In 2014, feminist scholars fight for better female representation in video gaming, resulting in the vitriolic Gamergate harassment campaign led by right-wing gamers who felt as though their identities and hobbies were being attacked. In more recent years, we have seen the discussion surrounding representation in gaming focus on a new subject of interest – queer identities. Although there is still work to be done, games have begun to introduce more and more queer themes, characters, and content over the last decade and have done so in more respectful and nuanced ways than in the past. Some research has examined queer content in video games, however, there is little research on how gamers perceive queer content in video games. This paper seeks to analyze the history of queer representation in gaming, how the gaming industry itself deals with it, and how indie game developers have begun to pave the way for better representation in AAA game titles. By conducting a survey of 572 gamers via Reddit and through a netnographic analysis of gaming subreddits and news article discussions, this research seeks to examine how gamers react to ¬– and their opinions on – queer representation in video games.
