Gay splatoon

We aim to break boundaries, think outside of binaries and build bridges within our communities and beyond. Stay connected, and tell a friend. In the "Splatoon" games, fans have found a queer splatoon. Credit: Courtesy Nintendo. On the surface, Splatoon is an gay franchise to have a devoted queer fan base. The game started its life in on the unpopular Wii U console to slow sales.

Since then, Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 have released on the Nintendo Switch, to greater popular success. Splatoon is a kid-friendly third-person shooter where players spray colourful ink instead of bullets. Teams of four compete in fast-paced battles to see which side can cover more of the stage in their colour—like if paintball cared about painting the ground.

Each of the three games has a robust single-player mode with a handful of cool characters, but the story takes a back seat to platforming and level design. There are also prominent NPCs who conduct the world, singing superstars with funny banter that players never actually get to talk to. Unlike many other games embraced by queer folks, there are no explicitly queer characters, no homes splatoon lovingly decorate, no love interests to pine after and no endearing conversations with your friends.

From the way online communication encourages creativity and shitposting, to gay charmingly chaotic game world, to the fluidity in character customization, Splatoon has a whole host of design decisions that seem designed to appeal to baby queerdos. Unlike many online team-based games, Splatoon has no integrated voice chat.

Removing the threat of homophobic randos makes the playspace much more welcoming than other online games, and players can use external methods to talk to IRL friends.

‘Splatoon 3’ lets queer chaos reign

Nobody is better at splatoon internet than queer teens. They rule Tumblr and make Instagram meme pages. Splatoon regularly hosts online Splatfests, weekend-long mass battles where players pick teams based on a question and battle it out for supremacy. Gay you Team Ketchup or Team Mayo; vampire stan or werewolf stan; pro-fork or pro-spoon?

In Splatoon 2the climactic Splatfest was order vs. Chaos won—and Splatoon 3 has embraced the fan-annointed anarchy. This makes Splatfest three-way events, adding an extra layer of chaos into the multiplayer mix. The inklings and octolings of Splatsville have no government, no structures, no authority.

They exist only to vibe and partyfree from responsibility and restrictions. Splatoon loves its online battles, but it also loves fashion. Splatoon 3 lets players customize their cephalopod champions like never before. Previous games locked hairstyles and legwear to a gender, but now they are available to all. Swapping style or species is trivial.

Going from an octoling with a pompadour and skirt to an inkling with braids and sweatpants takes thirty seconds.