National Coming Out Day

Here we are again, October 11th: National Coming Out Day.  It should surprise no long-time readers that I am of the 'mo persuasion (short for homo, which is short for homosexual), least of all that I carry crushes for video game characters and developers across gaming spectrums (Megaman, Varric, Nathan Drake, the developer of the Trism iPhone app, for some quick examples).  For some, however, the thought of being ashamed or embarrassed to identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer (which I will conveniently use as an umbrella term to represent all other gender/sexual orientations) can be an overwhelming experience.

Things might be (societally) a whole lot better now than they were when I came out a decade ago, but individual experiences, environments, and struggles remain too variable for me to say: "oh you new gay kids have it so much easier." 

Video games were always a resoruce for me when I was feeling uncomfortable in my identity (whether of sexual orientation or other adolescent development areas).  It was great because these games allowed me to role-play a different identity, determining values for a virtual manifestation of myself.  Also, you know - the sheer entertainment. 

When I was coming out, my games of choice were Final Fantasy VII & VIII & Tactics, and The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time.  It's like a psychologist's wet dream really, since each of these titles deal with super-imposed battles of good and evil and striving to define the hero's identity (except for Ocarina, which was about fishing minigames).  In my defense, console game-writing hadn't evolved to a point of creating more complex writing scenarios like a battle between a filandering protagonist and a demonic representation of his girlfriend's vagina.

Actually, considering that, I had it much better than today's gay youth...

So, whichever side of the proverbial coin that falls on - coming out is still hard to do.  Today might be a day when friends, family members, brothers, sisters, and awkward co-workers let you know that their preference for joysticks extends to their romantic life as well: don't flip a wig.

For readers who are LGBTQ - despite my vitriol for this over-used, and often misunderstood phrase - it does get better.  If you don't feel comfortable coming out today, there is always next year; and you don't even have to wait for NCOD to confide in those closest to you.  In the meanwhile, pickup a controller and get some personal game-time.  In games, we can do conciously what we do in dreams: wonder, explore, and sometimes shoot zombies.

BONUS:  I decided to Google "gay zombie," because I am bizarre.  This is a movie, and my life is complete.