Working throughout Sweden, the UK and internationally to make games and game-making more friendly.

Hi. My name's Gemma Thomson, and as well as being a freelance game designer, I do what I can to make the act of game creation more friendly.

I see real and positive change for the gaming medium through the work I do running accessible game jams, organising positively-inclusive social events, and helping to teach girls and women the basics of game development. I'm coming up against certain limitations, however - in scope, and in the amount I can do on a voluntary basis. So, I'm asking for patronage to help make more useful resources, easing the purely financial burden I would otherwise bear from such undertakings.

About Me // Where I'm Coming From

By day, I'm a consultant/independent game designer, most of whose studio work on educational games and own-IP titles has... sadly yet to see the light of day. However, I also collaborate with other 'indies' - most recently on A Planet Wakes, which was part of Antholojam. You may also have seen me at a variety of festivals, demonstrating a local multiplayer game by the name of Mimic (screenshot above). Later on in 2015, I'll also be unveiling a strategy game with a playful and unusually feminine flavour.

Working freelance and as an 'indie' has its own challenges, but I hold to the lessons I learned, and the moral support I was (and still am) given from others in my field. Being able to engage with other women in this medium has done much to reassure my creative voice, and so I strive to pass that along in kind - to women, those under the LGBT umbrella, and anyone outside of my own experiences who finds themselves in a minority within the games industry.

Pitch // The General Idea

What I propose to do is nebulous and changeable, since I work in a few different areas. Much of it is stuff I'm doing already. I just want to be able to do it better, and really dig in to increasing diversity in gaming - but to do so without worrying about financial obstacles. I should state early on, however, that I'm not actually focusing on the creation of digital products; rather, these will come incidentally as a result of the work I do. I hope that distinction becomes clearer as I explain further!

The most tangible and relevant thing for those who patronise me would be a podcast, themed around inclusive game design. I'd like to explore those weighty topics I can only ever seem to put on the 'to-do' list for my blog. It would primarily focus on practical game design, but in an approachable manner which is free of jargon. I'd like it to be a resource - something as relevant and approachable to industry veterans as it would be to newcomers, just like the game jams we put on at Game Jam Stockholm.

Of course, most of what I seek to produce under patronage will be higher-quality resources for the direct benefit of those groups I work with. Until now, this has included:

• character art assets for the girls at TjejHack to develop with and base their own creations on;
• logotypes for LadyCADE and Game Jam Stockholm;
• documentation in my capacity as a board member for these organisations;
• presentation videos from the game jams I've helped to host;
• and many more incidental things, as and when the need has arisen.

Again, I provide this willingly, but it's always going to be nicer all-round if I can put a few more hours into making particularly nice assets for folk to work with, rather than battling the creeping worry of how much it would be worth under a freelance contract. The more time I can put into portability too - sharing these resources, so that other groups can use them as well - the better.



The trickier pitch I have is towards the financial burden/potential of attending conferences, and inciting real change, face to face. I've done this already on a number of occasions with LadyCADE, and I've started down that path here in Sweden with other diversity schemes. I've also given talks and continue to pitch more on the subject of diversity in games, at related events across Europe.

However, time when I'm attending such events and not trying to rustle up work does nothing to offset the cost of an expensive train ride or flight, and although I couldn't possibly beg such high costs from a Patreon campaign like this, the phrase "every little helps" does apply. Simply being able to talk to people goes a long way towards forming the sorts of networks we need to make real change happen, and I'd like to be able to silence thoughts of my own financial responsibilities when these opportunities arise.

Credentials // The Journey So Far

I've been writing about games and game design for around a decade now, primarily at  my own blog. This work began when I was studying for my game design degree, and shifted to incorporate lessons learned from my 'day job'. Lately though, it's taken on more of a 'current events' theme as I recap events I've attended or helped to run, within games culture and the industry.



My diversity work began in earnest when some friends and I founded  LadyCADE*, providing friendly and safe social spaces for women who make and enjoy games. The scheme launched at Nottingham GameCity in 2013 and has grown to the point where we now run LadyCADE Arcades, providing space for women to demonstrate what they're doing in this medium. In 2014, GameCity donated almost an entire floor with which to put on such a showcase, and we co-operated to throw the festival's first ever licensed bar event.

When I moved to Sweden, I joined and founded a few more schemes, not only addressing gender diversity. I work extensively with Diversi - a nationwide initiative working with organisations and individuals in many fields related to interactive gaming. You may have seen or even signed their game diversity petition last year. I've also worked with TjejHack since autumn 2014, supporting a group of girls and women who are coming into game development for the first time. We teach, we help them create, and as we move through 2015, we're looking at packaging this model so we can take the concept around the country.

There's also  Game Jam Stockholm - a relatively new organisation which again, I've ended up co-founding. There we make a concerted effort to bring more people into game jamming, ever since we hosted a near-perfect gender split during SETI-Jam in October. We also ran Sweden's biggest Global Game Jam site for 2015 (photo below), pulling in all manner of game creators - many first-timers, young teens and tabletop creators among them.



All of this (save for my blog so far) is bringing new people in to making games, structured in a way which ensures that we don't just host one-off events and leave people to fend for themselves afterwards. Longevity is key to everything I do, running on a slow but steady burn to ensure that any change made for the betterment of this medium is long-lasting and meaningful. However, it's still all done on a voluntary basis, and while I don't begrudge any part of that, I do need to take steps to ensure I can not only sustain such efforts, but improve upon them.

Summary // Thanks for Bearing with Me

I aim to keep up what I've already started in this realm, and expand upon it in ways which continue to spread the message that gaming can and should be enjoyable for everyone. Whether it be to create open-source assets for game development, have LadyCADE pop up at events outside of the UK for once, or fund travel so I can actually talk about this stuff in front of the audiences who need to hear it, I want to get the diversity message across without having to worry about my financial responsibilities. That's where you can help.

I'm fully aware that this Patreon is less about supporting groundbreaking journalism, awe-inspiring art or even being fed directly into innovative games. What I'm looking to make here is less tangible, and comes in the form of design workshops, game jams and general outreach - most of which is physically located in Europe. I am, however, committed to sharing what I do and helping others get on board to get them running schemes like this. That's where I hope blog posts, podcasts, conference talks and maybe even a starter pack or two will come in.

I'll do what I can to share what I can, and I'd like to bring you along for the ride as well. After all, I derive immense enjoyment from making and playing games, and I imagine you do too. So, let's keep the momentum rolling together.

Notes // FYI

* A disclaimer: LadyCADE recently began its own fundraising effort, but that only pays for things like exhibition supplies and web hosting. There is still a significant amount of effort required as I manage all its online presences, and a significant part of the administration behind each event - not to mention its outreach.