Gayming Magazine and Playtra Games join forces in new LGBTQ+ indies festival: Indie Games Make It Better
Indie games have long since been putting in the work necessary to highlight and involve LGBTQ+ representation and the queer developers putting in the work to make it all possible. As years have passed, the spotlight on these games have been getting brighter… But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to show the monumental importance of queer indie games and the developers behind them. That’s where “Indie Games Make It Better” comes in.
We’ve joined forces with Playtra Games to launch the Indie Games Make It Better festival. It’s a weeklong gaming marathon that brings together queer developers and their LGBTQ+ inclusive games, and streamers to benefit the It Gets Better Project. The non-profit provides critical support and empowerment to young people from all around the world who are LGBTQ+, and has done so since it was started up back in 2010.
The Indie Games Make It Better festival will highlight a variety of fun and unique indie games made by LGBTQ+ developers and their teams. It also invites streamers to help fundraise for the It Gets Better Project, with 100% of donations going directly to the non-profit.
“Indie games offer developers the chance to tell wholesome, real stories and dive into some pretty contentious areas,” our own Robin Gray, founder of Gayming Magazine, says. “This freedom to write and craft stories is something that the big studios struggle with because they are usually worried about their bottom line rather than telling the best possible story.”
Dan Bernardo, the founder of Playtra Games also had this to say. “This is about addition, not subtraction. Despite the increasing awareness of the importance of adding diverse voices to the gaming industry, very little investment and trust go to indie projects, especially those developed by LGBTQIA+ creators.” He continues, “despite that, indies will continue risking everything, trailblazing trends, and using these wonderful empathy-making machines called games to support great causes like the It Gets Better Project. And I hope more big players in the industry eventually join us in this mission.”
Support for the festival has been incredible. Official supporters include:
- Creative Assembly
- WINGS
- Accidental Queens
- Snoozy Kazoo
- Deli Interactive
- Beautiful Glitch
- Perfect Garbage
- Grimorio of Games
- Split Fate Studios
- Rocket Adrift
- Seagull Fish Entertainment
- IV Productions
The Indie Games Make It Better Festival will start on October 11th, also known as National Coming Out Day. It will run until October 17th.
To find out more information about the festival, head over to the project’s official website. And remember, support queer indies!
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