The presence of LGBTQ gamers in gaming is called upon to highlight the importance of representation in the world of video games.
Despite LGBTQ people making up nearly a fifth of all active gamers in the United States, only 2% of all video games feature LGBTQ storylines or characters, according to a new GLAAD exhibit.
“We are almost invisible in representations of games despite the fact that we make up a significant percentage of gamers,” GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said at the exhibit.
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Other findings in the exhibit include 72% of LGBTQ gamers saying that seeing characters with the same sexual or gender identity “represent well makes them feel better about themselves,” with the percentage being highest among younger age groups, at 78% for those aged 13 to 17.
The report also notes that 68% of LGBTQ gamers “wish there were more LGBTQ stories in games.”
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“Games offer the opportunity to explore imaginary worlds, experience narratives in new ways, simulate everyday life, and represent real events from historical locks to modern sporting events,” the exhibit states. “As LGBTQ people exist in our world, they must be included in these imaginary or representational worlds.”
The exhibit also notes that 70% of LGBTQ gamers and 46% of non-LGBTQ gamers said they are “less likely to buy or play a game if it contains harmful stereotypes or depictions of the LGBTQ community.”.“
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An Ipsos survey from June last year found that about 9% of adults worldwide identify as LGBTQ. The survey also found that 3% of them across the globe identify as lesbian or gay, 4% identify as bisexual, 0.9% identify as pansexual, and 0.9% identify as asexual. The survey also highlighted that members of Generation Z were more than twice as likely to identify as bisexual, pansexual, or asexual compared to millennials.
The GLAAD survey was conducted by Nielsen Games from June 2023 to August 2023, with 1,452 responses.
Source of information: thehill.com
