The sixth annual Latinx Games Festival will be held in Albuquerque for the first time from Sept. 20-22. The festival — which will take place at the National Hispanic Cultural Center — will feature showcased games by Latino and Hispanic creators, an esports tournament and live speakers providing insight about game development.
The event's goal is to highlight historically underrepresented Latino voices in the video game industry, according to Latinx Games Festival founder and executive director Jason Vega. He has been in the industry for the past 12 years.
“Ultimately, we want to show that video games as a young medium exist and a lot of its history is rooted in Latinos and Latino culture,” Vega said.
Hispanic or Latino individuals make up 8.8% of video game developers, according to Zippia.
Zack Quintero, executive director of the NHCC said holding an event like this is very exciting for him and the center.
“Here, we want people to connect to their Hispanic and Latino roots so this is a huge responsibility for us — but one we take with a lot of responsibility and excitement,” Quintero said.
Ernie C’deBaca, president and CEO of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, is partnering with the Latinx Games Festival. Gaming company sponsors supporting the event include Xbox, Unity, Nintendo and Amazon Games, according to Vega.
“The representation of the Xbox’s and Panics of the world means the world to me as a gamer and as an event organizer, but knowing what they do for the Latino gaming development community — that means the most,” Vega said.
Rodney Prunty is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @rprunty05
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