Univ of Illinois conducts "Gaymer" survey

Whats your sexuality gotta do with the price of beef???

Im a bixseual man so what should i like??????

You spelled twilight wrong.

giz: Hopefully the survey will help them see that sexual orientation has nothing whatsoever to do with gaming tastes.

I liked that the survey included answers for questions that I always want to give in surveys but they never provide for. Like when asking about the level of violence in games, they gave a "Level of violence in games is irrelevant" choice. Usually most surveys start from such a stilted point of view that they assume completely unproven things like violence in games is bad for kids, sex in games is bad, etc. They don't provide for the only options that has any backing in reality - games are games and players understand that and it has no effect on the real world.

You know, you have to wonder what the hell is wrong with the world today when someone will claim to no longer take interest in that which they once had in a game, simply because the game's main character has been voted the most attractive male in gaming by a homosexual publication. Yes, that was nigh a run-on, but it got the idea across. Let's just pretend that I'm speaking. ^^

You know, it all comes down to insecurity. And I hated hearing that myself when I was younger, but I've come to realize that that's all it is. And if someone wants to deny themselves what will probably be a very enjoyable game because of their inane, homophobic insecurities, by all means... don't play. You're not worthy, anyway. It'll leave more copies for those of us who are.

People were actually turned off from what might be the GCN's game of the year due to something as simple as an article/snipit in a magazine?

Wow. Somehow I'm not too surprised.

Zoë Kunami: I always thought the whole "you don't like gays because you fear that you're gay yourself" mantra was annoying and just a bit of armchair psychoanalysis myself. But I watched a documentary recently, and they've done studies to prove it. They got volunteers on a college campus, all claiming to be heterosexual, and asked them how they felt about homosexuals. They then divided the people into two groups, one group was very laissez-faire about other peoples preferences, while the other were people who were made uncomfortable by the idea or downright offended. They then had those groups watch homoerotic videos (not sure if it was gay porn or just football, but probably porn) and measured their response. They also asked the people afterwards to rate their level of arousal. The group that was very opposed to homosexuals not only became much more aroused then the other group, but they also denied it more vehemently and insisted the equipment was broken.

I think it is probably mostly related to the societal attitudes people are exposed to growing up. If they see homosexual activity as drawing the ire of their parents or others, they fear whatever level of same-sex attraction they experience (and everyone experiences some level). Then they overcompensate and such. More than just being afraid of what other people think, it's really the fear of what they'd think of themselves that drives their fear and hate.

Was it just me, or did anyone else find the initial questions leading? It felt like the author was baiting me into saying that video games provide a form of escapism. It actually affected how I answered them. The fact of the matter is I play video games because I grew up with them, not because I'm gay and I feel like the 'real world' doesn't accept me, so I hide in my video game worlds.

That aside. I did look at why the grad student is doing this and a definite kudos goes to him as it looks like a sincere attempt to provide more reliable data where we have so little. As a 'gaymer', I've noticed that designers are certainly becoming more sensitive to our demographic, just look at Fable or the Sims. We've still got a LONG way to go though.

Don't people have anything better to do? Who cares!!! Either you play games or not. Perversion has nothing to do with it...

@OtakuCODE

Yeah, one thing I've always been very vocal about is how people LOVE to make it look as if everything were in black or white, cut and dried, one or the other, and it's not. It never was. And the idea that any shade of gray might exist in between their sheltered line of sight is horrifying to these people.

I know. I used to be one of them.

While I won't say that the people who oppose homosexuality with an inhuman zeal are necessarily gay themselves, they DO know, deep, deep down, that it's not as black and white as that. I, personally, don't buy into sexual orientation. I think it's learned behavior, and while it could be influenced at such an early age that it FEELS as if you have no choice... I feel you really do. If I may be so crude, it's quite like your preference of either Coca Cola or Pepsi. Maybe you like neither? Or maybe you don't care either way. Like I said... it's gray, and some people don't like that and don't want to admit that.

Anyhow, back on topic for me, as this IS a gaming site... I honestly don't think being gay or not being gay has an impact on what games you like to play. Same as being a girl compared to a guy has no effect on what you like to play. It all comes down to the point of view and peoples' perceptions of who should play what.

I'm not homophobic, but I hope to god this is the last time I hear the term "Gaymer".

Only you can prevent bad puns.

I'm always amused by people that say stuff like "Oh, homosexuals like that, I can't like that anymore." I wonder what would happen if someone told them that homosexuals like drinking water and breathing oxygen.

Personally, I never believed the "vehement opposition masking closeted homosexuality" until I met a few gay people who told me that, yep, they were like that at one point. Though we can't always look at that for a reason - there are always people who just fear the unknown, and the concept of homosexuality is a big unknown to alot of people.

I've actually always wondered about what percentage of gamers are gay. The subculture is a bit homophobic, but I'd assume that there's roughly the same proportion as there are in the general population. Difficult to gauge, though - I know at least one gaymer who is open in real life but closeted amongst the gaming community, because he wants to game without any sort of stress about his lifestyle.

hey Zoe, if its learned behavior.. then why has science proved homosexuals brain makeup is defferent then a heterosexuals, with the nucleus of certain scells being doubled in size. This is formed when more testosterone is in the mother's womb during pregnancy. They have done sutdies and proved that womb-testosterone levels will determine sexual identity. They have also come clsoe to isolating a "gay gene" which can even be traced through lineage. How about you know what your talkign aobut before you mouth off about things you don't understand.

Zoe, maybe you're right about how gay people play the same types of games, in the same proportions, as straight people. But one study I'd think might be interesting (not covered in this one) is whether gaymers of certain genres are more or less likely to be open about their preferences. I'd say that I know more gaymers that play role-playing games... but then, due to my own preferences, I know more people in general that play role-playing games. But it would be interesting to find out whether people stay more closeted when they favor certain genres.

Though it is kind of odd that you'd say you learn to like certain flavors, and liken that to sexuality. Personally, I always found that I just inherently like or dislike certain foods. The only ones where a choice might come up for me are the foods I'm allergic to (which I don't like).

#8: It's research into the gaming demographic to attempt to determine what percentage of gamers are gay, their gender and their likes and dislikes.

In my case, they'll find out that sexual orientation in games will not make more or less likely to play a game, that I just like good games and I've seldom encounted homophobia in games (apart from the rampant bigotry at the WoW forums in January).

#12: There is, in actual fact no conclusive proof that sexual orientation or gender identity is caused genetically or socially. Experts believe it is caused by a subtle blend of the two factors, but none of the evidence so far gathered can offer even a vague explanation. Expect a lot of sensationalist press around any kind of scientific study.

I thought this topic might bring the worst out of some commenters (I think the homophobic crowd just scrolled right past this article), and I thought I was wrong until the last comment by Vivio.

Don't push your agenda like it's the truth. Please don't try labeling homosexuals as sin-filled yuck creatures causing the destruction of the human race. You look like an ignorant fool who's living in backwoods country.

You were right, though in your comment before about gamer preferences really don't matter... it's the content in the games and what's being stereotyped or if the gaming community is ostricizing the gay community. I think that's what the survey was going for, not necessarily if you're gay you would choose a certain game genres over others.

I can't believe that this is turning into a debate about homosexualiity....gay people exist whether you like it or not. If you don't like them, don't click on an article about gay people and read it.

On to my real comment.
Ross, anytime you write about gay people (I don't know if it was the wording but the survey or just you but I'd like to bring it up anyway) don't use the phrase "sexual preference". It's antiquated and kind of offensive.

Who came up with 'gaymer'? Maybe its just me but I actually find it kind of insulting. We don't call people 'straighmers' or some such rubbish, do we? All this kind of thinking does is force a wedge between people. We all have something in common; we game. Can't we just leave it as that and focus on the things that bind us together as opposed to the ones that create rifts between us?
I think the survey is a good idea though. Hopefully it will help to show the industry that all types of people play games and that stereotyping in games is not helping the industry. I've been put off many a game because of overly sexualised characters, although I do try to look past that and judge a game on its own merits. But still...

To Vivio
Your 'truth' is just another opinion. Please just remember that the next time you feel the need to force it on someone who does not agree with you. I promise it'll help keep your blood pressure down.

@32_Footsteps

I completely believe that your sexuality could possibly (and for many people, probably) play a role in what games, films, music, etc. that they purchase or play.

However, I also believe that has a lot more to do with outside influence around them, good or bad, than it has to do with their actual sexuality. So while I'm not saying that gay (or bi, as that's where I fall) people play games that are only built to appeal to their demographic without fail, I'm also not saying they play exactly the same games as everyone else. It really comes down to the individual and their own, unique outside influence and tastes. People are quite impressionable and fickle, and the political climate surrounding anything that is not heterosexual in this culture is pretty heated.

I may be a bit biased, but as an example, I play a game like Dead or Alive because I find it fun... not for the sexual innuendo. I'm sure if you take a gay male or a heterosexual female (as I'm forced to use the labels) and have them sit and play the game, if they like it, they're probably gonna like it for the same reason. Same for a heterosexual male or gay female. That is, if a game like DOA matches their preference, of course.

And as for the flavors you may like or dislike (in reference to my half-assed analogy), you do know that there are some people out there who don't consider themselves gay OR straight, right? The only point that I was trying to get across was that people like wearing blinders to the truth... and that truth is that this is a world of grays. Maybe you'll never know how many shades of gray there are, and that thought... that lack of knowledge or ability to generalize... it scares some people.

Alyxium wrote "...Who came up with 'gaymer'? Maybe its just me but I actually find it kind of insulting. We don't call people 'straighmers' or some such rubbish, do we?..."

Alright, I'll say it. You don't call it "straighmers" because that's the assumption already. Just like there's gay pride days, because the other 364 days a year are straight pride days. And that's why flesh-color bandages match a caucasian skin tone. And why it's "actor" and "female actor", and "mankind" is synomynous with "humankind." And there's "history" and "women's history." Don't dwell on discarding individual examples, because the significance is in the vast number of "generic" categories which come bundled with assumptions.

It's a pervasive pattern that there is a "default" which is generally white, male, heterosexual, able-bodied, and several other categories for which, when you're not the default, you must clarify. So that's why there's a "gaymer" which makes the distinction at least in print.

hey y did u take down my post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Editor's note: Because it can be taken as offensive, does not directly relate to the topic at hand (gaming survey, that's why it's on Joystiq) and -- judging by the history of your comments -- you it is ambiguous whether or not your comment was meant to be taken as a joke or as a statement. If you are going to talk about homosexuality, try to relate it to the topic or, if not, try to back up your statements and have a non-sensationalist statement to make.

Rosco]

I don't know if I'd go as far as to say that gay gamers favor one type of games over another. I'd personally guess that it more has to do with whatever culture you find yourself in, and even then how much you're willing to conform to that culture. Maybe if gay culture in general favored one particular type of game (and given how widespread and diverse gay culture is, I doubt it), I wouldn't personally point to homosexuality as the cause for favoring the genre so much as certain prominent members of the culture favoring that genre and influencing others.

I'm fully aware of the many different varieties of sexuality (which I can deal with just fine up until I have to figure out which pronoun to use at the moment). That's not even related to my point. My point is that to me, how I react to flavor isn't a choice at all - I just instinctually react to it. Similarly, I personally go by the idea that whatever your sexuality is, it's instinct. I don't have any proof, but it makes sense to me.

Mmmmmm. Removing posts to justify... Very interesting. Very interesting.

@32_Footsteps

You say you instinctively take chicken over beef? Why IS it instinct, anyway? You had to have had both chicken and beef to know which you prefer, yes? Not necessarily. It is possible to make that choice without having ever tasted one or the other, though that's usually not how it works.

Which is not me suggesting that you go out and get with a guy and a girl for comparison's sake... it's not for everyone. It never will be. There's not a damn thing wrong with being straight or gay.

It just doesn't deny the fact that instinct, in spite of its commonly accepted connotations, is naturally a learned behavior. For one reason or another, you don't have instinct at birth... you pick it up along the way. And it's based on your preferences, your choices, your influences, your mentors, et cetra. All of these variables lend to a system that is composed of far more than the popular belief of a simply gay and straight world.

Having said all that, there's nothing wrong with what makes sense to you, dear. You don't need proof. How you feel is how you feel, regardless of what anyone else thinks. People make light of opinions, and though they can be damaging at times, it's wonderful that people have them. Please don't take any of what I say as a knock on what makes sense to you. ^_^

Gay people play video games... no shit? really? I guess all those 10 year olds on xbox live are right about all those people being gay, I didn't give them enough credit.

Ugh. Just... ugh. I always lose (more) faith in humanity when I scan these sort of posts for comments. Sad that it doesn't surprise me people don't want to buy Twilight Princess after Link was in Out Magazine. I wonder if they went out and burned their old Zelda cartridges too. You'd think that something like video games would bring people closer together since sexuality, I find, is so irrelevant to it. As a gamer, who happens to be gay, I can't say it's ever been an issue with friends (gay, straight and in limbo). Even with my proposed limp wrists I still kick arse in Resident Evil 4.

Actually, I have no inherent preference for chicken over beef, and I get what I'm in the mood for at the moment. ;)

Also, some people just go by smell. Or what looks appetizing. Heh, people's appetites for food, not to mention romantic partners, is alot more complex than you give it credit for, Zoe.

While some of what is called instinct may actually be learned behavior, not all of it is. Even as a baby, a human being has inherent instincts, some of which aren't fully developed (human beings have a relatively slow development period for those). Choice does have its role at times, yes, but you shouldn't immediately dismiss instinct.

Of course, overall, I don't take offense at you. I always appreciate a good debate.

I am gay and I don't like the way some of those questions led. It seemed that a lot of questions seemed to assume that you were outcast because being gay and that the anonimity of gaming is the only way to survive.
I get the feeling that there will be some obvious differences between gays and straights reactions because gay people might feel like me and possibly feel offended to their questions

I wish Joystick didn't mention the whole Link thing again as thats going to distract all the comments from the survey.

I took the survey and I have to say i was very impressed that he included a spectrum of choice for your sexual preference. With 10 being completely hetero and 1 being totally gay, and an acknowledgment of bisexuality in between. (so #1 post giz! take the survey) Our culture has a way of seeing straight and gay like your either Worf from star-trek or Richard Simons, with no grey area. The concept of "the spectrum" rarely shows up in the main-stream so if this survey is getting gamer-media attention , please suport it!

And to post #7 Scooby-Doo: I agree that he seemed to be fishing for evidence of anti-social motivation amongst gamers. Wich could be true in some cases but none more than with television watching, a much larger culprit in that area. Wich is too bad because the rest of the survey was really good with its answer options. So every one should take the survey even if your straight and let him know your not a shut-in.

Ryan. P. Vancouver Canada.

omg ever heard of freedom of speech!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I always like reading these sort of articles on here because it reminds me of the gay gaming community that's out there. I hardly know any gamers (seriously, nobody 'round here was as excited for me about my DS Lite...) so it's kind of cool to see other gay people who get excited about the PS3 and the Nintendo Wii. And I agree with a post made earlier about there being a grey area. Society likes to put a label on everything. You're either this or this...or this and this and this. But I, too, believe that things aren't so black and white.

It's funny, because the survey focuses so much on what types of games that people of different sexual orientations play, and not on why there are so few gay people who play them.
Personally, the content doesn't need to be tailored or themed in ways to encourage homosexual gamers. What needs to be done is a drastic overhaul to MARKETING, since even games that have a vast universal appeal are still only marketed at the core audience of heterosexual males. Until you start seeing game ads in Out or Cosmo or what-have-you, the demographic is going to keep shrinking at an even faster rate that the core demographic.
Because honestly, it's simple to see why the gay demographic is so small.

(hypothetical situation)

15-year-old kid, has a lot of friends who he likes to play games with. His friends are your average Xbox/PlayStation gamer. Kid discovers he's gay, and his friends, being the typical gamer who is prone to dropping F-bombs and calling people "fag" across Xbox Live is going to make this kid uncomfortable. When most teenagers discover they are homosexual, they have a natural reaction of distancing themselves from homophobic elements in their lives, as a means of mental self-preservation. But with abandoning your friends, most also abandon the hobby they shared with their friends, as their new clique is highly unlikely to enjoy the exact same thing.

And hence, this is why most gay people don't game: it's a "breeder" hobby that they can no longer feel comfortable being a part of. There are some who stick with it, or discover video games after their formative teenage years, but gay gamers make up a very slim percentage of gamers, likely less than women.

Actually, ChrisRX, I don't know if it makes you feel any better or not, but the questions were kind of leading such that any video gamer, regardless of what gender turns them on, were assumed to be outcasts for some reason or another and that video gaming was your only way of coping.

In short, it just played off of stereotypes about gamers in general, not homosexual gamers specifically. Not that it's any better, though.

I agree with 32_Footsteps about the survey seeming skewed to try to suggest that video games fill some sort of need in social outcasts. I'm not entirely sure what the author of the survey plans on doing with the information, but I think it's pretty clear that his thesis is something along the lines of gaming representing an outlet for the insecurities and frustrations of young gay people.

Granted, I don't really know anything about this study beyond what the survey suggests, but I think that the issue of homosexuality and homophobia and gaming culture is one that is ripe for some serious, scientific, sociological study -- the backlash to the Out article is pretty much proof of that. But this particular survey (Surveymonkey? Seriously?) is neither the most scientific nor the most thorough approach. But, hey, it's better than nothing. Which is what (...oh, alright, I'll say it...) "gaymers" are generally given: nothing.

And Mephy, while I agree with your point that gaming culture, and especially online gaming culture, is rampantly and repugnantly homophobic, I really don't think that it has that big of an affect on the demographics of the gaming market. I mean, hell, here I am on Joystiq. And, as a matter of fact, most of my gay friends and acquantances -- probably a larger percent of them than my straight friends -- are gamers. Could just be that I hang out with like-minded people. But you might find it interesting that one especially popular franchise amongst my "gaymer" friends is the decidedly "breeder"-targeted Dead or Alive. Video games doesn't get much more heterosexist than that, and yet, without a lick of irony, we play away.

@ 19
Kate, I concede. You made a damn good point. I actually never thought of it like that. Maybe I'm just abit naive when it comes to the latent prejudices of people. Still I'd rather people just called me a 'gamer' as opposed to 'gaymer.'

I also agree with 32_Footsteps. The survey did seem very biased towards the idea of gaming as a form of escapism. Personally I play games to have fun not because real life is too hard to cope with.

I'll step in and say that im a "gaymer", however I fear that I DO fall into a stereotype. Currently I am 15, and for the past FIVE years I have been playing Rhythem based games (You could argue before that, when parrappa came out, but I consider when I first layed eyes on DDR 3rd Mix asian build). Now I did say that rhythem games were my favorite, however just because of one of the games that i have been playing the longest, dance dance revolution, has been labled as "gay." Before I was even "out" I would be called a fag at six flags just for playing it. However what is so homosexual about a game where you step on arrows?
Yes, the game concept is stupid, and it is NOT dancing, and last time I checked, dancing wasnt gay. Infact thats why in 3rd mix "Heavy" or "expert" as you might know it as was called "StepStepRevolution", SSR Mode. Its still fun to play and shouldnt be labled. However I fear that it is a stereotype, and that since it is the primary genera of games that I play that it falls into that stereotype.