What one video game developer organization is doing to combat Trump’s immigration ban
The International Game Developers Association was one of the first in the games industry to speak out against Trump's immigration ban. It's no surprise they've taken their protest of the ban a step further to actually help developers in the seven affected countries get visas to come work in the US.
The IGDA will be offering free memberships to developers in the seven countries -- Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Syria -- which, in addition to a host of other benefits, grants members easier access to visas to come work in the US. Membership fees usually range from $25 a year for an unemployed developer to $48 a year.
In an interview in a hotel near the Game Developers Conference taking place in San Francisco this week, Kate Edwards, executive director at IGDA, explained how being a member would help these developers.
"We are the peer advisory organization to the U.S. citizenship immigration service, the USCIS," she said. "So, basically, if a developer wants to work in the United States...usually what happens if a company wants them to come over [is that] they have the option of asking the IGDA for a peer advisory letter [from what is] essentially a peer organization of thousands of game developers worldwide."
Edwards has, in her four years of working with the IGDA, signed over 300 letters in support of developers' O-1 and H-1B visa applications -- for applicants possessing extraordinary abilities or achievements in recognized fields, or applicants with specialized knowledge and occupations, respectively -- from all over the world. She hopes that the offer will be beneficial to developers who aren't looking to relocate to the U.S., too.
"Even if they can’t physically move or travel, they can still be a part of the community," she said. "We want to make sure they feel welcome as much as they can."
Getting a visa before the mess that is the immigration ban was already difficult and convoluted. And we don't know what the extent of this ban could look like in the future, or if the letters of support signed by Edwards can effectively stand against any potential future immigration laws.
"That’s the scary part," Edwards said. "They do have the ability to do it. We’re basically relying on the integrity of the courts to uphold the constitution. But in this environment, it’s always hard to say because it’s always a matter of interpretation."
"We want to make sure they feel welcome as much as they can."
But Edwards sees an even scarier potential future where the administration could eventually want to impose sanctions on content, not just developer access to the U.S.
"My concern, though, is ... what if the U.S. then goes the next step, which is sanctions against these countries saying we’re not just going to restrict people, we’re also going to start restricting content and goods? That’s what’s really going to hurt game developers even more," she said. "If this is taken to other logical conclusions -- logical in the minds of the administration as we seem to perceive it -- that could be much more dangerous."
Her concerns about the immigration ban are rooted in a wider infrastructure problem that she sees in the U.S.: education. "We need the talent. Our education system is not producing those people and that’s a huge concern," she said. "We’re facing that problem like a lot of developing nations where you have to import talent. Germany is doing it -- a lot of Turkish immigrants to Germany, based on historical reasons, but it’s also because they need people working because of the demographics -- the aging of the population. Japan is probably one of the best examples facing that right now. The aging of their population is so severe, they have to face the reality of immigration, which is something Japan has not had to deal with and I think they’re scared of it."
Regardless of whatever the background issues or potential future issues may be, it's fairly universally accepted that the games industry would be remiss without that sharing of talent, and the diversity of experiences that developers from across the world.
Topics Gaming
Tina is the Games Editor for Mashable. She is a born and raised New Yorker. She received a degree in Media, Culture and Communication at New York University, where she also began her writing career. Tina has been editing and writing about video games for 8 years, working across various outlets including Complex Magazine and the former Gawker's Kotaku. She's an excellent first-person shooter player but favors stories above all. She also has the world's softest cat.
