Gaymercon smashes Kickstarter target

The organisers of a gay-focused gaming and geek convention have easily hit their funding target on crowd-sourcing site Kickstarter.

The project had sought $25k in funding but at the time of writing stands at $31,301 with 24 days still to go. To date it has attracted 634 backers.

Community is important. We believe that there are a great amount of Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered, Gender Queer, and Bisexual folks out there, of every color and creed, that at the end of the day, love to geek out,” the Kickstarter description explains.

Geek about video games, tabletop games, tech, comics – all that fun stuff. And we believe that creating a community for these folks, Gaymers as they are affectionately dubbed, is important to help shape a more tolerant and safer space in gaming. After all, everyone games.”

The project has also addressed critique from some quarters regarding the need for a convention with parameters defined by sexual orientation.

The stereotypes about gamers are many, but the core is the perception that gamers are usually straight white guys in dark rooms furiously mashing at a controller. That’s not the reality,” the project explains.

Gamers come in all sizes, genders, races, and sexual identities. Unfortunately stereotypical bias among gamers does exist and it can make a hostile environment for minorities in the gaming community. Hang around an online game long enough and you’ll start hearing homophobic, racial, and misogynistic slurs slung around without a second thought. Gamers, as a whole, have had to make space for themselves in a society that, for a long time, treated them as outsiders. They have come together and created a real community of people, but one that is not always welcoming if you don’t fit into the mold.

Just like most gamers, queer geeks and gaymers want that same sense of community and belonging. Therefore we intend to create a space where all gamers and queer geeks can come together in a welcoming and safe space.”