The tastes of today’s culture are very foreign to those of fifty or even twenty years ago. This difference in culture is emphasized on the integration of the stereotypically geeky subculture into the mainstream, and this fact is highlighted by several factors. Multimillion-dollar superhero movies, fantasy epics, and sci-fi adventures flood the theaters and airwaves, and the general public flock to them. Gaming, whether it be through consoles, computers, or on table tops, is becoming a large part of many peoples’ daily lives, including my own. It make sense, then, that this “geek” community crosses over into the LGBTQA community at times. The interesting thing here is that this “geek” community is one of the most accepting places for the LGBTQA community around.
It’s almost common knowledge now that the gamer culture is on the rise. In fact, gaming culture is so big now, that a single game can draw more followers than several sports. League of Legends, one of the most popular games of all time, draws more viewers for their World Finals than the World Series or NBA Finals can, with over 27 million viewers. Among these fans are myself and many other LGBTQA members. There are even some minor-celebrity type figures in the “LoL” community who are gay, namely Sky Williams, who has more than 500,000 followers on YouTube.
The spreading combination of the LGBTQA community and the gamer community don’t stop there. To represent this merge in a witty way, many in this merged community go by the term “gaymer.” The movement is popular enough to where there are even conventions for such a thing. These individuals also have powerful allies at general conventions and businesses as well. Gencon, one of the most popular conventions in the entire U.S., makes it clear that they will defend their LGBTQA members and friends in spite of Indiana’s discriminatory laws.
The LGBTQA community also has allies in the companies that make the games themselves. EA, Bioware, and Bethesda all have games that allow for non-heterosexual relationship, and EA Games is known for working with the HRC when it defended itself against anti-gay protestors. Wizards of the Coast makes it clear they support the LGBTQA community as well by including gay and transgender characters in their game, Magic the Gathering. This inclusion of LGBTQA characters goes outside the realm of gaming and into the open geek culture as well. Comic books, namely a recent X-men volume, include several LGBTQA characters.
With all of this support from the gaming community for the gaymers, it’s clear to see why I feel very comfortable in the gaming community as a whole. You’ll obviously meet people uncomfortable with the idea, but the large portion of the gaming community supports a safe environment for their fellow gaymers. There are plenty of spaces for all kinds from the LGBTQA community to get involved with as well. The name “gaymer” is just a catchall name, and doesn’t simply mean that only cis males are welcome. All of these links contribute to why I am proud to be in both communities. It’s incredibly heartwarming to know that my identity is accepted by many of my gaming friends, and my pastimes are accepted by many in the LGBTQA community.
