Victor Dupuis

Queerly Represent Me had a chat with Victor, a pixel artist and game developer.

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

Victor: I'm primarily a pixel artist. I have completed one game for a game jam, and shortly after that I updated that game to make it bigger. I did playtesting for Owlboy. Currently I'm working as a pixel artist for a project still in early development.

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

Victor: I finished my first game almost two years ago, so I guess two years. Since then I've tried and failed making games for jams again. I even joined a team once and just did pixelart, but I'm not sure if that was ever finished. I'm doing pixelart on an RPG project that is still early in development.

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

Victor: Games have always been a large part of my life, but when I started seeing things like Cave Story, I realized that one person or a small team could make games too. Besides that, I just like the look of pixelart and believe someday it could be considered as an art-form not always tied to games.

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?

Victor: Before I understood that I was trans, I had learned a lot about how representation can help people feel welcomed. I wanted to include things in my games that would show people that I supported them. Now that I have figured it out, I want to push further to tell mine and other people's stories.

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.

Victor: Undyne from Undertale. She is cool and strong and everyone in that world respects her. I love that she is supportive of all of her friends and fights for them as hard as she can.

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.

Victor: I would say I haven't done enough to encounter roadblocks, and being out as trans is very new to me. What I feel is keeping people from accepting queer characters is that they don't know any people like them in real life or even as a close online friend. For a long time I didn't have a great understanding of trans people, and it wasn't until seeing more visibility that I realized these are real people trying to live their lives. A lot of people have no concept of the people that these characters represent, so they see them as a weird made up thing.

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?

Victor: To see yourself in someone else's work is to know that they see you and accept who you are. I think representation helps people know they aren't alone, and representation within the industry shows that there is a place for people like you in the kind of jobs you want to do. Speaking mostly on the audience side, the best way to show you care is to take a hard stance against any anti-queer/anti-LGBT mentality. When someone tells you that part of your game has hurt them, know that it is in an effort to enjoy your work more.

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.

Victor: I've helped people with advice a tiny amount. I wish I had more energy to devote to helping people get started, but I often feel I barely have energy to do my own work.

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?

Victor: Understand that just because you aren't hearing about a game isn't an indication of its quality. Go out of your way to look for queer gamedevs, find a game you love, and spread the word. A lot of people will tune out when a game sounds like it’s "just for diversity", so to reach those people you need to focus on what you think is fun or interesting in the game.

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?

Victor: There is always room for more queer people in games. I believe that we are moving towards a better future, and even when things get scary there are others who want to help and support you.

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You can find Victor on Twitter.
You can check out Victor's game, Bipo's Adventure on itch.io.