TIGS 2023 will return as a live event focused on mental health for game developers

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The International Games Summit on Mental Health (TIGS) will feature keynote speakers Osama Dorias and Jamil Mullen Higley at its summit in Toronto on October 10 and October 11.

Organized by longtime game professional Mark Chandler, TIGS seeks to help game developers care more about mental wellness and to talk about it when they need help. Chandler has a unique ability to get people to open up and talk about the mental health challenges of working in the game industry.

Dorias has had a long career as a game designer at places including Blizzard Entertainment, Warner Bros., Ubisoft and more. He’s also a game design teacher at Dawson College, the chair of the IGDA Muslims in Games Special Interest Group, the cofounder of the Polaris Game Design Retreat, and one of three habibis on The Habibis podcast.

Dorias loves to empower people in expressing themselves through game making. He especially loves to give a voice to marginalized people and causes. He has hosted game jams, workshops and other community activities to this end.

Mullen Higley is familiar to folks who attended our GamesBeat Summit 2023 event in May, as she headed a roundtable on mental health in games.

For over 20 years, Alyx Vance has been a trusted companion within the Half-life 2 gaming world. Jamil Mullen Higley had the unique opportunity to work with Valve Software in the late 90’s, becoming the face for Alyx, a non-playable character