{"id":266049,"date":"2025-09-30T08:31:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T08:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/266049\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T08:31:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T08:31:13","slug":"lgbtq-gaming-nonprofit-gotham-gaming-debuting-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/266049\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBTQ+ gaming nonprofit Gotham Gaming debuting in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new nonprofit for LGBTQ+ gamers is launching in Chicago, aiming to build an inclusive community through play and technology.<\/p>\n

Gotham Gaming<\/a>, founded by Jonny Saldana and Clementina Salucci, will host its\u00a0official launch party<\/a>\u00a0Oct. 10 at Kinowerks, 5645 N. Ravenswood Ave., in Ravenswood. The evening will feature video gaming stations, tabletop play, community partners and an open bar sponsored by Tito\u2019s Handmade Vodka and Red Bull.<\/p>\n

The group quietly debuted this summer when it partnered with Twitch and the Twitch Latin Guild at the Chicagoland Community Meetup, where Gotham Gaming allowed attendees to try out PlayStation 5 Pro and Nintendo Switch 2 consoles at its gaming stations.<\/p>\n

Saldana called the first outing a promising start in the soon-to-be-nonprofit\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cChicago is our Gotham,\u201d Saldana said. \u201cThis is a city for hustlers, artists, dreamers, and misfits\u2014people of different backgrounds to come together. That\u2019s a big part of what we\u2019re doing: bringing folks together across communities under one big tent.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Salucci, the work is personal, drawing on her experience running an esports league in Chicago. But unlike competitive esports leagues, Gotham Gaming isn\u2019t about scores or rankings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are plenty of organizations doing organized play at a high level,\u201d Salucci said. \u201cOur focus is really about creating a space where people can connect over the hobby on a personal, deeply interpersonal level.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that growing up in a conservative household where gaming was \u201cexclusively for a very specific type of boy,\u201d she wasn\u2019t encouraged to participate. Gotham Gaming, she explained, is her way of reclaiming that culture and opening the door for others who felt excluded.<\/p>\n

Beyond in-person events, the group is cultivating a\u00a0Discord server<\/a>\u00a0to help members find co-op partners and connect without the hostility queer players often face online.<\/p>\n

The organization\u2019s ambitions go further than game nights. Gotham Gaming is preparing projects that combine play with tangible support, including:<\/p>\n