Alex Perry

Queerly Represent Me chatted with Alex, who's working as a QA technician at Media Molecule.

QRM: Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do in the games industry?

Alex: I am a 30 year old queer woman from South London and Cornwall. I'm an embedded QA technician at Media Molecule where I work closely with the development and production teams to ensure the game is of as high quality as possible. I spend my spare time playing roller derby with the London Rockin' Rollers, going to punk and metal shows, cuddling my two pet rats, watching wrestling, and working on events and writing projects with my friends.

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

Alex: I've been in the industry for roughly 6 years and have worked in QA and Dev Assistant roles at Rockstar London, Square Enix web team, and Gamesys. At Media Molecule I worked on Tearaway Unfolded and I'm currently working on Dreams for PS4 – coming out this year!

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

Alex: I've always loved games, and while I was working in games retail in Cornwall I read an article in Edge magazine about getting started in the industry. That was honestly the first time it ever occurred to me that there even WAS a games industry you could work in. I didn't know where to start, so I applied to university as a "mature" student to study game design and went from there.

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

Alex: As a QA technician I wouldn't say it has a direct influence on my work. As my work is generally technical it's harder to queer things up from that angle. However, I do think being openly queer encourages other queer people to feel they can bring their queerness to the party too. I'm also working on a cool game events project with some friends at the moment and, in the group, several of us identify as queer, which is definitely influencing the inclusivity, openness and even the themes of what we're planning – even though the events aren't necessarily LGBT+ centred events.

QRM: Do you have a favourite queer character—in games or media more generally? If so, what is it about them that makes them your favourite?
Question asked by @kamienw.

Alex: Hands down that would have to be Gregg from Night In The Woods. Even though I'm a bisexual female human and he's a gay male fox, I identify so hard with that guy. And Mae of course, but Gregg is my absolute fave.

QRM: Have you ever encountered roadblocks in trying to include queer characters in games? What do you think is preventing greater diversity within games?
Question asked by @dustinalex91.

Alex: I think the reason there isn't greater diversity in games is because a lot of people tend to think of straight/white/cis/thin as "default" or "normal" and so anything else is then making some kind of big political statement, which maybe isn't what they want to do. Obviously: that's not true. I think the more characters in games that are well-rounded, interesting characters whose queerness or ethnicity etc. are part of who they are without being their entire defining trait, the more people, including big devs, will see how much better sense that makes than a world populated by straight white cis supermodels. And of course the first step is getting more diverse people into games!

QRM: Why do you think it is important that queer audiences are able to see themselves represented in the games they play, and in the developers who make the games they see? What can we do to improve the industry for queer audiences and devs?

Alex: I think it's incredibly important to see yourself in the media you consume. There's a sense that something's "not for you" if it's full of characters you can't recognise any aspect of yourself in. I especially think that's important if you're thinking about a career in games: if you see queer characters on screen, at least you know the developers are aware you exist. I think for the same reason it's important to not only see queer people in the industry – but where possible to see queer people THRIVING in the industry, which I truly believe is possible. I've actually had very positive experiences within the games industry. I absolutely in no way want to imply that the experiences of those who've had a bad time are less important, because their experiences are super valid and important and the industry has a long way to go, but I have been treated really well on the whole as a queer person in games. I hope that the more of us there are, the more universal this experience becomes!

QRM: Have you ever mentored somebody in your role in games, or been mentored? If so, what made these experiences worthwhile for you?
Question asked by @pepelanova.

Alex: I haven't, but I think it's a great idea – especially within marginalised communities. We should help each other wherever possible!

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

Alex: First of all they should listen to queer voices and queer perspectives and not talk over them or try and make themselves central in the narrative. I think we can all do more on this too. As a cis white woman I want to do more to promote the work of POC and trans people. I think it's all about recognising where you are privilege-wise and trying to give a leg up to people in a tougher position. I think the industry could also do a lot more to get information and resources to poor and working class areas/people as there is a real economic barrier to entry. Basically, everyone can always be doing more!

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

Alex: Your voice is important, we want you here, and it's always doable. Don't be afraid to ask for help – the worst someone can say is "no", which they might (for various reasons) but you've almost certainly not lost anything by asking. And don't be afraid to GIVE help when you can – the more of a community we are, the better. Also it's never too late – I think stuff like "30 under 30" lists and all that can be really discouraging, do things at your own pace. I'm 30 and I'm only really just hitting my stride and I know plenty of people much older who are relatively new to games and doing great things.

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You can find Alex on Twitter.
You can check out GameRats—the events/collective Alex has started with her friends—at www.gamerats.co.uk.