{"id":292025,"date":"2025-10-10T13:21:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T13:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/292025\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T13:21:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T13:21:10","slug":"gotham-gaming-wants-to-break-down-barriers-in-chicagos-gaming-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/292025\/","title":{"rendered":"Gotham Gaming Wants To Break Down Barriers In Chicago’s Gaming Scene"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO \u2014 Wicker Park resident Clementina Salucci took up gaming as an adult, drawn to the community it offered her \u2014 but disappointed in the hobby\u2019s lack of accessibility and diversity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Jonny Saldana, of Avondale, reached out to Salucci about starting an accessible gaming nonprofit in Chicago, Salucci was compelled to join. <\/p>\n

Saldana started a similar group in North Carolina in 2020 called Charlotte Gaymers Network; when he moved to Chicago, he wanted to make a gaming community in his new home built around connection, rather than competition, he said. So, Salucci and Saldana co-founded Gotham Gaming<\/a> in August.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gotham Gaming seeks to \u201cbreak down systemic barriers\u201d for marginalized communities through gaming and advocacy efforts, according to its mission statement. Charlotte Gaymers Network, which shares a similar mission to Gotham Gaming, seeks to connect and provide a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ gamers, according to its website. <\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially after the pandemic, people were craving community again,\u201d Salucci said. \u201cI feel that, coming from the eSports world, which is exciting and high energy, it is something that often lacks intimacy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Salucci said gaming culture is often gatekept through skill level and identity. Saldana said he doesn\u2019t see gaming as a \u201cmeans to an end\u201d like in traditional eSports environments, which are competitive video-gaming leagues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do again is building a place where everyone\u2019s welcome, not just the pros,\u201d Salucci said.<\/p>\n

Saldana said Gotham Gaming will have monthly social events, including its flagship Gamer Gathering series, the first of which will serve as the nonprofit\u2019s official launch party at 7 p.m. Friday at Kinowerks, 5645 N. Ravenswood Ave. in Ravenswood. Entry is free, though donations are suggested<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of the nonprofit\u2019s social events will continue to be free for attendees. Last month, it held an event featuring five gaming stations through a partnership with Twitch Community MeetUps. <\/p>\n

The ability to offer gaming technology, including PlayStations and Nintendo Switches, adds to the inclusivity of Gotham Gaming, said Jefember Villela, the lead organizer for the event and Twitch Community MeetUps in the Chicago area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey welcomed anyone who wanted to try, and even if they were shy at first, they were very vocal in saying, \u2018This is here for you. This is open to you,\u2019\u201d Villela said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although Gotham Gaming is headquartered in Avondale and connects people throughout the city, it does not have a brick-and-mortar space, Saldana said.<\/p>\n

Besides social events, the nonprofit raises money for its five main projects: Saturn, Blue Shell, Save Point, Paperclip and Horizon. Each helps causes ranging from providing STEM classes to students to providing mutual aid to community members. Project Horizon currently partners with Lurie Children\u2019s Hospital to bring gaming to patients.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe gaming industry as a whole has been basically dominated by white straight men for so long,\u201d Saldana said. \u201cIt\u2019s just now opening up into this, into this new world of creating stories and spaces where everybody can feel welcome.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gotham Gaming\u2019s leaders plan to offer corporate sponsorship programs and an individual giving program, and they are applying to grants to raise funds for these projects, Saldana said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to use gaming to fuel real change here in our community,\u201d Saldana said.<\/p>\n

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHICAGO \u2014 Wicker Park resident Clementina Salucci took up gaming as an adult, drawn to the community it…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":292026,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[648,960,5386,1818,38593,1072],"class_list":{"0":"post-292025","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-illinois","12":"tag-local-groups","13":"tag-things-to-do"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115350083059504041","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}