Social Gayming: Boston Gaymers

Boston Gaymers is a social group for LGBT+ gamers in the Boston area to help find and make new friends in a safe and welcoming environment.

I spoke to Matt Vincent, one of the group’s co-founders, to find out more about them and their mission.

Robin: Hi Matt! Let’s start off with you introducing yourself to our readers.

Hello! I’m Matt, one of the co-founders of Boston Gaymers. I help plan and execute the many Boston Gaymers events throughout the year, as well as serving on the admin team which moderates our Discord community and social media presence.

How long has Boston Gaymers been running for?

Boston Gaymers will celebrate its third anniversary this February. We may not be a very long-established organization, but we have made many great strides since our first meetup. Our first official meetup was at PAX East 2017, and this year we get to celebrate both in the same month.

What’s Boston Gaymers’ mission?

Our mission is simple. Create a safe and welcoming community for LGBT+ gamers in the Boston area to make new friends and share their love of gaming together.

We achieve this mission through our events and vibrant Discord. We believe that we offer a unique space in the LGBT+ community, that focuses on friendships and getting to know people rather than falling into the pitfalls that sometimes come with unmoderated communities.

How many members do you have?

Our Discord has over 600 members. We regularly see about 70 or so faces at our events every month.

What inspired you to start Boston Gaymers?

Austin—my S/O—and I were inspired to start Boston Gaymers because we realized one day that we didn’t have any meaningful gay friends. We are hardcore Gaymers at heart, so we would often found ourselves at home on weekends grinding our respective games, rather than out in the community. We also felt like there wasn’t really a place to go in which we—as introverts and socially awkward gamers—would fit in within the gay community.

There existed an active community of Gaymers previously in Boston, but we all know that leading an organization like this takes passion and drive. It’s very easy to have it fall off and the community die if it is not constantly nurtured. We took inspiration from this past group, and the fun I had at an event they hosted years prior, and molded it into what Boston Gaymers is today.

How often do you meet?

We meet multiple times per month; this tends to include a large monthly event and several other smaller ones which offer a better environment to get to know people more closely.

What sort of things do you do?

These events range from Gaymer Parties (Switch games and board games), karaoke, archery tag, movie premieres/nights, holiday events, pot lucks, tournaments, and hiking. We aim to offer a wide variety of events which help connect people on various interests and activities. We all can connect through our love of gaming, but we all have many facets and interests and it’s fun to celebrate those together.

What’s your proudest moment to date?

Our proudest moment to date was the opportunity to set up a table within the Diversity Lounge at PAX East 2018. As I mentioned earlier, our first-ever meetup was just outside that lounge in 2017, and we dreamed about having the group reach a place where we could have our own booth in the future. We were happy to have the space to promote and let people know we existed; we found out that many people were looking for just the type of environment we were offering, so we had a truly large and positive response to our presence.

I will not leave out the amazing fundraising that we have done over the last year for local charities. We ran two 24-hour live streams which rose over $2500 for local LGBTQIA2S+ friendly charities.

How important is it for LGBTQ gamers to have social groups like yours?

Unfortunately the gaming community at large can be a very unwelcoming place for LGBTQIA2S+ people—we oftentimes face harassment and ostracization from others when they find out we are part of the community. This harassment can cause gaymers to leave the scene and stop playing multiplayer games altogether, or stop attending gaming-related events and conventions. This precise situation is where safe spaces and welcoming communities can contribute to continued love of games for gaymers.

Efforts of our own and many other gaymer organizations and charities aim to change the attitudes around gaming, but it is unfortunately a slow and arduous process. We are hopeful that through creating community and shining light on the issues of the mainstream community we can help foster a new era in gaming where everyone is accepted.

What would you say to someone who’s thinking of joining?

I would say: Boston Gaymers is a welcoming and passionate group of amazing people. But, at the end of the day, what you will get out of BG is what you put in. You could lurk on our discord and post a message once in a while, or you could attend every event. You will form relationships and meet new awesome people if you put the effort in and put yourself out there.

As long as you have a good attitude, are respectful, and adhere to the community guidelines, you are welcome to take part in any capacity you wish.

What does the future hold for Boston Gaymers?

Starting the New Year we have lots to look forward to, including another presence at PAX East 2020 in the Diversity Lounge as well as our largest event of the year, our “PAX East Gaymer After-Party.” We aim to keep making our events more accessible through the generous donations of our patrons, and continue to foster our community growth. We are looking forward to making new connections with industry partners and local organizations as well as attending various conventions throughout the year. 

How do people find out more?

You can find out more by visiting our website bostongaymers.com and following the link to join our Discord community. We are active on most social media: @bostongaymers. If you would like to contact us about an event idea or partnership, you can email us at bostongaymers@gmail.com

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