Angela 'Nyx' Solomon

An interview with Angela 'Nyx' Solomon!.

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

Angela: I'm an 18 year-old trans woman who makes games about identity, particularly gender identity, and exploring concepts like pain and love from the perspective of queer people.

QRM: What about the games industry excites and inspires you?

Angela: There's a game I played a while back called Boa Retina, and it's about 15 minutes long so you can just play it right now. It's a deep, dark, and emotional game about gender dysphoria and abuse, and I felt like it understood me perfectly. Video games have so much potential to communicate to us, and something I want to hear more from games is "I understand."

QRM: What about the games industry frustrates or disappoints you? What are the challenges you’re currently facing in the industry?

Angela: Audience expectations are a looming threat for me. It's definitely not the biggest problem in the industry, but it is kind of daunting trying to meet the standards of people who've never made a game in their life. And somehow they're supposed to be our core demographic. I try not to take it too seriously, but I light up whenever somebody tells me they liked our game. I hope that'll happen more often.

QRM: What message would you give to allies—both individuals and companies—who want to know how to support marginalised people better?

Angela: Give us a voice! Amplify our voices and listen to us when we say there's something wrong! Don't tiptoe around it by putting a rainbow flag on your consumer products, actually help us financially and put forward regulations to hold awful people accountable.

QRM: What message would you give to marginalised people who are working in games or would like to work in games?

Angela: Honestly, make the game you want to make, make the game only you can make, and be proud of whatever you put out there. It might not be amazing, but it's yours.

QRM: If people want to find and support you and your work, how can they do that?

Angela: You can check out my Twitter, play the games I've worked on at my itch.io page, and support me financially at Paypal.