Community Talk May 2026: Rethinking the Role of Gaming in International Development

In this talk, Allie Weis shares a behind-the-scenes look at the first edition of Roots & Pixels, a VLIRUOS ITP (International Training Program) project connecting female-identifying game developers from Belgium, South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda. The project featured a week of masterclasses/interactive workshops and ended with a ‘game jam’ in which groups of female developers created 4 different playable video games in 3.5 days – all focused on the theme of ‘Outgrow Hunger’ (in collaboration with Games for Change and the World Food Programme). 

The main goals of the project are the following: Catalyse sustainable collaboration between European and African game developers/technical creators, empower female developers, and demonstrate the power of creating games for impact.

During the session, she’ll share a mix of practical tips, honest lessons learned, and what she hopes to accomplish for the next edition. Tune in if you’d like to hear more about a somewhat unconventional ITP (yes, video games and sustainable development can go hand-in-hand!) and/or would like to hear tips & tricks from a first-time ITP organizer.

TV coverage

African Game developers visiting Howest 

Speaker
Mrs 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.