Australia’s queer gaming convention – for the second year running – has crept over the funding line with less than a day remaining.
The campaign went into the week with around $20,000 still to go, but as was the case last year a huge surge of support at the finish line has brought the country’s first queer gaming convention to within a few thousand dollars. That was the case until around 4:00 PM, when a sizeable donation pushed the campaign over the $60,000 goal.
GX Australia is moving from the Australian Technology Park in Redfern, Sydney, to Olympic Park out at Homebush. It’s a bit more of a hassle as far as public transport is concerned, but the event’s also cheaper to attend — and, unlike the inaugural event, it’ll have air conditioning and better internet access.
If you still want to pledge to the event, and get some free games in the process, you can do so over at Kickstarter. The minimum funding tier to get a ticket is $50, and you’ll get your pick of three locally developer games for your trouble.
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10 responses to “GX Australia Gets Funded On The Final Day”
It was always going to get funded. I’m sure they got enough money from companies and sponsors long before heading to Kickstarter.
I dont really understand the need for this. Did gay people feel excluded from the standard gaming conventions? I thought they were fairly well accepted in gaming circles in general. More so than just about anywhere else. Not saying they should not have this I just dont understand the mechanics behind it. Is it only for gays? Is it themed like a mardi gras? Only gay developers or games? If everyone is welcome then how is it different than a normal gaming convention? I am at a loss. And if this can happen why not a female gaming convention? Or a male? Forget the last one, that would be sexist.
This post from Liam Esler, one of the organisers, should answer most of your questions.
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/11/why-australia-needs-a-queer-gaming-convention/
Appreciated!
I thought the exact same thing Andy.
I feel gaming/comic conventions here have welcomed everyone (straight, gay, trans, etc) with open arms, if anything embrace diversity more than anything. If there’s a market for it, and it appears so, the more the merrier! The only thing I’d hate to see is the separate conventions that may then encourage segregation (I hope that won’t be the case).
The vast majority of “gamers” are indeed awesome people.
But when you see the reaction some people have to attempts at greater diversity in gaming, or reactions to things like the coloured characters in Battlefield 1, you can’t really blame some minorities for wanting their own space.
GX doesn’t mean straight people can’t go! Anyone that says otherwise is being just as prejudicial as the people that prompted the event in the first place. It just means the majority of the content will be skewed towards LGTBI attendees.
“It just means the majority of the content will be skewed towards LGTBI attendees.” See I dont get this. How can you skew a gaming conventions content to LGTBI attendees? They dont like the same gaming stuff that everyone else likes? Afaik its not like there is this massive underground scene of gay games. Some yes, but not enough to have a whole convention centred around it. Unless it’s teeny tiny. And will the convention not have the games shown that other conventions have done so as to continue to skew the content?
Of course they like the same things! You might just see more panels featuring gay people who work in the industry. Or more of a focus on games that do have gay characters, like Bioware’s games or The Last of Us.
GX is also an opportunity for gay gamers to get together with other gay gamers.
I guess it depends on whether you agree with things like affirmative action, but GX isn’t exclusionary. You can still go. It’s not reverse discrimination. It’s not replacing the normal conventions, it’s just an addition. It literally has no negative effect whatsoever on straight gamers, so I don’t understand why some people (not accusing you, by the way!) get so angry or upset about it.
I know where you’re coming from.
But really, does it even matter?
I mean, it’s not about anything bad and what’s the big deal if people want to celebrate more than one thing at once.
No doesnt matter. I am just one of those people that like to know “why” or “how” with things is all. Power to them, just didnt see the need.