Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) are an effective vehicle for exploring facets of personal identity, but are a product of militaristic masculinity and have historically only catered to heterosexual, cisgender, white men. LGBTQIA+ players have long been ignored as a minority in the TTRPG sphere, particularly those that have more intersectional and marginalised identities. Informed by the opinions of 331 queer TTRPG players and concepts surrounding roles, identity, character creation, game design and queerness, we will explore how TTRPG design can better meet the need for LGBTQIA+ identity play and exploration via queer mechanics, systems, themes and premises instead of mere representation and tokenism, and discuss and example of a play-tested game designed by such principles. This will not only allow TTRPG designers to gain a better understanding of queer game design and Rainbow players' wants and needs in this ever-expanding field of research and design, but inspire new ways of thinking about games. 

About the speaker:
Emily Morris (she/they) is a PhD candidate (provisional) studying design within Te Hura Hoahoa—School of Design Innovation at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. She completed her MDI (Master of Design Innovation), awarded with Distinction, in 2022. This seminar is a summarisation of her Master's work, which has helped to inform her PhD work on queer games versus queer play, and the possible transformative effects of such. Emily currently works within Te Hura Hoahoa—School of Design Innovation as a Teaching Fellow and tutor, and also works as a freelance graphic designer. She is passionate about research areas such as queer theory, identity, game design, design research, and transformative works.

Email: emily.morris@vuw.ac.nz 
 

About the chair:
Dylan Horrocks (he/him) has worked as a cartoonist, writer and illustrator for over 30 years. His work includes comic books, graphic novels, political cartoons, poem comics, prose fiction, children's books, and essays. His graphic novel Hicksville has been translated into numerous languages and was named a Book of the Year by The Comics Journal and one of the best graphic novels of all time by Rolling Stone. He has collaborated with novelists, scientists, poets, film-makers and artists. In 2016, he was named an Arts Laureate by the New Zealand Arts Foundations.

Email: dylan.horrocks@vuw.ac.nz

This seminar is part of a series organised by the Rainbow Research Network. For more information, please contact Rebekah Galbraith.