Nina Kiel

@beurkeek.bsky.social

289 Followers 172 Following

Game developer, journalist, podcaster, researcher, diversity and inclusion advocate, IGF finalist Research fellow at FH Dortmund (project KoSpiRIT) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ they/them, sier/sien

A still from a movie showing an, Asian woman with long dark hair, which is tied together, and a light grey sweater. She is sitting in a dimly lit room and seems to look into the distance, contemplating.
Die Titelfolie unserer Präsentation. Groß darauf abgebildet sind zwei mit einem Seil gefesselte Hände auf einem pinken Hintergrund. Das Seil formt das Wort "Ropes". Darüber steht: Learning the. Darunter: Wie ein kleines Indie-Team mit Sexarbeits-Stereotypen aufräumt.
A screenshot showing a part of the interview with the following text: Eno: The reason I find games so fascinating is that other mediums usually start out artistic, then business bleeds into them until the art turns into a mere product. Industrial manufacturing takes over, marketing becomes the priority, and the medium declines. With games, people have only recently started talking about authorship and individual creative voice. It feels completely reversed.
Die Demoroute führt vom Oberbilker Markt über die Kruppstraße und Ellerstraße zum Mintropplatz. Von dort geht es weiter zum Stresemannplatz, dann über die Graf Adolf Straße zum Graf Adolf Platz. Am Oberbilker Markt und Graf Adolf Platz wird es eine Kundgebung geben, die in Gebärden übersetzt werden. Hier gibt es außerdem barrierefreie WCs. Auf der Demoroute kommt es zu Beeinträchtigungen durch das Gleisbett, unebene Böden, wenig Schatten und teils blockierte Gehwege.
Der Flyer mit dem Demoaufruf. Darauf zu sehen sind in die Höhe gereckte, zu Fäusten geballte Hände. In großer Schrift steht auf rotem Hintergrund: "Solidarität statt Sozialabbau! Stoppt den Kürzungswahn". Demonstration 11. Juli um 14 Uhr Oberbilker Markt Düsseldorf. Barrierehinweise und Route.
Der Veranstaltungsflyer, der eine abstrakte helle Form auf einfarbigem grünen Grund zeigt. Außerdem folgenden Text: VR Lunch Talk, 18.06.2026, 13-14 Uhr, online via Zoom.
A photo showing our small booth, decorated with sex toys and condoms. Someone is currently in the process of playing the game.
A screenshot showing a message on Discord with two thumbnails of a very detailed illustration. There's text above and below the thumbnails, in all caps: It's finally done. I hate kitchens now they're my least favourite room. And then more text, in brackets: Please don't point out any mistakes or I'll cry.
Ein Screenshot, der eine der Match-3-Partien aus dem Spiel zeigt. Links abgebildet ist ein NPC, eine junge schlanke Elfe mit eleganter Kleidung, die recht arrogant dreinblickt. In der Mitte schwebt das Match-3-Spielfeld mit zahlreichen bunten Steinen, die sich in Form, Farbe, und durch Icons unterscheiden. Rechts daneben gibt es eine kleine Auswahl von Spezialfähigkeiten mit Namen wie "force wave" und "root filter".
Ein Foto, das den gesuchten Eimer zeigt - allerdings mit einem tiefen Riss, der sich bis nach unten durchzieht, und einem komplett verbogenen Henkel.
Ein Foto, das zwei weiße Wände zeigt. An beiden Wänden hängt jeweils ein handgeschriebener Aushang, festgepappt mit Klebeband. Auf dem einen steht Eimer wo? Auf dem anderen: ich möchte wirklich diesen Eimer zurück haben. Unter dem zweitem Satz ist eine einfache Zeichnung von einem Eimer mit verdrießlich wirkenden Gesichtsausdruck.
A promo image consisting of the following elements: There's a photo showing a close-up of two hands, one resting on a transparent plastic table, the other on an assitive controller, the Byowave Proteus. On the table, there is also a Smpartphone and three colourful buttons. In the upper right corner of the image is the logo of our project inclusive game lab, at the bottom are the logos of the University of Applied Sciences Cologne, the Department for Youth Media Culture, and the Ministry, depicted on a white background.
A selfie of a slender white person with short reddish hair. They are resting their head on their right hand. On their arm is a tattoo of the non-binary symbol.
Zwei Fotos, die den zitierten Absatz in dem Magazinartikel zeigen. Gerahmt wird der Text von Bildern mit Spielmodulen oder -sequenzen.
A screenshot showing a large trunk made of metal with elaborate reliefs. A text overlay says: The trunk is locked. Something tells you it should stay this way... While the first part of the statement is displayed in white letters which are more easy to see on the dark background, the the second part, shown in red, is barely readible.
The final screen of one run, showing the layout of the rooms on the right side and stats as well as an illustration of the finished mansion on the left side. A lot of the text in this screen is extremely small.
A close-up of a stack of letters with aged paper and a lot of handwriting. This handwriting is among the more readible examples, but still a major barrier.
The screenshot shows a dartboard on a wooden panel wall. In this case, three field inside the board are highlighted with colours, indicating mathematical functions and an order in which they are supposed to be solved.
The only menu with more than one option, but it's still limited to five: One slider for look sensitivity and field of view respectively, and three checkboxes for inverting the x and y axis and an option called "smooth look", which is not explained anywhere.
The game's cover, showing a hallway inside a fancy old building with wooden floors and floral wallpaper. In the distance, there's a young person opening a door, walking towards a light. The middle ground shows differently-coloured walls as well as some objects like busts and a rocking horse. At the top of the image are the words Blue Prince, displayed in elaborate letters.
A close-up of my character in the creation menu, showing her upper body from head to shoulders. She has light greyish-blue skin, a scar on her nose, dramatic dark make-up and a tattoo on her neck. Her dark hair is tied into two buns.
My first response to the original post: While I'm happy you had a great experience and generally agree that less crowded events are often the most pleasant and productive ones, "the best path is the one fewer people are on" is a terrible statement considering that countless industry professionals could not attend because they would not be allowed to enter the country or fear for their safety.
A screenshot of a LinkedIn post with the following text: Everyone’s talking about how GDC 2026 is quieter this year: rebranding fatigue, the US political climate, global uncertainty. And yes, attendance is down. But here’s the thing, I just had the most impactful GDC in Thermite Games’ 5.5-yr history. While many stayed away, the conversations that did happen were deeper, more focused, more REAL. We connected with the right people, not just the most people. For us, this was the year of quality over quantity. Sometimes the best path is the one fewer people are on. The last sentence is highlighted.
In the middle of this picture, there's a selfie: I'm a white slender non-binary person with short reddish hair and bright blue eyes wearing a blue bomber jacket with a floral print. This selfie is framed by several illustrations and assets I've created over the years for games, including a pixelated version of myself, an elder woman wearing a headscarf and colourful clothes, a person wearing military fetish clothes made of latex, two homanoid praxing mantises embracing each other, a paddle, and a cute little bee with a hexagonal shape.
A close-up of my hand holding a blue tinted, shimmering 3D printed object into the camera. The object shows a relief-like depiction of a cute little hedgehog and our project logo right next to it. The logo is an infinity symbol with two circles hovering over it, representing heads. Inside the infinity symbol's inner circles are a dpad and four buttons, respectively.
Das Header-Bild zur Episode. Darauf zu sehen sind zentrale Figuren aus dem Spiel in einem skizzenhaften Zeichenszil mit dünnen Outlines und flächigen Farben. Ganz vorne steht der Protagonist, der einen würfelförmigen Kopf ohne Gesicht hat. Hinter ihm aufgereiht stehen insgesamt sechs NPCs, von denen zwei ebenfalls Würfelköpfe haben, während die anderen wie normale Menschen aussehen. Unter dem Artwork steht: Traumaverarbeitung im Themen-Park. Rechts darüber ist das Insert-Moin-Logo montiert.
A member of the flaming fists called "Fist Nudelmann". The screenshot shows him in an aggressive pose, ready for battle with his shield and spear.
A digital illustration of a classic joystick with a dark grey base, a bright red stick and foud bright red buttons.
Ein viereckiges Promo-Bild. Am oberen Rand steht das Wort News in großen, schwarzen Buchstaben auf weißem Grund. Darunter ist unter Maskottchen abgebildet, ein Croissant mit Buttons und Dpad als Augen. Das Croissant fährt Skateboard und führt gerade einen Kickflip aus.
A screenshot showing a part of a greyscale illustration with clear, black outlines in Photoshop. It depicts Bertie the Brain, a tall computer from 1950 which users could play Tic-Tac-Toe against.
A screenshot of an e-mail I've received with the following text: Dear Author, Journal of Electronics and Information Technology Scopus Active and indexed Open Access and Peer Reviewed Journal Index with Scopus, Citation Index, Google Scholar & many more Journal : https://journaleit.org/ Article submission Mail : removed@gmail.com Thank you,
lt text Menschenmenge auf einer PRÜF-Demo Text: “Demo für die Prüfung rechtsextremer Parteien 10.01. 14 Uhr, vor dem Landtag in Düsseldorf” Oben rechts das Logo “PRÜF HEUTE, SCHÜTZ MORGEN”
A screenshot of the bandcamp checkout screen, listing the following artists: Meltt, Orla Gartland, Wet Leg, and Dustin O' Halloran.
Ein Screenshot aus dem Spiel Seed of the Dead. Darauf zu sehen ist eine junge Frau mit großen Brüsten und eng anliegendem, bauchfreien Oberteil, die an einen Holzpfahl gefesselt wurde. Sie blickt auf eine riesige Kreissäge, die sich scheinbar direkt auf sie zubewegt.
A screenshot showing the timer of our recording tool. It stopped at two hours, 57 minutes and six seconds.
The exhibition flyer, showing a red rectangle in front of a black and grey, abstract photograph of a leafless tree. Inside the rectangle is the text: Hoodie core präsentiert, I'm fine, please sit closer. Vernissage, 2. Dezember 2025, 18 Uhr.
A screenshot from Star Trek Voyager, showing the character Seven of Nine. The captions say: Fun will now commence.
Ein Bild im viereckigen Format. Oben steht in großen Buchstaben Review, darunter ist das Logo von Silent Hill f und daneben das Logo unseres Podcasts abgebildet. Wiederum darunter... befindet sich eine bizarre Bildmontage, ein regelrechtes Photoshop-Verbrechen, bei dem... äh... "jemand" die Köpfe von Wolfram, Micha und mir ausgeschnitten und in das Charlie Conspiracy meme eingefügt hat. Das Ergebnis ist ein Körper mit drei Köpfen, der vor einer Pinnwand mit lauter Notizen und roten Fäden steht. Die Bildunterschrift lautet "Das F steht für fantastisch".
A screenshot of the game, showing a part of a neighbourhood in rural Japan. Almost at the center of the picture, there's the game's protagonist Hinako, seen from behind, looking up to a balcony. On the balcony, there's another girl wearing a school uniform.
A screenshot, showing an excerpt from the document with the following text: European Accessibility Act (EAA) Since June 28th, 2025, compliance with the EAA is mandatory if you’re offering certain services or products in the European Union. As is often the case with accessibility laws, digital games are not mentioned specifically, but that does not mean they’re exempt. In fact, several of the services covered by the EAA are relevant to gaming, specifically: – Digital communication services – E-commerce services – And, to a limited extend, TV and video streaming services Let’s have a closer look at what this means, and what you can do to make your products and services EAA compliant...
A close up of the finished work: An embroidered stag beetle, shown from the top, on the back of a dark grey jeans jacket. Behind the beetle's head, there's a golden circle, reminiscent of the sun.
A modified version of the Thursday, what a concept meme, depicting a red-haired woman holding a cigarette in her right hand. This version shows the following text at the bottom: Doing proper research before discussing a complex topic. What a concept.
A photo showing a book and several academic papers on a wooden table. The publications are titled Sex and Sexuality in Game Studies, Pornographie Games on Steam, Sexual fantasy research, and Sexual Violence as a Sexual Script in Mainstream Pornography.
A photo of my laptop standing on my office desk. On the screen, there are four people's webcam feeds. I've activated automated captions, which say: Hello everybody. Um this is our...
Eine Illustration im westlichen Comic-Stil, die zwei weiblich gelesene Figuren unter einer Brücke zeigt. Die beiden sind gerade dabei, Selfies zu machen.
A close-up of a student from behind. She's sitting in front of a laptop which is running a game, and in the process of assembling the modular Proteus controller.
screenshot from the game Silent Hill f, showing a close-up of a teenage girl from behind. She's wearing a traditional Japanese school uniform. The tip of a red scarf is peeking out of a blue collar. On the collar, there are two white sigils, one on the far left and one on the far right corner. Combined, these pieces of clothing look a bit like a face sticking out its tongue.
Auf diesem Foto ist meine linke Hand zu sehen, die ein Pappschild mit folgender Aufschrift hochhält: Düsseldorf bleibt bunt. Das Wort ist besonders auffällig, in Regenbogenfarben gestaltet.
A photo showing the game Super Puzzle Fighter Two Turbo projected on a large screen, a colourful competitive puzzle game with chibi versions of well known Capcom characters. Depicted here: Morrigan and Donovan.
A photo showing the book placed upright on a laminate floor, in front of a black shelf. The handbook has an abstract, colourful cover. On the shelf, there are a few consoles: A SNES, a Nintendo 64, a Gamecube, and a PS1. In addition, there's a postcard showing a scene with several characters from the game Mass Effect: FemShep and Garrus kissing on a couch, surrounded by other NPCs.
A photo showing the back side of a dark grey jeans jacket with a nearly finished, embroidered stag beetle on it. Some of the cloth is framed by a wooden embroidery loop.
A promotional image showing a lush, green environment with an atomic plant far in the background. There is lightning and a blue light surrounding the plant, clearly indicating that something's wrong. In the foreground, a masked person with a rifle is standing on a rock. A line of text written on the rock says: Keep out. Close to the person, there's a slightly decayed signpost with a black bird sitting on it.
A photo showing me sitting behind a wooden table in front of a brick wall. I am a slender white person with short, reddish hair, wearing a sleeveless light grey shirt. I'm looking at the camera with a bright smile.
A black and gray digital drawing in a simplified comic style. It depicts me with sunglasses, slurping tap water through a straw. In the background, the sun is smiling, looking pretty relaxed.
A screenshot of the game showing a 3D model of a woman wearing a really, really strange costume with a leopard print. The text on the bottom on the screen says: Wow, you're really commited to beavers, huh?
Das Titelbild des Spiels, das passenderweise eine große Zahl kunterbunter, extravagant gekleideter Figuren zeigt, welche die menschlichen Varianten von Haushaltsgegenständen darstellen. Sowohl die Charaktere, den Hintergrund als auch das Logo zieren zahlreiche Herzen.
A screenshot of a text editor. On the left side of the screen, there's a long list of bullet points mentioning topics such as navigation assistance, optional clues, and visual alternatives to auditory feedback. On the page next to it are several paragraphs of text and a screenshot from the game Atomfall, which is highlighted as a positive example for font size options.
A screenshot displaying the following text: Vorerst wird diese Kulturgeschichte auf Itch.io für die Nachwelt erhalten – aber wie lange noch? Es gibt durchaus Grund zur Sorge: "Itch.io ist für den Moment sicher, aber es scheint nicht wahrscheinlich, dass das so bleibt, wenn man bedenkt, wie die Dinge laufen," sagt Souha Al-Samkari und Mr. Hands ergänzt, dass auch Itch.io über kurz oder lang Probleme mit Zahlungsdienstleistern und deren strengen Regeln gegen sexuelle Inhalte bekommen wird. "Und wenn die Wahl zwischen Spielen für Erwachsene und der Abwicklung von Zahlungen besteht, kann schnell entschieden werden, Ersteres zu verbieten." Zwar betont Betreiber Leaf Corcoran immer wieder, dass es nicht sein Ziel sei, mit Itch.io reich zu werden. Aber auch er muss nach den Regeln des Kapitalismus spielen, und diese Regeln sind auf Profit ausgelegt.
A photo showing me on stage next to a large screen in a brightly lit room. On the screen is the first slide of my presentation, featuring a scantily-clad, female sex worker from the game Cyberpunk 2077 and the following text: Nina Kiel, You're so handsome, I might just give you a discount, die Darstellung von Sexarbeit in digitalen Spielen.