Roundtable: DEI as DLC: Optional add-on or core mechanic?
This roundtable invites you to explore the following question: In 2025, is DEI still seen as a core mechanic in our industry, or has it been shifted to DLC status — a nice to have, but not a need to have? We’ll explore the impact of deprioritizing inclusion on both the side of staff practices and the side of content.
Participants will be able to share and reflect on challenges while discussing best practices for building and supporting inclusive studios/authentic game content even in uncertain times, and we’ll unpack how to move beyond checkbox diversity toward conversations that are truly nuanced and constructive.
No matter your role in the games industry, this is a space to reflect, challenge, and reimagine the present and future of DEI in the digital entertainment space. This is a space for open conversation, not an echo chamber – so please feel welcome to join on in if this roundtable topic intrigues you.
Speaker Bio
Allie Weis is the Ethics Coordinator in International Game Development and Internships Coordinator at Howest University of Applied Sciences: Digital Arts and Entertainment (DAE) in Kortrijk, Belgium. Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Allie graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Loyola University Maryland. As a recipient of a Fulbright grant, she relocated to Belgium and found herself most at home in Kortrijk, where she now lives with her toothless cat. While working at Howest DAE, she discovered the overlaps between her academic interests and digital entertainment. She served as a Community Manager at DAE before transitioning into her current position of Ethics Coordinator and host/producer of the ‘Game for Thought’ video series, tackling a different topic each month (i.e. accessibility, ethics and AI, crunch time, sustainability, inclusive recruitment).
Allie has worked together with students to cultivate a Code of Conduct for the student community, highlighting the relevance and importance of ethics – even within a highly-technical curriculum. She also works closely with affinity groups on campus, ensuring that each student can be unforgivably themselves. She also teaches a course for all first-year students called ‘Career Skills,’ surrounding critical topics of personal and professional development, and is responsible for student internships. She is also the Vice President of the Fulbright Alumni Association Board in Belgium and believes strongly in intercontinental exchange and cross-cultural understanding. Fueled by coffee and enthusiasm.
