The Need For Inclusion with Tanya DePass

The Need For Inclusion with Tanya DePass

Getting diverse games into the gaming market at large is about making a movement. When Tanya DePass sent out a tweet in October 2014 with the hashtag #INeedDiverseGames asking the industry for a higher caliber of gaming experience, she didn’t know she was starting that movement. The nonprofit began with that tweet, and by August 2016, I Need Diverse Games was a registered 501(c)3 organization. (more…)

Star Crossed: An Interview with Alex Roberts

Star Crossed: An Interview with Alex Roberts

Having spent unrepentantly large portions of my life shipping fictional characters (from Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler to Dr. Bashir and Garak), I was intrigued to learn about Star Crossed. This tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) is written and designed by Alex Roberts, who has contributed to other tabletop RPGs such as Misspent Youth, Dialect, and Damn the Man, Save the Music!. She is also the podcast host of Backstory, as well as the Project Coordinator for Bully Pulpit Games, who have teamed up with her to publish Star Crossed.

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Monster Prom’s Julián Quijano Writes Unapologetic Narrative

During Sidequest’s 24-hour Live Stream to celebrate the launch of our new website, we decided to play a game that editor-in-chief Melissa fell in love with at PAX West 2017: Monster Prom. It’s a competitive dating sim that involves wooing monsters to find your perfect prom date, and we’re hooked. Luckily for us, the game’s lead developer, Julián Quijano, decided to stop by during the stream and chat with us. With Monster Prom’s release today, we decided to share that talk with all of you—and give you more reasons to love the game.

Given that most of this interview was in an impromptu Twitch chat in November, the answers have been modified for grammar and moved around for interview flow. The content remains unchanged.

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Hardcoded For Success: A Chat With Kenzie Wintermelon

It’s not a secret that finding representation for marginalized communities can be difficult, and that’s as true for video games as it is for anywhere else. So, when I stumbled on Kenzie Wintermelon’s game Hardcoded through her art blog, I was immediately taken; here is a game starring a trans woman who dates trans women, told from the perspective of one. It provides a layer of authenticity to the experience that AAA games generally lack, should they bother to include such representation at all.

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Rock Candy Games Arrives on the Scene With a Queer Romance Visual Novel

Rock Candy Games is a newly formed studio helmed by Becca Farrow and Anne Camlin. Their new game, Seventh Circle, a queer romance visual novel set in a magic dueling league, is on Kickstarter right now. You might know Farrow from her comics work, including some amazing covers. Camlin’s debut novel, Young Magic, was released serially online, concluding in 2016. Sidequest has gotten an inside look from the creators, and here’s the good stuff.

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Exploring a Hidden Culture with Lienzo’s Mulaka

Exploring a Hidden Culture with Lienzo’s Mulaka

Hidden in the peaks and canyons of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, just south of New Mexico in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, hides the isolated culture of the Tarahumara. They’re a rugged, mountainous people that are known for their endurance. Legend has it that the Tarahumara can outrun a deer—all while wearing sandals made from recycled tires.

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