# @pinknews on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DRNQUx8gb9M
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/37032774-pinknews-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/ae1f124ce8.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-11-18T18:01:15.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** PinkNews (@pinknews) — https://gondola.cc/pinknews

## Caption

Rebecca Heineman, a pioneering video game designer, programmer, the first U.S. Space Invaders champion, and a trans icon, has passed away at 62 after battling aggressive cancer.

She co-founded Interplay in 1983, which was the source of landmark games like ‘Fallout’, ‘Baldur’s Gate’ and ‘Wasteland’. Heineman’s most notable design credit was on ‘The Bard's Tale 3: Thief of Fate’. She later ran her own studio, Olde Sküül.

Heineman won the Atari National ‘Space Invaders’ Championship in 1980, making the United State’s first ever esports champion a trans woman.

Beyond her technical legacy, Heineman was deeply respected within the LGBTQ+ community for her advocacy — she won the 2025 Gayming Icon Award for her tireless support of queer visibility in gaming.

#LGBTQNews #TransNews #Gayming #eSports

## Stats

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- **Likes:** 19,996
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## Credits

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## Tags

esports, lgbtqnews, transnews, gayming

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