Continuing the summer-long flying of our rainbow flag, we sat down with a member of our Queer Employee Resource Group (coincidentally also called Ash) to get her take on the industry and how Avalanche contributes.
You probably won’t be surprised to learn that most folks who work in gaming play games. But you may not have reflected on how important games are in queer spaces. “Marginalized people will always seek out places where they are less marginalized,” says Stockholm-based Ash, Game Director on Generation Zero. “And this is a space where we can safely explore who we are.”
Ash describes how video games played a large role in her queer journey. “It was World of Warcraft. Obviously, I created a masculine character, but I started to feel disassociated with it. It wasn’t an extension of myself in the way I wanted it to be. It was a performance, a caricature of some dude.”
She continues. “So I made a new character. This one was a girl. An undead girl, because if I was going to play as a woman, I couldn’t have her be too pretty. And it was through this character I could start to feel what it would be like to express this part of myself. I could explore who I was in the virtual space before I felt comfortable exploring it IRL.”
Making space for queer gamers and their stories
As Game Director for Generation Zero, Ash is the best person to discuss the game’s massive machines, exceptional explosions, and – for the purposes of this post – its telling of queer stories.
“One of my favorite aspects of Generation Zero is how our story and lore are both exciting and mysterious. So much of it comes from how we often show things rather than saying them directly. Anyone who has played the game knows you get what you put into it. Explore and read everything the story has to offer and you’ll discover such an incredible depth of worldbuilding.
“The characters Elsa and Veronika are a really good example of this. There are machines to fight and not a lot of time to spend talking about your girlfriend, but for those paying attention to the details, it's pretty obvious. These characters are the closest thing the game has to heroes. Big gay heroes.”
Looking after our queer players (and developers) is paramount. We want our communities to be full of passionate people who talk about the games they love and accept those around them. “Our community is great at supporting us. It always impresses me with its inclusiveness. I really appreciate when it makes clear that bigotry isn't welcome, or that they support the queer folks involved in making the games they love.”
Championing diversity at Avalanche
At Avalanche Studios Group, we want each and every Avalancher to feel supported in who they are. That can mean empowering them to do their best work, tell the stories they want to tell, and ultimately feel proud of the exceptional games they make.
“The symbolic things like our Pride month stuff do make a difference, and I think we should continue to be increasingly vocal about how we support and value all the marginalized folks who help make our games amazing. I also appreciate the company's ongoing and – in fact – growing work to represent queer people and relationships in our games. Leading to, for example, the creation of diverse bodies and presentations in our character creators.”
Employee Resource Groups at Avalanche
At Avalanche, our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are an integral part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. These groups are open for anyone at Avalanche to join and get involved in forming the future of the company. The groups ignite collaboration, nurture relationships, and empower individuals to contribute their distinct perspectives. Together, they drive meaningful change, embodying our dedication to creating a workplace where every voice is valued and heard. The Queer ERG is a key contributor in this space.
“I’m so excited to see Avalanchers working together to create communication channels such as our ERGs. These established, clear, and formally recognized pipelines help get our voices amplified and to the right people. It’s never easy speaking up, and it certainly isn’t easy when you feel alone in what you have to say. So initiatives like this are really exciting to me.”
Making ever-cooler shit
Gaming has changed so much in even just the last decade. Ash spoke about where she’d like the industry to be in the next 10 years, saying she hopes to see us “make even cooler shit.” Hard to argue with that.
“But cooler shit isn’t possible without diversity. As an industry, if we’re going to create cooler games that are better reflections of the people who play them, we need more diversity among our hires. This is something I’m happy to see Avalanche getting better at. More and more Avalanchers are joining us from less-than-typical career paths, myself included. We’re a company of people from all over the world and across hundreds of industries. It makes for some interesting coffee machine conversations but also means we, as teams of developers, bring so many diverse opinions, experiences, and passions to the table.”
Ash describes her route to Avalanche as “circuitous.” Having started in gaming by founding her studio fresh out of school, Ash’s background – as is the case with many Avalanchers – is less than typical. “We’re all bringing something unique to the table and using that uniqueness to make kickass games for our players.”
If you want to make great games with great people, send your information to our recruitment team via our careers page!