Queer representation in video games right now is at an all-time high, as we’ve seen countless queer characters be represented in video games in lead roles. Plenty of games have also given plenty of accessibility options to have players present as and romance whomever they want, regardless of gender.
Video games are hugely immersive experiences that let us play a version of ourselves that can serve as wish fulfilment. It can also be an avenue to experience and play through stories of characters very unlike us and understand a different perspective.
For this reason, gaming has had a significant impact on helping the queer community feel seen.
To help celebrate Pride in gaming, we spoke to Xavier Ho, the lead curator at Pride At Play, a queer games exhibition in Sydney about Pride, about how they intend to celebrate it.
Hi Xavier, how do you celebrate pride?
What a question! Pride is about celebrating who we are—who I am. For me, Pride is about not being afraid to be yourself. I was born in Taiwan, and there’s a running joke among some Taiwanese communities that karaoke is the national sport of Taiwan. I’m also part of the furry community here in Australia. So I’m hosting a karaoke night with my furry friends in Melbourne under my wings before driving up to the Sydney WorldPride festival.
During that festival, my team and I are organising Pride at Play, a queer games exhibition as part of Pride Amplified.
I’m also going to see Fuzzy Ghost’s work in the group show Absolutely Queer at the Sydney Powerhouse, and because I sometimes freelance as a videographer, I’m curious about what is on offer at CLOAK: Queer Science Fashion and Queertography.
Oh, and I’m also working on “45”, a 6-metre-tall rainbow light mural for the University of Sydney to commemorate the beginning of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 45 years ago. There will be a DJ at the opening night and I hear even a queer film screening happening on campus!
What is your favourite game?
I’m at the career stage where I’m working really hard in queer games design and doing research at Monash University but also play quite widely, so it’s really difficult to have favourites!
One of my regular groups of board game friends really dug our paws into Artisans of Splendent Vale, a narrative-driven roleplaying game with openly queer characters that combines choose-your-own-adventure-style gameplay with turn-based tactics.
It’s really cute, and it’s super queer. I won’t spoil the game but I’m playing as Javi in that game since my name is Xavier, and the opening interlude for Javi totally sent me into a magical world!
The game is published by Renegade Games and designed by the legendary narrative designer Nikki Valens who has worked on Legacy of Dragonholt at Fantasy Flight Games.
How do you feel about LGBTQ+ representation in gaming right now?
This is a tough question to answer because my feelings stem from many sources.
I co-wrote a piece last year titled “Queer Lives Are Not Side Quests” with Cody Mejeur who is the faculty games expert at the University of Buffalo in New York.
In that article we talked about how both LGBTQIA+ representations are getting better—thanks to the queer and ally gamedevs [that] are pushing boundaries in both indie and AAA studios—but our research also found that queer games only account for 0.5% of all the games on itch.io and even smaller elsewhere.
Contrasting that number with the latest games developer surveys in Australia, New Zealand, [and] the UK, and global surveys conducted by the International Games Developers Association, the total LGBTQIA+ population in the games industry ranges between 19% and 32% from country to country, or about one-fifth to one-third of the workforce. 32% is a huge difference from 0.5%!
When we interviewed some of the game developers, it is clear that they also want to see more purposeful, thoughtful, and authentic representation in games, but it’s not quite so easy to convey that to the mass cisgender and heterosexual audience who largely don’t have an anchor point of, for example, what a trans person is like aside from what’s on the news, on TV, and indeed, in games.
It’s a long journey to explore just how diverse the LGBTQIA+ communities are and to inform the wider audience about shallow stereotypes that we still see in games.
Do you know of any great LGBTQ+ gaming communities/studios that you want to shout out?
Yes! Hello, Lumi Interactive, Summerfell Studios, Sydney Gaymers, Studio Élan, Toge Productions, Team Spicy Bubble, Fuzzy Ghost, Storybrewers Roleplaying, Digital Diversity, Checkpoint and Joy FM, Supergiant Games, the Queer Games Festival, Studio Drydock, just to name a few!
I also want to give a shout-out to everyone who is making and playing gay and queer games and putting them out there—you’re all awesome and people see you! Last but not least, everyone who contributed and worked so hard to make Pride at Play happen—I truly thank you.
To help celebrate Pride, BWS is creating their ‘House of Pride’ event on March 3rd in Sydney. Curated by The Two Queers (AKA comedy duo Jenna Suffern and Brendan Hancock), the BWYASSS House of Pride will feature a bunch of different spaces dedicated to different vibes and tempos, so you can express yourself exactly how you feel best.
So whether you like to get down and dance or sit back and chat with a Little Creatures, Absolut Vodka or Squealing Pig Rose, there’s space for you. And the best part is it’s FREE!
Head here to tell BWS what about your authentic self you are most proud of and you can win a double pass to come to celebrate!
The house is a physical dramatisation and representation of some of the different identities in the community and is a space for all to come and express their individuality.
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