by Mackenzie Portfolio

It’s been about two weeks since I’ve logged onto IGN yet with Comic-Con starting this week I just can’t stay away anymore! But, what’s kept me away for this long?

On June 26, 2015 the United States made the historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage and social media exploded with fabulous rainbows. Friends, family, complete strangers, corporations (including IGN) changed their profile picture to include a rainbow filter to show their support. I’m not gay but even I was overwhelmed with the excitement at the support our nation seemed to be showing. That is, until I started reading the comments under the IGN profile picture.

For privacy I won’t broadcast names but the following are just some of the comments I read on IGN’s Facebook/Instagram:

 You gotta be shitting me (1660 Likes)

This is too much...I can't even get on my gaming website without politics getting shoved down my throat. (239 Likes)

Gays mess everything up (46 Likes)

Great. You guys too with this garbage? You couldn't just stick to talking about games? You had to shove a phucking political agenda up our a.ss too? (226 Likes)

IGN just post game stuff, not gay shit

Im unlinking da page because of this BS propaganda. (24 Likes)

wtf, this place is supposed to be about games, not ass sex. (36 Likes)

Negative comment after negative comment I was no longer overwhelmed with excitement. What’s sad is as a gamer I’ve had my own experiences with members of the gaming community putting me down, simply because I’m a female, so at this point nothing should surprise me. Yet my mind was blown when I read the reactions from the IGN community.

They changed their profile picture. That’s it. They didn’t blast their site with political statements, or propaganda, or host videos to tell us what we should believe in. They didn’t stop posting game updates, reviews, or stop Beyond! or other Podcasts from recording. They simply showed support for gay members within it's community.

Wait.. Gay people play video games?! Yes. Yes they do.

Three days later, on June 29, IGN changed their picture back to the traditional logo. And the gaming community responded again:

Finally took down the other one.

As it should be

Oh now I can take you seriously again

cool, that fruit loop logo was enraging me

I just couldn’t understand how a profile picture that is aimed to support members of the gaming community could be so offensive to anyone. For a community that is already on the chopping block by outsiders, how we can turn against our own?  While I support same-sex marriage I accept that other gamers may not, but why ostracize other members of your own gaming community because of what their sexual preference is? I love being a part of this community but sometimes it takes a few bad eggs to ruin it.

Now with all of that said we can’t ignore those people from the IGN community who supported the court’s decision, IGN’s profile picture, and tried to set a good example in the comments section. Luckily, it’s THOSE people who restore my faith in the IGN community:

Thanks IGN.com for your support of your LGBT readers!! We love you guys lots!!!    

 IGN is never political.... This is a monumental and historical moment! Happy to see IGN is on the right side of this. -Proud to be a fan! Thanks IGN.

 Hell yeah IGN. Hell yeah.

Good for you guys! I'm sure your employees and the thousands and thousands of readers that support this appreciate it. And to every one asking "Oh video games are political now?" you should probably play a video game...they've had political/social issue stories for a long ass time.

I’m white. I’m straight. I’m a female. But most importantly, I’m a gamer. At the end of the day, despite those few bad eggs, I'm proud to be a part of the gaming community.  It is filled with such incredible, brilliant, and exceptional people... who I look forward to destroying in Mario Kart...even if you're super gay.