Authenticity builds trust—and great storytelling.

This session is for creators who want to explore identity, culture, and ethics in their worldbuilding and character design. Whether you’re drawing from your own background or representing someone else’s, we’ll unpack how to do it with care, accuracy, and nuance.

Why This Matters:

Throughout my career, I’ve worked to uplift and accurately represent underrepresented cultures while challenging the myths and clichés that often surround them. I approach representation not just as a checkbox under DEI, but as a meaningful anthropological and sociological endeavor in interactive media.

Areas of Expertise Include:

• Arabic, Persian, and Kurdish cultures and belief systems
• North African traditions, especially pre-Islamic Amazigh heritage
• Southeast and Eastern European cultures, including Ukraine and the Balkans
• Turkic and nomadic civilizations across Southwest Asia

What We’ll Cover:

• Cultural audits of in-game narratives and characters
• Deep dives into belief systems, traditions, and worldviews
• Feedback on representation choices and historical accuracy
• Guidance on how to respectfully integrate or localize cultural elements

Ideal For:

• Writers designing characters with deep cultural roots
• Studios wanting to avoid reductive or tokenistic portrayals
• Teams building expansive worlds influenced by real-life civilizations

Outcome: Culturally grounded creative direction + clearer confidence that your work resonates and respects.