Playdate, a handheld for indie developers, has run into some controversy with regards to its name, leading into a discussion on power dynamics.

The LA Zine Fest is an annual event where zine makers gather to exhibit their works and share their ideas with a like-minded audience. The DIY nature of the event cultivated a perfect atmosphere for a smaller event, called Playdate, to run alongside it. Playdate had run for years, exhibiting small games, personal games, niche games, etc. that were in line with the overall event and introduced these kinds of games to an audience that may not be interested in games but are interested in the ideas behind them.

“Game events have a tendency to be a “bubble”. Even the more experimental ones, you are more likely to see that the audience is developers. Yes, there are fans, but the audience is usually very game-literate. What I find fascinating about what Playdate successfully did is introduce these weird and wonderful games to an audience that might not even know they exist, or that this type of “design language” is possible in games,” Nathalie Lawhead, a developer that exhibited Electric Zine Maker said.

However, event organizers were e-mailed last year and told to change the name of their event in anticipation for the release of Playdate. Despite the fact that the event had existed for longer than Panic’s handheld, Playdate did not have the means to fight this decision. This year, the event had to call itself Playdate Pop Up to avoid conflict.

Lawhead, who was an organizer for the last Playdate, went open with her grievances in a reflection of the event. Cabel Sasser of Panic took to Twitter to reply to her, openly showed off the e-mail he sent the organizers and apologized. However, Lawhead stands by her statement, pointing out that Panic’s power as a company would easily pressure small entities like Playdate. While technically “indie,” Panic has the power advantage of being the developers of Playdate. Furthermore, on the outside, it looks like a majority of privileged people going up against organizers from potentially marginalized communities that run a free event at a loss of profit.

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