Khadeja Merenkov | Polygamer

GaymerX, the world’s only annual video game and geek culture convention for the LGBT+ community and its allies, has arrived on the East Coast! After four successful events in California and one in Australia, the first GaymerX East was held in New York City the weekend of November 11–13.

I attended GXE, as did many other Polygamer alumni. I invited three of them to participate in a panel about their work in gaming diversity, how they stay inspired and motivated, and how they define success. Joining me in this discussion were GaymerX founder Matt Conn (episodes #01 & #32); ethnographer and voice actor Khadeja Merenkov (episodes #05 & #10; and undergraduate community organizer Francesca Carletto-Leon (#33).

Stream the audio recording of this panel below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, Castbox, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive, and stay after the credits for a bonus discussion about the viability of the upcoming Nintendo Switch console.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:07:07 — 31.6MB) | Embed

I recently attended a talk by Boston-based voice actor and ethnographer Khadeja Merenkov about the need to use cultural artifacts accurately and respectfully in video games. Don’t just use a mosque because you like mosques, she advocated; recognize what those objects represent to the culture they come from. I hadn’t previously considered that the inspirations one draws from when creating a fictional game or story need to be taken in context. I asked her onto Polygamer to talk more about how different (non-American) cultures and peoples are portrayed in games. Our discussion ranged from President Obama to Jake Gyllenhaal to Star Trek‘s Captain Sisko.

Watch the video below, or download the audio edition from Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Polygamer explores issues of equality and diversity in the gaming industry. New episodes air every other Wednesday on YouTube and in Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 58:07 — 30.3MB) | Embed

Tag Archives: Khadeja Merenkov

Polygamer #56: Live at GaymerX East

Polygamer #05: Khadeja Merenkov on Cultural Gatekeepers & White Privilege