Gayming Magazine

{{Infobox magazine

| title = Gayming Magazine

| logo = Gayming magazine logo.png

| image_file =

| founder = Robin Gray

| editor = Robin Gray

| frequency =

| circulation =

| category = Video games
LGBTQ culture

| company =

| based =

| publisher = Gray Jones Media Ltd

| founded = 2019

| firstdate = {{start date |2019|6|df=yes}}

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| website = {{URL|https://gaymingmag.com/}}

| issn =

}}

File:Gayming Magazine Full Logo.png

Gayming Magazine is a British online LGBTQ video gaming magazine. The first video gaming website dedicated to the LGBTQ community, the site was launched in June 2019 with the aim of connecting the LGBTQ and video gaming communities, and has launched virtual Pride events. In 2021, the magazine hosted the world's first LGBTQ+ gaming awards ceremony, Gayming Awards.

Gayming Magazine debuted its event Gayming LIVE Online in 2022,{{Cite web|title=Gayming LIVE debuts in New York in 2022 - Gayming Magazine|url=https://gaymingmag.com/2021/10/gayming-live-debuts-in-new-york-in-2022/|access-date=2022-01-13|website=gaymingmag.com}} which aims to bring together video games, drag artists and queer culture.

History

Gayming Magazine was revealed at the London Games Festival in April 2019.{{cite web |author1=Natalie Clayton |title=Gayming Magazine is bringing queer perspectives to UK newsstands this June |url=https://www.pcgamesinsider.biz/news/68858/gayming-magazine-is-bringing-queer-perspectives-to-uk-newsstands-this-june/ |website=PC Games Insider |access-date=29 January 2021 |date=16 April 2019}} According to founder Robin Gray, the LGBTQ+ community had been a niche of the video gaming community, and they wanted to celebrate that and bring the two communities closer together. The site was launched in June.{{cite magazine |author1=Vikki Blake |title=Gayming Magazine launches new UK LGBTQ+ event, Gayming Live |url=https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/gayming-magazine-launches-new-uk-lgbtq-event-gayming-live/ |magazine=MCV/Develop |access-date=29 January 2021 |date=13 September 2019}} In September, the site was nominated for a Women in Games Advocacy award.{{cite web |author1=Harry Cole |title=Interview with Robin Gray, Founder and Editor of Gayming Magazine |url=https://www.ind13.com/interview-with-robin-gray-founder-and-editor-of-gayming-magazine/ |website=IND13 |access-date=29 January 2021 |date=29 September 2019}} A live event, Gayming Live, was run between 30 September and 5 October, which featured LGBTQ+ gaming artists and journalists, and writers from Fusebox Games offered writing tips. Within its first year it was reported to have a readership of 17,000.{{cite web |last=Batchelor |first=James |date=12 September 2019 |title=Gayming Magazine to host week-long live event |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-09-12-gayming-magazine-to-host-week-long-live-event |access-date=6 April 2022 |website=GamesIndustry.biz}}

During Summer 2020, Gayming Magazine hosted DIGIPRIDE 2020, a digital Pride event, emphasising the importance of getting through the COVID-19 pandemic and noting that normal Pride events were being cancelled.{{cite web |author1=Stephany Nunneley |title=Gayming Magazine to host DIGIPRIDE 2020 online event this summer |url=https://www.vg247.com/2020/05/02/gayming-magazine-digipride-2020-event-summer/ |website=VG247 |access-date=29 January 2021 |date=2 May 2020}} DIGIPRIDE then became an annual staple for the next 4 years. The site was nominated for another Women in Games award in September 2020.{{Cite web|title=Gayming Magazine wins at Women In Games Global Awards - Gayming Magazine|url=https://gaymingmag.com/2020/09/gayming-magazine-wins-women-in-games-global-awards/|access-date=2022-01-06|website=gaymingmag.com}}

Gayming LIVE was an online convention concept launched in 2022 and held subsequently in 2023 and 2024. Each year saw a multi-day program of streamed events. The concept was retired in 2024 as a result in the downturn of the gaming economy and a withdrawal of key sponsorships.

Gayming Awards

= Gayming Awards 2021 =

In July 2020, Gayming Magazine hosted the world's first LGBTQ+ gaming awards ceremony, Gayming Awards.{{cite web |author1=Kayleigh Partleton |title=Gayming Magazine to host first ever Gayming Awards in February 2021 |url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/73969/gayming-magazine-awards-2021-announced/ |website=Pocket Gamer |access-date=29 January 2021 |date=21 July 2020}} Presented by Electronic Arts (EA), the awards were supported by The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment. The first ceremony was held virtually in February 2021 and hosted by Suzi Ruffell. The panel of judges consisted of more than twenty LGBTQ people,{{cite web |author1=Chris Penwell |url=https://www.thegamer.com/gayming-magazine-unveils-the-gayming-awards/ |website=TheGamer |access-date=29 January 2021 |date=25 July 2020 |title=Gayming Magazine Unveils The Gayming Awards}} though the public voted on the Best LGBTQ+ Streamer and Gayming Magazine Readers’ Awards categories.{{cite web |author1=Sam Desatoff |title=Gayming Magazine to host world's first LGBTQ games awards |url=https://gamedaily.biz/article/1826/gayming-magazine-to-host-worlds-first-lgbtq-games-awards |website=GameDaily.biz |access-date=29 January 2021 |date=31 July 2020}} Voting took place in November and December 2020, with all games released in 2020 being eligible.

The full list of winners{{Cite web|last=Bankhurst|first=Adam|date=2021-11-01|title=Gayming Awards 2021: All The Winners|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/gayming-awards-2021-all-the-winners|access-date=2022-01-06|website=IGN|language=en}} of the Gayming Awards 2021 are as follows:

Game of the Year: Hades
Gayming Icon Award: Robert Yang
Gayming Magazine Readers' Award: Hades
Best LGBTQ Indie Game Award: If Found...
Industry Diversity Award: I Need Diverse Games
LGBTQ Streamer of the Year: DEERE
Best LGBTQ Character Award: Tyler Ronan, Tell Me Why
Authentic Representation Award: Tell Me Why
Best LGBTQ Narrative Award: If Found...

The digital-only ceremony was watched by over 150,000 unique viewers around the world, making it the largest LGBTQ+ event on Twitch over the past year.{{Cite web|last=Laws|first=Gemma|date=2021-09-21|title=Gayming Awards returns April 2022 with new categories|url=https://www.indiependent.co.uk/gayming-awards-returns-april-2022-with-new-categories/|access-date=2022-01-06|website=The Indiependent|language=en-GB}}

= Gayming Awards 2022 =

The Gayming Awards, presented by Twitch, returned in-person in April 2022, hosted by Julia Hardy.{{Cite web|date=2021-09-17|title=Gayming Awards will return in 2022 with in-person event|url=https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/gayming-awards-will-return-in-2022-with-in-person-event-3048662|access-date=2022-01-06|website=NME|language=en-GB}} As before, the ceremony was live streamed on Twitch and IGN and was watched by over 320,000 people in 97 countries.

2022 saw a new LGBTQ+ Streamer Rising Star Award, as well as categories in comic books, esports and tabletop games.

The full list of winners of the Gayming Awards 2022 are as follows:{{cite web |url= https://gaymingmag.com/2022/04/gayming-awards-2022-winners-revealed/ |title= Gayming Awards 2022 Winners Revealed |last= Hart |first= Aimee |date= 26 April 2022 |website= gaymingmag.com |access-date= 30 April 2022}}

Game of the Year: Life Is Strange: True Colors
Gayming Icon Award: Tanya DePass
Gayming Magazine Readers' Award: Resident Evil Village
Best LGBTQ Indie Game Award: Unpacking
Industry Diversity Award: Ukie's #RaiseTheGame pledge
LGBTQ Streamer of the Year: Aimsey
Best LGBTQ Character Award: Alex Chen, Life Is Strange: True Colors
Authentic Representation Award: Life Is Strange: True Colors
LGBTQ Streamer Rising Star Class of '22: It's Me Holly, cruuuunchy, CoderGirlChan, AwkwardishPanda, LuciaEverblack and Luke_Boogie
Best LGBTQ Contribution to Esports: Emi "CaptainFluke" Donaldson
LGBTQ Tabletop Game Award: Adventuring With Pride: Queer We Go Again
Best LGBTQ Comic Book Moment: The Pride Omnibus – ComiXology / Dark Horse Comics

The 2022 Awards were also supported by CeX, Green Man Gaming, Bandai Namco, Space Ape Games, UKIE, German Games Industry Association, Out Making Games and London Games Festival.{{Cite web|title=Gayming Awards 2022 - Gayming Magazine|url=https://gaymingmag.com/awards/|access-date=2022-01-06|website=gaymingmag.com}}

= Gayming Awards 2023 =

The Gayming Awards, presented by Logitech G & Streamlabs, returned in 2023 in a pre-recorded format from New York City.{{Cite web |title=Gayming Awards 2023 |url=https://gaymingmag.com/awards23/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Gayming Magazine |language=en-GB}} The ceremony was broadcast on Twitch and IGN with over 525,000 watching live. The whole campaign reached over 1.5 million people and achieved press coverage in IGN, VentureBeat, Pocket Gamer and more.

The full list of winners of the Gayming Awards 2023 are as follows:{{cite web |url= https://gaymingmag.com/2023/04/gayming-awards-2023-winners-revealed/ |title= Gayming Awards 2023 Winners Revealed |last= Hart |first= Aimee |date= 24 April 2023 |website= gaymingmag.com |access-date= 24 April 2023}}

Game of the Year: Cult of the Lamb
Gayming Icon Award: Ashly Burch
Gayming Magazine Readers' Award: Stray
Best LGBTQ Indie Game Award: Wylde Flowers
Industry Diversity Award: GLITCH
LGBTQ Streamer of the Year: DragTrashly
Best LGBTQ Character Award: Lor, New Tales from the Borderlands
Authentic Representation Award: I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
LGBTQ Streamer Rising Star Class of '23: BetweenTwoGays (Jayce & Ryan), Blobarella, itsOnlyVega, MadiDuVernay, Marisol Lords, TheJustRyan
Best LGBTQ Contribution to Esports: XSET
LGBTQ Tabletop Game Award: Adventuring with Pride – A Queero’s Journey
Best LGBTQ Comic Book Moment: Young Men in Love – A Wave Blue World

The 2023 Awards were sponsored by Facebook Gaming, Devolver Digital, Rocksteady, Gilead Sciences, RedBull, Sumo Group, Twitch, Keywords Studios and TikTok.

= Gayming Awards 2024 =

The Gayming Awards returned in 2024 in a new pre-recorded virtual format broadcast on IGN as part of their Summer of Gaming, alongside live broadcasts on Twitch and TikTok.

The 2024 Awards saw a 200% increase in viewership with over 1.6 million people watching live or through TikTok clips. The whole campaign reached over 13 million people from around the world and achieved press coverage in IGN, VentureBeat, Forbes, Eurogamer and more.

The show was hosted by DEERE and MiladyConfetti, and produced by Nathan Noyes and Ian Devoglaer (The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula). In addition to the main broadcast, there was also a Spanish language co-stream on TikTok and a captioned stream on YouTube, both greatly increasing the accessibility of the Gayming Awards.

The full list of winners of the Gayming Awards 2024 are as follows:{{Cite web |title=Gayming Awards 2024 |url=https://gaymingmag.com/awards24/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Gayming Magazine |language=en-GB}}

Game of the Year: Baldur's Gate 3
Gayming Icon Award: Jeremy Crawford
Gayming Magazine Readers' Award: Baldur's Gate 3
Best LGBTQ Indie Game Award: Thirsty Suitors
Industry Diversity Award: Latinx in Gaming
LGBTQ Streamer of the Year: SpringSims
Best LGBTQ Character Award: Shadowheart, Baldur's Gate 3
Authentic Representation Award: Thirsty Suitors
LGBTQ Streamer Rising Star Class of '24: DEVOGLAER, PearlTeese, SimplyAretha, Sinarynn & Sukar Baba
Best LGBTQ Contribution to Esports: Emma 'Emzii' Rose
LGBTQ Geek Entertainment Moment of the Year Award: The Last of Us: Long, Long Time

The 2024 Awards were sponsored by Devolver Digital, TikTok, Logitech, Humble Games and Zynga.

File:Gayming Awards 25 WOW Featured Image.png

= Gayming Awards 2025 =

The Gayming Awards are set to return in 2025 for their fifth year on July 8, 2025.{{Cite web |last=Gardner |first=Matt |title=LGBTQ+ Gaming Awards Go Global With WOW Presents Plus Partnership |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattgardner1/2025/02/19/lgbtq-gaming-awards-go-global-with-wow-presents-plus-partnership/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Forbes |language=en}} The Awards have been revealed to be broadcasting on the WOWPresentsPlus streaming service from World of Wonder, producers of the RuPaul's Drag Race franchise. Organizers claim that this move to a global streaming platform is a big step in "establish[ing] the Gayming Awards as a key cultural moment".{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=2025-02-19 |title=Gayming Awards 2025 to air on WOW Presents in fifth year |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/gayming-awards-2025-to-air-on-wow-presents-in-fifth-year/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}

Two new categories have been added: LGBTQ+ Voice Actor of the Year and Community Impact Award. In addition, the LGBTQ+ Streamer of the Year category has been renamed as the LGBTQ+ Content Creator of the Year category to recognize the growth in non-live streaming content creators and their contributions to queer gaming.

The full 13 categories of the Gayming Awards 2025 are as follows:{{Cite web |title=Gayming Awards 2025 |url=https://gaymingmag.com/awards/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Gayming Magazine |language=en-GB}}

Game of the Year
Gayming Magazine Readers’ Award
Gayming Icon Award
Industry Diversity Award
Community Impact Award
Authentic Representation Award
Best LGBTQ+ Character Award
Best LGBTQ+ Indie Game Award
LGBTQ+ Voice Actor of the Year Award
LGBTQ+ Content Creator of the Year Award
LGBTQ+ Streamer Rising Star Class
Best LGBTQ+ Contribution to Esports Award
LGBTQ+ Geek Entertainment of the Year Award

The launch of the 2025 Awards was the biggest one yet with major press coverage in Pride.com, Yahoo Tech, Forbes, VentureBeat, Bleeding Cool, Los Angeles Blade and more.