S2 E2: Self-Expression, Representation, and Generational Gaming with Adanna Nedd

Narrative designer, games writer, and games researcher Adanna Nedd brings her extensive knowledge of what's current in gaming to expand our horizons. Explore unexpected questions like: what's "friend slop" and why does it matter? What does self-expression really mean to marginalized groups in games? How is one of the current breakout games innovating in women's health? Why are some vintage consoles still getting playtime? And... what do spiders have to do with AI? While Adanna's research focuses on the experiences of players of color in video game spaces, the insights she brings are applicable to all listeners at any stage or role in gaming: player, developer, leader. Adanna is also a speaker at the 2026 GDC Festival of Gaming and is nominated for the Black in Gaming Foundation's 2026 Indie Developer Award for her community engagement and outreach, trying to help solve the discoverability problem by connecting interested gamers and game devs to the games that can serve them. You'll learn more about the cognitive benefits of gaming, economic drivers of self-expression, and a surprising revelation about a challenge facing younger gamers in this generation. Don't miss this fun and extremely practical exploration of an astonishing array of modern games and genres. For readers of host Cheryl Platz's new critically acclaimed book The Game Development Strategy Guide, this episode not only hits the Motivators of Play, but covers the Spectrum of Gaming Graphics from Chapter 8: Creating Immersive Worlds, some of the topics from Chapter 11: Efficient and Ethical Economies, and goes deep on topics from Chapter 6: The Why of Multiplayer. Show Notes: https://www.gamedevelopmentstrategyguide.com/enduring-play-a-game-dev-podcast-season-2-episode-2-adanna-nedd-show-notes/ #gamedev #gdc2026 #indiegames #gamesresearch