Hugely successful Gayming Awards to return for 2022 with in-person event

The Gayming Awards are returning for a 2022 event celebrating diversity throughout the industry after a hugely successful 2021 debut.

Watched by over 150,000 people, the 2021 event was the largest LGBTQ+ stream on Twitch last year. Nine awards categories were featured, with viewers able to vote for two: Best LGBTQ Streamer & Gayming Magazine Readers’ Award.

Earlier this month the creators of the awards, Gayming Magazine, announced the return of the event would be even grander.

Robin Gray, founder of Gayming Magazine, told Overclockers UK the 2022 in-person event would be bigger and better:

“The 2021 awards were meant to be in a theatre in London, that obviously didn’t happen and we ended up doing a fantastic streamed job online. The 2022 awards are going to be in person in central London in front of 1000 people, plus a Livestream, and something else that’s exciting I can’t talk about just yet.”

2021’s inaugural award show saw nine categories, with roguelike action RPG Hades winning Game of the Year. New categories are set to be revealed later this month, highlighting even more inclusivity within the gaming industry for 2022.

“The notion of diversity not selling games is dead.”

“When we announce the awards, we always get the same comment of a ‘game is just a good game why do we have to point it out as being LGBTQ?’ The diversity argument about whether a game will sell or not because it’s got diversity in it, heaven forbid, it’s null and void. Look at last year with The Last of Us 2 it’s still I believe the bestselling PlayStation exclusive.”

In 2020, the UK games industry diversity census revealed 1 in 5 workers in the UK games industry are LGBTQ+:

“We don’t just celebrate the games themselves; we actually celebrate the makers and the people behind them. … more than half the categories last year actually celebrated queer contribution to games making. Whether that’s through making indie games; whether that’s through doing work in the industry. The notion of this awards show being hey these games are gay lets give them awards is an oversimplification. It’s more about celebrating the queer talent behind a lot of these games.”

Nominations for the awards will open later this year, on the Gayming Awards website.