Fresh from a drag show where Mario and Princess Peach are chased on stage, after watching a burlesque strip undress to a Tetris theme, I stand at the bar waiting for a drink, surrounded by people in fantastic costumes. The famous drag queen Asstina Mandella is here in a stunning dress; I am wearing a purple bisexual suit and still feel a bit underdressed for the occasion. I’m not used to it at video game parties – in the 00’s it was mostly men in black logo T-shirts, and I was one of about three women in the room. But it’s Gayming’s first personal awards, an event that celebrates queer representation in video games and the vast and ever-growing queer community that plays them.
This may not be what some people would think of games, but the fact is, almost everyone plays games now – two-thirds of all Americans to get just one statistic – and of course queer people have always been part of this community. If anything, queer people are over-represented in the gaming population. As many as 21% of all people working in the gaming industry identify as LGBTQ +, according to a recent study by the Ukie sector champion. However, until recently, this wasn’t reflected in the games themselves, whose makers and marketers seemed firmly committed to making games involving white heterosexual men shooting things or anthropomorphic animals. When I grew up in the 90s, even the female representation in games was dismal, let alone queer representation.
But things are changing and the games reflect the increased visibility of LGBTQ + in TV and film. A series like Feel Good Mae Martin, about a bisexual woman who was previously hetero in her first relationship with a non-binary queer, did not exist in 1999; Much like Life is Strange: True Colors, a small-town bisexual mystery that won three awards at the Gayming Awards.
“We see LGBTQIA + characters, queer stories and queer relationships in games,” says Stephanie DeBiase, Game and Future Technology Coordinator for the youth-focused It Gets Better Project. “More and more games are giving players more options to create characters that reflect them by removing binary gender selection, building character customization that allows for subversive and nuanced gender expression, including non-binary pronoun options, and much more. Games that offer the possibility of romance are starting to provide players with LGBTQIA + romance options. This representation not only makes games more fun for LGBTQIA + players, but also helps players discover their queer in safe, virtual spaces.
The Sims life simulation game, first released in 2000 and now in its fourth iteration, was the standard for queer representation in video games – though as reported by the New Yorker in 2014, it was not initially fully intended. The decision was made during the work on the original Sims in the late 1990s to remove romantic interactions between same-sex characters, but these were restored by developer Patrick J Barrett III – gay himself – who was working on an old design document that didn’t mention this decision. After two Sims dropped out of the script at a wedding during a 1999 live demo and began kissing passionately in front of a room full of journalists, the Maxis developers waited for EA publisher suits to request a change – but that never happened, so The The Sims became one of the first games to feature homosexuality and bisexuality.
Currently, the creators working on The Sims 4 in Maxis are much more queer-aware and trans-inclusive, caring for one of the most diverse gaming communities in video games. As of May, Sims players can choose their character pronouns (although a binary gender breakdown is built into the game’s eight-year code, so there are some limitations to this feature). This week’s update also allows you to deliberately define your Sim’s Sexual Orientation – although so far all Sims have been gay bisexuals who were ready to have relationships with other Sims regardless of their gender, so as one player pointed out on Twitter what exactly is going on the fact that the game finally features heterosexual people.
“I’m openly gay, working in the gaming industry, so for me, I really want to integrate more not only in the games we play, but also in those who make games,” says John Faciane, co-producer at Maxis. Sim programmer. “It’s an art form that appeals to many different people and backgrounds, and the more we include all these people, the better … It’s a big reason why I felt comfortable doing it, even though I have a lovely, supportive, loving family. had seen gay representation in games – knowing that there were other people like me. Watching people in the media and games live their truth helped inspire me to be more comfortable with who I am. “
John showed up relatively late – he was in his 20s – as did Phill Ring, executive producer at Maxis, who believes that games now play a role in today’s teenagers’ journeys with their sexuality and gender expression. “The next generation can see this representation, they don’t have to have the same experiences that others might have had growing up. [Decades ago] there wasn’t much that could be seen in the gaming space or even in the media in general that would appear to be your identity. Now you can see more and that is really important. I hope the industry will take on this challenge.
Aside from representation in the games themselves, the way communities flock to games has also been a driving factor in changing the situation: queer gamers – or gays as many jokingly identify – are also more visible. Discord chat servers, Twitch streaming and, of course, social media brought people together and created sub-communities in which queer players find their place. This year’s TwitchCon featured a drag show alongside the usual competitive gaming tournaments.
“It gets bigger and better every year,” said 34-year-old Ben Austwick, who streams on Twitch under the name BiggusBennus. “Weirdly, when I started streaming, I never advertised that I was gay or mentioned it on the stream… I quickly realized it was stupid. I know that by streaming you have a big influence on those who watch you. By being someone who is a proud and proud member of the LGBTQIA + community, you provide a place for other LGBTQIA + members to be themselves, whether they can be at home or not. I wish I’d had something like this growing up.
However, as Ben points out, the games’ overall reputation for toxicity isn’t entirely unfounded, and outside of the spaces clearly LGBTQ + friendly, there’s still a lot of homophobia. “I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that the gaming sector has a huge problem with homophobia, transphobia and other forms of bigotry, but publishers and programmers who don’t want their games to be tainted by it is refreshing to see. It’s sad that we have to create our own groups, clans or forums to make sure that we play feeling safe and comfortable being who we are, but we are increasingly letting us do this and some publishers are actually promoting this through special Events LGBTQIA + “.
DeBiase believes that such celebrations of queer players, led by the publisher, for example through in-game pride events, send out a powerful message of support and welcome. “LGBTQIA + players want to see themselves in the games they play … I played games from an early age and was often in a heteronormative world controlling a character that didn’t reflect me,” he says. “Playing has always been about endless possibilities, discovering worlds other than mine, so seeing the same social constructs in the game space didn’t let you want to escape.
“I turned to games like The Sims because you were in control of most of the world. I was able to create a character that I identified with, explore new possibilities through self-expression, choose characters with whom I want to develop relationships, and of course, express myself in a way that might not be possible or safe for me in the real world. Now I’m only attracted to games that give you the freedom to explore ”.
As I went through puberty, I felt that my queer was something to be best kept to myself. The opportunity to know who I was came later as a student when I started spending time in real queer spaces (I still highly recommend a vacation to Berlin for any confused teen). Today’s queer teens and teens are seeing people like them in places I’ve never seen before – on TV, the Internet and video games, a medium I’ve loved since I was a kid but whose fan community has never been too friendly to queer women like me. As I look around at the Gayming Awards, I’m surrounded by people whose queer and love of video games are important parts of who they are – and who are no longer at odds with each other.
