Undetectable Starting Points: Rethinking “Passing” in Level Design through Queerness, Disability, and Roxy's Got Balls

Abstract

In this article, the authors tease out meritocracy from level design by comparing “passing” game levels with “passing” as performances for survival by marginalized peoples. We use HIV to demonstrate passing as a response from the intersections of queerness, race, and disability to inform heuristics for level design that tease out meritocratic design practices. We finish by illustrating our heuristics in action through Roxy's Got Balls, an online drag queen bingo event.