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”
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...
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.
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
@@SargeDornan 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.
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 TH-cam. Instant subscribe!
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.
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!
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."
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.
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.
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.
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
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’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
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.
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 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 TH-cam 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
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.
this is actually something i'm going through right now since my country is like 200 years behind in terms of social progress, and it resonates so much. thanks for this video
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!
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
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.
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. :)
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!
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! 🌈🌈🌈
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.
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!
Very recently started watching you. Had zero idea you were gay and what's funny is that it doesn't change a damn thing; concerning my admiration for what you've done and what you do. People are people. One day sexuality won't be a big deal, but society is still trying to grow up. Good on you for sharing your story and I do hope the people that need to see and hear this do. Rock on my man.
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
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.
suddently some people have a problem with you coming out and suddently they don't want to know about your personal life while being on your personal youtube channel about you...? i love internet mO-rons :)
Hey Tim I'm an acespec person and I just wanted to thank you for Parvati Halcomb in The Outer Worlds. I adored this character and when I had the option to tell her that she's the warmest person I know it felt like being seen as an acespec person. Thank you so much for all the work you do.
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.
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 :)
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.
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.
I found out you were gay like 1-2 years ago while hyper fixating in Fallout again. I was so excited, Fallout means a lot to me and to know that a fellow queer person had a hand in making it what it is today is important to me. I'm loving the channel so far by the way!
It's awesome that you've been going to seminars and the like to provide queer folks with evidence that there are others like them in the game industry. I know of a lot of trans folks who are in game dev and it grieves me when I hear them lamenting the lack of LGBTQIA+ mentors and elders. AIDS took far too many of our generation (I'm Gen X myself) and those before us, and with said "political circus" these days, queer kids are especially in need of such mentors, even if only to provide them with a sympathetic ear. Thank you for putting yourself out there!
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. 😊
I'm glad you're opened about this topic. Even though i'm a heterosexual but gaming is gaming. There is no gender or sexual involved when it comes to gaming. I have so many gay friends i consider as brothers of course, and they are not just smart. But quite on a good vibe and the type of people who would take off from stress. Sadly we all know people jumps to judgement calls rather than see the person qualities and values rather than look at someone choices they choose to want to be in life. Forever a fan of Timothy Cain and the Fallout 1 2 games. Originally the best of the best.
I’m often impressed with the grace that people like Tim have, who are able to talk about the difficulties being gay involved, but somehow are not bitter or angry. High emotional intelligence.
Hi Tim, just want to say thanks. As a trans woman, Fallout was the first game where I got to make a female character and I loved it. It began a lifetime of making female characters and led to where I am now. Thank you.
@@za4ria I’m sorry you feel the need to project your own unhappiness onto us as trans women who are living our lives happily and are proud to be doing so
♥ I don't know what to say. I liked you and your work before I knew you were gay, and watching a dozen videos today, especially this one, I like you even more, and I wish I had a chance to work with you. You're a wonderful human.
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!
I only just subscribed because I'm a fledgeling game dev who is trying to learn as much as I can about best practices! I was not expecting this video, but as a gay man myself, thank you so much for sharing this video in particular! I deeply, deeply appreciate it!
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.
I’m a developer for the Fallout Miami project and I’m gay too! Your work has changed so many lives. Love this video, thank you for sharing your story with us.
So sad to hear some of these experiences, and yet even in 2024, some people think that a gay character is just there to "be woke" or to "push an agenda." OR, maybe people are just gay and want to make a gay character. Hell, some people are straight and just want to make a gay character. Society is really still trying to gaslight LGBT people into thinking that homophobia isn't and was never a thing.
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.
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"
I'm not gay myself, but I find it so refreshing when people can just be themselves. I'm old enough to remember the stigmata for doing so (maybe there still is). Thank you for being you, and I wish you 100% more success.
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.
I never knew you were gay, and this video is far from the first I've seen on your channel. I am a bisexual guy and an aspiring game developer, and I can't tell you how much i appreciate the bravery it took to make this video. The part where you said you didnt have role models hit home, but i hope it is some solace that you have made this video and reached out to so many like you. Keep living life and finding happiness!
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?
Holy moly! Finding out you're gay is awesome and makes me feel much more connected to you as a fan of what you've brought to so many of us! I'm a huge Fallout fan and also a gay woman so this just, it means so much! Thank you so much for everything you've done you are awesome!!!
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!
I didn't know you had come out and even married!! Congrats!! Fallout 1 is my favorite game of the franchise along with New Vegas. Im still discovering myself but Im LGBT+ and not out fully. I hope to have your bravery one day. You're a true inspiration. Im even making a tabeltop game based on Fallout 1's mechanics to play with my friends.
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)
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.
Its always hard going into videos about lgbtq experiences, things have changed so much post 2015, and yet I've seen first hand that this story (5:40) still happens today. It's so upsetting. The 80s were so rough. I'm glad you managed through that time. And were responsible for games that people could see themselves in. Many for the first time. I'm glad you're able to share his story, but it's terrible to think about what usually happens after the "We don't know where he went". Too many lives lost.
Fallout 1 was my absolute favourite game growing up (Vampire got on the shortlist in my early adulthood), and I basically have your name seared into my brain from seeing it in the intro so many times. As a lesbian transwoman, it’s really cool to learn that the game was made under the guiding hand of a fellow homosexual who supported my sisters in the 1990s. Or some other way of phrasing “OMG my favourite game was made by a gay man, queer culture!!!” Fallout 1 was probably the first game I ever tried playing as a female character in. Vampire, by pure chance, was probably the first game I played where I wasn’t making up excuses for myself. In Fallout 1 I wanted to recreate a character from another game. In Mass Effect it was for the voice acting, totally. In Vampire, it was because I just wanted to.
"a lesbian transwoman" So...a straight male? What about him being gay makes the game cooler? It has absolutely NOTHING to do with the product and thank god for that. We have enough bullshit "representation" in everything else in life.
Thank you for this video. Im still in the closet and scared to come out to my friends and family. Mostly im afraid of my being trans may hinder me getting opportunities for writing jobs or even a place in any industry (film/game/tv). This was very much needed and thank you for the continuing videos. Happy pride!!! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Thank you for being no questions asked dupportive of trans rights as well as your own civil rights, thank you for your amazing body of work, thank you for putting this video out there to an audience of gamers
wonderful hearing your experiences, and as a trans-woman, it is delightful to hear that you have been one of our longstanding allies, I remember hearing about the LGBTQ+ faction you wanted in Fallout 2, and I was gushing so hard, I would love to see someone restore this faction; anyways, love and solidarity Tim
well, i never knew, but same as with all others, i don't care, you're a great game designer, writer and creative mind, and above all: a great person, regardless of what you feel and think, that's what matters to me. if you are a good and creative and interesting person - i love you and the world is waiting for you to show who you are. good will recognise good and whoever you are - you can succeed
Thank you for sharing your story Tim. Didn't even know I needed to hear it until you told it. I'm gay too. One of the most annoying things I've heard from my family is about how I won't "pass anything on" once I'm retired or dead. Like grandchildren; inheritance, a family business, etc. Here you are, somebody who created a long beloved IP that will give joy to millions of people even long after you and I pass away. Your ideas inspired other people to make adaptations of your work (even aside from Fallout) which will surely create and inspire a long chain of even more creative/brilliant minds that will also go on to develop their own IP's. In a sense, I get it. They're used to a way of life and how I live mine just doesn't make sense in their world. But you inspire and encourage others like myself to work hard and be creative. If that isn't "passing anything on" then I don't know what the hell is.
I feel like someone should have told me Tim Cain was gay by now, but regardless of timing I'm happy to find out today! I'm a trans woman myself, and my blood ran cold when you mentioned your coworker transitioning in 1995. I'm so happy you took her side. Much love.
I just quit a job at a restaurant because the sushi chef I worked with went on constant homophobic/transphobic tirades, I was making more money than I ever have before in my life but management refused to hear my concerns, and I had to make the hard choice that my beliefs are not for sale. Hearing your words on how cavalier homophobia was back then reminds me just how much progress is left to make today. Best wishes from a fellow lover of Fallout.
Since you worked on Bloodlines, I have a story I tell sometimes about the tabletop Vampire: The Masquerade. They released a series of clanbooks that described the various vampire clans, and being a big RPG nerd I collected all of these as a teenager. Each of these clanbooks contained a set of pre-made characters of that clan based on a concept, so people could jump into the game without rolling their own. And in Clanbook: Nosferatu, there was a concept character called the Equalizer. And it was made unambigously clear that the Equalizer was gay; the concept was a campus gay rights activist who was attacked and nearly killed along with his boyfriend by a group of frat boys yelling homophobic slurs, only to be saved by being embraced by a Nosferatu. He now spends his unlife fighting back against the bigotry that got him killed. This was 1993! Way before you ever really saw this kind of representation, certainly not in RPGs. I was 13 years old. I was so used to AD&D 2nd Edition and it's complete unwillingness to engage with anything controversial that it blew me away, and it stuck with me to the extent that I (obviously) still remember that moment 30 years later. Definitely a lesson to me in why representation matters. Happy Pride!
I think that there's something special about ttrpgs that made them a safe haven for people who feel like outcasts, I am much younger than you, but dnd was a world I could escape to as a young trans person and be someone who represented how I want to see myself, and as a kid who LOVED lord of the rings ❤
@@BlitzWare518 oh no def. its probably something to do with creating your ideal self and actually being able to choose your own gender + when you have to survive on radioactive water and fight off deathclaws you dont really care if your friend used to be a guy or if she kisses ladies yknow
OH MY GOD you and i are distantly related!? (mayflower baby is either one of my many times great grandfathers or grand uncles i forget to ask, on my father’s side)
Great shirt ^^ and great insight as always. The story about the guy and his parents was especially heartbreaking, among other things because we don't know if everything turned out well at the end, but having a lot against you and the own parents being one part of that is just aweful. This should be the last bastion of trust and peace. I hope he got his phd and everything turned out well.
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!
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
I remember hearing from another channel that you were gay, but it's nice to see your story as a man who saw a lot of the things my generation has less trouble with. Hell, I think for me, a bi man who still has a lot of his troubles with social situations,Fallout has been something of a safe haven for me. It's unfortunately not the first game, but the impact of work has helped me out. Thank you Tim, you and your team made a world that I grew up with, and one that I still go to when things get rough.
I am 20 years old and just found out one of my favorite game franchise was created by a fellow person in the LGBTQ+ Community. As a Trans Female, thank you for sharing some of your stories in this video and pushing equality in the gaming industry
Tim, a 20 minute video from you is NOT too long. If anything, it’s too short! Always love hearing about your experiences in the gaming industry
Totally agree. Don't hold back Tim!
yall like LONG things
He really has that hour long video voice🤣😮💨
He has such a nice and comforting chocolate voice, it's really calming to listen to. 😺 @@Angel-Otk
Yeah I wish his videos were longer, lol
As we say in Australia: You’re a deadset legend. I’m so glad things are better now. Here’s to further improvements.
Imagine sending a death threat to a legend like you
Actually just imagine sending a death threat, very not okay
what about sending death threats to homophobes and racists
@@Thingsilike3 its not ok at all. you are just putting yourself at their level. ignoring them is the way to go. you cant make everyone happy.
@@moonprincess_xoxo true character right jere
Especially after liking the game at first, and then finding out later
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”
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 Okay. Great. I'm gonna go back to celebrating my identity now. Lmao.
@@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...
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 better than ever. This is my 2nd stint and I love it here.
@@thegrafxguy1 I understand if you're not allowed to answer, but can I ask, what games are you working on?
@@skylol6258 yeah for sure, both projects I am involved with are announced, it's not a secret. Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2.
@@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.
Never knew you were gay. Love your content and thank you for being yourself
same but hey its just a small part of who he is and not his identity and that's cool
@@quillclock Sound just like his coworkers.
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
@@SargeDornan 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.
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 TH-cam. Instant subscribe!
"I got a A- because I missed the Rh question" that is an amazingly awful joke im stealing that
I didn't understand this joke, can you explain it to me?
@@bug9657 Normal blood types describe the presence of a few different groups: A, B, and Rh. Someone A- has the A group, but is missing the Rh factor.
I am A+, so I got the RH question right :D
That shit killed me.
I took a blood test once. My score was zero. 😢
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.
ok
@@killgriffinnow that’s not very friendship is magic of you
Now you got me crying 😭 Happy Pride 💜
@@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.
@@theincrediblefella7984 Why do YOU care? Let people be.
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!
The receptionist saying "I knew you wouldn't understand." is the biggest unintentional compliment. She knew you weren't a horrible bigot.
That's a beautiful way to think about it, honestly.
just a horrible developer
@@susanthejew6351 You talking about Tim or the bigot?
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."
@@lepidus2918 She's a receptionist, the hell do you think?
Super late on this but on behalf of younger LGBT people, thank you for paving the way for us to live our lives.
I had no idea you were (are) gay! wow, proud of you
That has completely flown by me as well!
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! 🩵
he didn't work on Fallout:New vegas AFAIK
@@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 think veronica can be flirted and gain affection (arcade too) but cant actually and seriously romance them and be partners
@@BliniMango oh sorry for that I misread or misunderstood at the time
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.
Cant tell that Tim is gay.....maybe other gays should take a clue
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.
>Gay
>Normal
*Pick one and only one.*
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.
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 🏳️🌈✊🏽
Agreed!
Meeting that guy at Mojave Outpost starts flirting with you... As a straight male teen I blushed 😂
I loved both Arcade and Veronica because they were well-written likable characters. I never got the feeling that the writers were pushing an agenda.
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.
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.
I get "microagressions" made against me all the time because I'm white. I guess that doesn't matter though. Gays are a "protected"
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
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
Your comment about your Mum asking how it "works" reminded me of the "Orientation" skit by SMBC Theatre on TH-cam. Hillarious.
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 nuh uh
Must've been awesome.
@@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’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
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.
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 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 TH-cam 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
What are you doing commenting on a video and not playing the System Shock remake 😂
@@robreich6881 been playing the shit out of it and it is one of the best examples of a remake I’ve ever played for sure!
You know, I came to this channel for Fallout, but I’m sticking around because I genuinely love your stories. You are very cool!
Same here, I’ve been binging his videos at work for days now
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.
this is actually something i'm going through right now since my country is like 200 years behind in terms of social progress, and it resonates so much. thanks for this video
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!
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
The funny thing is that "i wouldnt understand you" haha. I just can try to imagine the struggle. Keep it up you are my hero, top tier artist.
Thanks for sharing your story Tim, you are a legend and it has been wonderful working with you.
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.
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. :)
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!
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! 🌈🌈🌈
How can you not love this guy.
You can't! It's illegal not to!
You are very cool, Tim! And your positive attitude never ceases to amaze me. Happy pride month!
Yeah youre def a legend. Thanks for all you did for the gaming industry!
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.
@@0ia and your pfp is moominpapa, god you are so based
@@xephronzz9585 haha thanks :)
Wait until you find out which ethnicities are preferred by your govt
You're being discriminized for being straight daily in the current world
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!
Very recently started watching you. Had zero idea you were gay and what's funny is that it doesn't change a damn thing; concerning my admiration for what you've done and what you do. People are people. One day sexuality won't be a big deal, but society is still trying to grow up. Good on you for sharing your story and I do hope the people that need to see and hear this do. Rock on my man.
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
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.
suddently some people have a problem with you coming out and suddently they don't want to know about your personal life while being on your personal youtube channel about you...? i love internet mO-rons :)
Hey Tim I'm an acespec person and I just wanted to thank you for Parvati Halcomb in The Outer Worlds. I adored this character and when I had the option to tell her that she's the warmest person I know it felt like being seen as an acespec person. Thank you so much for all the work you do.
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.
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 :)
Im pretty sure fallout was the first game ever to feature gay marriage
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.
Happy gay! Pleas, who is Bill Cosby? Is also gay?
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.
I found out you were gay like 1-2 years ago while hyper fixating in Fallout again. I was so excited, Fallout means a lot to me and to know that a fellow queer person had a hand in making it what it is today is important to me.
I'm loving the channel so far by the way!
It's awesome that you've been going to seminars and the like to provide queer folks with evidence that there are others like them in the game industry. I know of a lot of trans folks who are in game dev and it grieves me when I hear them lamenting the lack of LGBTQIA+ mentors and elders. AIDS took far too many of our generation (I'm Gen X myself) and those before us, and with said "political circus" these days, queer kids are especially in need of such mentors, even if only to provide them with a sympathetic ear. Thank you for putting yourself out there!
crazy how easy it is to not get AIDS
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. 😊
Had no idea. Sorry you had to deal with that crap... glad things are better now, thanks for sharing your experience.
I'm glad you're opened about this topic. Even though i'm a heterosexual but gaming is gaming. There is no gender or sexual involved when it comes to gaming. I have so many gay friends i consider as brothers of course, and they are not just smart. But quite on a good vibe and the type of people who would take off from stress. Sadly we all know people jumps to judgement calls rather than see the person qualities and values rather than look at someone choices they choose to want to be in life. Forever a fan of Timothy Cain and the Fallout 1 2 games. Originally the best of the best.
I’m often impressed with the grace that people like Tim have, who are able to talk about the difficulties being gay involved, but somehow are not bitter or angry. High emotional intelligence.
Decades of facing the same tired ignorance has made him value where he decides to invest his time and energy.
Hi Tim, just want to say thanks. As a trans woman, Fallout was the first game where I got to make a female character and I loved it. It began a lifetime of making female characters and led to where I am now. Thank you.
I’ve had the exact same experience except for me it was just a week or two ago
Clowns
@@za4ria I’m sorry you feel the need to project your own unhappiness onto us as trans women who are living our lives happily and are proud to be doing so
@@za4riaBro take a hard look at that PFP before you call anyone else clowns, what is that fuckin beard about?
@@egancurry pathetic
♥ I don't know what to say. I liked you and your work before I knew you were gay, and watching a dozen videos today, especially this one, I like you even more, and I wish I had a chance to work with you. You're a wonderful human.
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!
I only just subscribed because I'm a fledgeling game dev who is trying to learn as much as I can about best practices!
I was not expecting this video, but as a gay man myself, thank you so much for sharing this video in particular! I deeply, deeply appreciate it!
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.
I’m a developer for the Fallout Miami project and I’m gay too! Your work has changed so many lives. Love this video, thank you for sharing your story with us.
So sad to hear some of these experiences, and yet even in 2024, some people think that a gay character is just there to "be woke" or to "push an agenda."
OR, maybe people are just gay and want to make a gay character. Hell, some people are straight and just want to make a gay character.
Society is really still trying to gaslight LGBT people into thinking that homophobia isn't and was never a thing.
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.
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"
I'm not gay myself, but I find it so refreshing when people can just be themselves. I'm old enough to remember the stigmata for doing so (maybe there still is). Thank you for being you, and I wish you 100% more success.
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.
I never knew you were gay, and this video is far from the first I've seen on your channel. I am a bisexual guy and an aspiring game developer, and I can't tell you how much i appreciate the bravery it took to make this video. The part where you said you didnt have role models hit home, but i hope it is some solace that you have made this video and reached out to so many like you. Keep living life and finding happiness!
You're an amazing storyteller. Enjoyed it a lot (as a non-gay, non-millionaire).
Thank you for continuing to inspire me in wildly unpredictable ways.
I had no idea Tim! As a fellow member of the community I'm so glad you made this video!
I am really happy that things have gotten better, still not ideal but it's encouraging to see progress being made however slowly.
Thank you Tim for this video I respect you a ton for making it
So even back then there were people saying "I'm not homophobic, I just don't want it shoved down my throat!"
Some things will never change. 😔
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?
"War never changes". Oops wrong quote.
Is there a dilemma with the freedom of association thing?
@@Wintd1Just how everyone phrases it. Just like how I don't like having religion shoved down my throat.
Homoph0bia... Homoph0bia never changes
Holy moly! Finding out you're gay is awesome and makes me feel much more connected to you as a fan of what you've brought to so many of us! I'm a huge Fallout fan and also a gay woman so this just, it means so much! Thank you so much for everything you've done you are awesome!!!
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!
I didn't know you had come out and even married!! Congrats!! Fallout 1 is my favorite game of the franchise along with New Vegas. Im still discovering myself but Im LGBT+ and not out fully. I hope to have your bravery one day. You're a true inspiration. Im even making a tabeltop game based on Fallout 1's mechanics to play with my friends.
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)
gross
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.
Rebecca Heineman a Interplay employee also transitions. She started two game companies. She was lead developers for all the mac games.
You mean Bill Heineman?
@@smiechu47 If a woman born as a woman got married to a man and took her husband's surname, would you still use her old surname?
@@smiechu47 That was her old name burger bill
@@smiechu47you're not wanted here
@@angryredstone Says who? Maybe you're not wanted here?
Its always hard going into videos about lgbtq experiences, things have changed so much post 2015, and yet I've seen first hand that this story (5:40) still happens today. It's so upsetting. The 80s were so rough. I'm glad you managed through that time. And were responsible for games that people could see themselves in. Many for the first time.
I'm glad you're able to share his story, but it's terrible to think about what usually happens after the "We don't know where he went". Too many lives lost.
Glad you're on here and sharing, I look forward to your chats every day!
Thank you so much for these uploads -- sharing them with my boyfriend is making every single day better.
Fallout 1 was my absolute favourite game growing up (Vampire got on the shortlist in my early adulthood), and I basically have your name seared into my brain from seeing it in the intro so many times. As a lesbian transwoman, it’s really cool to learn that the game was made under the guiding hand of a fellow homosexual who supported my sisters in the 1990s. Or some other way of phrasing “OMG my favourite game was made by a gay man, queer culture!!!”
Fallout 1 was probably the first game I ever tried playing as a female character in. Vampire, by pure chance, was probably the first game I played where I wasn’t making up excuses for myself. In Fallout 1 I wanted to recreate a character from another game. In Mass Effect it was for the voice acting, totally. In Vampire, it was because I just wanted to.
"a lesbian transwoman"
So...a straight male?
What about him being gay makes the game cooler? It has absolutely NOTHING to do with the product and thank god for that. We have enough bullshit "representation" in everything else in life.
Thank you for this video. Im still in the closet and scared to come out to my friends and family. Mostly im afraid of my being trans may hinder me getting opportunities for writing jobs or even a place in any industry (film/game/tv). This was very much needed and thank you for the continuing videos. Happy pride!!! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
I hope you can find the courage and motivation to come out soon!
Happy Pride Month, Tim! Thank you for sticking it through the tough times and continuing to pursue your passions, we're all better off for it ❤
Thank you for being no questions asked dupportive of trans rights as well as your own civil rights, thank you for your amazing body of work, thank you for putting this video out there to an audience of gamers
wonderful hearing your experiences, and as a trans-woman, it is delightful to hear that you have been one of our longstanding allies, I remember hearing about the LGBTQ+ faction you wanted in Fallout 2, and I was gushing so hard, I would love to see someone restore this faction; anyways, love and solidarity Tim
well, i never knew, but same as with all others, i don't care, you're a great game designer, writer and creative mind, and above all: a great person, regardless of what you feel and think, that's what matters to me. if you are a good and creative and interesting person - i love you and the world is waiting for you to show who you are. good will recognise good and whoever you are - you can succeed
Thank you for sharing your story Tim. Didn't even know I needed to hear it until you told it.
I'm gay too. One of the most annoying things I've heard from my family is about how I won't "pass anything on" once I'm retired or dead. Like grandchildren; inheritance, a family business, etc. Here you are, somebody who created a long beloved IP that will give joy to millions of people even long after you and I pass away. Your ideas inspired other people to make adaptations of your work (even aside from Fallout) which will surely create and inspire a long chain of even more creative/brilliant minds that will also go on to develop their own IP's. In a sense, I get it. They're used to a way of life and how I live mine just doesn't make sense in their world. But you inspire and encourage others like myself to work hard and be creative. If that isn't "passing anything on" then I don't know what the hell is.
I feel like someone should have told me Tim Cain was gay by now, but regardless of timing I'm happy to find out today! I'm a trans woman myself, and my blood ran cold when you mentioned your coworker transitioning in 1995. I'm so happy you took her side. Much love.
I just quit a job at a restaurant because the sushi chef I worked with went on constant homophobic/transphobic tirades, I was making more money than I ever have before in my life but management refused to hear my concerns, and I had to make the hard choice that my beliefs are not for sale. Hearing your words on how cavalier homophobia was back then reminds me just how much progress is left to make today. Best wishes from a fellow lover of Fallout.
Since you worked on Bloodlines, I have a story I tell sometimes about the tabletop Vampire: The Masquerade. They released a series of clanbooks that described the various vampire clans, and being a big RPG nerd I collected all of these as a teenager.
Each of these clanbooks contained a set of pre-made characters of that clan based on a concept, so people could jump into the game without rolling their own. And in Clanbook: Nosferatu, there was a concept character called the Equalizer. And it was made unambigously clear that the Equalizer was gay; the concept was a campus gay rights activist who was attacked and nearly killed along with his boyfriend by a group of frat boys yelling homophobic slurs, only to be saved by being embraced by a Nosferatu. He now spends his unlife fighting back against the bigotry that got him killed.
This was 1993! Way before you ever really saw this kind of representation, certainly not in RPGs. I was 13 years old. I was so used to AD&D 2nd Edition and it's complete unwillingness to engage with anything controversial that it blew me away, and it stuck with me to the extent that I (obviously) still remember that moment 30 years later.
Definitely a lesson to me in why representation matters.
Happy Pride!
I think that there's something special about ttrpgs that made them a safe haven for people who feel like outcasts, I am much younger than you, but dnd was a world I could escape to as a young trans person and be someone who represented how I want to see myself, and as a kid who LOVED lord of the rings ❤
@@dionysisms RPGs in general tbh. It's very often I see trans people particularly loving New Vegas.
@@BlitzWare518 oh no def. its probably something to do with creating your ideal self and actually being able to choose your own gender + when you have to survive on radioactive water and fight off deathclaws you dont really care if your friend used to be a guy or if she kisses ladies yknow
lol that's the cringiest shit i've ever read
@@hagonistheman7880maybe
OH MY GOD you and i are distantly related!? (mayflower baby is either one of my many times great grandfathers or grand uncles i forget to ask, on my father’s side)
Great shirt ^^ and great insight as always.
The story about the guy and his parents was especially heartbreaking, among other things because we don't know if everything turned out well at the end, but having a lot against you and the own parents being one part of that is just aweful. This should be the last bastion of trust and peace. I hope he got his phd and everything turned out well.
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!
So many people love you Tim. Sucks you had to deal with the insane death threats. Hope you feel welcome now
this has quickly become one of my most favorite channels to relax too. Thank you so much.
genuinely as a queer person thank you for talking about this. and it means a lot that you defended your trans co worker
I’m straight but my older brothers gay and married, I’m so glad we live in a time where being gay is excepted.
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
I remember hearing from another channel that you were gay, but it's nice to see your story as a man who saw a lot of the things my generation has less trouble with. Hell, I think for me, a bi man who still has a lot of his troubles with social situations,Fallout has been something of a safe haven for me. It's unfortunately not the first game, but the impact of work has helped me out. Thank you Tim, you and your team made a world that I grew up with, and one that I still go to when things get rough.
I am 20 years old and just found out one of my favorite game franchise was created by a fellow person in the LGBTQ+ Community. As a Trans Female, thank you for sharing some of your stories in this video and pushing equality in the gaming industry