Nadia Nova Say My Name Again

Nadia Nova

• Role: Game developer

We sat down with Nadia Nova, an artist turned game developer.

QRM: Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what y'all practise in the games industry?

Nadia: So, I'm a 24 y/o lesbian trans woman and I make gay games with my free fourth dimension. I like creating stuff and was mainly an artist before starting to piece of work on games. The skill translates nicely to this every bit I can make visual novels quite easily and draw my sprites myself. I put importance on making beautiful games with lesbian trans women, 'cause those are the games I desire to play, just they just don't exist yet.

QRM: How long have you been involved in the game industry, and what projects have you lot worked on? What are y'all working on currently?

Nadia: I've been doing games only for two years now. I remember playing with Game Maker when I was like sixteen for some time, but I never got annihilation washed back and then. The projection I'yard most proud of is my Twine can you lot say my proper name again? but I've likewise washed ii other visual novels: Slumber party and why is this dragon so fucking beautiful??.

Currently I'1000 still on a pause, but I will start working on a new visual novel at the start of this new year's day that hopefully combines the prissy atmosphere from my previous Twine and overnice visual novel art. Hopefully a longer game too. I've worked generally solo, just I've started to accept a bit of assist with my projects, for example concluding game I did accept a background artist, and my side by side game they volition describe the sprites with the backgrounds too.

QRM: What inspired you to get started in the games industry?

Nadia: Basically I just came to the sudden realization after playing Undertale and Cute Demon Crashers (nsfw) bunch of years back that anyone tin can make games. Like, that there are tools similar Game Maker and Ren'Py merely floating effectually online that I can access if I want to.

QRM: In what means do you feel your experiences equally a queer person manifest in the games you work on, and influence the work you do?

Nadia: Basically every game I exercise will include queer people, more specifically gay trans women. That's what I am and I want there to be more games like that. It's unproblematic.

QRM: Do y'all have a favourite queer grapheme—in games or media more than generally? If then, what is it about them that makes them your favourite?
Question asked by @kamienw.

Nadia: I honestly can't come upwards with anyone... I can't tell if it'southward just my retentiveness being so horrible or if it'south actually because queer characters just are so rare I haven't plant one I really really could consider my favorite.

QRM: Have y'all e'er encountered roadblocks in trying to include queer characters in games? What do you think is preventing greater diverseness within games?
Question asked by @dustinalex91.

Nadia: Information technology'due south not exactly something that's blocking me, but as I hang out in queer dev Discord and in general, just seeing how queer people actually react to queer games is really stressful to some devs. Like, no matter how you do the game and its characters, someone out in that location volition do everything they tin can to claim how the game is bad representation or go as far equally to merits the game is problematic, but because they can't identify with the game themselves. Some people are so quick to concur up any queer content that is made and then tear it down when they don't reach upward to the illogical standards they set for it. I've seen some devs actually exist worried they're gonna become bad responses only for writing the characters how they want. Similar, the set is just to encourage people to write games and the characters how they want and remind them that there are plenty of people who will enjoy it. I brand games for myself, and anyone who can chronicle to it are free to. I'm non trying to brand every single lesbian trans woman that walks this earth be able to run into themselves in the game, but those that volition and that's fine.

QRM: Why do you think it is important that queer audiences are able to encounter themselves represented in the games they play, and in the developers who brand the games they run into? What can nosotros do to better the industry for queer audiences and devs?

Nadia: It'south just sad to grow up with never seeing myself in any media. Like anybody just defaults to cishet white dudes in games and some rare cishet white women and that'due south simply so alienating when it comes to coming to terms with my ain race, gender and sexuality growing up. Like, certain, I managed to grow upwards somehow being content with me being what I am and able detect my own representation and even get-go creating it myself, simply information technology's a shame I have to do and then much work to see myself in media when some people are just handed it right from the start. Anyone [claiming] they don't get why queer people are so needy of good representation probably have no idea what it's like to grow up never seeing yourself in a positive lite in media.

Forcing some big AAA companies to make queer characters isn't actually ideal though, so I just recommend people really support those indies who are queer and making queer games. And support those rare AAA companies (if they even be) that manage to make games with queer characters in positive calorie-free.

QRM: In what ways tin can non-queer folk increment and support queer diverseness present within games, as well as in the industry more broadly? How tin can we all work to support intersectional approaches to diversity, and why is this important?

Nadia: Support devs who make queer games. Purchase queer games, reblog their posts, requite them likes, write well-nigh the games and the devs, kickstart their projects. Basically just standing behind them and telling them you care, because that is what matters the near.

QRM: Is there a bulletin that you would similar to share with the queer game players, game studies researchers, and other interested folks who incorporate the Queerly Represent Me community?

Nadia: Exist queer and make queer stuff. Nobody can terminate you.

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Y'all can find Nadia on Twitter.
Yous can check out Nadia'south games on crawling.io.

Some responses have been edited for clarity.

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Source: https://representme.charity/projects/intersectional/interviews/nadia-nova

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