eSports and Gaming

eSports have become increasingly popular all over the world and there are new teams and online communities being formed each and every day. Gaming is one of the most popular social pastimes and eSports often attract younger players. There are a number of comparisons between playing eSports and traditional sports and in both, team members will work together to boost the community spirit. A number of team members will even practice outside of game play. Gay eSports are just as popular and many members of the LGBT community are taking part in the excitement of eSports.

LoL Leagues Place Limits on LGBT Players

While a large number of gay eSports fans engage in gaming action, they face some problems when entering tournaments with their teams. Quite a few leagues that promote League of Legends play have set a quote on the number of LGBT League of Legends players. The limits are being put into effect for all female LoL tournaments and they are limiting the number of gay and transgender participants, stating that they provide an unfair advantage. The reason for the limit is because leagues have found many male competitors that have identified themselves as women to compete in the tournaments. The leagues have caused great dispute in the gay eSports community and the developer of LoL responded to these limits by saying that all LGBT players are welcome at all official LoL tournaments.

Other Top Choice eSports

eSports often attract professional gamers and there are a number of games and tournaments that are available, all offering a social experience while allowing players to show off their skills in competition for high monetary payouts. eSport tournaments started being played in the 1990s and over the years, they have become quite popular. In the 2000s, real-time strategy games were introduced and today, there are a number of competitions playing games from various genres. Some of the most popular eSports that can be enjoyed include LoL, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, World of Tanks, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Rocket League and Call of Duty.

LGBT Members Struggle with the eSport Community

It is almost impossible not to notice that the esports scene is made up of mostly male players. Within the eSports culture, it is not uncommon to run across gendered harassment, homophobia and sexism and this is even displayed by professional players. There are very few female pro players and many of these are characterized as becoming professional to prove a point. There are also only a few openly gay players that are found at tournaments and esports events. High profile eSports players are not willing to challenge the number of gays being accepted as they fear the backlash that is possible from fans. Even though gay esport players are not as common, they are there, enjoying the action of the games, but many will keep their sexual preferences hidden from other members of the gaming community.