ACMI, IGEA & Melbourne International Games Week presents
Taking Up Space: A Networking Event for Women & Gender Diverse Game Developers
Tickets
When
Sun 5 Oct
10am–1pm
This friendly networking event aims to amplify the voices of women and gender diverse game developers while building community in the gaming industry.
Taking Up Space returns in 2025. It’s an opportunity to bring women and gender diverse game developers together for a morning of robust conversation, celebration and connection.
Featuring micro-talks from industry professionals discussing the obstacles and triumphs of working in the games industry, this event is aimed at mid- to senior-level developers to focus on building community and demonstrating solidarity with one another.
This daytime, alcohol-free event hosted at ACMI’s Swinburne Studio is a chance to meet and network with other like-minded devs.
As space is limited, please register your interest via this link.
Program Curators
Jojo Zhou
JoJo Zhou (she/they) is a writer and dramaturg across many mediums. She is Head of Narrative on Massive Monster’s Cult of the Lamb, was a writer for DragonBear Studios Innchanted, and has written across theatre, screen, multimedia, podcasts and audio, performance art and installations. They provide dramaturgy and literary services for multiple Australian theatre companies, was a member of Screen Australia’s Future Leaders Delegation in 2024 and holds a Master of Fine Arts from NIDA.
Zea Wolfe
Zea Wolfe (she/they) began her games career in 2015 after working in graphic design, software, and film. She has worked on over a dozen titles, including the critically acclaimed art of rally, Saltsea Chronicles, Day Z and Cult of the Lamb. Zea was named one of the TGA Future Leaders 2023. Now working as an indie developer and moonlighting as a gun for hire via the production consultancy Midnighters, Zea champions the next generation through mentorship, production guidance, and advocacy for greater access for marginalised creatives in games.
Speakers
Bethan Johnson
Bethan Lloyd Johnson (she/her) is Senior Curator at ACMI. Past exhibitions include Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion, Gillian Wearing: Editing Life and Lu Yang: Delusional World. She is now working on a new major videogame exhibition which will open in September. She has previously held curatorial roles at State Library Victoria, British Film Institute and Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Through her curatorial practice she seeks to give voice to unexpected, forgotten and overlooked narratives.
More speakers to be announced
Coming soon...
Melbourne International Games Week 2025
Sat 4 – Sun 12 Oct 2025
Join us for more than a week of celebration of Australian and international videogames culture and industry.
Projects & Partnerships
We have been working closely with the screen sector and small-to-medium creatives since 2015, providing access to a range of resources, programming and connection to industry.
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Community Code of Conduct
Everyone participating in the Taking Up Space networking event — including, but not limited to the meets, clubs and talks — is required to agree to the following code of conduct. This includes all attendees, speakers, performers, patrons, and volunteers.
ACMI and Massive Monster will enforce this code during this event. We expect cooperation from everyone to ensure a safe, diverse, and welcoming environment.
The condensed version
ACMI is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion (or lack thereof). We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.
Sexist, racist, discriminatory, or harassing language and imagery will not be tolerated during this event. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event and premises, as well as all future events without a refund at the discretion of ACMI.
The less condensed version
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Exception: discussion or images related to sex, pornography, discriminatory language, or similar is welcome if it meets all of the following criteria:
— It is necessary to the topic of discussion and no alternative exists
— It is presented in a respectful manner
— Attendees are respectfully given ample warning and opportunity to leave beforehand.
This exception specifically does not allow use of gratuitous sexual images as attention-getting devices or unnecessary examples.
Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are required to comply immediately.
If a participant engages in any of the aforementioned behaviour, ACMI may take any action they deem appropriate, from warning the offender to immediately expelling the offender with no refund.
Reporting and enforcement
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact an ACMI team member immediately. If you can’t or don’t wish to speak in person, or prefer to talk privately or electronically, contact us via gamerclub2@acmi.net.au.
All reports will be handled in the strictest confidence.
With thanks
This document was based on the work of XOXO Festival, JSConf, Geek Feminism, confcodeofconduct.com, and inspired by resources provided by Ashe Dryden.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.