News/Research

Bo Ruberg on How LGBTQ Experiences Challenge Dominant Narratives of Independent Games

21 Nov, 2020

Bo Ruberg on How LGBTQ Experiences Challenge Dominant Narratives of Independent Games

BCNM alumn Bo Ruberg is a contributing author to the new Game textbook Independent Videogames. In the book, Bo writes on the role of diversity in independent games in their section "Queering Indie: How LGBTQ Experiences Challenge Dominant Narratives of Independent Games".

Book Description:

"Independent Videogames" investigates the social and cultural implications of contemporary forms of independent video game development. Through a series of case studies and theoretical investigations, it evaluates the significance of such a multi-faceted phenomenon within video games and digital cultures.

A diverse team of scholars highlight the specificities of independence within the industry and the culture of digital gaming through case studies and theoretical questions. The chapters focus on labor, gender, distribution models, and technologies of production to map the current state of research on independent game development. The authors also identify how the boundaries of independence are becoming opaque in the contermporary game industry - often at the cost of the claims of autonomy, freedom and emancipation that underlie the indie scene. The book ultimately imagines new and better narratives for a less exploitative and more inclusive videogame industry.

Systematically mapping the current directions of a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly difficult to define and limit , this book will be a crucial resource for scholars and studients of game studies, media history, media industries and independent gaming.

Check the book out here!