Call for Papers: Exploring LGBTIQ+ Narratives, Representation, and Communities in Video Games (+info.)

2025-03-11

Special Issue: Exploring LGBTIQ+ Narratives, Representation, and Communities in Video Games

Coordination  

Sergio Gutiérrez Manjón
Lecturer of Audiovisual Communication at Complutense University of Madrid. Holds a cum laude PhD in Audiovisual Communication, Advertising, and Public Relations with an international mention. His research focuses on Game Studies, digital communication, and media literacy. He is the secretary of the Spanish Society for Video Game Sciences (SECiVi).

Lucia Gloria Vázquez Rodriguez
Lecturer of Digital Media at University College London and researcher in Feminist Media Studies and Queer Film and Television. She has extensively published on the series Sex Education and has coordinated books and special issues on queer communication. She is a member of the ReMAP research group (UCL) and the UNESCO-UNITWIN Network on Gender, Media, and ICTs.

Mireya Vicent Ibañez
Lecturer of Video Games and Audiovisual Communication at the University of Burgos. Holds a PhD in Audiovisual Communication from Complutense University of Madrid with an international mention. Her current research focuses on Game Studies and digital media, with a particular interest in the study of hate speech.

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Abstract
The rise of video games in mass culture has established this cultural product as a key medium for exploring, representing, and experiencing LGBTIQ+ identities and narratives. From the inclusion or absence of queer characters and narratives that challenge traditional gender roles (Shaw, 2015; Phillips, 2020) to the ways in which LGBTIQ+ communities use video games as tools for expression, resilience, and self-discovery (Blanco-Fernández & Moreno, 2023), this medium provides a fertile field for critical and academic analysis.

Traditionally criticized for the dominance of cis-hetero male users and behaviors, the development and evolution of the video game industry across its various branches has brought visibility to voices beyond heteronormativity (Ruberg, 2020). Academics such as Shaw and Friesem (2016), Ruberg (2017), and Belmonte Ávila and Encarnación-Pinedo (2024) have explored LGBTIQ+ representation in video games and gamer culture.

This special issue aims to gather innovative research and interdisciplinary perspectives that examine the intersection of LGBTIQ+ studies and video games. We invite contributions reflecting on how gender and sexual diversity are represented in video games, how LGBTIQ+ individuals transform their gaming experiences, and how queer communities find a sense of belonging and engage in cultural activism through this medium.

Reviews relevant to the special issue’s theme are also welcome.

Focus of the Special Issue
This issue explores representations of sexual and gender diversity in video games, adopting an intersectional perspective to analyze how these interactive works integrate and project such diversity through their narratives, characters, and dynamics.

Descriptors
Examples of topics for consideration include, but are not limited to:

  • Representations of LGBTIQ+ characters and narratives in video games
  • Inclusive game design: challenges and opportunities
  • LGBTIQ+ gamers' experiences and gaming practices
  • Queer game mechanics
  • Problematic gaming and gender identity
  • Hate speech: toxicity, homophobia, and transphobia in gaming communities
  • Studies on avatars, character customization, and queer identity expressions
  • Use of video games in LGBTIQ+ education and media literacy
  • The impact of streaming platforms and LGBTIQ+ fandoms on gamer culture
  • Presence of LGBTIQ+ individuals in the video game industry

International Relevance
Submissions from various public and private institutions and international contexts are encouraged.

Languages
Proposals in Spanish and English are accepted.

Submission Instructions and Guidelines
Editorial standards: https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/ESLG/about

All research articles should follow the IMRaD structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions.

Timeline – Key Dates
  • Deadline for research papers: September 30th, 2025
  • Deadline for book reviews: December 1st, 2025
  • Publication of the special issue: 1st Issue 2026

List of references

Belmonte Ávila, J. F., & Encarnación-Pinedo, E. (2024). Unbound Queer Time in Literature, Cinema, and Video Games. Taylor & Francis.

Blanco-Fernández, V., & Moreno, J. A. (2023). “Video Games Were My First Safe Space”: Queer Gaming in the Animal Crossing New Horizons LGBTIQA+ Community. Games and Culture. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231205638. 

Phillips, A. (2020). Gamer Trouble: Feminist Confrontations in Digital Culture. New York University Press.

Ruberg, B. (2020). The Queer Avant-Garde: How LGBTQ Game Makers Are Reimagining the Medium of Video Games. Duke University Press.

Ruberg, B., & Shaw, A. (Eds.). (2017). Queer Game Studies. University of Minnesota Press.

Shaw, A. (2015). Gaming at the edge: Sexuality and gender at the margins of gamer culture. University of Minnesota Press.

Shaw, A. & Friesem, E. (2016). Where is the Queerness in Games? Types of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Content in Digital Games. International Journal of Communication, 10, pp. 3877-3889.