We've gotten so many responses from potential speakers that want to participate in AlterConf, but aren't sure what to speak about. Well never fear! We've started putting together a wishlist for talks to seed ideas :)

  • using open data to track police brutality
  • the intersection of high paying tech jobs and gentrification
  • #altgames
  • how homogeneity in product creation leads to exclusion of potential users
  • fatigue from having to codeswitch due to a homogenous work/community environment
  • telling it like it is and coming to terms: your company isn't making the world a better place
  • the myth of meritocracy
  • games as scaled problem solving - identifying objects in space, cancerous cells, etc
  • the damage caused by hierarchy-allergic companies
  • outsourcing and racism/western-centrism
  • kids creating games
  • SMS innovations in the developing world (payments, health care, emergencies)
  • how the nature of an ad-supported internet and, therefore, a data-mining internet, endangers marginalized people
  • the pipeline fallacy
  • the difference between diversity and inclusion
  • non-American perspectives on American-dominated tech industry
  • "you're being oversensitive" and other silencing tactics
  • criticism, conflict, and no road to compromise over harmful actions
  • anti-Blackness and cultural appropriation
  • junior developers: the movement to create them isn't being matched by employment opportunities + mentorship
  • the impact of English-dominance on the web or games
  • not feeling included as a woman of color in women in tech OR people of color spaces
  • classism and access in learning to code/using technology/playing games
  • the tech that makes managing your health possible
  • funding (crowdfunding, VC funding, etc) for marginalized people
  • being pushed out of/away from technical positions to ancillary positions
  • the commodification of Blackness in product and game creation
  • improving accessibility in the workplace
  • games for audiences with older/limited devices or unreliable low-bandwidth internet
  • how "sharing economy" companies use of contractors vs employees is harming communities
  • representation of sex workers in video games
  • navigating company-provided health insurance as a trans person/person with invisible disabilities/person with chronic illness/non-"traditional" family structure
  • the pervasive belief of exceptionalism (companies, communities, or individuals in non-marginalized groups)
  • The persecution of Muslims and the coercion of "blending in"
  • tech money, libertarianism, and the long-lasting effects of their political lobbying
  • how a community's technical politics mirror their interpersonal actions
  • making games accessible to people with epilepsy, motor skill delays, etc
  • integrating trigger warnings or content notices into games and sites, allowing content to be bypassed
  • user experience considerations that allow for the use of software that interprets eye movement
  • accessibility frameworks in iOS, Android, and desktop operating systems that developers should be aware of
  • how accessibility in mobile devices has changed your life
  • trans discrimination in hiring (background checks, stereotypes, lack of education, healthcare, and more)
  • social networks fostering micro-community building
  • finding safe spaces online (social media, games)
  • unlearning toxic culture
  • flexible time and remote work done right
  • AfroLatinxs - erasure on multiple fronts
  • activism online - education, grassroots movements, etc
  • heroes and seniority: how poor behavior and abuse are tolerated in our communities and companies
  • the erasure of "passing"
  • refugees: retraining for career opportunities
  • expanding the definition of tech or games
  • management adopting off-brand inclusivity and our inability to criticize it
  • the history of marginalized people in video games
  • surveillance online/data-privacy
  • open source, hackathons, game jams, and other championed free labor exploited by billion dollar industries
  • integrating the use of tech + games into other fields (therapy, healthcare, fashion, music, art, science, etc)
  • promoting to management as a reward for technical prowess, ignoring people skills
  • the burden of educating about diversity/inclusion
  • microaggressions in gameplay
  • service industry workers and their mistreatment by the tech industry
  • the art of self-care
  • supporting parents at your company
  • web illiteracy and lack of access to technology
  • the aftermath of harassment or assault in the tech or gaming industry
  • online harassment and abuse, including doxxing
  • protecting your privacy online; little-known personal security issues online
  • the new journalism: theft of intellectual conversation on twitter and via activist hashtags
  • venture capitalism as colonialism
  • hiring and promoting fairly
  • why outsourcing HR + other "people" functions damages trust and culture
  • games as therapy (playing, making, designing as therapy-aid)
  • building diverse and open communities
  • alternative business structures/wage-sharing structures in tech
  • tech for low end devices
  • why you left the industry
  • critique/examination of the civic data movement
  • teaching empathy with games
  • disaster recovery aided by low-cost, readily available hardware + free/open source software
  • how tech marginalizes rural populations
  • marginalization in the sharing economy
  • solving pain points for marginalized people with apps
  • how tech is making the world accessible/how tech fails at accessibility
  • inclusive language: detecting negative connotation and what it signals
  • how choose-your-own-adventure-style interview processes are increasing diversity + inclusion throughout the hiring pipeline
  • the need for the whisper network and how it's limited
  • organizing inclusive events with an eye for safety
  • crunch culture and lean companies
  • unequal rewards: salary, stock, benefits, and perks in engineering-centric companies
  • company and community diversity facades: PR before people

Have more ideas that aren't present here? Tweet at @alterconf and we'll add them!