Jacob James

We sat down to chat with Jacob James, an independent game developer and composer.

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

Jacob: I am a rock musician and performer turned game designer, who loves to travel, and is passionate about diversity. My current focus in the industry is to create small, thematic games that are accessible to all genders. Creating small/solo games gives me the opportunity to be part of many creative processes, including game and narrative design, programming, art directing, and music composing. To sum it up, I am a game design generalist with an addiction to music.

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

Jacob: I have been involved in the games industry as a composer since 2013; however, it wasn't until 2016 that I decided to start learning about game design. I became a student at Swinburne University in Melbourne, and have since worked on a few very small projects in Melbourne. I moved to Montreal for a semester and have been involved in running game events at Game Play Space (Montreal's own game dev co-working space), participating in game jams, and have completed a large chunk of development for an independent mobile game called 'Kitty Kount'. This is due for release in early 2018, but I am working on something very cool for the Montreal-based company Mistplay, which will be out a bit sooner!

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

Jacob: The games that I have loved have often created worlds that pull me in, and put me through a unique emotional experience. I've always loved the idea of creating that for others! Writing music for games has been a long-time dream, and after not finding what I was looking for in the music industry, I decided to learn game design so I could make music for the games I create. It wasn't long until I became just as passionate about game design as I am about music!

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?

Jacob: Coming from an otherwise privileged background, being queer has helped me understand what other marginalised groups might experience, and very much inspired me to create works that fairly represent, help give a voice to, or simply are more accessible to people of the queer community, and women.

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.

Jacob: I actually can't think of any queer characters from any games I've played, except perhaps a voice over character from Gone Home. This sucks!

From the wider media, my favourite queer character is easily Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has lots of fears and insecurities, but she always overcomes them to help others. She is also incredibly honest! Oh and of course Albus Dumbledore. What a legend, he speaks for himself!

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.

Jacob: Certainly. This year I created a a very personal game, which has an overtly queer theme. When I thought about some specific people I know playing it, I became scared about what they would think about me – I'm too gay, I'm too much of a justice warrior, a game like this is very selfish – all things which I know are not true, but when you have a culture telling you those things for your entire life it can be difficult to let go. I think it is these attitudes that developers and players don't want to have to deal with that is part of the problem. Additionally, the glass ceiling for women and other minorities in games still exists (although getting better I feel!), and it will take time for diverse people to be in strong business and decision making positions to affect change in larger companies. At the end of the day people need money to pay rent, let alone make games, so until large companies and investors feel that there is more money to be made in creating diversity in games, it's not going to happen on the global scale that many people want.

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?

Jacob: Game characters are often role models, particularly for kids and teens. In fact, I would say that on the inside I still feel like Link from Ocarina of Time; he was a character that I connected with (like so many could!) and his implied morals, attitudes, and personality are things I think I carry with me. If queer players are able to experience that with a clearly queer character, that is one more reason for them to feel confident about their existence in a world that often tells them they're not valid. On the other side, showing players that don't already have an understanding or exposure to out queer people can definitely assist with normalising their day-to-day experiences, teaching them to treat queer people with the same respect as any other person.

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.

Jacob: I have had a small amount of mentoring so far, but the experiences have certainly been powerful. Having someone that is experienced in the industry that I trust, that believes in me and encourages me to keep going, is incredibly validating. I've found that my path has become clearer too: I have more direction and have confidence that what I am doing is something good, worthwhile, and that will help my career.

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?

Jacob: Be our allies. Be our voice. Go out on a limb! Ask developers for more diversity in games. Try a game with diverse characters/story that you are unsure about. If you work in the industry, bring diversity to the attention of others you work with. If you have an opportunity to stand up for someone from a diverse background, then please do – it will mean more to them than you can imagine.

We can all work together by supporting works that are created. Queer folk, if you play a game that represents you awkwardly or not quite right, instead of slamming the creator, talk to them about it... maybe you can educate them, and encourage them to represent you in a better way next time. Change takes exactly that – time.

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?

Jacob: In general, my experience in the indie games industry is incredibly positive. I haven't met anyone who DOESN'T want more diversity in games, so we are on the right track. If we all keep up the confident, strong message of importance, then I believe over time the industry will change to have a much broader spectrum of diversity in characters, stories, and employees.

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You can find Jacob on Twitter at @jacobjamesaus.