Colliver, B. Published Emerald Publishing Limited. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this work for both commercial and non-commercial purposes , subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors.
In recent years, there have been increasing demands for visibility and representation of minority groups within the entertainment industry. This has coincided with a rise in legal and civil protections, and a greater societal awareness of minority groups within the United Kingdom. However, representation and visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer LGBTQ communities is currently being contested within the United Kingdom.
Protests across the United Kingdom, but primarily concentrated within Birmingham have focused on censoring LGBT visibility within education Colliver, These protests signify a social climate which seeks to roll back equality and diversity initiatives and render minority groups invisible. Although there has been growing levels of visibility of LGBTQ communities within a number of different social spheres, it is important to interrogate the accuracy of the representations and identify harmful stereotypes which are perpetuated through mass media forms.
Whilst issues of diversity and equality span a number of different identity characteristics, this chapter will be focusing solely upon issues of gender and sexuality within games.
Undeniably, the gaming industry is hugely popular Bernal-Merino, and millions of people engage in gaming on a daily basis Madigan, With the rise of the Internet, and the opportunities this opened up for participatory, co-operative online play, gaming is firmly established within society as a key form of entertainment.
