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The Number One Educational Resource for the Game Industry

Session Name: Beyond the Final Boss - How Games Industry Professionals Faced Bullying and Overcame to Win (Presented by IGDA)
Speaker(s): Shahid Ahmad, Byron Atkinson-Jones
Company Name(s): Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Xiotex Studios
Track / Format: Advocacy

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Overview: To many youngsters today, the final boss is that person making their lives hell by bullying them. "Beyond the Final Boss" is the story that professionals from the video games industry have to tell about how they faced their final boss and overcame them to win. It's an inspirational story of hope from people who, like many youngsters today, once lived under a dark cloud of pain themselves, and how they pushed through that part of their lives to thrive and succeed in the games industry. In this lecture you will learn about how "Beyond the Final Boss" came about, as told from the perspective of two of its founders, Shahid K. Ahmad and Byron Atkinson-Jones. You will hear their personal stories of being bullied and the effect it had on them. You will hear about how widespread bullying is and the many stories other developers have told them about their experiences. Most importantly, you will hear about how each and every one of these people went Beyond the Final Boss to lead creative, fulfilling, and enriching lives within the games industry. It's a message that those being bullied should hear - a message that can make a difference and message that in fact has made a difference. More than anything, it's a message of hope.

GDC 2013

Shahid Ahmad

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

Byron Atkinson-Jones

Xiotex Studios

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Advocacy

Advocacy