“Queer Game Devs” is a new club coming to DePaul, aiming to bridge the gap in game design.
Sometimes I feel like the only woman in my entire major.
I joke. Well, only slightly. Because if you’re one of the seemingly few people like me, chances are you’ve had this experience: You sit in your game design class, and suddenly realize that you are the only person, in a room full of 30 students, who is not a cisgender straight white guy; and suddenly, that room becomes very intimidating.
According to GDC’s 2024 State of the Game Industry report, “Men still make up over two-thirds of game developers—23% of developers surveyed are women, 21% are from the LGBTQ+ community and 5% are non-binary.” Additionally, for those in high-experience positions, “Men make up the majority at 87% of game developers with 21 years or more of experience. White men were the biggest demographic at 92%.” This means that the game industry, not surprisingly, is composed of mostly cisgender white men.
This gap is reflected not just in the industry, but also at DePaul. In 2024, the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media reported out of 3,860 undergraduate students, 2,322 were male — nearly double that of 1,486 reported female, 19 nonbinary and 33 unidentified students. The same was true for graduate students, although a smaller gap: 1,295 male, 905 female, 3 nonbinary and 6 unidentified.
As a queer-identifying woman who is an undergrad in game design, it’s easy to feel this sense of not belonging in my major. Most of my classes are taken by people who do not identify the way I do, and it is hard to feel a sense of connection to them. Often, I don’t speak up in class, a bad habit my brain has forced upon me because I fear my voice will not be welcome.
When I do use my voice, it can be a struggle to be heard. In game design projects, I’ve even found myself taking on producer roles as a chance to be taken seriously by my male peers. I’ve felt pushback from this occasionally, facing the question of authority as a woman in a male-dominated space.
But of course, this feeling doesn’t go away when you graduate. In fact, between Gamergate-following gamers and the harassment of women in studios such as Ubisoft, it only seems to worsen. In 2022, only 20% of manager positions were held by women.
“We’re taken less seriously than men,” Marie Marquet, co-founder of French studio Splashteam, said to France 24. Marquet has often seen potential investors more readily address her male colleagues in meetings instead of her.
I can recall several conversations I have had with my father, usually ones after a stressful day, where I contemplate switching my major. I tell him I feel isolated and that I don’t know how to make friends with the people in my classes. Sure, the guys I’ve met are cool, but I find it hard to connect with them. I need girls. Or queer people. Or literally anyone who isn’t a white cisgender heterosexual guy. “Why don’t you join a club?” he said. My response is, “There isn’t one. And I don’t know if we have enough people to make one.”
A month ago, I had a conversation with a newly formed friend on the Red Line train after class. In between busy stop announcements and the screech of the train tracks, we share a moment of understanding with each other that separates us from this chaotic world: we both are female game design students and in desperate need of each other’s company. We talk about our experiences and our shared longing for a place we can have, just for ourselves, in an industry that doesn’t want to give that space to us.
Just a few weeks later, I saw an Instagram post. And it was exactly what we both needed.
“Are you of a queer identity or part of a marginalized group at DePaul? Have you found it difficult to be a part of the local game dev community? If so, DePaul’s Queer Game Devs is for you! Discord server in bio, all are welcome,” the caption read.
So, of course, I immediately joined their Discord server.
I was met with a wave of support and a sense of relief as I saw students, ones that I never even knew existed, who felt the same way as me and were looking for support.
This community, Queer Game Devs, is to be an official DePaul club this Winter Quarter, but it is already incredibly active and emboldened in its beliefs of inclusivity of all in games.
Kelly Luxton is a junior in animation and game art. She is the founding president of Queer Game Devs. For her, the club is a way to build community in both academics and the games industry.
“Queer Game Devs is very much a mix of both social and academic community practice,” Luxton said. “My main goal is to inform people, especially undergrads, of their social options in the indie game scene in Chicago and how they can get involved and meet other queer game developers.”
Luxton created the club because they too, as an undergrad student, felt that same sense of inaccessibility in game design. They felt it was hard to become involved in community events.
“Things were hard to attend, like I didn’t really belong there,” Luxton said. “Then I met a bunch of grad people in games that made me realize how accessible a lot is outside of DePaul and how there’s a really cool game dev queer community in DePaul.”
Additionally, supporting the club as faculty advisor, Emily Koonce is an adjunct professor at DePaul. Outside of DePaul, she is the event producer at Night City, an alternative games and art space in Logan Square. Her professional expertise and shared experiences of the feeling of not always belonging in the games industry is what made Koonce perfect for the club.
“When you go to some events in the game industry, sometimes because it is so dominated by one demographic, you don’t always see yourself represented,” Koonce said. “When [Kelly] came to me and said they wanted to start this club, they wanted a space where they do feel represented, and that there are other people who identify like they do and look like them. Those spaces have been so important to me in my career. I think that this is an excellent idea to have at DePaul.”
Already, the Queer Game Devs Discord server has over 50 members, and more joining every day. It’s become a place where students can ask questions about CDM and classes, share career advice, show off their games and just have a space to socialize.
“It seemed like a sort of thing where people have been wanting this for a while, it feels like a long time coming. I was really surprised that there wasn’t a queer game dev scene or social community in the undergrad game dev program,” Luxton said. “My mindset was, if I feel like I have trouble feeling welcomed in a space, I’ll just become the person that people come to, especially because I know people want it. So it’s kind of good for me and also everyone around me.”
Of course, this space isn’t restrictive in who is allowed to join. Anyone can be a member of Queer Game Devs regardless of identity (or major!) — it is a matter of inclusivity and prioritizing a safe space for those who may not feel they belong in other majority-dominant spaces.
“The thing I love about queer-dominant spaces is that it’s just not just for queer people. Like, there’s cis people in our Discord, there’s straight people in our Discord,” Luxton said. “It’s just a safe space for queer people first … It’s, like, inherently a safe place for women, and cis people are also welcome. I think it’s a very accepting and approachable way to make this club.”
However, there is still an emphasis in the club on queer game developers. They want to showcase the art and design that queer game developers are creating. Luxton added, “Queer people need more rep nowadays. It’s a little rough right now and I think it’s important for us to build a community around queer people so we can all feel supported.”
On October 15, Queer Game Devs had its first unofficial meeting to introduce the club and share what it’s all about. A small but enthusiastic group showed up. The club leaders showcased a relaxed, humorous powerpoint presentation on a laptop introducing each of their roles and goals for the club, while the interested new members lounged on a couch behind the busy Brownstones Cafe in the Student Center. The meeting ended with a group card game for anyone who wanted to stay around and get to know each other better. The atmosphere of this meeting was inviting and fun, which was the perfect way to introduce a space meant to feel inclusive for everyone.
“It’s so easy to talk to queer people, and it’s really easy to talk to game devs. I could just … talk about this game thing and just get so many cool responses. It’s already such a nice social space so I’m very happy about that,” Luxton said.
Koonce was not at this unofficial meeting, but she willingly supports the club. She intends to help with “whatever they need, but also act as an industry liaison. I’m glad to bring all of my contacts and my experience in the industry at large, and to be there if anyone needs any guidance or wants to be connected to a certain part of the Chicago game scene.”
Recently, several members of Queer Game Devs travelled to MDEV together, as an unofficial field trip for anyone who wished to join. MDEV is a conference in Madison, Wisconsin, aimed to highlight both Indie and AAA games and gamemakers across the Midwest and U.S. as a whole. With panels such as “Hiring In Games,” MDEV was a perfect opportunity for students to network and build their careers.
Luxton and Koonce emphasized the importance of events such as these, and especially the importance of having a safe community to attend these events with.
“Going to other events within DePaul or the Chicago game scene can be intimidating if you’re going by yourself. This is a way to be like, ‘Who wants to come to this event?’ so you can have a group of people to go with rather than having to go alone and dealing with all of the social pressure of being in a new space by yourself,” Koonce said.
Luxton added, “It’s just having people that you feel comfortable around. If you go to an event, and you feel worried it’s going to be hostile there, or you’re worried about going alone, it might even be [for] safety. Having people that you know, especially part of the Queer Game Devs club, attending as a group, would be so huge. It helps get people out of their comfort zone socially.”
In the future, Luxton hopes for more field trips and events. The club is planning a virtual game jam over winter break where members collaborate together to make a small game based on a shared theme.
For more casual members, there will also be smaller social and informational meetings held by Queer Game Devs. Luxton shared examples of these casual meetings, such as times “where we’ll meet up and maybe play test someone’s game or have a day where we have a friend of mine present about other game engines that aren’t part of the DePaul curriculum.”
The club hopes to work with other DePaul communities, such as the 50/50 Club for animation students. Since Luxton herself is an animation major, she shared that it was important to build this outreach as there is such a variety in who is working in the games industry.
“Game is so multimedia that everyone has their own specific concentrations, and that crosses over to a lot of different other student organizations,” Luxton said.
Queer Game Devs is not only for helping people network as students. It is also for helping current students build connections for their future careers as game designers in the industry. Koonce emphasized the importance of working with other students as a way to build their careers.
“As an adjunct faculty here at DePaul, truly the best thing you can do, especially when you’re an undergrad, is to meet other people who make things that you like and appreciate and want to know and share your work with,” she said. “I think this club is a great way to get everyone who is potentially interested in entering the games industry, in whatever shape or form, to build community and make those connections, that will bring so much fruitfulness and opportunity down the line.”
“You and your cohort grow together and develop your careers together. A friend that you meet in Queer Game Devs now, maybe in five years, is working in a game studio and is hiring an animator — and you’re an animator, and they’re going to reach out to you and let you know about this opportunity. Establishing those connections now is so important,” Koonce said.
Luxton hopes the club can help people realize their options in game design. “Networking and socializing within the game dev community really isn’t that scary. I love game devs, game devs are so cool, and I’ve never felt more supported in the queer community and the game dev community, and I hope to spread that to other people.”
Overall, the club is about supporting people who have felt isolated as students interested in game design, and bridging the gap to create more inclusive communities. It is a place to remind students that no matter what, they belong.
“Sometimes, in the games industry I’ve gone to spaces, and it’s all been white men, and it’s easy to forget that you also belong in this community to make games and weird things if you don’t have a space where you see other people like you making those weird things,” Koonce said. “I hope students who have had that similar experience, or are entering school, and want a space where they feel safe to explore what they want to make, finds that in this club. Everyone does belong. Anyone who wants to make games should make games.”
Now, you can find Queer Game Devs’s posters around the DePaul campus and soon, you’ll be able to find the club on DeHub to register as an official member. The easiest way to get involved is to follow their Instagram @queergamedevs and join their Discord Server. There are so many students who are enthusiastic for what they do as queer game developers, and proud to show off that identity.
So, maybe, I was wrong. Maybe you are like me, maybe there are many people like us, not just a seeming few — and maybe there is space for us. Let’s make that space together.
Header Image by Wyn Blomberg
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