Under representation in video games is nothing new, however. T he video game industry has been notably dominated by straight men for decades. When there is queer representation in video games, however, it tends to fall under these two categories: queer relationships as a player option, and canonically queer characters. That said, over time there have been titles to buck the norm, particularly indies, finally giving a voice to this community that even the loudest trolls on internet forums cannot suppress. When it comes to Nintendo's history with LGBT representation, it's bad. Importantly, these values are being instilled in all corners of the gaming world. LGBT Representation In The Wider Games Industry. As a queer person who’s been gaming pretty much all her life, it’s blatantly obvious to me just how scarce the kind of representation I want, perhaps need, is in video games. Let's not mince words here. The video game industry has shown a lot more progression when it comes to LGBT representation in video games- here are some to check out now. 2018 gave us some memorable LGBT video game characters, both in big budget games and smaller indie titles. Most of the queer characters in mainstream games of the 1990s fit into two categories: stereotypical or discreet. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters have been depicted in video games since the 1980s. By Sam Woodrick Jun 19, 2020 Share Share Tweet Email This has caused the medium to lag behind in its representation of the LGBT+ community compared to other entertainment. Fallout 2, which came out in 1998, was the first game ever to feature same-sex marriage. This game actually allowed same-sex marriage 3 years before the Netherlands did which was the first country in the world to do so. There are also further examples of same-sex relationships within video games. Still, it's evident even today that "a lot of bad guys are queer," said Rudolph. The company has been making video games since 1980, and we've been able to compile every single instance of LGBT characters in their games into this small list, something that shouldn't be that easily quantifiable. In 30 years of video game history, the representation of queer figures has changed. Indeed, the amount of LGBT+ representation in video games … In 2014, The Guardian reported that only 5% of games had female protagonists. But while some LGBTQ video games and characters thrived in niche spaces in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the giants of the industry, Nintendo and Sega, and later on Sony and Microsoft, had little LGBTQ representation in their games. 179. In the history of video games, LGBT characters have been almost nonexistent for a long time, reflecting the overall heteronormativity of the medium.