Re-imagining safety and community in digital spaces: Online games events during Melbourne's COVID-19 lockdowns

This thesis examines safety, accessibility and inclusivity at two online games events, Freeplay Independent Games Festival and PAX Online. It utilises textual policy analysis, digital ethnography and semi-structured interviews to chart how these events moved online in 2020 during Melbourne, Australia's ongoing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Issues around safety and inclusivity permeate discussions of games community and industry spaces, therefore, games culture is an exemplary site of inquiry for understanding safety and inclusivity at events. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a pivot to online modes of event delivery which demonstrated the creative possibilities for safer, more inclusive and community-focused digital spaces.