Stanley Baxton is a story sport designer who has labored on greater than 20 video games as a solo developer, specializing in satirical, horrifying, or queer tales. He beforehand labored as a sport designer at Supermassive Video games. Baxton was chosen as a BAFTA Breakthrough for his work on Latex, Leather, Lipstick, Love, Lust, an interactive fiction piece a few trans man going to a kink membership.
How do you are feeling about being a BAFTA Breakthrough?
Good. I utilized considering it will simply be one other initiative: I will put the appliance in, it will go within the bin, and I will transfer on. However being picked successfully felt like BAFTA going, ‘Hey, the stuff you are doing is essential and we wish to spotlight the communities that you just’re working with.’ And it is like, ‘Oh, okay. That is fairly good’.
Why do you assume you had been chosen?
I really feel that I symbolize that unstated voice in video games.
I’ve lots of gripes with the video games trade, however my greatest gripe is that I am a part of communities who’re making video games very a lot towards how the video games trade says that they need to be made. That is to do with the folks or the precise content material, in addition to the manufacturing. These video games do not want multimillion greenback budgets, they’ll simply be made with one particular person.
And after I say with one particular person, I do not imply the very sneaky factor of it is a solo dev, and then you definately look below the hood, and there are 30 contractors and 100 folks within the Philippines who simply weren’t credited.
Consider somebody who has a horrible retail job. They go house, they mess around on the pc making fast little video games, they put it out into the world to principally no fanfare, they usually’re doing it simply because they find it irresistible they usually wish to do it. That’s just about totally ignored by the video games trade, as a result of they’re specializing in income.
So I am hoping that my inclusion with BAFTA is to attempt to deliver mild onto that, and if that wasn’t why they picked me, that is principally what I’ll try to flip it into anyway.
So that you wish to highlight creators who’re doing it for ardour and never the cash?
And it is ‘for the cash’ that is the important thing factor there. Since you converse to any of my developer colleagues, and they’ll say there isn’t a cash in video games. They do it simply because they honestly consider in it as an inventive medium. And it is like, if I make a few hundred on a bundle on Itch or no matter, that is a pleasant aspect impact, however what I needed to do was create this and put it out into the world – as a result of the video games trade hates us, and I am simply going to do what I would like alone.
Do you actually assume the video games trade hates you?
Nicely, it is only a pure consequence of the video games trade being a neoliberal, capitalist building: it inherently hates any type of exercise that’s not performed for revenue or motivation. You must commercialize all of your free time, you must commercialize all the things that you just do, it has to have some type of worth and revenue. Whereas this non-commercial sport area I am in is principally making video games as a result of they’re enjoyable. We’re making artwork, we’re making it for different folks, and we’re usually making it free.
The hate is ignorance. It is that full block off, the place it is like there isn’t any level in being attentive to this.
So much less hate, and extra simply the video games trade probably not paying consideration.
Probably not paying consideration – however I additionally say hate, as a result of lots of us are queer and fairly marginalized, and lots of people do hate us within the extra direct sense.
Had been you impacted by the clampdown on grownup video games on Itch and Steam over the summer season?
I used to be.* The one method that something will occur is that if MasterCard and Visa totally collapse and we transfer to a decentralized type of cost processing. There isn’t any level going after Steam and Itch; the purpose must be directed in direction of legislators, it must be directed in direction of the hate teams that champion this and push this, and most significantly, the cost processors, as a result of they’re pushing the voice of a really vocal minority, and the overwhelming majority of individuals are shopping for issues which might be utterly authorized. Even for those who attempt to undergo the authorized aspect, there’s nothing unlawful within the video games that I’ve performed, it simply has some grownup content material. It has a intercourse scene. Films have had intercourse scenes because the Hayes code was rescinded. The main focus must be on them, as a result of they’re the one purpose that this occurred.
Have you ever been in contact with legislators? Have you ever petitioned MPs, for instance, or written to cost firms?
Yeah, I’ve performed the same old. There was an initiative of simply ramming the telephone strains of Visa and MasterCard. I had a enjoyable expertise with Visa the place I referred to as up and I used to be asking a few cost I made by means of an internet distribution platform, they usually mentioned, ‘We have had calls about this already,’ and instantly hung up on me. It reveals you that they only do not wish to pay attention.
I’ve written to my MP, and did not get a response. However she’s with Labour, and I do not anticipate Labour to care about trans folks, to be frank. I believe the change will both come from these issues simply collapsing in on themselves or folks being vocal sufficient the place they turn into one thing they can not ignore as a result of the underside line is affected.
How will being a BAFTA Breakthrough change your profession? What sort of doorways do you assume it will open, if any?
After I received laid off, I used to be similar to, ‘You realize what? Neglect this trade, I’ve had sufficient of this, you do not need me right here. I maintain reapplying, and you retain slamming the door on me.’ I believe I’ve utilized for over 100 issues at this level. I have been ghosted innumerable instances.
I am hoping it extra opens the door for different folks, as a result of proper now I am doing a PhD across the communities that I am in, why the video games trade is ignoring them, and the way we may also help champion them or have them higher revered as artists moderately than a enterprise that we are able to flip revenue from. I am hoping that it opens doorways for and places a highlight on that neighborhood; I am not too explicit about myself and my profession.
So you are feeling such as you virtually wish to be an envoy for the folks making marginalized video games, maybe?
Yeah. And since I’m trans, but in addition I am a person, if somebody simply seems at me on the road, they’re simply going to see a daily previous white man in a little bit of an attention-grabbing outfit. And which means, sadly, folks hearken to me extra, and I really feel [I have to recognize that] privilege [and use it to push for change].
It feels just like the least I can do, as a result of trans girls particularly are the explanation why I am right here. My mentor was a trans girl, Freya Campbell. My crew at Supermassive, I might say effectively over half of them had been trans girls. Loads of them had been in senior roles, they usually simply get ignored. So if I may be right here, at the very least showing to be a daily previous, straight, white man, I can go, ‘Take a look at this, that is essential’. After which afterwards you understand, ‘Oh god, he is certainly one of them’.
What’s your PhD on?
It is on punk indie sport improvement, principally, making an attempt to formalize a time period for that neighborhood of people who find themselves going particularly towards the video games trade and making an attempt to separate as effectively from business indie sport areas. The people who find themselves similar to, ‘I do not wish to be a enterprise, I am an artist first, I simply create stuff. I create it for my neighborhood or myself, and I simply put it out into the world.’
I really feel there’s essential stuff being performed there. So it is virtually like a center finger to the trade going like, ‘You are not being attentive to this, however clearly somebody in academia is’.
I like the thought of being a health care provider of indie punk video games.
Yeah, I do as effectively.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
Uncover extra in regards to the different members of the 2025 BAFTA Breakthrough video games cohort: Kyle Banks, Sally Beaumont, Mark Choi, and Cara Ellison.
*At present, Latex, Leather-based, Lipstick, Love, Lust is offered on Steam if customers are capable of show they’re over 18 by including a bank card to their account, and it’s accessible on Itch through a direct link. Nevertheless, Baxton’s Itch creator page is presently blocked within the UK.