LGBTQ+ Gayming Awards Announced

There are already a good number of video game awards. D.I.C.E, BAFTA, Game Awards to name a few. However, another one will begin taking place in 2021: The Gayming Awards. Established by the Gayming magazine; a publication aimed at LQBTQ+ gamers.

Author: Jason Wotherspoon

[NecrumOddBoy]

TLOU: Part II will probably sweep up everything that isn't going to some weird indie title since these awards discriminate against anyone who isn't considered LQBTQ+. I wonder if a game like TLOU Part 2 could win a CISGENDER award based on the merits of its quality and not based on its virtue within social identity politics.... ohhhh wait... TLOU 1 won over 195 awards.

[Eonjay]

I just can't get over how preoccupied folks are about sexuality.

Protip:. If you have the time to be bothered about adults having sex, you probably aren't getting laid yourself or it can't be that good.

About the show.... So naturally it sounds crazy that we would need a separate show for the LGBT but the truth is: it's about representation. I mean let's face it, the Last of Us will win based on merit not politics.

Basically what I am saying is that they are fine to have an LGBT award show but only if awards are still based on merit.

[MetalGearsofWar]

Protip: try not to assume someone's personal life over a game they don't like, especially when you generalize an entire game from one scene.

Also, there can be awards for anything, whether you think it's fine or not.

[Army_of_Darkness]

So current award shows do not discriminate against sexual preference. Simply being a gamer is all that is required, but now that they have a gay gamer award show, does this mean that it's okay to have a straight gamer awards show as well??

[SurvivorGirl]

411 ALL game awards shows that don't focus on Gays ARE straight award shows !

[BenRC01]

Glitter surplus since lockdown. Gotta get rid of it somehow.

[-Foxtrot]

I'm part of the LGBT community...but this is just ridiculous

It's gaming

Not Gay Gaming, Black Gaming, Girl Gaming...just, gaming.

One minute we want to be treat as any other human being, the next we are doing things like this like the events we have already are somehow "Straight only" or excludes the LGBT community.

[Teclo]

It's not for LGBT+, it's for straights so they can feel good about themselves.

[FPSFox]

Yup. Gay myself and I feel the exact same way.

My sexuality and this hobby I enjoy don't really have much to do with one another IMO. This makes me scratch my head the same way a gaming award show targeted towards vegans would... Just, "Buy why though?"

[SurvivorGirl]

Uh the gay award show is to premote more LGBTQ+ representation in game hjow hard is that to understand. It the same way gay found accept in society is by being seen as part of society. This is just another part of society "gaming" and its a way to reach young people who may not known anyone from the LGBTQ community and show them throught gaming LGBT! people are normal people

[gerbintosh]

SurvivorGirl

"Uh the gay award show is to promote more LGBTQ+ representation in game"
No, it's not. It is for LGBTQ+ games that normally would never get nominated, or even invited, to The Games Award show or the other video game award ceremonies.

[FPSFox]

@Survivor Girl

LGBTQ is largely accepted these days and therefore, I don't see the need for "representation" which ultimately just boils down to giant corporations shoving an ideology down your throat for the sake of pandering and nothing more.

Arial is going to be black in the live action movie coming out.
Billy Porter (A man) is going to be playing the a gay Fairy God MOTHER in the upcoming Cinderella movie.

When I see corporations attempting to be 'inclusive' and shove it down my throat endlessly, I don't see it as "Win" for gays, blacks, etc... I just see a greedy company pandering to me like I'm a child in an attempt to squeeze money out of me and I don't support it. "Hey, black folks! We just made the main character black! Come on down to the theater now, will ya?" It's pandering for the lowest denominator and I feel the exact same way when a character being gay is SHOVED in my face, almost as if the dev is aware that it will trend on Twitter or something.

Not every game is guilty of this, but PLENTY are. I'm generally accepted in society. I'm part of this hobby with a very diverse community. I don't need to "see myself" in every single game. It's fine.

[LoveSpuds]

It is interesting to hear a perspective of someone from within the LGBT community Foxtrot. My own feelings on the points you make align with yours pretty well here, but I tend to over analyse things and then wonder if I am not fully appreciating the full picture.

I know it doesn't go over well in the N4G community, but I like to try my hardest to be respectful of everyones feelings when it comes to social issues such as race, orientation, sexuality, gender etc.

I think you raise a very valid point that these awards do seem a little unnecessary but on the other hand, if others feel there is merit in them, or if it perhaps raises the profile of certain media to a specific demographic, then i don't mind, I can get on with my day just fine without feeling upset that this award ceremony is happening.

[Tacoboto]

I agree with 0% of his opinion so here's another opinion, from reading the article:

It's an award ceremony by a gay magazine, for its gay readers, bringing attention to gay video game characters and personas.

This isn't IGN or Gamespot or some mainstream news outlet trying to be woke with token awards. It's quite literally a gay magazine catering to its community.

If it was IGN, yeah, I'd be totally in agreement. But it's not. It's a gay gaming outlet. It's like being upset at the Country Music Television channel for not including Rap or Pop in their CMT awards

[Elda]

@Tacobato....100% agreed!! Well said.

[RgR]

The issue is not upsetting but deliberate exclusions of certain individuals due to a false premise.

@Taco
I'm sure the media wouldn't butcher a magazine for straight white men would it? And to top of it Straight white men award show as well.
No problem with that I assume?

Im white-ish and I would have an issue with a stupid ass award show like that. Same applies to the lgbtq award show as well.

[Tacoboto]

@RgR I think 95% of the population has enough of a spine that the other marginalized 5% can have its own self-congratulatory pat-on-the-back once in a while without throwing a fit.

Gay magazine wants gay awards. It's as simple as that. If such a vocal straight white media outlet exists, I'm sure it would be so small that I would have to have absolutely nothing else to do to even hear about it on my own, let alone care.

[LoveSpuds]

Deleted double post.

[Hakuoro]

So these people can't have any kind of voice? It's funny I never see people like you complaining about Octoberfest or St. Patrick's Day Parades.

And no one is excluding you or anyone from anything you can be part of the LGBT community if you want to. You don't have to be gay, no one is going to tell you as a straight person you can't march at parade or play a game featuring a gay character.

Straight only by definition would be excluding gay people.

It's you who is trying to silence them not the other way around.

Gay pride exists because people keep trying to keep them down. Homosexuality has existed as long as humans and even before humans when humans were primates. It's not going away and the more people try to suppress other people the more people will fight back against it.

[cooperdnizzle]

Dude nobody is trying to hold down or back the gay community. It’s 2020. It is however a little hypocritical to want things catered to gays and have your own awards, shows and special privileges and such.

Gaming is just gaming gay, straight, white black, and what not. It’s getting out of hand. Just Like GOT people saying you can’t make that game because you’re white. Grow up people

[Traecy]

Exactly. People from all cultures, backgrounds celebrate or are honored may it be at parades, ceremonies including awards why can't the LGBTQ community have theirs. They have Gay Pride month with parades including being honored at different ceromonies during that month so why can't they have a LGBTQ video game award show. It's their community their entitled to do their thing just like everybody else.

[TheColbertinator]

Those LGBT Pride parades are different. They are social and political movements to highlight the growth of gay pride culture and the request to receive basic human rights just as anyone else.

They don't intend to take anyone's rights away or push a supremacist ideology, only asking for their right for their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Oktoberfest and St. Patrick's Day are different in scope and message from Pride in every single way. So you make a good point.

[Hakuoro]

TheColbertinator

My point is that they are celebrations of a specific group of people. Ocktoberfest is a celebration of German culture and St. Patrick's Day is a celebration of Irish culture.

They are different in narrative but the point is they are all a celebration of a specific group of people. And let me remind you of American history where Irish people were marginalized and the focus of the same type of hate you see today against homosexuals. And the same for German people though to a lesser extent and for different reasons during WW2.

If someone had a game awards for just German made games do you think people would object like they do about a award for the best game featuring a gay character? Of course not...

[RaiderNation]

I'm not gay but I do have a gay cousin and a gay brother-n-law and I can confidently say that neither one of them would be in favor of something like this. Primarily because (and I've heard this out of both of their mouths), who they sleep with does NOT define who they are!. They don't wake up every morning with the mindset of "I'm gay, I'm gay, I'm gay. It's who I am! I must have a voice. I must be heard. I must have representation." They don't think or act this way at all. They simply want to live their lives peacefully and quietly the same way heterosexuals do. They are not at all in favor of the attention-seeking behavior an event such as this creates, nor do they appreciate the wholistic assumption that an event such as this represents THEM. This is not a good idea.

[Sophisticated_Chap]

The LGBT agenda has been hijacked by Marxists/liberals. The people within that community are being used as pawns, for political gain.

[Hakuoro]

*rolls eyes*

Minorities including gay people are being pushed to the left because the right excludes them. In this case for years it's been the evangelical right saying homosexuality is an affront to god and the right pushing laws that exclude them like laws to block marriage equality.

The right used to have a caucus known as log cabin republicans (gay republicans) but they pretty much don't exist anymore because all the other republican groups pushed them away.

The political right is their own worst enemy all the exclusion of minorities and even women only have one place to go and that's left. Exclusion is the reason why to hold political power the right constantly needs to push more extreme gerrymander and voter suppression.

[TheColbertinator]

Maybe if the right didn't exclude LGBT, they could have received their support instead of mutual distrust.

"Government should not tell us what to do, what to think, who to have sexual relationships with and what religion to follow. Except the gays."

Hypocrisy.

[Scissorman82]

100% this. I am a gay man and stuff like this is completely unnecessary. This isn't how you normalize my community, by singling it out and 'othering' it with its own special awards show.

[King_Noctis]

I do agree. Just treat everyone the same way

[ElementX]

I had no idea there were so many other gay gamers on this site. I have mentioned my sexuality a few times but it's not really something I parade around. I'm all for people getting awards but sometimes it seems like pandering or "me too" to put a variety of characters in games.

[Hakuoro]

Don't believe everything you read on the internet...

Anyone can say they are anything, and saying your part of some group in order to to make your negative comment about that group seem more relevant happens all the time.

[-Foxtrot]

Oh Jesus Hakuoro put your tin foil hat back on

Now you’re questioning people’s sexuality saying they are lying to say what they want?

I’m Bisexual, that’s how it is, why would I lie,

No matter how you say it’s bullshit...some cocks can’t be unsucked

[Tacoboto]

For the LGBT here, have you in your local cities opened up a local gay newspaper or magazine? That's what this is. A gay outlet providing gay awards.
Univision honors latins. BET honors the black community. CMT honors country music.

Suddenly we are being exclusionary by having gay awards for gay characters on media outlets owned, operated, and read by other gay people? It's a thing by us and for us and anyone, gay or straight, is welcome to see/read the awards.

This is an embarrassing thing to express disagreement on.

[Elda]

Thank you! I have several Gay friends including a Trans friend that I recently lost so I support their community. It seems some folks are pushing that "what does this have to do with who they sleep with" BS when it's not really that at all. Every human being from different creeds & cultures have communities that celebrate who they are because they're proud,may they be black,Italian,Irish,Jewish,Lat in & so on. These folks have parades,ceremonies & award shows so why can't the gay community do the same thing. Folks that are Gay that have these cermonies,parades & awards shows have them because they are proud as well,they are proud of their lifestyle & their accomplishments. Being Gay is a culture & a lifestyle.

[Tacoboto]

You're very right. Being gay doesn't define me but it's part of who I am. Things like this - simple acknowledgements of people/characters like me of power in my favorite hobby - are reminders that we are normal and influential despite the horrible and nasty things that are said about us (like some of these comments), nevermind the struggles of *real life* and the fear of, for example, your religious boss learning who the other half of "we" is when talking about your weekend. Those nasty things are exactly why these exist in the first place.

[LoveSpuds]

@Tacoboto
I suppose that is what I was driving at when I said that if others see merit in the awards then why not.

Thanks for your comments too I think you raised a really vital point in how this converstation should be framed that I hadn't really considered fully. It makes perfect sense to me that you look at the nature of the publication itself and who it's audience is when asking the question of how relevant the awards are.

Thanks again, hope I caused no offense in my comments, have an awesome day👍

[-Foxtrot]

Embarrassing?

How? It’s just how it is

It’s not like they are targeting gay games or games by LGBT studios, it’s just a standard gaming event with LGBT slapped on

Other events we have in the world honour films, writers, actors within those communities, THIS isn’t doing that, it’s just a standard show with a rainbow flag here and there

Oh and don’t say “For the LGBT here” like my comment is against my community

I just agree with this, it’s not needed, VGAs, Golden Joysticks etc cater to everyone.

[Tacoboto]

Foxtrot, yes, your comment is being against the LGBT community.

You are saying that a gay owned magazine should not have a gay award ceremony. Are you also against the GLAAD Awards? Did you know that the GLAAD Awards even exist?

There are hundreds of gaming awards on all kinds of websites/magazines, and the bigger televised ones like the VGAs. This one just wants to do its own thing to honor its own community.

"It’s not like they are targeting gay games or games by LGBT studios"

And you couldn't even read the article, Fox! That's exactly what these awards are doing!

[Kran]

I SAY THIS ALL THS TIME

It infuriates me to no end why people want to separate gaming into small chunks.

[BillyG0AT]

NO. STOP. You talk about equality but then it's like no you're not allowed unless you're one of us. You aint balancing nothing, you're just swinging the scale the other way.

[Bigman4k]

Facts

[Elda]

Cool. There's nothing wrong with video games getting recognize with characters & subject matter that was once looked down upon & still looked down upon in certain parts of the world including by some folks here in the good ole USA let alone by some on this site.

[timotim]

I dont get it...

[RazzerRedux]

The stars align and we agree. lol

[timotim]

😄...I knew we had it in us! Was just a matter of time! I would like to take this opportunity to call a truce. Youre a fellow gamers and a valuable asset to the site...what do ya say?

[RazzerRedux]

Heck yeah. Fellow gamer comes to me and says "let's be cool"? I'm always down with that.

Especially considering tomorrow is a huge day. I'm on a pro-Microsoft crusade tomorrow. It is their day and I'm excited to see what they bring.

[timotim]

Sounds good to me. 🙏🏾🙌
27998;🤗

Who knew the LGBTQ Gayming awards could bring us together like this!

[UltraNova]

Haha, you both crack me up. I love this. Hopefully this truce will hold up for the foreseeable future, I'm routing for you!

[chiefJohn117]

I think the rainbow rubbing off on you two lol I'll pay for the dinner date

[timotim]

🤣🤣😭

[RazzerRedux]

lol

[anast]

cool for some, not cool for some and a non-factor for some.

[Inverno]

I'm not sure why some LGBTQ+ think themselves as above the human race simply because of their sexual preferences/what they identify as. You all scream equality, inclusivity then turn around and do shit like this to pat yourselves on the back and make yourselves seem special. Its not like people are being excluded from rewards and recognition in the gaming industry because of being lgbtq. This hurts us more than it fixes anything

[TheRealTedCruz]

"Gayming" *rolls eyes*

Hasn't the narrative, for years now, been being inclusive for everyone?

[Hakuoro]

Who's stopping you from playing a game with a gay character?

[TheRealTedCruz]

You're right "who's stopping me"?
Nobody is.
The games are out there.

The games representing them are out there. Why are the typical "we need to be represented" groups pretending like they aren't there?

The minority groups have been represented. They have been represented for years. Though every year they lay claims that they aren't represented more than ever.

It's getting ridiculous.

[Cmv38]

If tlou 2 didn't exist, what soulful won goty on this platform? What im asking does have to incorporate LGBT stuff to be considered, or no? Just asking. I don't give any articles chocks on this site.

[Milkshake212]

Gayming? Really?! smh.

[Bigman4k]

It's just too much at this point

[masterfox]

Will wait for the Straight Gaming Awards, don't get annoyed by this cause you asked for it.

I kid I kid, or am I ? hmmm.

[Knightofelemia]

Whats next LGBTQ+ movie awards

[DFresh]

2020:
When supposed equal rights are designed as a ploy for one group to have supremacy over the other.

[Nerdmaster]

The existence of awards, of any kind, is meaningless. For the public, it doesn't change how much you enjoy a game. For publishers and developers, what's important are sales. The only ones who may get something from awards are small indie developers who don't have the money for advertising. For a big company that already spent millions of dollars in marketing, a "free" advertising from an award is nothing but a whisper.

However, I really enjoy watching the predictable reactions every time a piece of news is related to anything LGBT. Like now, I bet with myself that the first comment in this post would be something in the likes of "we don't need anything LGBT related on gaming! It's all just gaming!", and I actually lost the bet. It was the second comment XD.

Any site/magazine/Youtube channel can create their own awards and create any categories they want, even crazy or weird ones. But if someone does one focused on LGBT themes, people lose their minds. It's always entertaining to see it happening.

[starchild]

No, what people hate are the double standards. I wish no ill will on anyone who is gay. Their sexuality doesn't bother me and I believe they have the same rights as anyone else. But if white people had a "white pride" parade it would be attacked and demonized. Or if there was an award show for straight game creators it would be condemned as something terrible.

You will never reduce or minimize prejudice by giving special attention or privileges to some groups and pushing others aside. Whatever is fair for one group is fair for another. This is one of the most fundamental principles in ethics. Beyond that, though, we need to stop putting so much attention on people's group identities and instead put more emphasis on who people are as individuals.

[Nerdmaster]

Your logic fails to take into account which groups are repressed. Historically, even nowadays, minorities like black people and LGBT people have been victims of prejudice and even violence just for them being who they are.

Usually when people say "being gay don't bother me", they mean "(...) as long as they don't show it", or "(...) as long as there isn't anything gay in my games and movies". Things like gay parades (or yes, even gaymer awards - in my previous comment I pointed the meaninglessness of awards just in an industry point of view) show that being gay is not that rare, we deserve to exist, and to be represented. That some people may not like us, but we're here to stay.

A white pride parade, or straight parade, would be demonized because they don't have anything like the above to show. Being white or straight was never considered wrong or inferior, they aren't a group that's killed or put in jail for being who they are. So if such parades existed, it wouldn't be to battle againt prejudice, it would be just to show their power and block the attempts of minorities to be recognized and have their voices heard. It would explicitly be just a mockery.

[InUrFoxHole]

Oh this is rich! What kind of awards do their kind like?

[MeteorPanda]

gotta make sure you throw enough linguistic puns about being gay in everything you do?

why segregate from the whole industry that is gaming?

[Outlawzz]

Who is this gay Ming person and why are they getting so much awards ?

[Class_Viceroy]

All in all I don’t care if they want to do stuff like this, it doesn’t matter either way. Doesn’t impact 99% of us. But the fact that they are naming it “Gayming” totally makes them lose all credibility and makes the effort look amateur IMO. How can people take it seriously? How about just LGBTQ Gaming Awards? What a concept that would be. If I saw that I would be like “OK”. Instead I see a title that looks like a 12 year old came up with it and then it turns into internet comedic material.

You don’t have to rename and redesign real world stuff to make it look more gay in order to get your point across or being more awareness. That just maintains the segregation instead of promoting integration.

[DrDeath]

This is insulting and disgusting to gays and straights