Quantcast
Community Discussion: Blog by Kmkin20 | Gaymer Convention: Less about games?Destructoid
LIGHTS:  ON | OFF
surf dtoid with arrow keys



REMOVE ALL ADS?
Guaranteed contest entry?
A new video show?
Something else?

Vote in our membership poll

About
Hi there, my name is Kyle. I'm a 24 year old college student finishing my undergrad and hopefully (pending acceptance) will be pursuing a graduate degree for an MFA in Creative Writing, specifically poetry... yes, people still write poetry and there's some pretty cool stuff out there if you're curious and want some recommendations. Besides that fun stuff, I am a gaymer so nothing is better than a cute guy who will play video games with me, but I love to get to know all types of people, so feel free to talk to me. Also, if you're watching this in the future, get off your flying cell phone scooters and think!
Player Profile
Follow me:
Kmkin20's sites
Badges
Following (3)  


I thought I would throw my opinion into the ring when it comes to the controversy (or lack-thereof, depending on your side) with the Kickstarter supporting a convention for LGBT gamers and straight allies. I want to keep this short because this is going outside the realm of gaming talk and I'd prefer not to go to far out into other territory unless someone wants to message me and really talk about it.

A lot of the comments on the stories have really disturbed me. They range from genuine confusion to more vitriolic language as well as the usual troll or two. There are a few things I have to say lead me to believe it's a good idea. I will preface this by saying, if it isn't obvious by now, that I am a gay man myself (24 and single *hint hint* *awkwardly hides in corner*) and I felt the need to make this post as a civil explanation of why I would personally like to go to such a convention.

The first thing I want to say to my fellow Dtoiders is that the mainstream gay scene is brutal. There are always exceptions in the community, but for the most part image is everything. I don't like that it's that way, but for the most part, what gay men are told (ironically by other gay men) is that if you don't look or act a certain way, you won't have a good relationship or sexual life. I've dealt with body image issues for a long time because of the pressures to be good looking or fit all the time. By now, some might be wondering why the hell I'm even talking about this and how it relates to the Gaymer Convention?

Just like most straight males on this site would find it really appealing or, dare I say hot, when their girlfriend or wife is willing or loves to play video games, I find the same attraction to a guy who is willing to just relax and share the activity. It would be the same if you liked running, cooking, or cuddling. On a base level, we tend to be attracted to people who share some level of compatibility with the things we like to do. So the interest in going to a convention where there might be guys who already share a certain level of compatibility is really enticing.

Statistics will pretty much tell you that the amount of gay people in the world is a small fraction of the world population. I've gone to college in Kentucky and after 4 years, it becomes tiring and lonely to know every out gay guy on campus and know that you have nothing in common with any of them. The way I'm viewing the convention is less about games and booths and announcements, and more about getting a community together to relax and have fun to meet each other. Of course, there will always be critics of any opinion under the sun. "Why can't they do that at E3 or PAX?" I can't give you the answer to that. I'm sure there have been attempts to get gay gamers together at other conventions and maybe there hasn't been.

Simply put, I like the idea. A lot of people have really been angry at how politics is now leaking into gaming and I'm sorry you feel that way. Gaming, like everything, is constantly evolving and whether you like it or not, community is now becoming a part of that. So why not give men and women like me a chance to get together, have fun, play some games, and maybe find a little love in a pretty crazy world?

Anyway, that's my way of looking at it and I tried to be as friendly as possible about it. If anyone wants to discuss it personally with me, send me a message. Thanks for reading! =)


Also, how fucking adorable is that?
Photo



Is this blog awesome? Vote it up!




Those who have come:



Did you know? You can now get daily or weekly email notifications when humans reply to your comments.

Legacy Comments (will be imported soon)


IMHO ON THIS TOPIC: JUST GO TO THE REGULAR CONVENTIONS YOU FUCKING TWATS
Fair enough for an all-caps opinion.
@Kmkin20 - Looking over Bibbly's comment history, this sort of thing is par for course. I don't need to tell you to not take it personally since you already aren't though.
Well said. Personally I love that the politics of gaming are something we can choose to talk about.
@JFZeb Thanks! Yeah, it's definitely becoming an interesting topic and people are willing to talk about it, even if sometimes it's just to say something hateful.
Great blog man. Hope you find what you're looking for.
That's crazy what you say about the gay scene, but I can see how it happens. There's something about being excluded from society that makes fringe groups become more exclusive among themselves. You can see the same thing happen here, if you're paying attention.

Not that I'm complaining. Goodness knows we see enough of that already. It's closer to the truth to say that I'm simply interested in the process. Maybe I should look into a sociology degree.

I'd like to understand people better. They do such odd things sometimes. Like just now, I saw someone make what seems like a bigoted comment. Then again, that comment may have been made because the person behind it is burned out on what they see as a manufactured controversy. They might not be bigoted at all. It could be that they're simply bored with this particular subject.

Just something to think about. Good blog. :)
Hey, welcome to Destructoid! Nice first blog :)

Try not to worry about the expectations of the mainstream gay scene too much. Just be yourself and somebody out there will love you for it.
What bbain said!
All conventions are about community to me.
@Tarvu the key point here is that this is a sub-community (sub as in a part, not a as a lesser level) that wants its own convention.
Good blog post.
Good point Kmkin, finding a partner that shares the same sexual preferences and love for games makes allot more sense that the explanation that Jim sterling or Sophie gave.

One of them looks pretty hetero-phobic while the other is a hardcore Feminist that seems to hate her own gender.
Thanks guys! Yeah @bbain, I try not to worry about it too much, but I also didn't want to get too in detail because it starts to go into a much more personal territory and I wanted to keep it in context of the convention, but thanks for the advice. =)

Back to Top
DLC   |   BEST Games of 2012   |   Best PC Games   |   Best PS3 Games   |   Best Xbox 360 Games   |   Best Wii U Games   |   Best 3DS Games




All content is yours to recycle through our Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing requiring attribution. Our communities are obsessed with videoGames, movies, anime, and toys.

Living the dream since March 16, 2006

Advertising on destructoid is available: Please contact them to learn more