"Close to 1 in 5 American gamers identify as LGBTQ+, according to new research from GLAAD. But LGBTQ+ gamers often face harassment in gaming communities and games with voice chats that anybody can join — common in multiplayer, team-based games."
"The research indicates that 52% of LGBTQ+ gamers faced harassment while playing online, and 42% have avoided a game due to anticipated harassment."
Le Crime Du Parking (1985)
The earliest example of queer representation that is recorded in gaming is the character of Paco in 1985's Le Crime Du Parking. This was a French mystery game, with most of the storytelling being done through text and simple images.
Paco is unfortunately victim to one of the most common tropes when it comes to queer characters in media, being that he is an antagonist. In spite of Paco's potentially flawed representation, at least he is an important character in the narrative of the game, with him being not just the main villain, but a tailor and dealer as well.
The more you know
Cheer up!
"GLAAD's research reveals that despite LGBTQ+ gamers comprising a significant portion of America's gaming audience, less than 2% of all games include LGBTQ+ characters or storylines."
"Only a small fraction of that 2% feature LGBTQ+ main or playable characters, although some games lack romance or human characters altogether."
Keep it up!
One of the much more widely known queer characters in gaming is from a massively mainstream series — Birdo, a character from the Mario series, who first appeared in Super Mario Bros 2 in 1988. The representation that Birdo fulfils is unfortunately not shown in the kindest light by Nintendo.
In the manual for the game (a much more common tool for storytelling in gaming's earlier years) Birdo is described as 'thinking he is a girl' and would much rather use the name Birdetta. This shows Birdo as a transgender woman, even if this was done snidely. While Birdo's gender identity has not been acknowledged much in future Mario games, she shows up in plenty of spin-off titles, so at least she hasn't been forgotten.
Cheer up!
Erika Ishii (they/them) has played many iconic roles in games and animation including Gundam, Valkyrie in Apex Legends, and many more. The new Ghost of Yotei game features Ishii as the main character, Atsu. Bit Ishii has endured personal attacks and hate from both the fandom and gamers who accuse the game of being "woke" for casting Ishii who idenitifies as Asian American genderfluid and queer activist.
L G B T Q I A + Representation in gaming
Tech Ed
Created on October 6, 2025
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Smart Quiz
View
Essential Quiz
View
Practical Quiz
View
Akihabara Quiz
View
Christmas Spirit Test
View
Piñata Challenge
View
Math Calculations
Explore all templates
Transcript
LGBTQIA+Representation in gaming
quiz
Let's go!
Cheer up!
"Close to 1 in 5 American gamers identify as LGBTQ+, according to new research from GLAAD. But LGBTQ+ gamers often face harassment in gaming communities and games with voice chats that anybody can join — common in multiplayer, team-based games."
"The research indicates that 52% of LGBTQ+ gamers faced harassment while playing online, and 42% have avoided a game due to anticipated harassment."
Le Crime Du Parking (1985)
The earliest example of queer representation that is recorded in gaming is the character of Paco in 1985's Le Crime Du Parking. This was a French mystery game, with most of the storytelling being done through text and simple images. Paco is unfortunately victim to one of the most common tropes when it comes to queer characters in media, being that he is an antagonist. In spite of Paco's potentially flawed representation, at least he is an important character in the narrative of the game, with him being not just the main villain, but a tailor and dealer as well.
The more you know
Cheer up!
"GLAAD's research reveals that despite LGBTQ+ gamers comprising a significant portion of America's gaming audience, less than 2% of all games include LGBTQ+ characters or storylines."
"Only a small fraction of that 2% feature LGBTQ+ main or playable characters, although some games lack romance or human characters altogether."
Keep it up!
One of the much more widely known queer characters in gaming is from a massively mainstream series — Birdo, a character from the Mario series, who first appeared in Super Mario Bros 2 in 1988. The representation that Birdo fulfils is unfortunately not shown in the kindest light by Nintendo.
In the manual for the game (a much more common tool for storytelling in gaming's earlier years) Birdo is described as 'thinking he is a girl' and would much rather use the name Birdetta. This shows Birdo as a transgender woman, even if this was done snidely. While Birdo's gender identity has not been acknowledged much in future Mario games, she shows up in plenty of spin-off titles, so at least she hasn't been forgotten.
Cheer up!
Erika Ishii (they/them) has played many iconic roles in games and animation including Gundam, Valkyrie in Apex Legends, and many more. The new Ghost of Yotei game features Ishii as the main character, Atsu. Bit Ishii has endured personal attacks and hate from both the fandom and gamers who accuse the game of being "woke" for casting Ishii who idenitifies as Asian American genderfluid and queer activist.
Keep it up!
Ellie & Dina
Wow!
The Sims 4 Gender Inclusivity
Quiz finished!
Congrats Gaymers!