Rainbow arcade

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Video games have become a significant aspect of cultural history in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Despite a shift in perception over the past decade, they are still often viewed as non-historical and non-political. While museums and cultural institutions are beginning to recognize video games as an art form, their socio-political significance—especially regarding identity, sexuality, and gender—remains largely unexamined. The exhibition at Berlin's Schwules Museum is the first to delve into the relationship between video games and queerness, building on the foundational work of the LGBTQ Game Archive and Adrienne Shaw from Temple University. The catalog features over 100 games, including "Caper in the Castro" (1989), often cited as the first queer video game. It investigates how social discourses are mirrored in video games and highlights advancements in queer representation within entertainment media. Additionally, the catalog addresses issues of digital memory and the challenges that digital culture poses for archives, particularly regarding the absence of contemporary queer media history. Funded by 764 Kickstarter supporters, the research culminated in this comprehensive exhibition catalog, which includes a detailed directory and contributions from curators, designers, and artists. The exhibition showcases the integral role of queerness in video game culture.