Gaming is self-care for LGBTQ+ youth

A majority of?LGBTQ+ youth?consider themselves gamers, and?they’re?even playing for the?benefit?of their mental health…

• LGBTQ+ young people are more likely than their peers to consider themselves gamers
• The majority of them use gaming as an escape from the stressors of real life
• But they also believe gaming culture has a long way to go when it comes to representation

When thinking about LGBTQ+ young people, the first thing that comes to mind may not be video games. But YPulse data in our new?LGBTQ+ Youth Special report?shows that gaming is a huge hobby for this young community. But?beyond simply playing video games and even identifying as gamers, it’s something they do for their mental health. YPulse data has shown before that?LGBTQ+ youth are more likely be looking for ways to manage their mental health, especially in the wake of a turbulent environment for their community IRL; with video games, they can escape for a bit into a different world.?Knowing this makes?gaming an opportunity for brands looking to connect with young LGBTQ+ consumers?or center on self-care—which can also help to improve the inclusivity in gaming culture these young people seek.?

What this also means is that when thinking of gamers as a community, it’s important to consider just how many are LGBTQ+. While the core demographic gaming is marketed toward is typically Gen Z and Millennial males, it would do brands well to think about how to make their gaming inclusive to the wide array of young people the LGBTQ+ community includes.??

Through insights in our LGBTQ+ Youth Special report and data in our?Gaming report, we get a look at how this young demographic is looking at gaming through a different lens than many of their peers. And to understand what that means for brands looking to connect with LGBTQ+ gamers, these three stats show what that lens is, and how they’re even looking to brands to improve their gaming experiences:??

68% of LGBTQ+ youth identify as gamers (vs. 60% of non-LGBTQ+)

While the vast majority of young people play video games in some capacity, fewer truly consider themselves gamers. But 68% of LGBTQ+ young people say they are, making them +8pts more likely to say so than non-LGBTQ+ youth (60%). For young queer people, we know community is incredibly important, and so identifying as a gamer may have to do with really feeling like part of a group with a common interest. Afterall,?21% of young LGBTQ+ people say they are part of a group devoted to a hobby online, more than 15% of non-LGBTQ+ youth who say so—meaning gaming could have a big influence on this increase.??

87% of LGBTQ+ youth see video games as an escape (vs. 75% of non-LGBTQ+)

Not only are LGBTQ+ youth more likely to call themselves gamers, but they’re also more likely to be looking at it as a way to escape from real life. YPulse data shows mental health is a major concern for them—and they’re more likely to be interested in anxiety-reducing products / experiences compared to non-LGBTQ+ young people. Despite the belief that video games can be harmful for young people’s minds especially,?studies show?that gaming actually has major benefits, especially when it comes to mental wellbeing. In turn, not only are video games a way for them to escape, nearly half (47%) who play video games say they do so specifically for stress relief, proving LGBTQ+ gamers truly value the time they spend gaming. However, while gaming provides a break from real life, there is still parts of gaming culture that don’t make LGBTQ+ youth feel welcome.?

68% of LGBTQ+ youth say gaming culture is not inclusive enough (vs. 46% of non-LGBTQ+)

Despite gaming being an aid for their mental health, YPulse’s?Gaming report?data also shows 68% of LGBTQ+ young people say gaming culture is not inclusive enough, compared to only 46% of non-LGBTQ+. Though this may be due in part to other gamers in the community, our data shows that 80% of LGBTQ+ young people agree, “I want brands to help make gaming more inclusive.” Whether this is through making allyship campaigns (like NYX Cosmetics has) or creating queer characters inside games (like?The Last of Us?has so expertly done), gaming brands and their partners can make LGBTQ+ gamers feel seen and valued as gamers.??

As proof of how important inclusivity is in games themselves, LGBTQ+ gamers often find themselves gravitating towards open world?games like?The Sims?because they have full control of what their players look like and how they function—and this game specifically has made a point to be “deliberately queer- and trans-inclusive.” These gamers want to create characters they identify with, explore new possibilities through self-expression, choose which characters they want to develop relationships with, and express themselves in ways that might not have been possible or safe for them to do so IRL. But these abilities need to be adopted by other types of gaming genres in order for more LGBTQ+ gamers to play. Ultimately, gaming is an art form that speaks to a diverse bunch of young people, and given the vast majority of LGBTQ+ youth specifically consider themselves gamers, it only makes sense for these young people to see themselves represented in games, as well as given a hand to be embraced in the community.?

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