Drexel exhibit showcases LGBTQ+ representation in video games

An interactive exhibition at Drexel University’s Pearlstein Gallery features playable gaming consoles and immersive encounters that help visitors experience video games as more than entertainment. “Escape > Control > Play: The Art of the Video Game,” which can be viewed through Dec. 12, explores how games challenge cultural norms. “Queer Games >> Histories + Futures,” a display curated by professors Adrienne Shaw and Ari Gass, contextualizes how video games have historically empowered the LGBTQ+ community within the larger political landscape of the United States. One of Shaw’s favorite points on the LGBTQ+ video games timeline is from 1989: “Caper in the Castro,” a mystery featuring lesbian detective Tracker McDyke who searches for her kidnapped friend — a drag queen named Tessy LaFemme. Creator CM Ralph published the game via floppy disk for peer-to-peer sharing and made it available on virtual bulletin boards.

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