Over the weekend of August 25-28, attendees gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Center for Fan Expo Canada 2022. Among the many booths were the organizations Femme Gaming and Toronto Gaymers.
While Femme Gaming advocated diversity and inclusion in esports for women and marginalized groups, Toronto Gaymers created a welcoming space where participants shared their love of video games.
Jessica Medeiros, the founder of Femme Gaming, sat down with Upcomer for an interview about the organization plus what it takes to build an inclusive esports and gaming space.
“I thought I was the only one.”
At Fan Expo Canada 2022, Femme Gaming had a dedicated room filled with computers for gaming, in addition to a lounge where attendees chatted and rested. Players of all ages gathered around the monitors as their friends and relatives cheered them on.
“There is certainly a big impact on the women of the exchange who come to visit the Femme Gaming lounge,” said Medeiros. “It’s great to see people stop and go, ‘Oh, wow. Is this here?’ So many people said, ‘Oh, this should have been invented 20 years ago’ or ‘Why hasn’t this been around since the beginning?’ It’s nice to see people embrace it.”
Medeiros added that it is nice that fathers and husbands showed their support in the lounge. They did this by purchasing Femme Gaming merchandise for their wives of daughters who wanted to show that they take pride in being gamers.
Growing up, Medeiros believed that women in gaming were few in number. “I thought I was the only one,” she said. After researching later, she found that about 45% of gamers were women.
Change is coming! pic.twitter.com/BhlMj9quNL
— FEMME GAMING (@FemmeGamingGG) December 7, 2021
Femme Gaming champion inclusivity
For Medeiros, building an inclusive space is the heart of Femme Gaming. She has been playing video games since she was a child, along with her older siblings. While she loves Mario Kart, she also loves first-person shooter games, with the competitive Call of Duty being one of her favorites.
“As you know, as a female gamer you go online and you hear a lot of comments like, ‘Go back to the kitchen, why are you playing, girls aren’t as good as boys.’ And it’s just one of the hardest things to bring up. And I just wanted to change that.”
Medeiros put her foot down by starting Femme Gaming. In addition to marketing to women, the organization gives them a safe space. Femme Gaming also aims to introduce men to women in esports and teach everyone to embrace all genders when playing video games.
In addition to Femme Gaming, the convention also featured other areas of play, such as giant screens for the Bell Esports Challenge, featuring games like Rocket League and Valorant. Gamers gathered at the Esports Path to Pro panel that showcased the founders of Mirage and Able Esports. Some attendees dressed in cosplay in honor of their favorite games, such as Genshin Impact and Old School RuneScape.
Toronto Gaymers at Fan Expo Canada 2022
Elsewhere at Fan Expo Canada 2022, the Toronto Gaymers booth featured LGBTQ+ pins, buttons and apparel.
Ingrid Velasco, the Toronto Gaymers Outreach Coordinator, shared her thoughts on Canada’s LGBTQ+ community. She found the organization through Meetup after arriving from Mexico City. Velasco had such a great time at Toronto Gaymers events such as board game nights and online Minecraft sessions that she decided to participate in Fan Expo Canada 2022.
“I’ve never had these things in my own country,” Velasco told Upcomer. “I’m learning, and it’s not easy in my own country. So since in Toronto we see that things are a little more open – we have these ideas that we can just talk to people about. It’s just really special because it’s just something I wish I had at home.”
Velasco noted that Toronto Gaymers’ mere presence at conventions showed LGBTQ+ individuals that they are never alone. “It’s so nice to tell people, ‘We have a space for you,'” she said.
She recalled how younger attendees were also excited about smaller, more local conventions. Velasco highlighted how Toronto Gaymers gave these LGBTQ+ individuals hope that they will find a place where they will be welcome.
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