Aedan Idres’ Post

🌈 As we dive into mid-July, let's keep the spirit of Pride alive beyond June! Last month, we explored the vibrant world of geek culture and gaming in our blog post "Queer Characters and Narratives in Role-Playing Style Games." 🎮 In this post, we celebrated the evolving landscape of queer representation in role-playing games (RPGs), highlighting how these games provide crucial spaces for identity exploration and inclusivity. Whether you're into Dungeons & Dragons or exploring digital realms like Baldur’s Gate III, these games offer avenues for LGBTQIA+ gamers to feel seen and represented. 🌟 From iconic queer protagonists to games that empower players to create inclusive characters, our blog delved into the diverse narratives and customizable experiences that shape the gaming community today. Celebrate gaming, celebrate diversity, and celebrate PRIDE! 🏳️🌈 Comment "Pride" for a link to the blog post, or visit our website to read more. #Pride #LGBTQIA #GamingCommunity #RolePlayingGames #GeekCulture #RepresentationMatters #NewHopeCounseling

🌈 As Pride month comes to an end, let's remember that Pride and queer inclusivity should be celebrated all year round. Our latest blog post explores the evolving landscape of geek culture and gaming, highlighting the importance of queer representation in role-playing style games. 🎮 Role-playing games (RPGs), whether pencil and paper or video games, offer safe spaces for identity exploration and self-expression, making them especially meaningful for LGBTQIA+ gamers. 🌟 Our blog post delves into the progress and remaining challenges in representation within the gaming industry. We discuss iconic queer protagonists, games that let you create inclusive characters, and tabletop RPGs that provide deep customization for queer narratives. From Baldur’s Gate III to Dungeons & Dragons, discover how these games can help foster a sense of belonging and visibility in the gaming world. 🌐✨ Happy gaming and happy PRIDE! Read it here: https://lnkd.in/enpTEHzw #Pride #LGBTQIA #RepresentationMatters #GamingCommunity #RolePlayingGames #GeekCulture #NewHopeCounseling

Just got back from a big trip, so here are the things I missed: 1. Happy (belated) Trans Day of Visibility! We need to work together as an industry to make it more accessible and inclusive to transgender game developers AND transgender gamers. Also, let's just make everything more inclusive. 🏳️🌈 2. I finally got to taking the ➡ GDC out of my name on LinkedIn. 😂 3. It's April Fools, but # 1 is not a joke. More transgender characters in games. More inclusivity in gaming. Let's do it. #transrights #gamingindustry #gamingcommunity #transgenderdayofvisibility

I've created, managed and lead teams and communities in gaming from casual to professional since my teenage years. One of the most important lessons I've learnt is understanding the player base of the game the community is built around, which can be done at any opportunity you meet another player. Learning who the players are is key as to ensure the space you are creating is inclusive and serving of the games range of personalities that it would interest. Blizzard for example has done an amazing job at building LGBTQ+ player bases ontop of the hard-core raiders and key pushers playing since Wrath and before. My WoW guild thrives on this inclusivity, attracting new players who quickly identify our core values and start returning daily to chat or engage in our community. We have non-binary leaders and members, female raid and M+ group leaders and many core members from the LGBTQ+ community. Toxic or exclusive mentality will always emerge in gaming where competitive collaboration is required to progress but there are always a source and ways to circumvent this defensive posture through communication and understanding. Cutting through with kindness and challenging perspectives has helped me learn that it's just a scale with players at polarising ends. The "toxic" players just want those dopamine driven wins first, whilst "fragile" players are looking for social engagement, escapism or just a place to be themselves. Be the force that helps players see encouragement and comradery can help bring these very different players of different backgrounds, skill levels or personalities together and build teams to take down the hardest of challanges, or build lasting meaningful relationships outside of gaming.

🌈 Happy Pride Month! 🌈 In this special Pride edition of Unpacking the Stat, let's dive into the crucial topic of representation and diversity in gaming! Despite the undeniable love Gen Z has for gaming, GLAAD's recent report highlights a concerning gap between the demographics of gamers and the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in major console and PC games. While 17% of active video gamers identifying as LGBTQ+, it's disheartening to see that less than 2% of major games feature LGBTQ+ characters. This disparity not only fails to reflect the diverse gaming community but also overlooks the significance of representation for LGBTQ+ players. Representation matters. Seeing characters who share their identities can enhance immersion, foster belonging, and validate identities within virtual worlds. Additionally, diverse representation in gaming can challenge stereotypes, combat stigma, and promote empathy among players. As the gaming industry evolves, there's a growing demand for more inclusive storytelling. Game developers and publishers must prioritize diversity and inclusion, listening to the voices of LGBTQ+ gamers and creating games that reflect the richness of human experiences.   #RepresentationMatters #InclusiveGaming #LGBTQInclusion #GamingDiversity #GLAAD #PrideMonth

🌈 As Pride month comes to an end, let's remember that Pride and queer inclusivity should be celebrated all year round. Last Friday, we published a blog post exploring the evolving landscape of geek culture and gaming, highlighting the importance of queer representation in role-playing style games. 🎮 Role-playing games (RPGs), whether pencil and paper or video games, offer safe spaces for identity exploration and self-expression, making them especially meaningful for LGBTQIA+ gamers. 🌟 Our blog post delves into the progress and remaining challenges in representation within the gaming industry. We discuss iconic queer protagonists, games that let you create inclusive characters, and tabletop RPGs that provide deep customization for queer narratives. From Baldur’s Gate III to Dungeons & Dragons, discover how these games can help foster a sense of belonging and visibility in the gaming world. 🌐✨ Happy gaming and happy PRIDE! 🏳️🌈 Comment "Pride" for a link to the blog, or head to our website today to read the full post. #Pride #LGBTQIA #RepresentationMatters #GamingCommunity #RolePlayingGames #GeekCulture #NewHopeCounseling

This is the reason why I am so unapologetically open about being gay in my profession because there needs to be more LGBTQ representation in not just advertising but in gaming too. Nearly 1 in 5 active gamers declare themselves as LGBTQ+, however GLAAD's new report find that despite growth in the gaming industry in the past 50 years, it's clear that LGBTQ representation has been notably lacking. The industry has yet to catch up with other media channels in adequately portraying LGBTQ individuals, but despite concerns of alienating certain audiences, we should consider that this could be an innocent oversight where gaming characters can be anyone you want them to be. Positively though, gamers overall are largely accepting of LGBTQ content in games. As the gaming community becomes more diverse, there's a clear call for greater LGBTQ representation in gaming. It's time for the industry to embrace inclusivity and reflect the desires of its audience.

🎮🏳️🌈🙅🏻♂️ Is the video games industry homophobic? Could video games, pixelated reflections of our society, predominantly run by able-bodied cisgender heterosexual white men, suffer from biases from another age , disconnected from the reality of a plural and diverse society? Facts don't lie. A series of recent studies show that homophobia remains a worrying problem in the industry. 👉 A majority of LGBTQ+ male and female gamers regularly report having faced homophobic comments, discrimination or verbal attacks online because of their sexual orientation. 👉 In 2019, the moderators of the Reddit forum dedicated to video games are denouncing misogynistic, homophobic or even racist behaviour by certain users. For 24 hours, it will be impossible to publish on the platform. 👉 In 2023, additional content for the game Horizon Forbidden West was the victim of a wave of negative reviews due to a lesbian kiss between the game's protagonist and a secondary character. Forcing the Metacritic website to take action and speak out on the subject: "Metacritic is a community for all fans, and we need to take online trust and safety very seriously on all our sites. Metacritic is aware of disrespectful and abusive reviews about Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, and we have a moderation system in place to spot violations of our terms of use." These facts cannot be ignored. As an influential and powerful entertainment medium, the video games studios must take steps to tackle homophobia head on. Video games have immense power to influence perceptions and attitudes, and we cannot underestimate their impact on society. 🫵 It's time for the industry to commit to creating an inclusive environment for all gamers, without exception. This means not only educating gamers on the importance of respect and inclusion, but also rethinking representations of LGBTQ+ characters in games. 😫 As a reminder, it's 2024 and not a single main male character in a single-player AAA game is openly gay. Together, we can help move the video games industry towards a more inclusive future, where everyone feels welcome and respected. Today, I'm training my students in the importance of these issues and in their future responsibilities. What are you doing to combat homophobia? 🏳️🌈 #videogames #inclusion #diversity #representation #representationmatters #lgbtqia

🏳️🌈 GLAAD's report emphasizes the progress made in the #gaming industry towards queer #diversity and #inclusion, highlighting advancements in world-building, narrative, and characterization. However, it also shows that #LGBTQIAP+ content comprises less than 2% of the total games available on consoles and PC... Interesting read! 🎮 #gamingcommunity #gamingnews #gamingindustry #womeningames #womeningaming #lgbthistorymonth

🎲 Ready for a challenge? Welcome to Let’s Play Equal, designed to spark contemplation on justice, (in)equality, diversity, and inclusiveness. Where the game isn't just about winning or losing—it's about exploring the profound questions that shape our lives. To get you started with the game: • Gather your players. • Appoint a rule guardian. • Lay out all the game pieces. • Don't open the pink envelope... yet. • Draw a person card and matching coin blindly. • Read the rules thoroughly. • Place your game piece on 'Start' and let the fun begin Check out our FAQ page on the LPE website for more detailed instructions and answers to your questions. Tip: The game lasts about 1 to 2 hours. To speed things up, consider using a second dice for faster movement. 🚀 Let's play it equal! #jedi #diversity #inclusion #letsplayequal #equality #LPE #boardgame #bcorp #bcorpmonth