Earlier this year the organizers behind the GaymerX convention announced that its second GaymerX convention would be its last due to financial issues. A flock of developers and publishers alike have since offered their support by offering 3000 apiece to keep the convention alive; it seems that their actions have paid dividends as the masterminds behind GaymerX have launched a Kickstarter campaign as a result, trying to fund a third outing in San Francisco next year, under the snazzy new name, GX3: Everyone Games.
The developers who offered the money to keep this convention are thanked on the Kickstarter page, and includes some high-profile names such as Devolver Digital, Dim Bulb Games, Bertil Hörberg, Coffee Stain Studios, Mike Bithell, Tinsley PR, Maxistentialism, Asher Vollmer, and Wow, Such Business, who each offered at least $3000 before the campaign even started. Kudos to Blizzard Entertainment who donated a whopping $10K, and Hornet who have donated over $50K in free ad space on their app.
It seems that the rebranding the conference to the new GX3: Everyone Games title is due to confusion as to who exactly would be welcome at the convention - the tagline Everyone Games is pretty much about as inclusive as you can get.
“We’ve become more and more aware that not all of our attendees identify with the ‘gaymer’ label,” it’s explained on Kickstarter. “And while we love all our gay dude friends, we realise there are more people than that who want an awesome space to hang with their friends in a safe and diverse environment. We want to make sure we represent everyone who feels like they’ve been left out of mainstream gamer culture. Everyone games.”
With the recent financial issues, it comes as no surprise that the organizers are being more cautious this time around. While they are asking for more than their previous campaigns, they are actually only asking for half of their $16K budget, knowing that the other half will come from corporate sponsorship. Up until at least $15K is raised, they stress that is a labor of love, and they would not be paying anyone a salary.
“With GaymerX2, we had a plan and knew what we wanted to do, but went with a venue that was extremely costly and overestimated attendance. By doing this Kickstarter first before we sign any contracts, we can make sure we produce GX3 within our means on a sustainable level. We’re also doing the event in the late part of the year, when it’s off-peak for the Bay Area and room rates are far lower.”
An apology was also made to Europe for keeping the convention in the Bay Area, though I think it’s fair to say most fans will just be happy that the convention is back on. Tickets are priced at $60 during the Kickstarter, but will go up to $70 plus Eventbrite fees after the crowdfunding campaign ends on 18th September.
At time of writing, GX3: Everyone Games has raised $19,104 of its $80K goal thanks to 204 backers - which is pretty good considering that the Kickstarter launched only yesterday. With 23 days to go, GX3: Everyone Games may just come to fruition.
If the Kickstarter also has stretch goals, for those interested, including two at $90K and $100K . If GX3: Everyone Games hits $90K it will share some of the panels via YouTube and at $100K GaymerX will host a game jam at the convention.
If you are interested in following or donating to this Kickstarter, you can follow the link here.
Nic Bunce
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