The Arkh Project: A video game for Queer people and People of color
LGBT-friendly ancient mythology... in a video game. Image via TheArkhProject
Queer and racial minority artists, writers, and game designers are working together to create a minority-focused, full action 3D RPG. Arkh has officially been in development for a mere six weeks, but it has already garnered a lot of attention from fans on Tumblr and Twitter. The project is ambitious and quality focused, and they hope to raise $100,000-$250,000 total for the game; not an unreasonable sum for the kind of game they are trying to create, but a large amount for any project supported by fans and fundraising alone. The game’s description from Indiegogo sounds pretty interesting:
“Follow the story of a deity bored with life amongst the gods, who leaves to find a purpose in life. Reincarnate your deity onto numerous worlds, live through the lives of others and gain life experience…but watch your God Energy, you need a lot of it to continue your astral journey. Fight monsters only you can see, sometimes around very particular civilians who refuse to get the heck out of your way. And most of all, see a game and a story that the big wigs refuse to give!”
It’s not that there have never been queer or non-white characters in video games, but seeing an occasional token character who you identify with (or don’t, because they are so limited by stereotypes) isn’t the same has having nearly every protagonist cater to your sexual or racial identity.
beautiful concept art from Arkh. via TheArkhProject
Bioware’s response to a “disenfranchised” white male gamer comes to mind. A straight male gamer was appalled that there were gay characters in Dragon Age 2. This person had no concept of a game that didn’t uncompromisingly cater to his world view.
So a group of people have decided to make their own game their own way. I think Arkh sounds like a great project. Many gamers would love to see input from more LGBT individuals as well as PoC in the gaming industry, and Arkh is a great way to prove to big studios that it would pay off. They aren’t simply making a thrown-together game, they are striving to make something economically viable in the modern gaming market, because games, after all, are entertainment. I want more minorities in my video games because their stories are just as fun and enjoyable as traditional game narratives, and if I can relate a bit more to the characters, maybe even more so.
The creators have already received more than their goal for the initial fundraising on Indiegogo, proving that there is definitely a market for a minority-focused game. If you want to support Arkh and help make the game happen, check out their Indiegogo page and keep up with progress on their Tumblr.
