Listen to Bioware's GaymerX panels on romance and inclusiveness

The second GaymerX—the LGBTQ-oriented gaming convention—took place last weekend. In addition to workshops, parties and more Pokemon-themed competitions than you would think possible, the event also featured a number of guest speakers. Among them, Bioware's David Gaider, Jessica Merizan, Robyn Théberge, Karin Weekes and Patrick Weekes—who participated in two panels: "Building a Better Romance" and "Freaking out the Neighbours". Bioware have now uploaded the audio from both talks to YouTube.

The second talk, Freaking out the Neighbours, focuses on representation, inclusiveness, and the negative reactions such topics can provoke. "What is 'good representation' in games and why would anyone be opposed to it?" asks the talk's description. "Considering the romance elements in BioWare games, we've heard it all, and it's worth discussing where some of these feelings come from and how it's possible for a developer to be inclusive in a way we can feel good about."

Each talk is just under an hour, but they're both interesting topics—and ones that reveal a lot about Bioware's approach and thinking.

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Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.