I’ve known that representation in games is important since the day I graduated in 1987 Metroid And that’s what I discovered Intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran It was a rare thing (at the time): a great video game heroine. I also loved to play marioor connection, or any fearless heroine, but I was especially excited when I saw a game that said women could be heroes too. Now that gaming has become a more important cultural force than ever, it has become a dominant media entity happy The first in-depth report examining how games perform when it comes to LGBTQ representation has been released. The data strongly suggest that, on the one hand, gaming plays an important role in the lives of many gay gamers, especially young gay men, and, on the other hand, that gaming plays a much smaller role. Represent and reach out to these stakeholders appropriately.
The report released today contains numerous interesting and important statistics compiled in collaboration with media data and analytics company Nielsen You can see the whole thing here. One of GLAAD’s most surprising findings is that 17 percent of active gamers identify as members of the LGBTQ community. However, only a small percentage of games on major PC and console stores (PSN, Steam, Nintendo eShop, etc.) are labeled as containing LGBTQ content, suggesting that games with queer characters or queer stories remain highly unpopular. Like big and influential games with The Last of You Part Two And Apex Legends Due to the prominent presence of queer and trans characters, it’s easy to get the impression that LGBTQ representation in gaming is more widespread than it actually is, though the reality may still be far from adequately reflecting the LGBTQ player base.
Gaming is a haven for many gay gamers
Data shows that many people who play games are gay and that games often play a particularly important role in their lives. For many of them, gaming may be a safe haven at a time when hundreds of anti-LGBT laws are being introduced. According to GLAAD, 55 percent of LGBTQ gamers who live in states that have proposed or passed such laws say they feel more accepted in the gaming community than in general public spaces where they live. 65% of gamers in this state say they rely on games to get through tough times, and 75% say games allow them to express themselves in ways they don’t feel comfortable doing in the real world.
As a trans person who grew up playing games and knows many queer and trans people for whom gaming has been an important means of exploration and expression in a hostile world, I am not entirely surprised by this data, and yet the numbers confirm how this is possible. Frequent experiences of this kind are powerful and fascinating. In a video call, I asked Blair Durkee, GLAAD’s associate director of games, if games are doing better than they actually are when it comes to LGBTQ representation. “I think a lot of our media is dominated by people who live in more progressive areas and they forget that a large part of the country is still deeply rooted in this anti-LGBT culture,” he said. “It was one.” We’ve tried to highlight that through our statistics, comparing LGBTQ players who live in more restrictive states and states that have passed or proposed anti-LGBTQ laws—looking at players from other regions.
Although many LGBTQ gamers find opportunities for community and self-expression in games, they face a high risk of harassment in gaming spaces. 52% said they were harassed while playing online games and 61% expressed discomfort with using chat voice in online games.
Capitalist Arguments for Better Gay Representation in Gaming
Of course, GLAAD doesn’t just collect this data because it’s interesting. The organization wants to encourage developers and studios to do more to reflect and represent LGBTQ gamers. A common argument I hear for why games don’t better integrate LGBT characters and stories is that developers or publishers are afraid of offending or upsetting non-LGBTQ gamers. However, the data suggests that game developers are leaving money on the table because LGBTQ gamers are drawn to games where they see themselves. Meanwhile, 60% of non-LGBTQ gamers say that playing as an LGBTQ character would have no impact on their decision to purchase a game. “Opposition to LGBTQ content in games is declining as each generation of gamers becomes more diverse and open to viewing LGBTQ content in their games,” the report states in its introduction.
When I asked Durkee what he hoped to achieve from the report, he said it was “about changing the way art thinks about our society,” referring to comments he made. dragon age Lead author David Geider, That said There’s a percentage of the gaming community – gay and trans gamers, for example – who play despite not actually being invited, and the industry sees us as “gravy” – a nice additional group, but one that shouldn’t serve directly “all the work we’ve done in the last few years.” That’s to change that mindset,” Durkee said. “Our community represents a large percentage of the total number of gaming users, approximately one in five. And if you ignore it.” “At your own expense. There is much to be gained from being inclusive and expanding your audience rather than feeding the same old demographic over and over again
you can read GLAAD’s full editorial report on the state of LGBTQ inclusion in video games now