Ahead: GeekGirlCon 2023

GeekGirlCon is happening in Seattle next week from 7 – 8 October and I will be speaking on one panel:

Saturday, 7 October, 2023, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Breaking into the Tabletop Game Industry

If you’ve ever wondered how to get into tabletop games, join Amanda Hamon (Senior D&D Game Designer), Makenzie De Armas (D&D Game Designer), and Regina Buenaobra (Senior D&D Content Marketing Manager) as they discuss their journey to Wizards of the Coast. Insights and advice will be shared!

It has been a while since I’ve spoken on a panel, and this will be my first convention representing as a Wizard. If you’re in town, come through!

Behind: GaymerX2

GaymerX2 has come and gone and I wanted to record a few thoughts about my panels. All of them went really well, in particular my panels on “Creating Character: Exploring Queer Identities Though Games” and “Hiring in Games.”

While Mathew, the moderator of “Coming Out in the Game Industry,” wanted us to focus on positive and life-affirming stories, I did touch upon some of the public bigotry and speculation I faced without actually being publicly “out” as anything, but merely because I was publicly supportive of LGBT rights and feminism. I also discussed the invisibility of bisexual people, the perceptions people hold about my sexual orientation based upon the gender of my spouse, and the tendency of people to view sexual orientation in binary. Lastly, I talked about my experiences at ArenaNet and how it’s been a very welcoming place for me. I’d like to add that while my experience as a queer person in the videogame industry has generally been fine, I have experienced homophobic bigotry face-to-face at a videogame conference for professional developers. Because I live at an intersection of different identities, whatever bigotry I have faced so far has also included elements of racism and sexism—similar to what I discussed in that blog post from 2008. While the panel focused on positive experiences, the reality may be different and will be different based on the individual and their circumstances.

I quite enjoyed speaking on the “Creating Character: Exploring Queer Identities Through Games” panel. I truly was honored to have shared the stage with Carolyn, Heather, Emilia, and Josie. I was fascinated to hear how Naughty Dog approached the character of Ellie from The Last of Us. Ellie is one of the main characters in The Last of Us and the main character in the downloadable side story, The Last of Us: Left Behind. Naughty Dog’s creative director spoke to and incorporated the thoughts of queer women staff members to ensure that they portrayed Ellie and her interactions with Riley, Ellie’s best friend/girlfriend, in a realistic way in Left Behind. I had played both The Last of Us and Left Behind right before GaymerX, and that recent experience gave me a better insight into what was discussed in the panel.

For my part, I discussed Marjory Delaqua and Kasmeer Meade, two main characters in Guild Wars 2‘s Living World ongoing storyline. Marjory and Kasmeer are two women involved in a romantic relationship and they are the most visible same-sex couple in Guild Wars 2. Because of their prominent roles in the Living World, players get to interact with them on a fortnightly basis when a season is active. I discussed the incredibly positive fan reaction to these characters, what Marjory and Kasmeer have meant to some fans, and the importance of representation of diverse identities in videogames. I talked about the time that the lead writer asked me for my thoughts about a snippet of dialogue between Kasmeer and Marjory, and how cool it was that I got to provide feedback. I discussed how important Marjory is to me personally because I so rarely get to see 1) main characters who are 2) queer 3) women 4) of color who look like me (racially) in videogames. I also touched upon the sylvari playable race in Guild Wars 2, how their romantic inclinations are not limited by gender, and how powerful it is for many people that there is a canon pansexual playable race in a major videogame. What I didn’t get to discuss is that, in the world of Guild Wars 2, same-sex romance is culturally accepted and those who would denigrate or judge such pairings as morally wrong are seen as villains.

The “Hiring in Games” panel began with an in-depth presentation from our moderator, Thomas. After that, each of the panelists discussed how they got into the industry and any learnings they had based upon their experience in getting a job in the videogame industry. The presentation was well done  and it had a ton of great tips, from job searching to how to best present yourself at an interview. Even though I was sitting at the front of the room as a panelist, I learned some things myself. Thomas may be reprising this panel at another upcoming convention, with me on the panelist roster, so watch this space for future updates.

GaymerX2 was a great convention all around. In terms of my panels, I was able to talk about a variety of topics, and the audience for each panel was very engaged an interested. I am glad I was able to participate in what may be the last GaymerX convention.

 

Ahead: GaymerX2

I will be speaking in three panels at GaymerX2, which will be taking place in San Francisco from 11 – 13 July. This second incarnation of GaymerX is looking like the last convention they hold, so I’m glad to be a part of it.

The first one is going to be interesting because I never actually “came out” as such, and what people typically assume about this part of my identity is different from reality.

Coming Out in the Game Industry

Friday July 11, 2014 3:00pm – 3:45pm
*GX Panel Room C (3F) (Union Square (3F))

Moderator: Mathew Anderson – Community Manager, SixFoot, LLC

Speakers: Thomas Abrams – Head of Recruiting, ArenaNet, LLC; Regina Buenaobra – North American Community Team Lead, ArenaNet, LLC; Chris Wright

Figuring out how to come out to anyone can feel like a heavy weight bearing down on one’s mind. The good news is that with support lifting this weight can make you feel light as a feather afterward. The even better news is that coming out is getting easier. This panel aims to discuss the current issues and how we can overcome the stigma of coming out to friends, fellow gamers, and as a professional in the industry.

I’m really looking forward to this one. As a long time gamer and lover of stories, I have opinions about identity exploration through media. I’m honored to be in such amazing company. There might be one or two additional panelists added, so I’ll update this post if/when that happens.

Creating Character: Exploring Queer Identities Through Games

Saturday July 12, 2014 10:00am – 10:45am
*GX Panel Room B (3F) (Grand Ballroom C (3F))

Games allow us to explore and identify what it means to be ourselves. They also create opportunities to explore and appreciate the identities of others. Our panelists will examine how our relationships with our in-game personas carry over to the real world, from personal and anecdotal experience.

Moderator: Carolyn Petit – Editor, GameSpot.com

Speakers: Regina Buenaobra – North American Community Team Lead, ArenaNet, LLC; Heather Cerlan – Texture Artist, Naughty Dog, Inc.; Emilia Schatz – Game Designer, Naughty Dog, Inc.; Josie Doggett – VFX Artist, Harmonix Music Systems

Because community managers are generally the most accessible people at a studio, and because so many fans want to break into the videogame industry, I’ve fielded a lot of questions about these topics over the years.

Hiring in Games

Saturday July 12, 2014 11:00am – 12:45pm
*GX Panel Room C (3F) (Union Square (3F))

Moderator: Thomas Abrams – Head of Recruiting, ArenaNet, LLC

Speakers: Mathew Anderson, Community Manager, SixFoot, LLC, Regina Buenaobra, North American Community Team Lead, ArenaNet, LLC

Whether you are a game designer, programmer, artist, or producer, it is not easy to break into this market, as you have a lot of competition for only a small number of roles. You only get one chance to get noticed in our industry, so you have to put your best out there! We see time and time again that talented candidates do not have a solid game plan before searching for the right studio to work for. The norm is to just apply to a lot of studios and hope that someone notices you. Hope is not a plan. This discussion will cover all topics related to getting hired in gaming.

Top