Gayming Awards 2026 Meet the Nominees: Community Impact Award

For decades, countless organizations have fought to make the gaming industry inclusive for all — and now, at the 2026 Gayming Awards, we get to finally give these amazing groups the spotlight they deserve with the Community Impact Award!

This honor is reserved for organizations that are truly making a difference in gaming today. Whether it be video game-themed drag shows or new industry standards for queer developers, each one’s unique form of advocacy uplifts queer players and helps to make this entire medium more accessible. 

This award is the ultimate chance for fans to show their appreciation to these collectives of people who fight for them every single day. Let’s take a closer look at each of these potential winners now, and let’s get ready to honor one of them with the 2026 Community Impact Award at the upcoming Gayming Awards!

Boston Gaymers

During a time when it’s becoming more and more difficult to find gaming events that support LGBTQ+ identities, Boston Gaymers has risen to address this issue and give its local community the safe spaces they need. 

Located in the Greater Boston area, this organization focuses on bringing queer gamers together through in-person community events and gaming tournaments. These monthly meet-ups are times of pure queer joy, with each event making sure that any LGBTQ+ nerd can come and feel right at home. This past year has been a huge one for Boston Gaymers; not only did the organization host its biggest gaming tournament ever, but its new Chosen Family program is making it so no LGBTQ+ local has to face the holiday season alone. 

This group works tirelessly to provide its city’s many gamers the chance to play their favorite games while being authentically themselves. Boston Gaymer’s goal is to make space for authentic queer representation in the gaming community, meaning it’s no wonder that they’re a huge contender for this year’s Community Impact Award!

Gaymers iNC

Few organizations have done more for London’s LGBTQ+ gaming community than Gaymers iNC. After a decade of advocacy, this group has become a mainstay for the city’s queer players; their weekly events help LGBTQ+ Londoners connect with each other over their shared (and often extremely geeky) interests.

The group’s mission is to make sure that nobody has to play their favorite games alone, recognizing how isolating this industry can be and making it easy for queer folks to build bonds with others like them. Through programs like their ‘Newbie Nights’ they make video games accessible for all locals — no matter their skill level — while helping them develop friendships with other gamers from around the city. It’s a vital kind of connection within a medium where queer gamers often feel ignored, with Gaymers iNC not only connecting these folks, but reminding them why they are essential parts of the gaming industry today.

With such an important mission, it’s no wonder why Gaymers iNC is nominated for this year’s Community Impact Award — let’s see if the group’s thousands of members will vote and help them clinch the win!

Gaymer Nights

When it comes to uplifting the thousands of queer gamers living in Mexico today, no group has done more for this cause than Gaymer Nights.

From Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City, this organization has become known for its inclusive gaming tournaments, one-of-a-kind programs that provide respectful, endlessly fun spaces for this country’s LGBTQ+ community. And Gaymer Nights’ advocacy doesn’t stop with these events; with its original digital content and growing brand partnerships, the org is steadily introducing the entire world to LGBTQ+ Mexican gaming culture. Their work has already proven essential in helping Mexican gamers connect — the organization recently reached 150 active members — and is creating a model for other countries to do the same for their queer communities today. 

Gaymer Nights stands out as a true advocate for LGBTQ+ gamers in Mexico, making them a huge frontrunner in the race for this year’s Community Impact Award!

NYC Gaymers

While a pillar of modern LGBTQ+ advocacy, New York still struggles to create inclusive spaces for its many queer nerds — enter NYC Gaymers, the organization making sure players across all five boroughs feel celebrated today!

For more than ten years, this organization has fought to help LGBTQ+ gamers find safe spaces to play, make friends, and foster a gaming industry that respects players of all identities. From their annual Gaymer Pride events to their ‘Gaymers Against Violence’ workshops hosted in schools across New York, the group perfectly merges education and advocacy to help everyone understand why inclusive gaming is so important for us all. 

This year is proving to be a landmark one for NYC Gaymers, with not only a change in leadership but a huge organization expansion meaning that the group can now reach more prospective members than ever before. It’s a heartwarming success for such a great organization — let’s see if they’ll be able to celebrate it with a Community Impact Award win!

Qweerty Gamers

For gaming to become more inclusive, we don’t just need LGBTQ+ representation onscreen, but industry standards that ensure queer developers can create stories for their communities. Many organizations are working towards that mission, with Qweerty Gamers leading this fight.  

Qweerty Gamers focuses on uplifting LGBTQ+ creators trying to break into the gaming industry. Whether it be networking events for queer developers, informational classes for rising streamers, or hosting launch parties for indie games, the group works tirelessly to ensure all queer artists have what they need to succeed in gaming today. It’s hard work that has already started to pay off; Qweerty Gamers’ work with developers and streamers has helped many LGBTQ+-made games find their audiences in a social landscape that often ignores marginalized narratives. 

Qweerty Gamers is making sure that creators have the support system they need, whether they’re trying to show up onscreen or behind-the-scenes. This work is more important than ever, and it may just win them this year’s Community Impact Award!

SlayStation

A whole community of queer gamers mixed with sickening drag performances — who could ask for more?

SlayStation has quickly become one of London’s biggest drag shows, with this viral sensation merging jaw-dropping drag with the many franchises LGBTQ+ gamers love. It succeeds in not only creating great art, but amazingly inclusive spaces; their monthly shows offer drag performances as well as gaming tournaments, cosplay competitions, and even animations centered around their fun-loving community. The organization shows that there is true empowerment in embracing your ‘inner nerd,’ with each drag number emphasizing that whether they’re a queer performer or LGBTQ+ gamer, being proud of your authentic self creates a better world for us all. 

The organization allows LGBTQ+ gamers of all identities unleash their fiercest, nerdiest diva, and this advocacy may be just what they need to death drop right into the Community Impact Award win!

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