Mapping LGBTQ+ centred controversy in the video games industry Uncovering the interplay between controversy, LGBTQ+ representation, and crisis communication

The video games industry has been at the centre of many polarized debates. From those debates controversies can sometimes arise, yet video game companies fail to prepare for successfully tackling controversy. A cultural movement is slowly growing within the games industry and challenging the long-held norm of catering to and representing the desires of the cisgender, white male. With the inclusion of historically marginalised publics within video game content, controversy is bound to happen because of the choice to challenge the dominant game culture through content. This is also exactly what took place when the video game The Last of Us Part II was released by game developer Naughty Dog, and a digitally born controversy developed. By researching the publics involved, and the stances they take within the LGBTQ+ centred controversy, foundational information can be revealed about issues within games and among gamers as well as how companies tackle such debates. Thereby the following main research question has led the research paper: “How do different stances taken by actors as a reaction to a LGBTQ+ themed video game controversy construct (reactive) public relations approaches by studios?”. Through the application of discursive controversy mapping and analysis of an online controversy, different publics and actors stemming from different corners of the video games industry have been revealed to partake in the debates surrounding The Last of Us Part II. In order to map a significant part of the controversy several data sources were used, such as Reddit, articles written by game journalists, and interviews. With the publics’ appearance onto the map also came the interconnections that showed interaction among and between video game industry professionals, game journalists, and the video games community. The actors, which usually stemmed from these aforementioned publics, took stances within the ongoing debates that displayed larger issues at play, both linked to the controversy as well as the video games industry overall. Furthermore, while the controversy was unfolding Naughty Dog’s crisis communication strategy did not align with the communication of its employees on social media. This begged the further question how contradicting communication during an online crisis impacts the image and reputation of the company.