New report suggests almost a fifth of ‘active gamers’ are LGBTQ, while representation of gaming content is lacking
The nonprofit LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has launched its first-ever Report on the State of LGBTQ Inclusivity in Gamingwhich has revealed some interesting statistics about the LGBTQ gaming community and the content of the games available.
The methodology included partnering with Nielsen Games to conduct a 10-minute survey of “active PC/console gamers in the United States with a boost from LGBTQ+ gamers.” A total of 1,452 ‘active gamers’ were included in the data. Notably, the report shows that nearly a fifth of respondents (17 percent, specifically) identified as LGBTQ. This percentage was found to be higher in the younger age groups, with an estimated 23 to 28 percent of respondents under the age of 35 being LGBTQ.
Despite this, the report stated that LGBTQ video game content is “lacking.” After counting the number of games tagged as including LGBTQ content on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo switch‘s digital libraries found that these games made up less than two percent of each platform’s selection. In total, there were 146 games with LGBTQ content available on Xbox, while PlayStation had 90 and Switch had 50.
Meanwhile, on Steam, 2,302 games were counted with LGBTQ tags, although this still made up less than 2.5 percent of the total storefront. Additionally, this number dropped to 1,506 games (or 1.7 percent) when games with “adult sexual content” were removed from the list.
GLAAD expanded on this in the report, saying it recognizes that “representation doesn’t apply to every type of game,” but noting that “most games today are rich, multimedia experiences that broadly incorporate aspects of world-building, story, and characterization include. .” It added: “Additionally, because our representation data is based on PC and console games (excluding mobile), we believe this is an accurate reflection of the overall lack of progress in gaming. The fact that less than 2 percent of available games feature LGBTQ content is out of step with today’s media, and the gaming industry is failing LGBTQ consumers and our allies.”
Concluding the report, GLAAD called, among other things, for “at least (…) an equal share of games with LGBTQ characters as there are LGBTQ people who are gamers,” across platforms and genres, so that players can see themselves represented, no matter what they want to play.
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