Gamecity Impulse: Queer Authenticity in the History of Games

Gamecity

June 23, 2022 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm

For our next Gamecity Impulse event during Pride Month, we want to shine a light on "Authenticity." How authentic can the representation of queer content and characters in video games be? Where do we draw the the line between stereotypes, tropes and faithful representations? Stereotypical or authentic portrayals can have a major impact on players' self-esteem or personal mindsets.

Our speaker Lara Keilbart works as a freelance journalist, podcaster and speaker in Berlin, with a focus, among others, on queerness and diversity. Together with Andreas Müller, a freelance games journalist, she runs Polygamia, a digital culture criticism magazine. She will enlighten us on "Queer Authenticity in the History of Games" on June 23!

► This is a past event, you can watch the recording of Lara's talk here on YouTube.
You can also download the Bibliography / sources for the talk below.

What is Gamecity Impulse?

This event is the fourth issue of our online event series Gamecity Impulse which deals with questions of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion with regard to the games industry and gaming culture.

Gamers are diverse: Around 2,2 billion people around the world play video games, coming from a multitude of ethnic and religious backgrounds, nationalities, genders and sexual identities, abilities, age and language groups. The communities that form around games and the teams that make the games aren't always as diverse. This has already sparked a host of discussions throughout the games industry and community. The German games industry has picked up on the topic, by starting the joint declaration “Hier spielt Vielfalt”, as well engaging in projects, discussions and initiatives as individual companies, associations and people.

As Gamecity Hamburg, we want to contribute to the important discourse by hosting talks and panel discussions on diversity-related topics in different fields of the games industry and gaming culture in our digital event series “Gamecity Impulse”. We hope to help raise awareness of, start discussions, provide for thought as well as offer industry insights on ways to improve equality, diversity and inclusion.

You can find out more about Gamecity Impulse and watch recordings of the three past editions here on our website.

Schedule: