The abominable moral weight of a death threat aside, imagine thinking “yeah this guy’s been making awesome-ass industry-defining games for too long, shut him down”
Yeah, as a straight-presenting white man approaching middle age, sometimes bigots assume that I'll share, or at least tolerate, their opinions. I hate that, and do what I can to be known as someone who "wouldn't understand."
You'd think a homophobic RPG fan finding out the creator of Fallout is gay would give them pause. Like oh, maybe a gay guy can just be normal and have interesting ideas and make cool things that resonate with me. I like to think that's happened to at least a few people out there, anyway.
wouldn't tell im straight-up homophobic but as many people out there i always had some prejudice and stereotypes. and to find out that the creator of one of my most adored franchises is gay, and much more importantly, very chill and cool guy, definately made me much more open-minded (and loyal i guess?) towards those people. also i live in central asia and whole gay topic is pretty taboo in here, so that would expain my carelessness regarding gay people haha, i still love Fallout though :)
@@meatflu237 That's pretty cool of you to admit (even if anonymously and that's probably a good idea, as you'd probably get "canceled" nowadays otherwise, lol, even though your good intentions are clear, which I hate about cancel culture) and I agree that you'd think it would make someone doublecheck their homophobia learning a dude that made one of their favorite games was gay, so it's good to see that was the case. I for one, "way back" in like 2000, graduating high school, everyone I knew used a gay slur as an insult for doing anything they thought was dumb, overly emotional for a man, or just negative in general. I actually refused to do it, and told them to imagine if someone was "in the closet" (hiding they're gay for fear of rejection/bullying) and heard all of you calling your friends an insulting slur for gay people in response to anything you see as negative. At the same time, I didn't defriend those people and one of them became one of my best friends, and I understood that sadly, it was just the dominant cultural trend among teens at the time (especially boys), so I don't blame them for it and I guess because they respected me, they did catch on to what I was saying. That taught me the value of standing up for people, if anything.
Honestly this happened to me. Bi was a big fan of Neil Patrick Harris I was also raised to be very Christian. When he came out I actually did do some soul searching and realized I had no logical reason to dislike him other than some what others told me the Bible said rather than what I had read. I'm no longer Christian but I'm still a NPH fan.
Which is how it should be, you only know if you asked. A coworker of mine is gay and I only found out after like a year of working together, I was like „huh“ and continued my work.
@@kotzpenner I disagree with that, people are patriotic about their country, they are passionate about their interests so i think ppl should also be able to express their pride with their identity
@@EnclaveHistorian But why? Why be prideful of something you didn't accomplish yourself? I find it hard to understand. I never ever consider the sexuality of any of my freinds or coworkers, I just don't care about it (unless it's relevant, which it almost never is). I can't be proud of my blonde hair, but I can be proud of my eventual college degree for example.
I just found this channel this morning with the leaving Fallout 2 video and it's been a pleasant surprise. I have immense respect and admiration for you as a game dev and person, Tim. Finding out you were gay just now is astounding! You talking about that woman "not liking" gay people is how my mother is and it stings all the time. Thank you for being you Tim. Happy pride month. 💜
Ok so, why is it "astounding" that he's gay? It's not special, there is no pride to be had in something you're born with. It makes no sense to claim such. Ridiculous.
@@theincrediblefella7984 because I relate to him in that way and that brings me joy. I'm sorry you don't relate to that but that doesn't mean you need to challenge how I feel about something.
@@Madadader I am not challenging you on it, i am telling you that, factually, there is no pride to be had in something you can't control and are born with. That's like if i said i had "red-head pride" because i have red hair. It makes no sense. And if i say "Male pride" because i'm male, that's suddenly problematic isnt it? Do not feel sorry for me, there is nothing to be sorry about, as i'm not missing out on anything. That's fine that you relate to him, i'm not belittling you for that. I am, as i said, calling out the ridiculous notion of "gay pride" and the demonization of those who challenge that viewpoint.
@@theincrediblefella7984 nobody "demonized" your view point. People criticized you for being an a-hole, it's different. I'm going to, very superficially, explain the reason why "gay pride" makes sense and "male pride" doesn't, ok? How in 2023 you still don't know is beyond me, but ok. Gay people are constantly harassed for being gay. People are attacked, even killed, because of it. Parents make their kids leave home without any support just because they are gay. They can lose jobs. So, to be openly gay you need to also be brave. And it's nice to celebrate that bravery. In a more extreme example, it's brave for a woman to go to school in Iran, but it's not brave for a man to go to school there. Being straight doesn't necessitate any bravery. People accept straight people. Nobody cares if there's straight couples in kids stories. But to have a single gay character in a Disney movie is enough for backlash. There are books being banned from schools because they have gay characters in them. While the "male pride" makes no sense, since there's no one forbidding people from being "male". There's no risk that your parents will throw you out if you are male. You won't have to announce to your family and friends that you are male. Nobody expects you to be female and you, bravely, decided to be male. And, to finish it off, I suppose you should also find any and all patriotic demonstration to be equally dumb, right? Since celebrating the fact you were born in a specific place should be even more alien to you than celebrating your own sexuality and your community... However I don't think that's the case. Don't think you go criticizing people with American flags on the internet...
Finding out that one of my favourite game developers of all time, the reason I'm studying design and sound at college, and one of my all time idols is like me, really brings a tear to my eye. Thank you for this video, and I'm glad we have people like you in the industry.
@@thefoxoflaurels3437 because the statement is just weird. "you're gay like me, and that brings a tear to my eye" It just comes across as very childish. Why does it make you cry? Why do you care so much? Why are you emotionally unstable that yuo cry at the gayness of some guy? It's ridiculous.
Man I can't imagine being gay 40 years ago when I told my mom she just asked me questions if how it worked, and I never had an explicit conversation with my father, I can't imagine dealing with the socially acceptable prejudice of the 80s
in islam 1400 years ago prophet muhammad mention 1400 years ago that paraphrase ( one of sighs of judgment day is gay and lesbian widespread ) , we all serve allah/god after all weather people do good or bad all is written in fate and they will be punished in judgment day if they not repent for awful sin they did
@@omarsameh5007 noice Glad to see someone spewing random unrelated shit Look mate it's cool for you to believe in whatever the Fuck but only about like 10% of us are gay And besides that your religion is like 1 of thousands so who gives a fuck
I'm a lesbian and when I found out I could romance Veronica in NV(although the backstory is rough) but it made me so happy even tho I wasn't out at the time. I used to marry two girls on the sims a lot back then and thought other games had the same thing. In fallout was the biggest hell yea of my life. I'm also a solo game developer and being in the industry now seems a bit more okay now han it was back then. It's still a progress, either way I appreciate everything you do and it's so awesome to find out the dev of my favorite franchise is also gay and a game developer! Much love, Tim! 🩵
@@g-man6775 Why did you comment that while missing the entire point, I did not say he worked on fallout NV 💀 I know he didn't work on fallout NV. I was just talking about my experience in my favorite franchise and fallout NV is one. You can't be gay in fallout 1, but you can in fallout 2 which he kinda worked on, but I wasn't old enough to play fallout 2 at the time. Notice how I mentioned the sims? Ofc he didn't make the sims. I'm talking about my experience, not who made what.
I know you had no involvement with it, but one thing I loved in Fallout New Vegas was the inclusion of gay companions like Veronica and Arcade Gannon, which for me personally were some of my earliest exposure to positive gay representation in any medium. Glad we’re seeing more of that across all forms of art. Happy pride and thanks for all the awesome shit you’ve done 🏳️🌈✊🏽
Arcade and Veronica are great. Their sexualities are just as important as any other companion. However, I really get sad every time I finish Dead Money and my character can't run to Veronica and say "hey, I think I found your ex-girlfriend... Christine, right? She's guarding father Elijah. Take Vera's dress. And I can take you there, if you want." Those two really deserved a happier ending. Plus, the courier can be L, G or B, and that's amazing. One operation in the clinic near Vegas and we could've had a T courier as well...
@@JonathanRossRogers that's because there is very seldom ever an "agenda" being pushed in the first place. All that's going on is people living their life, nothing more nothing less.
miss you, Tim! from my first gig (Carbine) to my current gig (Obsidian for the 2nd time), working with you was always rad. hope things are well with you and yours up north!
@@OhHeBustin Of course he's not going to be honest. He'll be fired if he is lol. Look at the quality of games being put out by obsidian. It's clearly not the same company, and not as good.
@@theincrediblefella7984 lol. you know nothing about how the industry works. it's better than ever being here. The Outer Worlds was awesome, Grounded is killing it, i know Pentiment isn't for everyone, but i really enjoyed it. so not sure what you're on about, but i've got no reason to be dishonest. i love my job bro.
As a straight dude, society disgusts me. I treat others as if I were them, and I would hate to be discriminated against something that's just who I am. Everyone should be allowed to enjoy life if they aren't hurting anyone! If I see someone harassed or negatively talked about, I put myself in their shoes. And most of the time, I find they don't deserve it! I hope others share my view -- the "treat others as you want to be treated" seems so simple and yet I've been very hurt by people who don't do so.
@@giftenjoyer3664 I respect that the way you act is sensible given your beliefs. I suppose we're just fundamentally different in belief and changes in belief are very rare (we'll have to go on accepting each other or else we'll get angry over nothing changeable); I believe homosexuality isn't a choice but rather a fundamental configuration of the brain. If I believed homosexuality was a choice and also bad, the cost of being wrong is that I hurt good people like myself over something they can't change, and I would really hate to be treated that way. (In that case, if I was homosexual, I wouldn't have a _choice_ ; I would either go against my nature and die sad, or go with it and die having lived a life. Me being heterosexual, I go with my nature to have lived a life (I wouldn't try to go against my heterosexuality if society were to tell me homosexuality is normal), and that shouldn't change if I were different.) I want to avoid people who would hurt me if I were different. Because I can't control who I am now (admittedly a straight white person), and I don't want uncontrollable things to be a factor. I've been hurt by disloyal people in life, and people who discriminate on uncontrollables automatically fail that criteria of loyalty (or so my survival instincts tell me). Have a nice day, regardless. Thank you for sharing honest thoughts.
I never quite understood why they always phrased it as being "shoved down my throat". Like, is that supposed to be an intentional euphemism, or do they just say that because that's supposedly how everyone else phrases it?
You're HERE! I am so, so glad you started a channel, Tim! We need more open format discussions from developers to explain not just the ins and outs and development but this particular topic. It was wonderful having you join us for St. Jude and celebrate the 25th Anniversary together. Big love to your success on RU-vid. Instant subscribe!
I don't normally comment on youtube, but I really wanted to this time to thank you Tim. You have easily become my biggest inspiration to become a game designer - thanks for giving me the push I needed to dive into my dreams!
Man, what a treasure trove this channel's becoming. Thank you for sharing your brushes with micro aggressions and your history with it. It's easy for many people to gloss over bigotry and intolerance, because they simply will not consider that saying "gay" in a negative context is gross. I'm sure your words will touch younger lgbt+ people, but I also hope that maybe, just maybe it helps someone a bit homophobic to see things from your point of view and gain some empathy. The more that we understand and feel for each other the better. I myself am not gay, but growing up I was that weird arty kid, and that was enough for creeps to bully me. There was not a day that went by [Up to my late 30's] where I wasn't called gay slurs out on the street just for looking or acting different.
Agreed, it's an interesting topic. The microagression mechanic in South Park: Fractured But Whole was a really clever way to poke fun at how people encode microagressions into their language.
Coming from South America that kind of stuff is seen as "normal" in some of my friend groups and ngl as a bi guy that stuff has bothered me since I found out my sexual orientation but well I'm out and ik people who are respectful so yeah
I remember getting gay marriage in Fallout 2 and thinking "Wow, this is great, I've never seen anything like this in a game before." Happy Pride, Tim :)
Thank you for every ounce of effort you poured into all the games you created along with your teams. The fallout franchise is my favorite series of games, albeit tied with the System Shock series. You did more in the 90’s than most people do in a lifetime as far as the creation of true master piece level art goes. Glad I found your RU-vid channel to watch all these interesting things about games that I love behind the scenes! Happy pride month and hope you are having a good day
Tim, thank you so much for your candor and earnestness. You have the utmost respect for being such a leader and inspiration in the industry in every sense of the word. As someone who works in game industry on the advertising side but also heavily involved in the very queer-posi punk scene, it's refreshing to hear your personal account. I appreciate you. edit: also your Blood type joke with the finger guns was so wonderfully dumb lol got a big chuckle out of me.
Thanks for your stories and sharing your experiences as a truly veteran game developer. Even stories like this, that are a lot more personal and less focused on actual game design, are appreciated. It's always a pleasure to listen to you talk. 😊
Thanks for making the video Tim. It helped me to realise that when my friend came out to only me in school what a level of trust he was showing. We went to an all boy's school in the 2000's and it was not a tolerant place. I'm proud that we live in a more tolerant society than there was in the past. That poor man who was disowned by his father and had to leave school. What a devastating story, I really hope he turned out okay
I’ve been watching your content for a while and just got this video recommended, I had no idea you were gay until this! I’m transgender in the industry and it means a lot to see someone I really look up to not only caring about this topic, but being apart of this community as well. Thank you for speaking about this and your experience, and keep up the great content
I started transitioning back in 2018 working at a company in Dallas, Tx. The company was highly supportive, and only a few people at the company had any negative response, but I was largely insulated from it all by a phalanx of other women at the company who wouldn't put up with anyone's bullshit about me coming out. Since then, I've never had any direct negative reaction from anyone anywhere I've worked, though I'm sure there have been people with things to say about it. I can't dwell on it, I just have to keep going. Sadly, the country is sliding backwards on trans issues, and the people being hurt most are young trans people, who are increasingly being cut off from much needed healthcare. I would never wish on anyone how it feels to live as a trans person in the closet, pretending to be someone else, but I wish there was a way to give other people a glimpse of that feeling, so they could know the pain of the internal struggle and the fear that kept me in the closet for most of my life. Thank you for sharing your journey.
The only thing we can really hope is that this is a lot like the discourse around gay people in the 80s and 90s, where it's the last angry gasps of people being awful before things become... at least significantly less awful.
Timothy this was so important to hear. I'm so glad that we get to enjoy the benefits of your long career in games. It's wonderful to know that there are such cool LGBT people so respected in the industry. Thanks for everything
thank you so much for speaking about your own experiences. stories like these are so important right now, and may give so many people hope. you are an absolute treasure!
This is a wonderful story Tim! I'm 21 and bisexual and it's so great to hear the stories of members of our community. Listening to your experiences is really heartwarming. Thanks!
Still amazed even with that hardship(ideally it doesn't have to) you've accomplished so many things, and brought so many wonders, while fans had no idea what you've been dealing with til now. Salute.
Happy pride month Tim. Human ignorance continues to prove itself boundless. I'm sorry you had to go through all this shit but I'm glad you didn't let it hold you back.
Also, just a sidenote. I absolutely love all non-game related stories you tell. These are like my daily drops of talks with my cool uncle. I never had one growing up, my interests in comics and games was largely disapproved and all my aspirations looked down upon. With the current social media, I am glad you are able to provide inspiration for all, gay or straight, to pursue their dreams. :)
just stumbled across this video, & as a massive fallout fan and an owner of every game you've ever been apart of, you are such an inspiration to me as a creative even if i'm not really in the games industry. every story you've been apart of telling has changed my view on life, and i wish only for the best in your future. thank you so much for your time & effort, & for simply being yourself all this time.
I followed you on Facebook originally and have often wondered if it was one particular incident that made you cut ties with social media. Thank you for sharing these more personal stories.
Thank you for sharing your experience. As a trans game dev who has been looking for work in the industry for about a year now I'm very happy to see how much has changed. You deserve the world.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Growing up in the 90s, we used to freely use "gay" as a slur, and I never met anyone gay (or so I thought); but times have changed, thankfully. I'm happy to hear that you were able to overcome prejudice and thrive in the industry.
Its good to hear that your experience overall as a gay developer has been positive. Sad about that psycho who sent you a death threat because you're gay. I don't understand why people don't realize that gay people are like everyone else. We're all human.
You talking about stuff is amazing, thank you for sharing. I also love the end where you speak optimistically, too many people often go doom and gloom saying everything is the worst today, and I really don't think so.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. Glad to hear that you feel things have improved, even if social media has complicated some of the interactions and exposure we can have.
That very first story with the receptionist reminds me quite a bit of MLK's letter from jail, they always act like decent people but then you find the one thing that gets them riled up over nothing "I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice"
Thanks for sharing your story. I'm so sorry to hear that you had to spend so many years hiding a big part of yourself and not being able to live your life to the fullest, but I'm also very glad to hear that things have taken a much needed positive turn!
Being from a post-USSR country I believed that USA of all places must have been more tolerant to gay people than anywhere else in the world (or at least more places). Didn't realize this wasn't true. Maybe because I was born in 1988 and my perception of USA was formed in 2000+ I remember reading somewhere about you being gay. Made me think of Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and other famous people that were gay and were involved in the things I liked, and I just realized that there are quite a few gay talented people out there I admire (including you). I guess all the homophobia comes from people being scared to admit they are not 100% straight or other reasons. God bless you, Tim!
It’s definitely more tolerant than most of the world is. Trying being gay in most of Africa, Middle East, other areas of Asia and pretty much half of Europe
Uh what are you talking about, USA is probably one of the most accepting countries for homosexuality. Europe isn't far behind, but Europe also isnt 1 or 2 countries - there's still alot of Europeans who think homosexuality is wrong such as Belarus, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary, etc (mostly because Europeans have religion dominating their morality)
I have thought about a few things you said in this video through the day, and it makes me so happy. I love that you had such good experiences in the second 20 years of your career(the 80s and 90s were a weird time. Makes me cringe to think about what i said and did during that time.....) Its amazing that you have been able to be that mentor, role model, and guide that people have needed. You are such a smart, organized, and inspiring person. Your storytelling is amazing and engaging. I didnt know who you were, just saw an article saying some game dev made a youtube channel. Turns out you made/inspired/produced some of my favorite games! This has been an amazing journey through your experiences
Man, Tim, I put these videos on during a break between my two job shifts to have pleasant background noise for a quick nap. Your so damn interesting I can't sleep, I'm just laying here listening like "Oh, wow"
Happy pride month! I had no idea!!!! One of my all-time idols in the industry turning out to have something like that in common with me, it's very exciting to have voices like you in the industry. Thank you for everything you've done!
I've always admire you so much, Tim (big Fallout/rpg fan and IT nerd myself). I just found your channel and I'm grateful to be able to listen/learn from your experiences and knowledge. Thanks so much for sharing and wish you the best!
As a middle-aged dyke who's very into games (including yours! thank you for them!), it is a breath of fresh air to hear on this topic from someone who has been on this earth for more than five minutes. Happy Pride and thanks for sharing this! 🌈🌈🌈
Tim, I've just discovered this channel 3 days ago and been binge watching all your videos. I'm so happy you've created this channel, I've always been a huge fan of your work. Fallout was my first experience with an rpg and it made such an impact on me that it defined my taste for games since. Already played almost every game you worked on (that I know of at least), still dreaming of another Arcanum btw xD There's that saying that says "never meet your heroes", but you seem like such a wonderful and caring person. Wish you all the health and happiness in the world, and can't wait to play your next project!
We love you, Tim! Seriously, it's so great hearing you share your industry stories and your personal experiences, including this significant aspect of your life and who you are. Keep the stories coming bc I find them so interesting and inspiring. 😊
i dont work in games, but I sure love your work in games - thanks for this. lots to relate to as someone who also works in a somewhat creative field. also thanks for shoutin out the sick australian game dev scene (and our rad as hell music community)
Bro, no matter anyones sexuality, creed, or religion, we all deserve RESPECT. Love your fellow man. Love your neighbor, be happy. Thankyou for sharing Mr.Cain!
Fallout has brought me so much fun experiences in life that mean a lot to me but out of all of the experiences I have had I think the most important to me is the insight I have learned from you, coming across your channel was great.
Good on you for stickin' it out Tim. I love Fallout and it holds a special place in my heart, and without you in the world, it simply wouldn't exist, so thank you for that and thank you for being your honest self and helping others.
This channel is such a treasure trove of interesting stories from game development, stories which are normally behind closed doors, never to be heard. Keep it up! I can't believe even something so inconsequential, such as someone's sexual orientation, has the capacity to interfere with day-to-day life as a game developer. It's a crazy world we live in when people throw shame onto other people for something which cannot be controlled. Whether it's sexual orientation, gender identity or the colour of your skin, it's all the same; a random roll of the dice.
Oh my god, it's so cool to learn this fact about you Tim, thanks for sharing this, I can't tell you how important this is for gay guys in software engineering of all domains like me.
Awesome stories, thank you for sharing. Even though I have close friends and family who are gay, I have not heard this level of detail of their experiences. I learned a lot. My heart sang when I heard about the support you received in some of those situations. I pray we continue to evolve toward respect and understanding.
Thank you for sharing your story! I grew up in the 90s and 2000s and looking back I am astonished and a little bit shocked at how much casual homophobia was just a completly normal aspects of "guy's talk" back then. I'd like to think, that for all the open and ugly bigotry of today, we've made some progress there.
Thank you for sharing your experience! Your "testimony" is incredibly relevant for the history of gaming development area. It's crazy that people can't be themselves and live their lives to the fullest.
Troika is one of the studios that I've always had tremendous respect and praise for. That catalogue is small, but immaculate. Bloodlines is one of the all-time masterworks of the genre and Arcanum has some the best score and atmosphere of all time.
