Online, whether it is gaming on Xbox live with your friends or on any of the hundreds of image boards, the online world is full of homophobia.

There seems to be a three way split currently between most people, there are 3 categories:

• The Hardcore Gamers – These people usually fit the stereotype of a ‘gamer’ people who spend more time online than outside. This doesn’t always make them bad people however the effect of spending more time with their TV/Computer than with friends often affects not only their social skills but quite often their physical and mental health. I myself often I fit into this category, I spend a average of 6 Hours on the internet on my computer daily and on one of my games I have spent nearly 9 days of online play since I brought it. This category is normally reserved for men, however in my time online I have met a couple girls who are hardcore gamers too. Traditional examples of ‘hardcore’ games include FPS (First person shooter) MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game).
• The Casual Gamers – These people are probably the most hated group by the non-gamers and the hardcore gamers for a few reasons. The hardcore gamers believe that casual gaming is reserved for the ‘weak’ people who are not very good at gaming and buy games not for their game play but for their ‘fun’. The non-gamers usually put both of these gamers into the same lump of ‘anyone who plays a game’ as people who are wasting brain cells and their own time. The casual gamers see hardcore gamers as people who get obsessed by games whilst the non-gamers are people who are afraid of technology and killjoys. Examples of these types of casual games are getting more common with the introduction of handheld consoles (Nintendo 3Ds) and the most controversial console, the Wii.
• The Non-Gamers – These are people that believe that gaming is a waste of time and brain cells. They believe that there are too many other things to be doing than wasting time online/playing games. Sometimes these people have been gamers and had bad experiences of online play and given up on it and sometimes they are scared of new technology or believe that it really does kill brain cells and social skills.

There are of course games that transcend multiple categories of gamers, for example, racing games are both played by the casual and hardcore gamers as are adventure games and RPGs (Role Playing Games).

Now what does this have to do with homophobia?

Homophobia is deeply rooted in online games and the internet. A simple visit to any of the internet’s image boards and you will discover the huge amount of homophobia that is all over the internet. Behind the veil of the internet people let their true feelings show. This unfortunately shows us how much work is still left to change people’s views on homosexual behaviour.

The Gaymer Survey, conducted at the University of Illinois and involving over 10,000 respondents, found that gay gamers experienced a high level of homophobic attitudes and language.

Eighty-eight per cent of respondents said that they had heard the phrase “that’s so gay”, while 84 per cent said that the word ‘gay’ had been used in a derogatory way.

Over half of the respondents felt that gays were stereotyped, 52 per cent found gaming worlds to be hostile to gay and lesbian gamers and 42 per cent felt that gays were under-represented.

Only a minority of participants (nine per cent) claimed that they had never encountered anti-gay remarks.

This has been noticed by the gaming manufacturers and they are working towards equality in gaming, for example the Sims, a game where you control people’s lives has been a leader in promoting gay rights, and is always the first to allow the player to make homosexual relationships. Xbox Live is now forcing its game manufacturers to keep in line with its new equality rules.

Fable 3, due to come out soon will allow you to impregnate your friends in co-op mode on Xbox live. But with fable history of being able to have homosexual relationships the chance of adopting being integrated in the game is a definite possibility.

The online world and the gaming community is a big part of society but is mostly completely ignored by government unless a game is too controversial, for example ‘No Russian’ Scene in modern warfare 2 and all of the GTA games. This means that the manufacturers have nearly all of the control of how progressive the games are.

Unfairness can be seen in Mass effect 2 where you can have a lesbian relationship but not a gay male one. This sparked controversy among many ‘gaymers’ the girls and straight males were delighted whilst the gay men were a little bit more miffed at the developers of ME2.

There is a brilliant way to catch up on gay game news, via podcast

We have no real power as gamers to force companies to change their ways, the American gamers vastly outnumber the British gamers and the deep root of homophobia created by most of these Americans will always make online play hard for out gay people. All the power we have is our buying power, by not buying homophobic games and complaining to the moderators online we can slowly get rid of homophobic behaviour.