New Hope Counseling Group’s 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

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

🌈 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.

A Vibrant Revolution in #QueerGaming – Uncover the Year's Most Captivating #LGBTQ Titles! 2024 marks a year of triumphant progress in the #GamingLandscape, especially in celebrating and embracing #LGBTQRepresentation. It's a time when voices and stories from the queer community are not just heard but celebrated in the world of video games. We proudly present a curated list of this year's most anticipated queer-inclusive titles, showcasing a heartwarming journey towards inclusivity and understanding in digital storytelling. 🌟🎮 - Dive into 2024's Top #QueerInclusive Games: From Indie Charms to AAA Sensations 🏳️🌈👾 - Celebrating #Diversity: Meet Intriguing LGBTQ+ Characters and Storylines 💞🕹️ - Love and Identity: Explore Deep, #QueerRelationships in Rich Gaming Worlds 🎉👥 - A Spectrum of Genres: Something for Every #QueerGamer's Taste 🚀💡 - Innovating #Inclusivity: 2024 Marks a New Era in LGBTQ+ Gaming Narratives

🎮🏳️🌈🙅🏻♂️ 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

"The study found that LGBTQ+ gamers are 11% more likely than non-queer gamers to use gaming to escape from difficult real-world situations and are 24% more likely to depend on gaming to get them through tough times. These percentages increased for queer people living in states that have recently passed or proposed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. In fact, half of all LGBTQ+ gamers said they felt more accepted by the gaming community than they do where they live. Approximately 66% of LGBTQ+ gamers said that gaming allows them to express themselves in a way they don’t feel comfortable doing in the real world, and 35% of LGBTQ+ gamers said they felt like gaming was their only outlet for socializing with other people. Despite this, 52% of LGBTQ+ gamers reported experiencing harassment while playing online, compared to 38% of non-queer gamers." https://lnkd.in/g2hRPAbZ

Why are video games lagging behind on LGBTQ+ representation vs other media outlets? A recent article from PinkNews highlighted that less than 2% of gaming content and characters are LGBTQ+ related. With the advertising industry pushing for diverse content, why is that gaming is so far behind? You can read more on the topic here: https://lnkd.in/em7E7yRh And I'd love to hear your thoughts! Does it matter? Is the ad industry actually strides ahead? And what should be done? #LGBTQNews #Gaming #AdIndustry #PinkNews

Australians want their video games to be accessible, inclusive, and reflect the diversity of the broader community, including everything from ability, age, race and cultural diversity, to gender and sexual orientation. Cosmos previously reported on a 2021 landmark study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media analysing representations of gender, race, LGBTQIA+ individuals, disability, age and body size in the most popular video games and across 27,564 characters. Analysis which finds the majority of games lack diversity on a range of metrics – male characters outnumber females 4 to 1, for example. #diverstiyandInclusion #diversity #inclusion