Intersectional Pleasures: Reframing the Value of BIPOC Game Studies and Production

This paper by Lindsay D. Grace argues that the value of BIPOC game studies and BIPOC-led game production should be understood through the pleasures they generate, rather than solely through conventional measures such as economic success, player base size, or citation counts. The author identifies three distinct forms of pleasure: pleasure in community, pleasure in production, and pleasure of understanding. The central claim is that these affective and communal rewards are fundamentally valuable and often overlooked in capital-focused evaluations of creative and scholarly work.

The paper supports its argument with several data points drawn from industry and survey research. It cites Newzoo (2022) findings that 42% of respondents in the U.K. and 51% in the U.S. consider diversity, equity, and inclusion important, and reports that roughly 41.6% of teen players seek diverse representation when choosing a game. The author also draws on the author's own prior research on game jams, including a finding that participants reported gaining more understanding of the social topics addressed in their games than of game design itself. Evidence is further gathered from survey responses at the first BIPOC Game Studies Conference in 2025, and from game jams held in regions such as India, Japan, and Malaysia.

The scope is international but the evidence base is largely drawn from game jam participants and conference attendees, with U.S. and U.K. industry data providing the broader context. The paper is a conceptual and argumentative piece rather than a systematic empirical study, and its reliance on survey sentiment and self-reported experiences means its conclusions reflect perceived rather than measured outcomes. Its authors position pleasure as a pragmatic justification for sustaining diverse game-making and research, particularly in environments where funding and citation metrics dominate evaluations.