While we here at Cheeky Dingo Games definitely tend to put a gay slant on much of what we do, that is certainly not everything we are about. However, at the risk of seeming to contradict that statement, we have launched a YouTube channel that aims to take a something of a queer perspective on the hobby.
It is, sadly, far too common at conventions and at game establishments to overhear comments that amount to micro-aggressions, whether intended to or not. Hearing gamers, usually straight males, make offhand comments along the lines of "Man, don't play that card on me now. That's so gay!" or "If you win you'll have to suck my dick!" or "My dice are rolling like pussies tonight!".
Women and gay men are already likely to feel out of place or even unwelcome in the tabletop game culture which is dominated by straight (predominantly white) GUYS. Online content creators are only now starting to see a bit more diversity. Having more women, POCs and queers making visible content online and openly playing games in public (when we are able to...stoopid pandemic) can go a long way in helping those who may not be as brave in standing out but who still want to participate win the hobby.
Visibility matters. Having more diverse voices and faces in the mix matters. It shouldn't matter if a drag queen or drag king, in full makeup and outfit, wants to plop down at a table of a Magic the Gathering draft. Most people wouldn't think anything of it if a cosplayer, dressed as Pikachu wanted to join the same game. It shouldn't be noteworthy to have women and girls playing Arkham Horror or Wingspan at a convention right along side a long-bearded dude wearing a Metallica t-shirt. A crop-top wearing gay kid roleplaying as a half-orc barbarian with romantic attractions to the male elf bartender in a fictional tavern shouldn't be awkward for anyone at a D&D table.
So, those of us involved in bringing ENTERTAINMENT via GAYming misAdventures hope to do our little part in normalizing some of these things for gamers who might not normally be exposed to such things. We also hope to be faces of queer inclusion that might help someone of LGBTQ+ persuasion feel just a tad more optimistic about going out and gaming in public because they know there are others like them out there partaking in the hobby.
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