This article is sponsored by BWS.
It’s been a rocky start to the year for those working in game development. At the time of writing, there have been over 6,000 layoffs within the industry in January alone. Some have speculated that this is the industry rebalancing after overhiring during the COVID years, while other reports suggest this is to make room for AI.
Worse still, there are some very vocal parts of the wider gaming community cheering in support of these mass layoffs, along with the possibility of more to come. Browsing games industry news on X (formerly known as Twitter) feels like staring into the third eye of a Lovecraftian monster. That is to say, it’s a hollowing experience.
Despite the industry’s efforts in recent years to increase inclusivity both in games and game development, a recent study by GLAAD suggests that the games industry is still failing LGBTQIA+ players. GLAAD found that while games play an important role in the lives of many LBTQIA+ gamers, helping them find community and escape from conservative communities, games are still falling short in terms of adequately representing and reaching those players.
Due to the increasing amounts of layoffs within the industry, job security has been front of mind for everyone involved in the industry. While the dev community has been steadfast on LinkedIn to encourage and help their fellow colleagues find new roles, these layoffs have made plenty of LBTQIA+ devs uncertain of their future in the industry, which has historically had issues with diversity.
We spoke to some LGBTQIA+ devs about how they’re managing their mental health in the face of these layoffs and the continued challenges of the industry.
Kotaku AU: Hello, there have been immense layoffs in the tech and gaming space, how has this affected the overall LGBTQIA+ gaming community?
Lauren Clinnick | Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Lumi Interactive: A lot of the time, marginalised game creators are not in the top senior executive positions of these tech and gaming companies. It’s an unfortunate truth that the real diversity in many of these companies is actually at the lower levels of seniority, and are often more likely to be affected by layoffs.
That said, last time there were mass layoffs, we saw a lot of exciting, independent game studios rise from the ashes – so I’ll be keeping a close eye on the exciting projects that get announced 6 months from now.
It can be hard to feel optimistic during times like these, and I definitely don’t want to minimise how disruptive and difficult it is to be laid off. In some cases, it can be an inflection point for new ideas or drive conversation around different ways of doing business – but in others, it means our industry will lose talent completely.
Pete Foley | Co-Founder of Fuzzy Ghost: I think it’s affected the LGBTQIA+ community much the same as our peers getting laid off alongside us – you just can’t help but notice that it’s the rich, white men at the top who are safe. Join your Union, friends.
How are game studios’ stances on LGBTQIA+ issues translating into the overall game industry and queer community?
Lauren: As a queer person growing up, I never imagined that I’d be able to play so many games that have some form of queer representation.
As an example, it was very impactful for me to see Neil Newbon win the Best Performance Award at the Game Awards for his portrayal of Astarion because Astarion is canonically pansexual. He’s someone who has survived abuse of all kinds throughout his life, and having that character (and his nuanced portrayal) be acknowledged at such a massive event felt very important.
Pete: If we’re talking about the portrayal of queers in games in general, there’s a lot further to go, but I’m optimistic. I love Aloy suddenly getting a girlfriend in Horizon, you don’t get much more high profile than that. I think the portrayal of masc presenting queers, particularly men, is still considered “not safe”, and there’s a lot of classic misogyny and toxic masculinity to unpack from that one, but plenty of people have discussed that in more nuance than I can do justice.
There’s one common response to any queer representation (or POC representation, or especially female POC characters) – the cry of “pandering” or “forced inclusion” which absolutely sucks. It’s a real group response to immediately invalidate the character from a meta “this was done for politics” as though white cis men are neutral.
What are some of the new challenges in game dev right now?
Jessica Zammit | Narrative Designer: Mass layoffs are saturating the job market, leaving far more job seekers than jobs available, in a world where companies are cutting costs. Breaking into the industry was always hard – especially for marginalised people – but now it’s hard to stay in it too. AI is also a big one, with companies favouring the ability to churn out larger quantities of subpar material instead of better quality work created by actual people with creative minds.
Then there’s the work itself, particularly in the mobile gaming space. Sacrifices are being made when it comes to game mechanics and engaging content in favour of shallow features that can be easily monetised. The push to return to offices is another one, which we all know is broader than just a games industry problem, but with the boom in gaming during the pandemic, a lot of people started their jobs as remote workers and are now finding themselves asked to go into an office instead – and for many, that might mean relocation (which is a big ask when job stability is so rare).
Emma Waters | Co-Founder of Towerpoint Games: A lot of the tech around game development has been going through weird uncertainty recently – the controversy around Unity’s pricing model last year, for example, or the recent mess with Apple and its own attempts to get its share of money from developers. Decisions made by huge organisations can have a massive impact on the people who are relying on them, and a lot of the time no one has much recourse.
How are you handling all the changes within the game dev space?
Jessica: These issues have hit me pretty hard personally. I’ve now been laid off twice in this latest wave, the first time in October 2022 and the second in December 2023. It’s obviously been a huge personal blow, but it’s also been hard to see the people I love, look up to, and respect in the industry falling on hard times, too.
So many people are in this industry for the love of the art form, but it’s hard to create meaningful art when our livelihoods are in the hands of those who prioritise monetisation and corporate profits. It’s a lot to handle, and I think we’re all just doing the best we can.
Lauren: One of the biggest challenges facing game devs at the moment is navigating the constant algorithm changes on social media.
Independent game developers have to build their audiences on our own platforms. We might find a formula that works well for us on TikTok (for example), only to have the algorithm change on us and we’re right back to square one. So basically we’re all trying to figure out how to manage that risk! It’s really tricky, but we appreciate all the creators and developers that share and collaborate with us.
Emma: Seeing the broader games industry kind of falling to pieces a little is slightly terrifying – we’re only a small studio, so we’re mostly safe directly, but publishers and investors losing confidence in the whole industry impacts all of us.
The only thing anyone here can do is kind of grin and bear it, do the best that we can and hope our little studio can scrape by until the cycle starts turning back to positive. As for things like AI or monetisation, we don’t really have the power to change other people’s choices, but we can at least hold ourselves to our own ethical standards and avoid them. We’re fortunate enough that a decent proportion of gamers, especially in the indie scene, care about those standards as much as we do, so I don’t think holding to them is going to sink us just yet.
What are great places for the LGBTQIA+ community to reach out and find support right now?
Lauren: Here in Australia we’ve got Switchboard, which is a crisis line for the LQBTQIA+ community. Transgender Victoria and the Pride Center in St. Kilda are also organisations that gather and provide resources to help us find community with each other.
I hesitate to recommend social media because I personally tend to fall into the trap of doomscrolling, but I know that can also be a great place to meet like-minded folks and build that sense of community as well.
Jessica: I wish I had more answers for you, but really, it depends on the kind of area you’re from and what kinds of support you’re interested in. There are a few good Discord servers (Game Developers of Australia is the first that comes to mind) filled with a lot of diverse devs and resources. The IGDA also has an LGBTQIA+ special interest group which is a little inactive, but devs could still find support there if they reached out!
What are some great games that you’d like to recommend designed by LGBTQIA+ devs or have strong LGBTQIA+ themes?
Jessica: There are so many! If you search the LGBTQIA tag on itch.io, you can find a wealth of games with queer themes, or that are made by queer devs, or both! But there are a lot of bigger titles too. Any of the Life is Strange games, Gone Home, Tell Me Why, Undertale, Dream Daddy, Celeste, Stray Gods – or check the database I helped to curate over at Represent Me. Or, if you want more specific recommendations, feel free to reach out on Twitter – I love talking about queer games!
Emma: As a trans person I feel obligated to mention Celeste, which is a beautiful game with a strong and very trans-themed narrative – and which turned six recently! The developers made a cute 3D version to celebrate, which people can download for free.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Jessica: Times are hard for everyone right now, particularly those of us who were already fighting for our place in the industry – one that’s now rapidly growing smaller, in a lot of scary ways. But the industry at large, particularly those in charge, need to remember that diversity isn’t only something you should focus on in the good times – it’s not a bonus or an added extra. It needs to be a consideration in all media going forward – if nothing else, because we’re a huge part of your audience, and we’re ready to support you if you support us.
Want to continue supporting local LGBTQIA+ folks in the gaming industry? Check out the BWYASSS Supporting Pride Far & Wide site, made in collaboration with BWS. It features Pride events, inclusive venues, BWYASSS stores, and LGBTQIA+ owned and run businesses across the country who continue to advocate for members of the local community.
Image Credit: iStock
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