Ever since DAGERSystem acquired Can I Play That? we have been awed by the support and love of the community. It was clear to us from the beginning that letting such a vital outlet as Can I Play That? dissolve was not in the best interest of the movement or millions of players with disabilities. Over the past months we have been merging the DAGERS review site and philosophy with Can I Play That’s robust platform, and planning out a future for both brands. However, we’re at a bit of a crossroads.
In previous years, the Can I Play That? Awards has been a focal point highlighting accessibility across video games. But, for the time being we have to reorient our efforts to make sure that Can I Play That? is stable for years to come. While we are not sure what form the Can I Play That? Awards will take in the future we do know that this year they will be held under the DAGERSystem diamond award and will be announced using the diamond award format and name for 2022.
To be clear, the CIPT awards are not permanently gone. They are just being rebuilt, but even in this year of transition there is one award we wanted to make sure got handed out. That is why we have decided to hand the stewardship of the Susan Banks Advocacy award to Ian Hamilton and the folks behind GAConf.
Remembering Susan Banks
I never had the pleasure of getting to know Susan personally but I can tell you that her impact is far larger than CIPT. That’s why we felt that it was important to have her award given out on the largest stage possible. For the last three years Ian Hamilton has been instrumental in organizing and executing the Can I Play That? Awards. It’s clear to DAGERSystem’s board that this award needs to be given the widest possible exposure and needs to be handled by someone who is more familiar with the early days of Can I Play That?. So it is my honor to formally announce that from now on the Susan Banks Advocacy award is part of GAConf and will be that award show’s premier decoration for those pushing the field of accessibility forward.
