Somewhere over the Goodgame rainbow – Gaymer and friends celebrate their first birthday
“Is it okay to tell your colleagues who you spent your weekend with?” Most people will answer this question with a definite “yes”. Why shouldn’t that be okay? What if, for example, you spent a romantic weekend with a partner of the same sex, though?
This was precisely the question posed at the start of “Gaymer and Friends”, Goodgame Studios’ first LGBTTIQ group. One year ago, a handful of Goodgamers decided that they should also feel comfortable answering this question at the workplace with a definite “yes”. They founded the group “Gaymer and Friends”, with the goal of making Goodgamers aware of the concerns of LGBTTIQ employees and promoting mutual respect – true to the group’s motto: “Make it easy to be yourself”.
On Wednesday, around 60 Gaymers and other Goodgamers came together to celebrate the group’s first birthday and the success they have achieved so far. Richard, president of the group since day one, opened the evening with a few words of welcome. During his short speech, he once more clarified the group’s goals and praised the achievements already made. His welcome was followed by a short address from our HR manager, Ina Bourmer, who was especially excited to participate in this prime example of how every employee can truly live out and take to heart our company values. Ina discussed the significance of LGBTTIQ and diversity to Goodgame Studios and the importance of treating all colleagues with trust and respect, regardless of how they may identify themselves.
The rest of the evening offered numerous opportunities for networking and lively conversation. It was exciting to see how many employees without an LGBTTIQ background showed interest in getting to know more about “Gaymer and Friends”. Plenty of people also took a picture with the homemade rainbow cake, which took an impressive 5 hours to make.
After such a successful celebration, “Gaymer and Friends” can’t wait to throw an even bigger party for their 2nd birthday!
There are still plenty of exciting activities on the agenda for the meantime, though. Along with the regular events like group lunches, bar evenings, and discussion forums, a few highlights are also on the cards for this year. For one, Goodgame Studios will host Unicorns in Tech – Germany’s first tech community for gays, lesbians, and heterosexuals – at its campus on September 25. We’ll also be part of the party at the Hamburg Christopher Street Days, and we’re planning an event with our colleagues from gamecity:Hamburg and other Hamburg gaming companies for this summer. The event will look at the topic of the LGBTTIQ community in the gaming industry. There’s lots to look forward to!
