June 10, 2022
Pride and diversity: Links, tips and resources
Diversity has become a central topic for the games industry and information, attention and networking are important in this context. On the occasion of Pride Month, we collect events, resources and organizations that can be interesting for LGBTQ+ game developers, employers or allies to start digging deeper into the topic.
June is Pride Month - a time to celebrate the progress our society has made in terms of acceptance, respect, equal treatment and empowerment of people of all gender identities and sexual orientations over the past years and decades, but also to draw attention to the challenges and problems that still exist in the area of diversity and equality.
For us at Gamecity Hamburg, it is also important to express our solidarity with the Pride movement this month. Important steps are to create awareness for the issues of marginalized groups, challenges and problems, but also on how to become active and change something. With a view to the (German) games industry and Hamburg, we have collected some links to events, resources and organizations that might be interesting for LGBTQ+ game developers, employers or allies.
Of course, this short article does not claim to be complete and is meant as a starting point - so if you know an event, group, interesting resource, organisation or network that is missing from the list, feel free to drop us a mail at office@gamecity-hamburg.de, we'll be happy to add to the list.
Resources:
The game - Association of the German Games Industry has written a very comprehensive guide, from basic questions about diversity, to best practices from different companies, to very specific tips on how your own games company can become more diverse: https://www.game.de/guides/diversity-guide/
Games for change is an initiative that collects, curates, and supports games with social impact through the G4C Award: https://www.gamesforchange.org/games/?_sf_s=LGBTQ%2B
At the LGBTQ Video Game Archive, games professor Adrienne Shaw collects and curates the history of representation of the LGBTQ+ community in digital games: https://lgbtqgamearchive.com/
Organizations & Networks:
The game - Association of the German Games Industry has launched the campaign "Hier spielt Vielfalt" in 2019, including a joint declaration that companies and individuals can sign to set an example for diversity: https://hier-spielt-vielfalt.de/
More information about the campaign and its aims can be found here: https://www.game.de/guides/jahresreport-der-deutschen-games-branche-2020/10-hier-spielt-vielfalt/
A similar, international initiative is #RaiseTheGame, launched by Ukie and various games companies. Here, too, there is a joint statement in which companies commit to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion: https://raisethegame.com/
Gay Gaming Professionals is an organization for the advancement of LGBTQ+ games talent, offering support for education, training, job search, and founding a company: http://gaygamingpros.org/
Orbital started as a small community in the game dev space with an LGBTQ-friendly focus and now has 400 users*: https://discord.gg/87B8dR9
Events:
The Gayming Magazine hosts its digital festival DIGIPRIDE from June to August with a series of panels, streams, etc. From Let's Plays to Game Development to D&D, there's something for everyone: https://gaymingmag.com/digipride/
From June 24-26, the LGBTQIA+ (Inclusion & Diversity) Virtual & Hybrid Hackathon 2022 will take place, where participants will collaborate to develop innovative technological approaches to advance inclusion and diversity. Registration is free: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/lgbtqia-inclusion-diversity-virtual-hybrid-hackathon-2022-tickets-258598524147?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1
Not directly Games-specific, but still important: The event "Pride Our Way - A virtual event for the LGBTQIA+ disabled/chronically ill" on June 24-25, an online event for all those from the LGBTQ+ community who cannot participate in "traditional" Pride parades due to chronic illness or disability: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/pride-our-way-a-virtual-event-for-the-lgbtqia-disabledchronically-ill-tickets-356995341677?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1
Specifically targeting employers is an online event hosted by the American Marketing Association on June 10. At the event, "Creating Inclusive Workplaces for LGBTQ+ Employees" three speakers will share insights and tips on how to create workplace cultures that welcome LGBTQ+ employees: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/dei-event-series-creating-inclusive-workplaces-for-lgbtq-employees-tickets-330747182727?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1
Pride in Hamburg:
The Hamburg Pride Week 2022 will be kicked off by Pride Night on July 30. During the week more events will follow and finally there will be the CSD Parade on August 6. All information can be found here: https://www.hamburg-pride.de/pride-2022
