10 Percent of Gamers Are LGBTQ+, A New Study Finds

A recent Nielsen study takes a look at LGBTQ+ gamers' habits and buying powers.

This year's Nielsen Games 360 survey shows that 10 percent of all gamers over the age of 18 identify as LGBTQ+. Of the 2,000 LGBTQ+ people over the age of 13 surveyed, 40 percent identify as gay or lesbian, 50 percent identify as bisexual, and 10 percent identify as transgender or non-binary. 

Neilsen's self-reported survey found that LGBTQ+ gamers spend 8 percent more a month on games than their straight counterparts, at an average of $16.01 versus $14.78. And, if there's one thing we're good at as a community, we're certainly feeling the fantasy. LGBTQ+ gamers are more likely to play simulation games than their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts, 26 percent vs 17 percent on consoles, 41 percent vs 25 percent on PC, and 40 percent vs 28 percent on mobile. (I'm no psychologist, but there's certainly something to unpack here about LGBTQ+ escapism and the desire to be someone different than who we are.) 

Their findings also found that LGBTQ+ folks are more likely to be console owners (77 percent) than gaming PC owners (29 percent), they prefer to play on consoles (51 percent) versus mobile games (13 percent), and that 38 percent of LGBTQ+ gamers prefer Playstation, 22 percent prefer XBOX, and 19 percent prefer Nintendo consoles.  

Breaking that down even further, Neilsen reports 36 percent of console gamers play fighting games like Super Smash Bros.and another 36 percent play horror games like Dead by Daylight. 46 percent of PC gamers play RPGs like The Witcher, and mobile gamers are split with 40 percent playing Simulation games like The Sims and another 40 percent playing RPGs like Reigns: Game of Thrones. 

"The survey really shows us that there is a thriving sub-community within the extensive world of gaming that has a voice and impact on the industry at-large," a Nielsen representative told Out. "LGBTQ+ gamers are active gamers—though this shouldn't be surprising, as LGBTQ+ consumers are very active consumers of media and tend to be on the cutting edge of most media trends."

Hopefully, gaming companies are taking note of these stats and our buying power! We would love to see more LGBTQ+ inclusive games like The Last of Us Part II and Assassin's Creed Odyssey.