Game Buoy Podcast Episode 177 – More of That Gay Stuff: Game Buoy Remake Project Episode 4

Ahoy, mateys, and welcome to the GAMEBUOY.ORG video game podcast – your port of call for gaming news and views that maybe aren’t on your radar, but most definitely should be! On this episode, recorded Sunday, June 22, 2025, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss the current state of LGBTQIA+ representation and inclusion in gaming!

This episode is part of the Game Buoy Remake Project, a series of themed episodes revisiting previously discussed topics. This week, the Podcast Pirates follow up on Game Buoy Podcast Episode 7 – LGBT Issues in Gaming, originally published July 24, 2012.

HOT TOPIC IS THE WAY THAT WE RHYME

– 79% of Switch 2 buyers in the United States also bought Mario Kart World.
– Polygon reported that third party Switch 2 games aren’t selling well.
– Conversely, games analyst Mat Piscatella observed that third party game sales for Switch 2 are stronger than they were during the Switch 1 launch.
– The Switch 2 sold almost 1 million units during its launch week in Japan.
– The Switch 2 sold over 1.1 million units during its launch week in the US.
– Hardware sales of the Switch 2 during its launch are double that of the Switch 1, and it is now the fastest-selling console of all time.
– The original Silent Hill is getting a remake from Bloober Team.
– SAG-AFRTA has called off industrial action after almost a year of strikes.
– The standard edition of Borderlands 4 will cost $70.

RELEASE UPDATES

– Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home Special Edition is coming to PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam in 2025.
– The “Eevee Grove” expansion is coming to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket on June 26.
– PATAPON 1+2 REPLAY is out for PS5, Switch, and PC via Steam on July 11 worldwide.
– The House of the Dead 2: Remake launches August 7 for Switch and PC and later for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox series.
– Doronko Wanko comes to Switch on July 24 with five additional playable dogs.
– Golden Tee Arcade Classics comes to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam and GOG on July 17.
– Monster Hunter Wilds‘ Title Update 2 comes out on June 30.
– Honkai: Star Rail‘s version 3.4 update.
– Persona 4 Revival and STRANGER THAN HEAVEN will be out in Fiscal Year 2027.
– Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter launches worldwide on September 19 for Switch, PS5, and PC via Steam.
– The Pokémon franchise is launching a new internet game show, The Gotta Catch ‘Em All! Game Show.

CULTURE CLUB

– Sandfall Interactive is exploring “a wide range of future improvements” for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, including more content.
– Elden Ring Nightrein has added new, more difficult bosses in its latest update.
– The live action film Return to Silent Hill will open on January 23, 2026.
– Bungie has delayed Marathon, with no release window currently set.
– SEGA has announced that SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Avatar Legends DLC will be coming to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
– Spike Chunsoft is releasing a short animated series to tie into No Sleep For Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files.
– Nintendo is pushing back the release date of the Legend of Zelda movie to May 7, 2027.
– CD Projekt RED is developing The Witcher 4 with a “console-first” mindset.
– Adi Shankar has acquired the screen rights for Duke Nukem.
– The upcoming Patch 7.3 for Final Fantasy XIV will add more headgear options for Hrothgar and Viera.
– The Ghost of Yotei developers are making efforts to respectfully portray the indigenous Ainu people of Japan.
– Hideo Kojima changed some of the script of Death Stranding 2 because it was getting too positive of a response during play testing.

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO

– Tales of cards will be coming to Weiss Schwarz and Weiss Schwarz Blau.
– Shallot has been revealed as a DLC character for Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero.
– A billboard in the London Underground erroneously stated that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was “out now.”
– An Alien Ant Farm song is being cut from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4.

SO CONTROVERSIAL

– Splitgate 2 developers 1047 Games have had to lay off an unspecified number of staff, but the co-founders are taking no salary while the company restructures.
– Support for Beat Saber is ending on PS4 and PS5.
– NIS America has announced that Disgaea 7 Complete Ewwdo Edition is only coming to Switch 2 and will be on a Game Key Card.
– Nintendo has reportedly banned players using MIG cartridges to play pirated games on the Switch 2.

DOOM AND GLOOM

– Sony has laid off roughly a third of Bend Studio’s staff.
– The Smartphone game Black Clover M: Rise of the Wizard King will end service on August 21.

SMASH HIT

– Nathan Grayson’s article “The Summer (Game Fest) Before The Fall (Of America)” discusses the Summer Game Fest in the context of occurring during the protests and ICE presence in L.A.

DISCUSSION TOPIC

This week, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss the current state of LGBTQIA+ representation and inclusion in gaming! As part of the Game Buoy Remake Project initiative, they take a look back at Game Buoy Podcast Episode 7 – LGBT Issues in Gaming. Back in 2012, the Podcast Pirates discussed prominent LGBT characters in gaming, notable LGBT plots and subplots, and lesbianism being used in an exploitative way – along with highlighting Cho Aniki! After looking back at the past episode, the Podcast Pirates examine how LGBTQIA+ representation and inclusion has changed over the years. They discuss LGBTQIA+ characters and themes in games that have stood out to them in recent years, games they would recommend to give historical and modern perspectives on LGBTQIA+ issues in gaming, along with their hopes for how inclusion and representation can improve in the games industry in the future.

Resources discussed:

– 2024 GLAAD Gaming Report: The State of LGBTQ Inclusion in Video Games (GLAAD)
– “It’s Time to Bury the Bury Your Gays Trope in Video Games” by James Troughton (Gayming Magazine)
– “Queer Lives Are Not Quests” by Cody Mejeur and Xavier Ho (Public Books)

WHAT’S UP

Captain Spike has been playing Bravley Defaut HD and the Blitz Royale in Fortnite. First Mate Slaggy McWaggy has been playing Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077, and Pokémon Scarlet.

SOCIAL LINKS QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Hello, folks! This week for Pride we are talking about how LGBT issues and representation have changed in gaming in the last ~15 years. Regardless of your identity, have you observed any industry change from your perspective? How do you feel about these changes?

Bonus question: Are there any games that feature LGBT characters OR which you feel explore LGBT related issues that you’d like to recommend? (Please only respond if you’re comfortable with us reading your responses on air, thanks! )

EXITLUDE

SHOUT OUTS – “FRIENDS OF BUOY”

– Orange Lounge Radio, where every gamer has a voice
– Aftermath, an independent, worker-owned website about video games, other media and internet culture
– The Bobby Blackwolf Show, a weekly internet radio show and podcast discussing the latest news in gaming as well as sometimes reminiscing about gaming’s history
– Video Game Realness, a dose of gaming chit chat among friends
– Nintendo Pow Block, a dive into the week that was in the world of Nintendo
– Famicomputing, for “Nintendo and PC stuff” including screenshots, videos, photos, and reviews
– Sasha’s Retrobytes, “bytes” of vintage gaming including magazine scans and photographs
– Defunct Games, your daily source for modern video game reviews, exciting trivia competitions and old school magazine analysis
– Thomas Game Docs, where each video covers “a different aspect of video game history”
– Craig, Slaggy McWaggy’s robot boyfriend a multi-track voice channel recording bot for Discord

Also, our theme music was done by the late, great Zelda Reorchestrated, which lives on in the form of ZREO: Second Quest!

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