Summer is over. Winter is coming. There’s no stopping the seasonal change. Just like there’s no stopping The Queer Games Festival in Melbourne, which is getting ready for its second year. Oh, and the call for entries has begun!
So, first things first: entry is free. No hidden fees or anything of the sort. Just a form to fill out before September 30, 2022, as is the norm for events like this, with boxes to check and stuff to confirm. Paperwork. A necessary evil. As you can tell from the 8th thing in the form, participation in the festival can be online (anywhere) or in-person (Melbourne, Australia). Entirely up to you. In other words, the festival is open to developers, small and big, anywhere on this round little thing we have come to know as Earth.
Well, developers with a game that “contains some combination of queer characters, queer visuals, queer worldview, queer gameplay or queer experiences at its core”. Not convinced that what you’ve created is eligible? Don’t worry too much about it, seeing how they’re “pretty broad on what this means”. This brings me to another important bit: the game in question must have been made or substantially updated no earlier than January 1, 2021. Which I believe means… well, no demos or otherwise unfinished games. So please keep that in mind.
To inform, entertain and challenge LGBTIQ players by reflecting their lives in games.
To bring the best of world queer culture to Melbourne and to connect international and Australian game developers.
Unlike massive events like PAX Aus, The Queer Games Festival is run entirely by a small team of volunteers with a love for queer games. In spite of that, courtesy of very generous supporters, a cash prize of 500 USD will be awarded to one lucky developer this year. Anything else? Oh right, you should probably join their mailing list to be notified when the festival starts (December 6, 2022). Wouldn’t hurt to follow them on Twitter either.
All set? Got an eligible game? Then, by all means, submit it! Pretty please?
(Image source: Heaven Will Be Mine)
