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Diversity lounges coming to PAX?

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  • Steel FireSteel Fire Gunboat Diplomat PAI MarketingRegistered User regular
    Propriety wrote: »
    3. Having a separate diversity lounge, while not ideal (ideally that diversity would be represented on the show floor itself), is a sort of baby step in the right direction, and would give space to organizations that wouldn't be appropriate for the show floor but should be represented at PAX.
    Diversity is represented on the show floor. At last Prime, as an example, there was more than one exhibitor in the Indie mega booth area that were focused on diversity in gaming and the games they were developing. In fact, after the show, one of them was suggesting we needed a space like this. The Indie mega booth space is packed with very tiny booths so that these folks can get them cheaply, being small, indie developers, and the area is always packed. It's not conducive to people having really meaningful discussions with the developers. Add to that, the fact that some people are not necessarily comfortable talking about their personal situations or asking questions among a huge crowd of people when they have no idea what those people's own opinions might be. This new space will help resolve that by providing a space that will not be a shoulder-to-shoulder traffic jam and where people can be comfortable having discussions because they know those around them are like-minded individuals or who want to learn.

    Propriety wrote: »
    1. I find it a little duplicitous that they require people "promoting products and services" to also have a booth in the Expo Hall, when a game company like The Fullbright Company specifically said they wouldn't feel comfortable showing Gone Home there. Why would PAX require that? They don't require groups promoting their products and services in Bandland to have booths on the Expo Floor. I'm guessing this will mean that very small indie developers will be shit out of luck finding a home in this "Diversity Lounge," since they'd have to pay the large amount of money necessary to get an Expo Floor spot too. Since small indie developers (and often individuals) with very small budgets are the ones really pushing the envelope on diversity in gaming, this seems like a backwards move.

    I think you missed this part: (pertinent info bolded for emphasis)
    Based on feedback from previous shows, it's clear that having a diverse lineup of both content and exhibitors is something folks want, but the reality is that some of those places might not be able to afford a booth. So we carved out a large room at the show in a high traffic area that highlighted some of these great organizations and offered tables to them for free.
    If an exhibitor is in the Indie Mega Booth (which as noted above is specifically set up to provide low-cost booth space to small, indie devs) then they can get in The Diversity Lounge for no extra charge.



  • ClixClix This guy I know Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited December 2013
    I don't know how to feel about the new initiative. My first thought is that it's creating a solution to a nonexistent problem. But then I realized that I don't fit the profile of any of the targeted attendees, and therefore may not be aware if there is a problem or not.

    If this is successful, good on it. I want everybody at PAX to feel as comfortable as I do when I'm there. PAX is home.

    Clix on
  • CreaganCreagan Registered User regular
    Imsorad wrote: »
    I don't know how to feel about the new initiative. My first thought is that it's creating a solution to a nonexistent problem. But then I realized that I don't fit the profile of any of the targeted attendees, and therefore may not be aware if there is a problem or not.
    Think of it this way: Are these groups generally marginalized and treated poorly in every day life? Then they'll probably receive the same sort of treatment even within gatherings of people with whom share similar interests.

    And it doesn't matter where you are, either. I go to one of the top ten universities in America, and they push acceptance and diversity really hard there. But I had a professor tell me his brother had "something like your thing. But he grew out of it," when I informed him I had a learning disability. A classmate told me that I was "using my disability as a crutch," when I blamed my amazingly poor directional skills on my learning disability. (Which is, in fact, the reason I get lost going in straight lines. I have the paperwork to prove it.) I've seen multiple arguments on my University's facebook pages on whether or not it's acceptable to use the word "retard." (It's not. People that argue otherwise are dicks.)

    So basically, making anywhere a safer, more inclusive place for minority groups that are historically marginalized is a good thing.

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