PRESENTED BY Gloria O’Neill President & CEO Storytelling for the Next Generation Harnessing the power of video games to 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 CITC Service Area

Embracing technology in Service of Our Mission  CITC Board embraced technology as a tool to preserve culture, reach our youth and advance CITC’s vision  Engagement can lead to empowerment.

A New Model of 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

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 world in compelling, innovative ways  pairing world-class game talent with indigenous experts to share and celebrate 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, author published 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, author published 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.com citci.org