The QGCon Collective
The Queerness and Games Collective (QGCon) is a Quebec-registered non-profit that runs an annual free, public conference at the intersection of queer theory, LGBTQ+ issues, and games, serving scholars, queer indie game creators, and LGBTQ+ gamers since 2013.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- Headquarters—
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The QGCon Collective does
The Queerness and Games Collective, operating as QGCon (The Queerness and Games Conference), is a registered non-profit corporation based in Quebec, Canada (Corporation number: 1250843-5) that has organized an annual conference at the intersection of queer theory, LGBTQ+ issues, and games since 2013. QGCon serves three primary constituencies: scholars and academics in queer theory and game studies, queer indie game developers and creators, and LGBTQ+ gamers and games industry workers. The conference program is composed of multiple integrated components — academic presentations and panels (30+ talks in 2025), hands-on workshops (9 in 2025), a curated arcade showcasing 40+ queer indie games (titles include And What If We Did It?, Augurs of Glamour, Banned Together, DESERT OF ASH, and others), and keynotes from established figures in the field.
QGCon operates without a proprietary technology product. Its technical footprint is limited to livestreaming infrastructure for remote participation, post-event recording of talks, and standard community/event tooling: a Discord server (discord.gg/m7ZCath623), an email newsletter, the qgcon.org website built on Squarespace, Eventbrite for ticketing, and Zeffy for donations. QGCon 2025 takes place September 26-28, 2025 at the Grande Bibliothèque in downtown Montreal, with a full day of remote-first programming on September 26.
The organization's business model is freemium/donation-based. All events are free and open to the public, with pay-what-you-want ticketing and financial support available for presenters who need it. Revenue is raised through individual donations (via Zeffy), organizational sponsorships (named 2025 sponsors: Hacker Lab, Clever Endeavor, Pixelles, Équins Haute Performance, Owlchemy Labs), and voluntary ticketing contributions. The organization is volunteer-led and does not disclose headcount, salaries, financial statements, or external funding; there are no investors, no parent company, and no funding rounds. The operating geography is concentrated in Canada (Montreal) for in-person delivery, with global reach via remote/recorded programming.
The QGCon Collective firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The QGCon Collective
- Legal name
- The Queerness and Games Collective
- Website
- https://qgcon.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Queerness and Games Collective (QGCon) is a Quebec-registered non-profit that runs an annual free, public conference at the intersection of queer theory, LGBTQ+ issues, and games, serving scholars, queer indie game creators, and LGBTQ+ gamers since 2013.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The QGCon Collective industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Conference Services
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Professional Organizations (81392)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)
Keywords
The QGCon Collective business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Sponsorship: QGCon operates as a registered non-profit corporation. The organization raises funds through individual donations via Zeffy platform, organizational sponsorships from companies like Hacker Lab, Clever Endeavor, Pixelles, EHP, and Owlchemy Labs, and pay-what-you-want ticketing for conference attendance.
- Ticketing: QGCon events are free and open to the public with pay-what-you-want ticketing model. This ensures accessibility while allowing those who can afford to contribute to support the event's financial sustainability.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time | Pay-What-You-Want Ticketing |
| Freemium | One time | Remote Participation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The QGCon Collective product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The QGCon Collective organizes the Queerness and Games Conference (QGCon), a free annual academic and community conference held in Montreal, Quebec that brings together scholars, creators, and players at the intersection of queer theory, LGBTQ+ issues, and games. The offering comprises an integrated event program including academic presentations and talks, hands-on workshops, a curated indie game arcade showcasing queer games, and keynotes from prominent figures in queer game studies. All programming is delivered with free admission via pay-what-you-want ticketing and supported by donations and organizational sponsorships.
Product overview
The QGCon Collective organizes the Queerness and Games Conference (QGCon), an annual free conference held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The event is a single unified offering consisting of multiple programming components: the main conference featuring presentations and talks on queer game studies, hands-on workshops for game-making and creative exploration, an arcade showcasing indie queer games, and keynotes from prominent figures in the field. QGCon 2025 is scheduled for September 26-28, 2025. The organization operates as a registered non-profit corporation (number 1250843-5) and events are free and open to the public with pay-what-you-want ticketing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- QGCon Arcade: A showcase of queer games playable throughout the conference
- QGCon Workshops
Products and services
- QGCon Annual Conference The flagship annual academic and community conference bringing together scholars, creators, and players at the intersection of queer theory, LGBTQ+ issues, and games. The event features presentations, workshops, panels, keynotes, and an arcade showcasing queer indie games.
- QGCon Arcade A curated showcase of queer indie games playable throughout the conference, featuring narrative-driven games, visual novels, TTRPGs, VR experiences, board games, and experimental interactive works from independent developers. The 2025 Arcade featured over 40 games.
- QGCon Workshops Hands-on workshop sessions at the conference where attendees can learn game-making techniques, participate in game jams, and explore creative practices related to queer games and game design.
- QGCon Presentations and Talks Academic presentations, talks, and panel discussions covering topics in queer game studies, LGBTQ+ representation in games, game design practices, and related scholarly work.
- QGCon Archive A digital archive documenting the history of the conference since 2013, containing records of past keynotes, talks, workshops, and presentations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Free and accessible events with pay-what-you-want ticketing ensures no one is excluded due to financial barriers
Companies that use The QGCon Collective
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The QGCon Collective technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The QGCon Collective partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The QGCon Collective competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Game Developers Conference (GDC): GDC is the largest professional games industry conference worldwide, covering game development, design, and scholarship. While not focused on queer representation, it shares QGCon's talks/workshops/conference format and is the broad incumbent QGCon speakers and developers also participate in.
Direct peers
- Different Games: Different Games is an academic and creative conference exploring diversity, equity, and inclusion in games, with strong parallels to QGCon's intersection of games scholarship and marginalized community practice. Both conferences combine scholarly presentations, workshops, and community building around under-represented voices in games.
- GaymerX: GaymerX was an LGBTQ+ focused gaming convention and community event with a similar mission to bring together queer gamers, developers, and creators. It operated on a comparable event-driven, community-led model and was one of the closest direct parallels to QGCon's queer games focus before its hiatus.
- IndieCade: IndieCade is a major independent games festival showcasing indie titles, talks, and workshops. While broader in scope than QGCon, it operates a similar event-driven model blending playable showcases with creator-development programming.
- Fantastic Arcade: Fantastic Arcade is a queer-inclusive indie games festival featuring playable exhibits, talks, and community events. Its overlap with QGCon is direct in terms of audience (queer gamers and indie creators) and format (arcade-style showcase plus programming).
- A MAZE. (Berlin): A MAZE. is an international independent and arthouse games festival featuring an arcade of indie games, talks, and exhibitions. It shares QGCon's indie-arcade showcase model, hands-on programming, and focus on alternative and experimental games.
Others
- DIGRA (Digital Games Research Association): DIGRA is the leading academic association for the study of digital games, organizing DiGRA conferences where queer games research frequently appears. It is comparable to QGCon at the scholarly level but addresses the broader games-studies academic community.
Emerging players
- Queerness in Games Community (GLAAD Gaming): GLAAD Gaming advocates for LGBTQ+ representation in video games through industry research, partnerships, and the Queerness in Games community. It overlaps with QGCon's mission around queer visibility in games and is an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct conference competitor.
- Women in Games International: Women in Games International is a nonprofit professional organization advocating for greater inclusion in the games industry through events, networking, and advocacy. It shares QGCon's mission of expanding representation in games and serves a related — though not specifically queer — community.
Regional players
- Pixelles: Pixelles is a Montreal-based nonprofit supporting women and gender-diverse people in game development through workshops and mentorship. It is a direct sponsor of QGCon 2025 and addresses a closely related — but not identical — diversity-in-games mission in the same city.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The QGCon Collective financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The QGCon Collective leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The QGCon Collective funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The QGCon Collective M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The QGCon Collective
What does The QGCon Collective do?
The QGCon Collective organizes the Queerness and Games Conference (QGCon), a free annual academic and community conference held in Montreal, Quebec that brings together scholars, creators, and players at the intersection of queer theory, LGBTQ+ issues, and games. The offering comprises an integrated event program including academic presentations and talks, hands-on workshops, a curated indie game arcade showcasing queer games, and keynotes from prominent figures in queer game studies. All programming is delivered with free admission via pay-what-you-want ticketing and supported by donations and organizational sponsorships.
Is The QGCon Collective a public or private company?
The QGCon Collective is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The QGCon Collective founded?
The QGCon Collective was founded in 2013.
How does The QGCon Collective make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are ticketing.
Who are The QGCon Collective's main competitors?
Game Developers Conference (GDC) is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Different Games, GaymerX, IndieCade, Fantastic Arcade and A MAZE. (Berlin). DIGRA (Digital Games Research Association) is listed as an others. Emerging players are Queerness in Games Community (GLAAD Gaming) and Women in Games International. Pixelles is listed as a regional player.
Does The QGCon Collective have an API?
No public API is recorded for The QGCon Collective.
What industry is The QGCon Collective in?
The QGCon Collective's product category is Academic Conference Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies), with a secondary code of THAHACAM, Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management. Its NAICS code is 711320.