Some of you may remember the successful Kickstarter project from late 2015 to bring the successful GaymerX convention to Sydney in 2016. Promoting an inclusive space for gamers, geeks and everyone interested, it has the potential to make a big difference in a short period of time, and with a large number of panels, cosplay competitions and other entertainment, it sounds like it will be a fun time for all involved.
Joshua Meadows from GX Australia took some time out from his busy schedule to answer a few questions that we had in regards to the Kickstarter project and what the public’s reaction has been like to this new inclusive space for Australia.
Andrew: What was the Kickstarter experience like for you and if you could go back and change anything, what would it be?
Joshua: I’ve supported tons of projects through Kickstarter personally, though this was the first one I’ve ran myself. My co-director, Liam, has tons of experience with it and it was good to have his background throughout the process because so much of it was unfamiliar with me. I’m really happy with how things turned out and I don’t think there’s a lot that we could have done differently — maybe launching it earlier, since it was a bit close to the Christmas season, but that was the unfortunate reality of timing as contracts and licensing agreements took a lot longer than we expected. But we hit our goal and sold a ton of tickets so it was definitely a success.
Andrew: What has support been like from gamers in general so far?
Joshua” On the whole I think people have been pretty positive about it, even if they aren’t entirely sure about why we’re doing it. And that’s okay, because if you’ve never felt weird or out of place at a mainstream gaming convention, you’re not going to have that reference experience that makes you think, “Oh, yeah, this would be great!” It makes our job a bit challenging as a result, but I think people have largely been excited about the convention or have a sense of, “This isn’t really my thing, but more conventions and opportunities in Australia is a great thing.” It’s only been a very small minority of people who have been outright negative, and most people support what we’re doing.
Andrew: You have some massive names in your Bosses of Honour list, such as Chris Avellone and Tim Cain, did they reach out to you to participate or did you contact them?
Joshua: This has been one of Liam’s great strengths and why we’ve had such a good partnership working on GX Australia together — he already had great relationships with studios and developers and big name personalities in the industry, and the Bosses we’ve got have come out of those general conversations. I’m really thrilled that so many of them have wholeheartedly embraced us and been really eager to get involved, and that goes equally true for the sponsors we’ve had. The Australian indie scene in particular has really stepped up to support us when AAA companies have been reticent to attach their names to the event, and we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in now at all without them.
Andrew: Inevitably, the anonymous nature of the internet results in some unsavoury comments bubbling to the surface. Has there been much negativity from anonymous sources, and how do you work through it?
Joshua: I think we’ve been lucky to fly under the radar to a certain extent. GaymerX attracted a lot more harassment when they announced their first event, because they very much were trailblazing something that hadn’t really been done on that scale at all. We’re the first queer gaming/geek convention in Australia, but I think the awesome people at MidBoss took the brunt of the heat. We haven’t gotten a whole lot of outright hostility — there’s definitely been people questioning why we’re doing it and if there’s any need for a queer gaming convention at all, but not a lot of unbridled negativity. Probably the weirdest accusation I’ve seen was that Liam & I were faking being gay to launch the convention and take advantage of the gay dollar, because representation and diversity is apparently such a popular and lucrative industry to get involved in or something.
Andrew: If successful, are there any plans to expand GX Australia to other cities beyond Sydney?
Joshua: We’d love to make it as big and broad as we can, and we’re hoping that people can use GX Australia as a springboard towards forming their own connections and their own communities and their own events locally. It’s too early to say what our next plans for the convention will be, but we’re hopeful that it excites and energises everyone as much as we’re thrilled and eager to offer the event.
Andrew: Do you feel that you have reached/been welcomed by the LGBTQ gaming community in Australia?
Joshua: I definitely think so, there’s a real lack of events like this and more choice and opportunity is a good thing for everyone. My experiences running Sydney Gaymers has shown me that there’s a big queer gaming community in Australia and they want things that not only welcome them, but embrace and celebrate them. So far we seem to be getting that support and I hope people like what we’re going to be offering.
We would like to thank Joshua for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Tickets for GX Australia, which takes place on February 28th and 29th, are now on sale.
