Most of what Cliqist covers are video game campaigns, but sometimes we also find it worth venturing into video game “culture.” One campaign that popped up on Indiegogo caught my attention despite not being for a video game itself. That campaign is titled Pixelles Montreal. Pixelles itself is an initiative to get more women creating games – particularly those who have never tried before. The concept is to help empower those who attend Pixelles incubator events to express themselves in a new medium. Not only will they learn a new skill, but possibly also utilize that in their future careers!
So what exactly does Pixelles need money for? As they are a non-profit, they’re not about to get money through these Game Incubator workshop sessions (which are completely free to applicants). Raised funds will funnel into purchases of software and tools, laptops, government fees, and perhaps even small honorariums to workshop leaders. This Indiegogo campaign uses the flexible funding model which means even if they come short of the $5,000 funds will still be transferred on over.
Some folks may not recognize the importance of initiatives like Pixelles – but there is definitely a need. The mindset that “women don’t make/play games” is huge. Having a space dedicated to young women’s creative game-making efforts helps to prove this isn’t the case. It also helps to get more women into the field after recognizing game creation is something worth pursuing. Many of those who attended the previous incubator session have since gone on to continue working with games, and the trend will almost certainly continue with future session attendees.
So how different is this suppose to be from the fine young capitalist? I would think people would want to wait at least a year before creating another similar project, to see what the last one did right or wrong.