Tanya DePass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tanya Colleen DePass
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1973 (age 51–52) |
| Years active | 2014–present |
Tanya DePass (born 1973) is an American journalist, activist, and streamer. She is also known by her online name, Cypheroftyr. Tanya started a non-profit group called I Need Diverse Games in 2016.
Contents
Early Life and Gaming
Tanya DePass grew up in Chicago. She loved playing tabletop and video games from a young age. She saw games as a way to use her imagination and visit new worlds. Games were a fun escape for her.
However, Tanya noticed that characters who looked like her, especially Black and queer characters, were often not main heroes. They usually had small roles. She wanted to see more diverse characters who could save the world.
Tanya DePass's Career
Tanya writes articles about diversity, feminism, and race. Her work has appeared in places like Polygon and Vice. She also helps game companies and groups make their games more inclusive.
She helps plan events for OrcaCon and GaymerX. Tanya edited a book called Game Devs & Others: Tales from the Margins (2018). This book shares stories from people in the games industry who felt left out. In 2020, she became a special researcher at USC.
Tanya also helped create the Fifth Season RPG in 2020. This role-playing game is based on the popular Broken Earth book series. Her work has even been shown in a special exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Streaming and Activism
Online, Tanya is known as Cypheroftyr. She streams games on Twitch. In 2020, she held a special charity stream during the George Floyd protests. She raised over $140,000 in one day to help The Bail Project. This money helped people who needed assistance with bail.
Tanya has received many honors for her work. Fireside Magazine, where she was an editor, was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine in 2019. In 2020, she was one of two dozen Black people honored by the Diana Jones Award for "Black Excellence in Gaming". Kotaku also named her one of their "Gamers of the Year" in 2020. She was also part of the first "Future Class" at The Game Awards 2020.
Her efforts to make the gaming world more welcoming were shown in a film called Game Changer. This short movie was directed by basketball player Tina Charles. It was first shown at the Tribeca 2021.
I Need Diverse Games
In 2014, Tanya started using the hashtag #INeedDiverseGames. This happened after a game company said it was too hard to make female characters for a new game. Tanya felt strongly that she was "sick of games where I don't get to be the hero." The hashtag became very popular. People used it to share positive messages about wanting more different types of characters in video games.
Tanya officially started the non-profit organization I Need Diverse Games in August 2016. This group, based in Chicago, worked to help people who are not often seen in the video game industry. They wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to be part of gaming. The group got money from Patreon and other fundraising events.
One of their main goals was to help people attend big video game events. They offered financial help and passes to conferences like the Game Developers Conference. In 2020, the scholarship program stopped due to the pandemic. The organization also held talks about diversity at gaming events. They also highlighted the work of people who are often overlooked. In 2024, the foundation lost its charity status, and its website closed.
Web Series and Role-Playing Games
Tanya was a player in Rivals of Waterdeep, a Dungeons & Dragons online show. This show featured a cast of people of color. It started in 2018 and was an official Wizards of the Coast production. The show was broadcast on the official Dungeons & Dragons Twitch channel until 2023.
In 2021, Tanya also played in The Black Dice Society. This was another Dungeons & Dragons show on the official Wizards of the Coast channels. She was also the creative director for the Into the Mother Lands web series. Based on this series, Tanya raised money on Kickstarter in 2021 for a new role-playing game. The project raised over $360,000. As of January 2025, the game is still being developed.
