This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend GaymerX2, the sequel to the first convention of its kind. Striving to push boundaries and promote inclusivity for all in gaming, GaymerX looks at the gaming industry from an LGBT perspective. With the theme of inclusivity, allies not part of the LGBT community were welcome as well. I had a blast, and part of that was the sense of respect and community that seemed inherent in the event.
Having the LGBT community in mind resulted in having small details that meant a lot to many attendees. Having things such as gender pronoun identifiers on badges, and gender neutral bathrooms shows the thought put into making everyone feel welcome in the space. Most of the programming was geared toward the LGBT community as well, and issues specific to both sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Panels covered everything from coming out in the gaming industry, to exploring queer identity through games, to forming relationships with straight allies in the gaming community. Gearbox Software and Bioware even had panels highlighting the forward thinking work coming from them in the near future.
The fun continued on the expo hall floor, where 2k Games had a chance to play Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Ubisoft had a daily raffle giving out games (SO MANY GAMES!) and there were plenty of opportunities to play some awesome indie games. One developer was demoing a game called Throw Trucks With Your Mind in which you wear a device on your head, which measures your focus and your calm. The more calm and focused you are, the stronger your super powers are! He hopes to demonstrate some therapeutic qualities for the game, but for now it lets you throw things at your friends with your mind, and who hasn’t dreamed of doing that?