Acknowledgments ix
Introduction. Reimagining the Medium of Video Games 1
Part I. Queer People, Queer Desires, Queer Games
1. Dietrich Squinkifer: Nonbinary Characters, Asexuality, and Game Design as Joyful Resistance 33
2. Robert Yang: The Politics and Pleasures of Representing Sex between Men 42
3. Aevee Bee: On Designing for Queer Players and Remaking Autobiographical Truth 51
Part II. Queerness as a Mode of Game-Making
4. Llaura McGee: Leaving Space for Messiness, Complexity, and Chance 63
5. Andi McClure: Algorithms, Accidents, and the Queerness of Abstraction 73
6. Liz Ryerson: Resisting Empathy and Rewriting the Rules of Game Design 81
Part III. Designing Queer Intimacy in Games
7. Jimmy Andrews + Loren Schmidt: Queer Body Physics, Awkwardness as Emotional Realism, and the Challenge of Designing Consent 93
8. Naomi Clark: Disrupting Norms and Critiquing Systems through "Good, Nice Sex with a Tentacle Monster" 102
9. Elizabeth Sampat: Safe Spaces for Queerness and Games against Suffering 113
Part IV. The Legacy of Feminist Performance Art in Queer Games
10. Kara Stone: Softness, Strength, and Danger in Games about Mental Health and Healing 125
11. Mattie Brice: Radical Play through Vulnerability 134
12. Seanna Musgrave: "Touchy-Feely" Virtual Reality and Reclaiming the Trans Body 143
Part V. Intersectional Perspectives in/on Queer Games
13. Tonia B****** + Emilia Yang: Making Games about Queer Women of Color by Queer Women of Color 153
14. Nicky Case: Playable Politics and Interactivity for Understanding 162
15. Nina Freeman: More Than Just "the Women Who Make Sex Games" 171
Part VI. Analog Games: Exploreing Queerness Through Non-Digital Play
16. Avery Alder: Queer Storytelling and the Mechanics of Desire 183
17. Kat Jones: Bisexuality, Latina Identity, and the Power of Physical Presence 192
Part VII. Making Queer Games, Queer Change, and Queer Community
18. Mo Cohen: On Self-Care, Funding, and Other Advice for Aspiring Queer Indie Game Makers 205
19. Jerome Hagan: Are Queer Games Bringing "Diversity" to Mainstream Industry? 215
20. Sarah Schoemann: The Power of Community Organizing 223
Afterword. The Future of the Queer Games Avant-Garde 233
Appendix. Queer Indie Games to Play at Home or in the Classroom 245
Notes 257
Bibliography 265
Index 271

The Queer Games Avant-Garde

How LGBTQ Game Makers Are Reimagining the Medium of Video Games