NIS America Pulls GaymerX Sponsorship, Devolver Digital Steps Forward - Update

[roseofbattle]

NIS America Pulls GaymerX Sponsorship, Devolver Digital Steps Forward - Update

NIS America will not pay sponsorship fees of $3,000 from this year's GaymerX, but Devolver Digital and others have agreed to pledge.

Update: NIS America and GaymerX have issued statements regarding the miscommunication over sponsorship of the conference. NIS America has fulfilled the $3,000 promised to GaymerX.

"I want to publicly apologize for any pain or distress I may have caused NIS America or their team - they have been very genuine and sincere in fixing the issue and have confirmed that payment will be made in full," GaymerX founder Matt Conn said. "They have been nothing but professional during this process after the initial email, and it can't be understated the fact that, unlike most conservative AAA companies, they were willing to take the risk of being associated with a queer event and they went out of their way to be a part of it. That statement alone is huge and I feel as though my statements were taken out of context. I in no way intended for the dialog to be that they had made this action because we are a LGBTQ organization, my point, at the time, was that I did not feel like that email would have been sent to a larger convention or organization, and felt bullied because of that."

David Alonzo of NIS America gave his own apology as well. "I'd like to sincerely apologize once again for all the miscommunication on my end, as I should have been more clear about things from the start," Alonzo said. "I also want to say that as a part of the LGBTQ community, I will always be supportive of queer rights. I obviously got overzealous in wanting to support you guys, but because of this I failed to follow the proper internal protocol. Fortunately, NISA wholeheartedly endorses the community, and has fulfilled what was promised."

Original: An oversight at NIS America, publisher of games such as Danganronpa, Disgaea, and Hyperdimension Neptunia, has left LGBT-centric gaming conference GaymerX short on sponsorship money by $3,000.

After taking to social media in frustration, GaymerX founder Matt Conn has said the situation will be worked out. Conn tweeted an email from a NIS America representative that broke the news NIS America was unable to fulfill the sponsorship. "When I talked with you, I checked to see that we still had spend[ing] (sic) left in our games budget," the representative said. "Unfortunately, during this time our games producer was out and I didn't find out until today that the remainder of the budget had already been allocated."

Yesterday Devolver Digital, publisher of Hotline Miami, Luftrausers, and the upcoming Titan Souls, wrote on Twitter that it will pledge $3,000 for a 2015 GaymerX sponsorship. The company also challenged others to do the same. Mike Bithell, developer of Thomas Was Alone Coffee Stain Studios, [https://twitter.com/mikeBithell/statuses/494095964983283712] Goat Simulator developer.

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/devolverdigital/status/493951370265763840]

GaymerX has been in financial trouble. In April GaymerX organizers announced The hotel bill for GaymerX2 was over $90,000. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/133717-GaymerX2-Convention-Will-Be-the-Last]

GaymerX has three projects, one finished and two underway. The first is the documentary Read Only Memories [http://gamingincolor.vhx.tv/], a cyberpunk adventure game out this November on PC, Mac, and OUYA. The last is two projects in one: GaymerXTalks and GaymerXJam. The talks are all of the GaymerX2 panels, which will be edited and distributed online for free to view on YouTube. The jam is a two and a half days of "giving all gamers the ability to make a game exploring SOMETHING queer." Participants will be able to speak with professors to work with tools like Twine, Unity, and Renpi. The event will take place this December. Kickstarter campaigns for both events will launch in a few weeks.

GaymerX is an important conference for the queer community, which often feels left out of games. While programming has been a success for the conference and companies like BioWare have been happy to support it, it is financially instable.

Source: Polygon [https://twitter.com/devolverdigital/status/493951370265763840]


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[Queen Michael]

Why, those Devolver Digital chaps seem like quite the compassionate bunch!

 

[gyrobot_v1legacy]

Once again NISA shows how horrible they are as a game company, being the face of everything terrible involving Japanese gaming from pandering to creepers to localizing shovelware that should stayed in Japan while good games like Yakuza 5 never comes over.

 

[Jeremy Dawkins]

Once again NISA shows how horrible they are as a game company, being the face of everything terrible involving Japanese gaming from pandering to creepers to localizing shovelware that should stayed in Japan while good games like Yakuza 5 never comes over.

Oi, Yakuza 5 is SEGA's fault, not NIS. Second of all this sounds like a budget screwup, which is a simple mistake and Gaymer X seems to be capitalizing on.

 

[NiPah]

http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/28/5946619/gaymerx-nis-america-gaymerx2

NISA screwed up and was unable to provide $3,000 which was going to an open bar, and the con chair flips the fuck out and paints it as an attack on queer people?
Next time don't spend 15k on a VIP party and maybe the loss of $3k wouldn't put you in dire straights.

 

[shirkbot]

Once again NISA shows how horrible they are as a game company, being the face of everything terrible involving Japanese gaming from pandering to creepers to localizing shovelware that should stayed in Japan while good games like Yakuza 5 never comes over.

Somebody already pointed this out, but it really does seem like it was just a case of the right hand not knowing what the left was doing. I'm not the biggest fan of NIS, but I'd hardly call them the epitome with all that is wrong with Japanese style gaming. Not to mention that without them there's just one less localization house, so even fewer Japanese games would see US shores period.

OT: Well at least they got the funding, and Devolver Digital proves to be good at being good. If only Chucklefish were on board you'd have sponsorship from both my favorite US publishers.

 

[LaochEire]

Once again NISA shows how horrible they are as a game company, being the face of everything terrible involving Japanese gaming from pandering to creepers to localizing shovelware that should stayed in Japan while good games like Yakuza 5 never comes over.

NISA have been responsible for bringing over some of the best (critically) games out of Japan that many other publishers would not bother with. Also, Yakuza 5 is SEGA, not NISA and if you've seen the trailers for that game you'd see that it also appeals to the creepers.

TL;DR: You're talking out your arse.

 

[wolfchylde]

It's worth noting that running a convention is NOT easy, and if you don't have some experience with the thing, or delegate the right people to manage various parts of the event- failure is PRETTY DAMN EASY. Not saying that every beginning convention is going to be a DashCon... but just because your event is in trouble, doesn't mean it's because the market can't handle it, or doesn't want it, or it's DESTINED to fail.

I sense many financial 'issues' with this convention, but since I'm not managing the thing, I can't say rightly that is the case (however, an open bar at a convention, gay attendees or otherwise is just a bad idea financially).

 

[RJ 17]

I still don't really see what the point of this whole convention is. I understand that the LBGTetcetc community is sadly/vastly underrepresented in the gaming industry...but here's where my confusion comes in: I thought the primary goal of the LBGTetcetc community was acceptance and equality, something that I'm all for. How does self-segregation by creating a con specifically for homosexuals and such promote the goal of acceptance and equality? Isn't it rather exclusionary? It's not like E3 has a big "NO GAYS ALLOWED!" banner hanging over the front door. "Well straight people are more than welcome to this convention too." True, but here-in lies the difference: the GaymerX con is a convention that, by it's very name, focuses on homosexuality. That, itself, leaves an implication of exclusion towards straight people. Cons like E3 are...well...just gamer cons. All gamers, be they black, white, gay, straight, male, or female are all welcome. There is no implied exclusion.

Isn't it this very type of exclusion and segregation the type of thing that the LBGTetcetc community opposes whenever it pops up in the straight community?

But then again, I'm just a stereotypical straight white male, so I'm likely completely ignorant on the entire subject.

More on the topic at hand:
It'll be fun to watch this topic and do the "who actually read the article" test. There will be those that understand that NIS meant no ill will, it was just an accounting error that made them unable to produce the funds. Then there will be those that see the headline and immediately assume that NIS America is a bunch of bigoted homophobes who should be boycotted until their CEO is forced to resign.

 

[bistod]

I still don't really see what the point of this whole convention is. I understand that the LBGTetcetc community is sadly/vastly underrepresented in the gaming industry...but here's where my confusion comes in: I thought the primary goal of the LBGTetcetc community was acceptance and equality, something that I'm all for. How does self-segregation by creating a con specifically for homosexuals and such promote the goal of acceptance and equality? Isn't it rather exclusionary? It's not like E3 has a big "NO GAYS ALLOWED!" banner hanging over the front door. "Well straight people are more than welcome to this convention too." True, but here-in lies the difference: the GaymerX con is a convention that, by it's very name, focuses on homosexuality. That, itself, leaves an implication of exclusion towards straight people. Cons like E3 are...well...just gamer cons. All gamers, be they black, white, gay, straight, male, or female are all welcome. There is no implied exclusion.

Isn't it this very type of exclusion and segregation the type of thing that the LBGTetcetc community opposes whenever it pops up in the straight community?

But then again, I'm just a stereotypical straight white male, so I'm likely completely ignorant on the entire subject.

GaymerX isn't about segregation, but about creating a safe space. I've gone to PAX East the past few years and while I love going I don't feel particularly welcomed. In the same way that a small minority of people make Call of Duty a miserable game to play without everyone muted, a small, but vocal, minority at cons make me feel not welcome. It would take a significant amount of effort and probably more resources than they have to make a con like PAX actually gay-friendly, which is why they had a diversity lounge. Sometimes you need to segregate yourself in order to get away from all the idiots that are ruining your day. The only implicit exclusion at GaymerX is towards those people who still think it's okay to say things like "That's so gay" instead of "That's so stupid".

 

[Frozengale]

I still don't really see what the point of this whole convention is. I understand that the LBGTetcetc community is sadly/vastly underrepresented in the gaming industry...but here's where my confusion comes in: I thought the primary goal of the LBGTetcetc community was acceptance and equality, something that I'm all for. How does self-segregation by creating a con specifically for homosexuals and such promote the goal of acceptance and equality? Isn't it rather exclusionary? It's not like E3 has a big "NO GAYS ALLOWED!" banner hanging over the front door. "Well straight people are more than welcome to this convention too." True, but here-in lies the difference: the GaymerX con is a convention that, by it's very name, focuses on homosexuality. That, itself, leaves an implication of exclusion towards straight people. Cons like E3 are...well...just gamer cons. All gamers, be they black, white, gay, straight, male, or female are all welcome. There is no implied exclusion.

Isn't it this very type of exclusion and segregation the type of thing that the LBGTetcetc community opposes whenever it pops up in the straight community?

But then again, I'm just a stereotypical straight white male, so I'm likely completely ignorant on the entire subject.

More on the topic at hand:
It'll be fun to watch this topic and do the "who actually read the article" test. There will be those that understand that NIS meant no ill will, it was just an accounting error that made them unable to produce the funds. Then there will be those that see the headline and immediately assume that NIS America is a bunch of bigoted homophobes who should be boycotted until their CEO is forced to resign.

Well part of it is providing a safe zone for the LGBT community. I mean when you get a huge group of people together for something like E3 or PAX believe it or not there are going to be some people that don't get along for a myriad of reasons. PAX especially can be quite vile to certain groups of people because the Penny Arcade guys aren't the kindest and most understanding of people from time to time. So GaymerX lets them have a place of safety where they know they won't be judged for who they are. It also has to do with the fact that at GaymerX they can focus more specifically on topics that they believe are important to the LBGT community at large. You'll find a much more diverse range of topics for the panels then you will at other Expos.

HOWEVER, that being said I too believe that GaymerX is nothing more then a waste of time and money. It's not a BAD waste per say, but it doesn't do much harm. Keyword there being "much". There is that slight stigma of segregation to it. The fact that it is a con about video games made by LGBT people for LGBT people does make it seem a bit awkward to people like you and me who sit here thinking, "Wait, what does sexuality have to do with being a gamer?" But the harm is minimal at best. I don't think it really does any good either. You know what would do some good? Fighting to get those panels introduced into other Cons. Heck if you could get some of those panels into PAX that would do worlds more of good then GaymerX. Really I don't see GaymerX as much more then a way for people to earn street cred as LGBT supporters. "Oh you went to E3? Well I went to GaymerX. Don't you care about the plight of the LBGT community in the video game industry?"

In short. GaymerX, not a bad thing. But I don't think it does much good either.


As for the topic at hand. It's a budget error. NISA shouldn't be heckled over such a trivial thing. Though I do think it's being spun as a publicity stunt. But if it gets them their funding, then the stunt served its purpose.

 

[RJ 17]

GaymerX isn't about segregation, but about creating a safe space. I've gone to PAX East the past few years and while I love going I don't feel particularly welcomed. In the same way that a small minority of people make Call of Duty a miserable game to play without everyone muted, a small, but vocal, minority at cons make me feel not welcome. It would take a significant amount of effort and probably more resources than they have to make a con like PAX actually gay-friendly, which is why they had a diversity lounge. Sometimes you need to segregate yourself in order to get away from all the idiots that are ruining your day. The only implicit exclusion at GaymerX is towards those people who still think it's okay to say things like "That's so gay" instead of "That's so stupid".

I can certainly see where you're coming from with that. I can't say I've ever had to deal with any of the social issues that come with being homosexual. But I think that Frozengale did a really good job at summing up my thoughts on the matter. Namely that making a con specifically catered to the LBGT community might not be hurting anyone, but like I said in my previous post: it doesn't really do anything to help that community reach it's goals.

Well part of it is providing a safe zone for the LGBT community. I mean when you get a huge group of people together for something like E3 or PAX believe it or not there are going to be some people that don't get along for a myriad of reasons. PAX especially can be quite vile to certain groups of people because the Penny Arcade guys aren't the kindest and most understanding of people from time to time. So GaymerX lets them have a place of safety where they know they won't be judged for who they are. It also has to do with the fact that at GaymerX they can focus more specifically on topics that they believe are important to the LBGT community at large. You'll find a much more diverse range of topics for the panels then you will at other Expos.

HOWEVER, that being said I too believe that GaymerX is nothing more then a waste of time and money. It's not a BAD waste per say, but it doesn't do much harm. Keyword there being "much". There is that slight stigma of segregation to it. The fact that it is a con about video games made by LGBT people for LGBT people does make it seem a bit awkward to people like you and me who sit here thinking, "Wait, what does sexuality have to do with being a gamer?" But the harm is minimal at best. I don't think it really does any good either. You know what would do some good? Fighting to get those panels introduced into other Cons. Heck if you could get some of those panels into PAX that would do worlds more of good then GaymerX. Really I don't see GaymerX as much more then a way for people to earn street cred as LGBT supporters. "Oh you went to E3? Well I went to GaymerX. Don't you care about the plight of the LBGT community in the video game industry?"

In short. GaymerX, not a bad thing. But I don't think it does much good either.

Rather than getting a boat-load of cash to try and fund a full-blown convention, it would likely be cheaper AND a better use of resources to try and get a foot-hold into one of the major cons. Rather than a GaymerCon, have a Gaymer panel and some booths. Raise awareness, spread the word, all that fun stuff. At a Gaymer convention, you're preaching to the choir. At another convention, you'll be preaching to those who actually need to hear it if there's any hope of things changing for the better.

 

[zerragonoss]

Snip

Here is the thing you are assuming for the community LGBTQ means its trying to promote equality and rights, and not just something for the community to get together and have fun like a normal convention. For exmaple gay bars are for the gay community but they are not activist in of themselves.

 

[kenu12345]

I honestly don't get what is so confusing to some people about a community getting together to have fun. There are conventions for about anything that could be brought into a more broader category if you so want.

 

[UberPubert]

Devolver Digital, eh?

As in, the people SJWs were giving shit to over the depiction of a rape scene in their ultra violent game demo for Hotline Miami 2, and for evoking Nazi imagery in Luftrausers. That Devolver Digital?

If I was of a more cynical bent, I'd say this was them trying to cover their asses or score brownie points with a group of people that had previously thrown them under the bus, but I won't be that guy today and assume they're sincerely attempting to be the bigger man here.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

So is there any real story to this? Is someone accusing them of something? Seems like an honest mistake.

I still don't really see what the point of this whole convention is. I understand that the LBGTetcetc community is sadly/vastly underrepresented in the gaming industry...but here's where my confusion comes in: I thought the primary goal of the LBGTetcetc community was acceptance and equality, something that I'm all for. How does self-segregation by creating a con specifically for homosexuals and such promote the goal of acceptance and equality? Isn't it rather exclusionary? It's not like E3 has a big "NO GAYS ALLOWED!" banner hanging over the front door. "Well straight people are more than welcome to this convention too." True, but here-in lies the difference: the GaymerX con is a convention that, by it's very name, focuses on homosexuality. That, itself, leaves an implication of exclusion towards straight people. Cons like E3 are...well...just gamer cons. All gamers, be they black, white, gay, straight, male, or female are all welcome. There is no implied exclusion.

Isn't it this very type of exclusion and segregation the type of thing that the LBGTetcetc community opposes whenever it pops up in the straight community?

But then again, I'm just a stereotypical straight white male, so I'm likely completely ignorant on the entire subject.

GaymerX isn't about segregation, but about creating a safe space. I've gone to PAX East the past few years and while I love going I don't feel particularly welcomed. In the same way that a small minority of people make Call of Duty a miserable game to play without everyone muted, a small, but vocal, minority at cons make me feel not welcome. It would take a significant amount of effort and probably more resources than they have to make a con like PAX actually gay-friendly, which is why they had a diversity lounge. Sometimes you need to segregate yourself in order to get away from all the idiots that are ruining your day. The only implicit exclusion at GaymerX is towards those people who still think it's okay to say things like "That's so gay" instead of "That's so stupid".

I don't quite fully understand it, but I've also never been to a convention anymore. I suppose it be like the way I feel as an atheist when I drive through the towns in the south and see so many churches clustered together.

Ya know, chances are these people won't point and screech at me like in Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, but I wouldn't put it past them.

I've always felt if theres a problem with the cons that don't make people feel safe, the solution should be to fix the cons instead of creating a whole new one... But ya know, fuck it. The existence of a Gaymer Con is completely inoffensive, and if it just makes peoples lives easier... well why not?

But again, I've never set foot in any con. And I rarely feel safe outside of my own home anyway, so my opinion shouldn't carry much weight here.

 

[RJ 17]

Snip

Here is the thing you are assuming for the community LGBTQ means its trying to promote equality and rights, and not just something for the community to get together and have fun like a normal convention. For exmaple gay bars are for the gay community but they are not activist in of themselves.

But there-in lies my point, as I mentioned in a previous response. I understand that the LGBTetc community enjoys having its safe havens such as gay bars and conventions, my point is that doing so only accomplishes self-segregation.

Case in point: in a community such as gamers that has way too many people casually tossing around phrases like "that's so gay", it's understandable that gay gamers would want a convention to themselves in order to get away from such ignorant people. However, if they ever hope to change that culture, they have to first meld into it. That is to say, as I mentioned previously, I think having some LBGTetc panels and booths and such at an E3 or a PAX or even a ComiCon would, in itself, at least work to make things better. No need to be activists about it, just do what they had intended to do at GaymerX...only in front of the culture that needs more awareness of the LBGTect community rather than those who are already a part of or fully supportive of the LBGTect community.

Just as a side-note: I use "LBGTect" because I've honestly lost track of the letters that have been added to that acronym.

 

[Dragonlayer]

Devolver Digital, eh?

As in, the people SJWs were giving shit to over the depiction of a rape scene in their ultra violent game demo for Hotline Miami 2, and for evoking Nazi imagery in Luftrausers. That Devolver Digital?

If I was of a more cynical bent, I'd say this was them trying to cover their asses or score brownie points with a group of people that had previously thrown them under the bus, but I won't be that guy today and assume they're sincerely attempting to be the bigger man here.

It is quite hard to keep up with who we're supposed to hate these days for social justice outrages. Hey, I just thought of something: Social Justice Outrages Maths! Use it to determine how many progressive directions you have to be seen to be pursuing to calm down the fanatics! Ergo, one GaymerX2 donation is equivalent to one rape scene and one set of Nazi imagery!

OT

Wait, is GaymerX a convention or an actual company with games in development? Either way, kudos to Devolver Digital for lending a helping hand.