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LGBTQ+ Youth Are Huge Gamers—Here’s Why

The majority of LGBTQ+ youth are playing video games very often, so we use YPulse data to show how these self-proclaimed gamers are approaching this favorite hobby…

Written and Edited by the YPulse Editorial Team

Feb 21 2024
North America

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The vast majority of LGBTQ+ young people are playing mobile games weekly or more often—and they’re playing more than non-LGBTQ+ peers on other devices, too
LGBTQ+ youth are also more likely to consider themselves gamers, which points to more involvement in gaming as a community
Both demographics say their top reason for playing video games is to have fun, but LGBTQ+ youth are largely playing for their mental health

It would seem that gaming is a place where diversity would thrive, with players exploring many different worlds as characters that could look like anything. But there’s still a disparity between the people playing the games and the representation they’re seeing on screen. GLAAD’s 2024 Gaming report on LGBTQ+ players found 17% of active gamers identify as LGBTQ+, but less than 2% of console games currently available feature LGBTQ+ characters or storylines. YPulse’s own Gaming report data shows nearly all LGBTQ+ 13-39-year-olds play video games in some capacity and 78% of LGBTQ+ who play video games agree: “I wish video games...