The American LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD recently released a report stating that although the number of players from the LGBTQ community is increasing, LGBTQ representation in games is still relatively negligible. A study by the organization showed that less than 2% of current console games include LGBTQ characters or stories. As of November 2023, there are 146 LGBTQ-tagged games on the Xbox Store, followed by Sony (90) and Nintendo (50).
On Steam, only 1.7% of games are listed under the LGBTQ+ tag (when looking at games with the "adult sexual content only" tag, the figure is 2.5%).
By comparison, gaming "lags far behind" other media. GLAAD's previous film-focused research showed that 28.5% of European and American films in 2022 involved characters from the LGBT community.
GLAAD said: Because games have "come a long way, they are now rich, multimedia experiences that broadly incorporate aspects of world-building, narrative, and character development."
Despite this, 48% of LGBTQ gamers feel more representation comes from indie games than mainstream games. 29% said they were not considered at all by the gaming industry.
Research shows that LGBTQ players are 4-5 times more likely to play a game with an LGBT protagonist. For developers, 72% of LGBT players said seeing characters that match their gender identity or sexual orientation makes them feel more meaningful.
GLAAD's research contains other subtleties about LGBTQ gamer preferences. For example, 46% of LGBTQ gamers are willing to buy or play a game featuring transgender characters. But if the protagonist is gay, bisexual or lesbian, this rises to 63%.
Likewise, 55% of self-identified LGBT gamers would choose a game with a story about a gay or bisexual NPC. 43% would be willing to play a game with a story involving a transgender character.
GLAAD's research found that 60% of non-LGTBQ gamers feel indifferent or indifferent about playing an LGBTQ character. Only 8% said they would be more willing to play a game with an LGBTQ protagonist.
(This article is only for data reprinting and does not mean that this site agrees with or opposes any views in the article)