DIVA caught up with the viral streamer to find out more about LGBTQIA+ representation in gaming
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY RED BULL CONTENT POOL, MARK ROE
After the rise of sapphic and queer storylines in games like The Last Of Us, the gaming sphere has become a home to many LGBTQIA+ people. Leading the charge for lesbian representation in the streaming world is Twitch streamer and TikTok star Aimsey. Garnering over a million followers on Twitch and over 3.8 million followers on TikTok, the star has been bringing their signature warmth to fans around the world.
Known for streaming video games such as Minecraft and Among Us, Aimsey has been waving the lesbian flag high. In an industry that is often predominantly full of cis heterosexual men, Aimsey has been creating an environment where everyone can feel like they belong.
DIVA caught up with the Red Bull Player and world-class streamer to find out more about their career.
How did you first get into gaming?
When I was 11, I got really obsessed with some Minecraft creators. I’ve been gaming my entire life, but I realised: Wow, people do this now for a job?
What were some of the things that you had to learn quite quickly about the gaming world?
Oh, it can be very unkind. That’s what I realised very quickly. It was a weird one because obviously, the idea of it as a kid seems like the best thing in the world. As an adult, you realise there are multiple things wrong with it. Obviously, growing up on the Internet, I already knew this, but it was a whole different way of knowing it.
We’re seeing a rise in queer representation in gaming. What would that have meant to you growing up?
I grew up getting the most shoddy type of representation in the entire world. It is genuinely crazy to me now that I can just be playing a game and there are just queer people. It isn’t a big thing. There are just people who are queer. Younger me would have lost their mind over the fact that this is something that could be happening.
The gaming world has a reputation for being very heavily dominated by men. How did you carve out your space as a lesbian creator?
I kept on digging. I was a cockroach. You couldn’t get rid of me.
What do you hope to see continue happening in the streaming community to let more people come through the door?
I think the bigger streamers and the bigger creators need to be the ones who open the doors and open these opportunities for all these new queer people. That’s a big thing that I’d love to see.
Can you tell us about your coming out?
I knew that I liked girls from when I was around 12. I did the thing that I think most stereotypical queers do, which is: I don’t like this boy, but I’m gonna pretend like I do because it seems like everyone else is doing that. I also went down the route of saying I was just a very proud ally. Eventually I was 16 and I told my mum. She was very supportive and she’s the best.
Were you worried about being openly out online?
Even now, if I mention my girlfriend or I mention being a lesbian in anything I do, I will get comments. They’re all coming from a place of ignorance. If you give anonymity to anyone on the Internet, they’re going to use it for bad. They’re going to use it to be harsh. They’re going to use it to make things the way they want them to be.
What’s been the proudest moment of your career so far?
In 2022, I went to Brighton Pride, and a younger person came up to me and had the lesbian flag on. They ran up to me and they said: “You’re the reason that I identify as a lesbian because I felt so comfortable seeing you come out.”
What advice would you give to game developers about including more queer representation in games?
Talk to actual queer people. Don’t be afraid of putting in queer representation.
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