Sami New Media and Digital Games with Dr. Outi Laiti

[Abstract]

In her presentation Outi Laiti will discuss, based on her research, the aspects of developing Sámi game developers. Her journey introduces e.g. ethnoprogramming, supporting Indigenous youth to achieve programming skills in basic education, and Sami Game Jam, the rapid-paced game developing event. This work speaks to Sámi empowerment in game design where a small minority multi-roling manifests from event planning to design and research. The presentation will also address how to employ Indigenous methodology in game research, and what kind of aspects that choice might have.

[Bio]

Outi Laiti (She/Her), Ph.D. is an Indigenous Sámi game researcher and designer. In 2020, gamesindustry.biz nominated her as one of the 100 Game Changers for her work on promoting e.g. Sámi gaming. She is an Associate researcher at the University of Helsinki Indigenous studies. Her field of research is education and computer science with a focus on Sámi language and culture in digital games and programming. She is also active in designing and co-organizing Sami Game Jams and has been involved in several game development and educational projects in the past. Her doctoral thesis “Old Ways of Knowing, New Ways of Playing” published in January 2021, discusses the potential of collaborative game design to empower Indigenous Sámi.