jr. is a BAFTA-nominated studio head, narrative director, and writer, with dozens of titles under his belt including Reigns: Beyond, Hypnospace Outlaw, An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs, Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, and El Paso, Elsewhere. He also makes strides in a burgeoning storytelling career outside of games, with releases such as the cult hit comic Sherlock Holmes Hunts the Moth Man.

Rémy Devaux

Rémy Devaux Solo creator of small games since 2016, and developer of their own game engine SUGAR since 2018. In 2021 they founded PUNKCAKE Délicieux along with fellow Pico-8 enjoyer Benjamin Soulé and chiptune extraordinaire Pentadrangle. The studio's goal is to make a new game every month, constantly exploring new ideas while also delivering well-crafted experiences. Remy makes some of the games but also does engine upkeep and marketing for all the games.

Holly Nielsen

Holly Nielsen is a historian, writer, and narrative designer based in London. She is currently completing her PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her thesis is titled 'British Board Games and the Ludic Imagination, c.1860-1960'. Alongside her academic work Holly does writing and narrative design for video games. Before pivoting to academia and games, Holly was a journalist and arts critic, with bylines including The Guardian, The New Statesman, and Vice, among others.