7 things to know about gaymer culture (2024)

In partnership with No Deposit Hero; pictures: Pixabay

Over the decades since the 1980s or so, both gay culture and gaming culture have traced similar trajectories. Both were apt to be misunderstood and stereotyped 30 or 40 years ago, but in the intervening years, there has been a gradual shift in perceptions. Now, in the 2020s, both reflect large and influential markets. The world has cottoned on to the fact that “gamer” does not mean white male with thick glasses and poor social skills any more than “gay person” means white male with a large collection of Celine Dion records. This has made it easier for a subculture to emerge that intersects both – welcome to gaymer territory!

It’s important to understand that broadly speaking, gay gaming habits are much the same as heterosexuals. Why shouldn’t they be? It’s a little like talking about the gaming habits of people with blue eyes; it can be counter-productive to look for patterns where none exist, and all you achieve is more stereotyping. Having said that, the historical factors mean that there has been a lack of LGBTQ representation in games and among gamers. Let’s take a look at some important aspects of gaymer culture, as well as some landmark events.

1 It all started with Caper in the Castro

C.M. Ralph is the textbook pioneer of gaymer culture. The man behind the first LGBTQ computer programme also created the first video game to focus on gay characters. Caper in the Castro was a murder mystery game that followed the progress of a lesbian detective looking to solve the disappearance of a transgender victim. The game was distributed as “charityware” and those who downloaded it were asked to make a donation to an Aids charity.

2 The SIMS was groundbreaking in more ways than one

Fast forward 10 years and The SIMS was on the cusp of changing perceptions of gaming forever and becoming the best-selling PC game ever. The idea of a “life simulator” still seems grandiosetwo decades later, so imagine how people reacted back then. But that’s not the only way in which it was groundbreaking. The game allowed players to date any other character, regardless of gender. This proved so popular, it helped to smash that “white, male heterosexual” gamer stereotype once and for all. Looking back, the developers were probably surprised at how little controversy it sparked – it served as a useful barometer of public attitudes at the turn of the millennium.

3 More stereotypes being smashed at the casino

Speaking of stereotypes, here’s another area of gaming that is misunderstood. Casino goers are not exclusively divided into suave James Bond-style womanising charmers and overbearing, boorish womanisers. The advent of online casinos has made table and slot games popular across every demographic, and sites like Tom’s Casino are looking to tap into the LGBTQ market. What most slot players don’t know is that you can play slots for freeusing no deposit bonus codes that give you the opportunity to win real money without a deposit. It’s even opening up the world of slots to gaymers who don’t have money to burn!

4 Same-sex marriage was championed in Fallout 2

Gay playable characters have become increasingly commonplace in RPGs over the past decade. But Fallout 2 was way ahead of its time. Back in 1998, it became the first game to feature gay marriage. Keep in mind that this was 15 years before it was legalized in the UK, and 17 years before America and you can see how pioneering the game was. Interestingly, this game came out around the same time as The Sims – and once again, the developers were pleasantly surprised when the gaming public didn’t see it as a big deal.

5 GaymerX draws thousands of attendees every year

Don’t make the mistake of thinking the gaymer community only exists online. Over the past decade, it has also established itself in the real world, and there’s no better manifestation of this than GaymerX. The first conference took place in 2013, and there have been subsequent iterations every year, with the obvious exception of 2020. Attendee numbers are typically in the thousands, and hopes are high that the event will be able to take place again later in 2021.

6 SonicFox – gay, furry and proud

eSport is one of the hottest topics of the gaming age and draws around half a billion viewers worldwide. The top stars are known as a diverse bunch in terms of sex and ethnicity – and sexuality, too. SonicFox is one of the best eSport players in the world and is also something of a force of nature. Out, proud and loud as a nonbinary person, SonicFox’s acceptance speechat the World Gaming Awards earned howls of approval and sent the follower and subscriber numbers into the stratosphere. Who can ever forget those words: “I’m gay, I’m black, I’m furry – pretty much everything a republican hates!”

7 But there have been controversies along the way

Gaymer culture has come a long way since the 1980s. But just as female representation in gaming still has to overcome some stereotypes and misogyny, the same crops up with LGBTQ depictions and references from time to time. World of Warcraft admins at Blizzard caused outrage when they flagged gaymer Sara Andrews’ account for seeking to recruit members to the Gaymer guild, and an even bigger controversy came when Chris Vizzini, tried to trademark the term “Gaymer” for his now-defunct website. The gaymer community came together to block the move, and what could have proved divisive became an instrument of further unification.