“I choose you!” – the surprising power of queer gaming groups
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Hello! Eurogamer is once again marking Pride with a week of features celebrating the intersection of queer culture and gaming in all its guises. Things get underway today as James Croft ponders the particular magic of LGBTQIA+ gaming groups.
Reh is slaughtering Cabal as he battles Destiny 2’s Emperor Calus in the heart of the Leviathan. He’s throwing grenades at packs of space dogs, headshotting Psions, and double-jumping over flames as his fireteam attempt the tricky shadow realm raid once more. Calus’ health is low, and the tension mounts – if they pull this off they’ll finally defeat this fiendish boss, otherwise it’ll be back to the start yet again. But their rockets fly true, their supers crash into his mechanical body, and – at last! – Calus is felled. But Reh’s elation is short-lived. “Wow,” says a fireteam member over comms. “I can’t believe my first clear was with a faggot.”
That was the last straw for Reh. Sick of the homophobic commentary and eager to find a place he would be accepted, Reh took to Facebook – ISO queer Destiny clan! – where he discovered Guardians of the Rainbows, a group founded by two gay men in 2016. He’s been involved ever since, graduating to admin and de-facto clan leader. To Reh and many more of its members, Guardians of the Rainbows – which has grown into a thriving international community over the years – is a haven, a safe space away from the toxicity of gaming. But more than that, it’s a place of queer joy, and even the source of some of its members’ deepest friendships.
