Gamers Still Want to Stall LGBTQ Representation in Video Games
The Last of Us 2 gameplay demo at E3 made privileged straights uncomfortable
A gameplay demo of The Last of Us 2 ignited a huge outburst from bigoted, anti–LGBTQ gamers when they showed a kiss between Ellie and another girl during a cut scene.
The first installment of Naughty Dog’s action packed adventure game was a humongous success. It sold over 1.3 units during it’s first week alone. Then it soared all the way to over 17 million by April of 2018. The game also received various Game of the Year awards from countless gaming publications and award ceremonies.
I bought The Last of Us, but I was too much of a chicken to play it all the way through. However, I have watched at least three YouTubers play it. I loved the story. The plot centers around an outbreak of zombies, and Ellie is somehow immune to the zombie bite she received. She ends up traveling with Joel to see if her DNA can help create a cure.
Now the sequel to The Last of Us is on the way. Its massive announcement made tidal waves at E3. Despite the huge amount of excitement it conjured, bigots took to the Internet to cry about a kiss between two girls. I’ve written about homophobia in the gaming community before.
This is what I was talking about.
People are so uncomfortable with LGBTQ people that they can’t get over a kiss that lasted a handful of seconds. LGBTQ representation has flourished over the past decade in movies, television shows, and music. Why can’t it be in video games as well? While there are indie games that tailor to the LGBTQ community like Dream Daddies as well as a few mainstream games like The Sims and Life Is Strange, people still get their underwear in a knot when it comes to LGBTQ people being represented in huge games.
LGBTQ individuals play video games too.
Why should we not be represented in something we participate in as well. We should be able to see ourselves in video games like we’re starting to do with TV shows, movies, and books. We pay $30–60 for a game just like everyone else. If you don’t exclude us from giving you money, you shouldn’t exclude us in your creations.
