Say hello to Richmond's first queer video game exhibit

• From a giant hot pink "Gayme Boy Color" to a "Tama Girl" tamagotchi, the showcase features nine playable games with custom arcade cabinets.

Behind the scenes: The exhibition aims to subvert the conventional exhibit submission process, curator MeeNa Ko tells Axios.

• Through the cost of submitting work and expectations around an artist's formal background, the gallery submission process can be rooted in racist and classist ways of thinking.
• By funding many initial costs of sharing one's work and inviting people from a range of skill backgrounds, the organizers made FREE PLAY! more approachable to artists.

My thought bubble: My heart fluttered at the exhibit's playful expressions of queerness. My friends and I felt seen in the games' narratives about first crushes, growing up and navigating identities.

• Spaces that center artists from historically excluded communities matter.
• (I would also like a hot pink "Gayme Boy Color.")

What's next: The (free!) show has been extended until March 8.

• The team will also design and share a zine about the exhibit and the artists.
• Ko says, "There's definitely plans to have FREEPLAY! again next year."

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note the exhibition is at Diversity Richmond, not Diversity Thrift.