Reclaiming Narratives and Centering Community in Never Alone with Charitie Ropati

Pixel Therapy Pod

Mix up your mulled cider and grab a fuzzy blanket - it's time to get cozy and grab your bi-weekly dose of Pixel Therapy! This week, Spencer takes their maiden voyage with their new gaming computer and joins Jamie in playing Witch Beam's brain massaging masterpiece Unpacking - a little game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Then Jamie explores the unexpectedly heartwarming and wholly entertaining new Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy from Square Enix -- the mashup you never knew you needed.

This week we're also excited to be joined by Yup’ik and Sāmoan Columbia University student and Native rights advocate Charitie Ropati (she/they)! A film buff and iconic tweeter, Charitie is also known for their work in public education honoring the resilience and diversity of Alaska Native culture with decolonized history curricula that's since been adopted in her home of Anchorage. We had an awesome time with Charitie diving deep on Upper One Games' and E-Line Media's Never Alone (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa), a puzzle-platformer adventure game about a young Iñupiat girl and an arctic fox that was developed in collaboration with 30+ Iñupiat elders, storytellers and community members.

Follow Charitie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/charitieropati

Daniel Starkey's Never Alone review: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-11-20-never-alone

Side Quest

The Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) at the Aspen Institute is a national education and advocacy organization that works alongside Native youth—ages 24 and under—on reservations, in rural villages and urban spaces across the country to improve their health, safety, and overall well- being. All Native youth deserve to lead full and healthy lives, have equal access to opportunity, draw strength from Native culture, and inspire one another. At CNAY, this is achieved through empowerment and culturally-competent methodologies that include leadership, youth-led policy agenda, and youth-led narrative. They’re also hiring right now! Learn more about this important organization and donate at cnay.org/ !

About Pixel Therapy

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