The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has published its inaugural State of LGBTQ Inclusion in Video Games report, an in-depth study exploring LGBTQ+ representation in video games in 2023.
The non-profit organization’s goal of ensuring fair and accurate LGBTQ+ representation has expanded into video games, with the release of a report designed “to educate the game industry on the current state of LGBTQ representation that exists and provide a playbook for more authentic representation.” The organization teamed with the Nielsen Games team for the survey portion of the report, distributed to over 1k gamers across the United States.
The study’s results show that gamers are increasingly identifying as LGBTQ, with 1 in 5 identifying as queer, a 70% increase since Nielsen’s 2020 Games360 study. Despite this, less than 2% of video games have LGBTQ representation.
The report goes into further detail about the dual role of games in LGBTQ gamers’ lives. Incidents of harassment are disappointingly common, with 52% of LGBTQ gamers having reported experiencing harassment while playing online. 42% also said they avoided playing because of the threat of harassment.
However, games can also serve as a haven of acceptance for LGBTQ gamers. Positive representation is reportedly meaningful, with 72% of LGBTQ gamers stating that seeing video game characters with their sexual orientation or gender identity “makes them feel better about themselves”; this statistic is even higher among younger demographics.
It has also been found that LGBTQ gamers are gravitating towards video game communities for connection, with 71% of gamers saying they have friends they can game with, and 63% wishing they had more friends they could play or talk about games with. This is especially true in states where anti-LGBTQ legislation was recently proposed or passed, with 55% of LGBTQ gamers in these saying they feel more accepted in the gaming community than in general public areas where they live.
The majority of gamers surveyed, LGBTQ or not, appreciate how gaming allows them to experience perspectives of people different from themselves.
Although some of the results were dismaying, the report’s results yield hope for the future of the community and of gaming itself. GLAAD President & CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, believes in hope for the future: “The message is clear: gamers want more inclusive LGBTQ representation in their games and the industry must become more inclusive.”
Words by Catarina Vicente
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