Biography

Alayna Cole was the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager at Sledgehammer Games (an Activision / Microsoft studio) until mid-2024. She ran diversity initiatives supporting authentic game content in the Call of Duty franchise and inclusive employee experience for ~600 people across four SHG studio locations.

Alayna also has experience as founding director of a not-for-profit, an educator, a games journalist, and a researcher. Her work has had a particular focus on LGBTQ+, invisible disabilities, and neurodivergence. She co-wrote 'Cooperative Gaming: Diversity in the Games Industry and How to Cultivate Inclusion' and 'Games as Texts: A Practical Application of Textual Analysis to Games'.

Alayna holds a doctorate in creative arts and has also published several creative explorations of diverse experiences, including 'Queerly Ever After' and 'Becoming Wild: Essays on Society and Self' (due for publication Jan 2024). She has spoken at conferences and events globally, including a United Nations summit on gender-based violence in 2021 and a keynote talk at Games Connect Asia Pacific in 2022.

Alayna is a passionate champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion; she also loves good trees, has too many hobbies to count, and is a connoisseur of hot chips.

Key facts

Hi! I'm Alayna (she/her) and I spend most of my time writing books, hanging out with my dog, and trying to make the games industry a more inclusive place.

Please explore my website to learn more about my expertise, values, and career highlights.

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