Polygamer #62: Sabriel Mastin of Overwatch & Overbuff

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Ken Gagne

Sabriel Mastin is the head of social media and support for Overbuff, a stats-tracking website for Overwatch, the popular first-person shooter from Warcraft developer Blizzard. When not competing in competitive multiplayer matches as Tracer or Ana, Sabriel is engaging with fans on Facebook and Twitter, congratulating them on their gameplay and helping them track their improvement using Overbuff. Sabriel is also a frequent panelist at PAX East, where she advocates for diversity and LGBT representation.

In this episode, Sabriel gives me a primer on Overwatch: what makes it different from other first-person shooters, the diversity of its cast of characters, how the community handles harassment, and how Overbuff fits into the equation. Overbuff is Sabriel’s first paid job in the gaming industry, and we discuss her dream to eventually find herself on-camera in the e-sports community. We then talk about Playing with Pride, the documentary by recent Polygamer alumnus Matt Baume for which Sabriel was interviewed, and the experience Matt related in which Sabriel shared something personal with on her PAX East 2016 panel.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Mixcloud, acast, or TuneIn. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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GaymerX (GX3)

GX, or GaymerX, is an annual convention focused on games — video games, tabletop games, card games, and creating a fun and safe space for gamers and gaymers of all identities to have fun and hang out with like minded folks.

Although it’s a “queer space”, with many of the panels revolve around queer issues or queer devs, GX is made for everyone and everyone is welcome!

This year’s special guests include:

Jennifer Hale, voice of Commander Shepard and a ton of amazing lead characters including Samus Aran (Metroid) Jaden Korr (Star Wars), and Naomi Hunter (MGS)
Natasha Allegri, creator of Bee and Puppycat and a part of the success of Adventure Time (and the creation of Fionna and Cake!)
Dr. Rob Jagnow, co-creator of the hit games Cogs and Extrasolar
Zach Weiner, creator of webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Ellen McLain, voice of GLaDOS (Portal)
John Patrick Lowrie, voice of The Sniper (TF2)

Musical performances from:

2 Mello
SAMMUS
Doubleclicks
Super Soul Bros.

And more!

Listen to Polygamer‘s interview with GaymerX co-founder Matt Conn!

Polygamer #32: Matt Conn of Read Only Memories

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Ken Gagne

Matt Conn is the CEO of MidBoss, the studio behind Read Only Memories, a point-and-click adventure game featuring a diverse cast of characters. It is the first game from the same studio that produces the annual GaymerX (GX3) convention and the documentary Gaming in Color.

In this interview (originally recorded for the IndieSider podcast), Matt and Ken discuss why MidBoss chose the first-person adventure genre as a vehicle for social justice; who the game’s target audience is and what the reception has been from those quarters; what challenges are inherent to writing a script featuring diverse characters; and whether it is the responsibility of indie or AAA studios to include marginalized voices in their games’ casts.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Mixcloud, acast, or TuneIn. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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The Queerness and Games Conference

The Queerness and Games Conference (QGCon) is an annual, community-oriented, nationally-recognized event dedicated to exploring the intersection of LGBTQ issues and video games. Now in its third year, QGCon is held on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. The event is free to the public. In 2015, QGCon will be held from Friday, October 16, to Sunday, October 18.

Accessibility, inclusion, and creativity are key values of QGCon. We seek to foster dialogue between scholars, game developers, and game players. QGCon audiences are diverse, and presentations emphasize engagement and play. We believe in an intersectional approach to queerness. Addressing topics of gender, race, ability, body type, class, etc. reminds us that the struggles (and victories) of those of us who play from the margins are interconnected struggles.

Past QGCon keynotes have included visionaries from both queer studies and video games, such as: Naomi Clark, Jack Halberstam, Merritt Kopas, Brenda Laurel, Colleen Macklin, Lisa Nakamura, and Kathryn Bond Stockton. Additional featured speakers have included outstanding game studies scholars like Adrienne Shaw and Samantha Allen.

Polygamer #22: Philip Jones, director of Gaming In Color

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Ken Gagne

Gaming In Color is a feature documentary exploring the queer side of gaming. After being Kickstarted in 2013 and enjoying a limited release in 2014, the film had its official debut on May 19, 2015. Featuring interviews with GaymerX organizers and attendees and discussing topics such as representation in video games, Gaming In Color serves as a 62-minute primer on the intersection of sexuality and gaming.

In this interview, Gaming In Color director Philip Jones discusses how they took over the project after its acquisition by MidBoss Games; the documentary’s coverage of transgender issues; the reception the film has received from industry developers and publishers such as Riot Games and Electronic Arts; and why, in a pay-what-you-want distribution model, a customer paying only $1 to stream the movie was evidence the film was reaching its target audience.

Download the audio edition of this interview below or from iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Mixcloud, acast, or TuneIn. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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Polygamer #01: Matt Conn of GaymerX

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Ken Gagne

Welcome to the premiere episode of Polygamer, where we look to expand the equality and diversity of the gaming industry. New episodes of Polygamer air every other Wednesday on YouTube and iTunes.

Today’s guest is Matt Conn, founder of GaymerX, an annual gaming convention for the LGBTQ community and its allies. How does the gaming industry and community benefit from having a convention specifically for this unique intersection? Who is the target audience? Are corporate sponsors willing to support this event? Conn discusses these issues, as well as the lack of queer protagonists in video games — a situation he hopes to improve with Read Only Memories, a game being developed by his company, MidBoss, and releasing in late 2014 for PC/Mac/OUYA and early 2015 for iOS, Android, and game consoles.

This year’s GaymerX is being held in San Francisco on July 10–13. There’s still time to register! Use discount code GAMEBITS for $20 off.

A video of this interview is embedded below; for the interview-only audio edition, please click the links below the video, or subscribe in iTunes.

Conn also appeared in executive produced the 2014 documentary Gaming in Color, currently available for download.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:13:19 — 38.0MB) | Embed