Top 5 LGBT Moments in Gaming for 2019

Representation for LGBT people in video games is a rare but always welcome occurrence. While it is becoming more common than ever before, there is still a long way to go. Nonetheless, developers are catching up to the times and inclusion as well as accurate and diverse characters and scenarios in gaming are decidedly the way of the future.

Still, we need to call attention to those devs out there that are including LGBT characters and representation in their games right now. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the top 5 LGBT moments in gaming for 2019. We’re not only recognizing key moments in the community’s depiction in the gaming industry but also why we think it is so important.

It’s hard to convey to people just how important this is if you’re not aware of issues surrounding binary gender identification and being transgender but FL4K’s use of they/them pronouns as well as the non-identification as either male or female is a pretty big deal.

What it does is get people talking about the character and exploring more about what (and who) they are including their identity and background.

In other words, this makes players care or at least learn to ask questions about identity and sexuality, and that opens up worlds of opportunity for dialogue and discovery about transgender issues as well as the importance of pronouns of self-identification in a broader sense.

What’s not so surprising about all of this is that FL4K is in the Borderlands series. If you’ve ever played any of the games in the Borderlands franchise, you’ve probably noticed that there are a range of LGBT characters in the games.

One issue that some people have highlighted is that FL4K is a robot but that really confuses the forest for the trees. What FL4K does is provide a moment of reflection and discussion for gamers that encounter them, and does so in a setting that might be more comfortable and relatable for gamers than in other venues.

Drawing attention to LGBT representation in a meaningful organic way often proves more effective than many others and for this 2K should be applauded for their inclusion of FL4K.

Having a non-binary robot in a major first-person shooter is one thing, but making the main character of a game a transgender person is the next level entirely. But that’s exactly what Microsoft is doing with its 2020 title, “Tell Me Why.”

Starring a set of twins, this game from French studio Dontnod features a main character named Tyler Ronan, a trans man who, along with his sister, is brought together by a recent event after a long period of estrangement.

The game will explore their connection as twins as well as their shared past in what promises to be one of the most psychological games of 2020. Of including a transgender character, game director Florent Guillaume said, “The twins are connected by strong supernatural bond, which allows them to share their thoughts and feelings.

They also have the ability to interact with past memories – to recall and relive them.

There are questions of perspective – the two characters see things and remember things differently and you get to choose which you believe, and that shapes the story.”

We’re so excited to see FTM representation from such a large studio. At this stage, “Tell Me Why” is definitely a 2020 ‘must-play.’

Is there any game in the world that is bigger than Overwatch?

It is a definite global phenomenon which means that people from around the world know about it and play it. Why is that important?

Well, when Overwatch decided to tell us a little bit more about long-standing characters Tracer and Soldier 76, the video gaming world wasn’t really expecting to find out that they are lesbian and gay, respectively.

These are two of the first characters that new players encounter in the game, to call them well-known is an understatement. In fact, their prominence not only forces the same kind of conversations and dialogue that FL4K in Borderlands 3 does but also the audience for Overwatch is decidedly more broad and diverse than that game (or most games) could ever be.  

What that translates to is a new generation of young gamers being exposed to diversity and inclusion at the onset of their gaming lives, and ultimately at an age where that kind of self-questioning and reflection of personal identity takes place.

Compare this with the titles of the 1980s and 1990s and it isn’t hard to see how much the gaming industry is evolving narratively. Take that, last century!

Probably the most anticipated title of the next decade already, Cyberpunk 2077 from CD Projekt Red is going to be a smash success and there’s little real doubt about that.

Knowing this, no one would blame the devs for taking it easy in these last months and playing it safe as far as the game is concerned.

But they are taking the opposite route and the same outfit behind The Witcher 3 is pushing LGBT issues around binary gender and identification to the fore in their character creation system.

As we’ve emphasized above, this is a huge deal for transgender gamers but also the LGBT community.

Lead concept artist Marthe Jonkers said of the decision, “Of course, if you tackle certain subjects then you will expect people to have an opinion about it and we respect that. And it’s good that people give us feedback. And our character creation menu, for instance, compared to the last demo we now give you so many more options. For instance, you don’t choose your gender anymore. You don’t choose, ‘I want to be a female or male character’ you now choose a body type. Because we want you to feel free to create any character you want. So you choose your body type and we have two voices, one that’s male sounding, one is female sounding. You can mix and match. You can just connect them any way you want. And then we have a lot of extra skin tones and tattoos and hairstyles. So we really want to give people the freedom to make their own character and play the way they want to play.”

When it comes to recognizing LGBT representation in broader media, there is no organization more dedicated to that than GLAAD.

Better known by its acronym, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has advocated for gay representation in media since its inception in 1985.

That’s why their recognition of video games this year is not only huge for video games as a medium but also a momentous event for the LGBT community.

So, who won the award? None other than Zenimax’s own MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online and its latest expansion, Summerset.

While MMORPGs are known for their role-playing features, Summerset, in particular, features a prominent questline called Manor of Masques about two estranged twin sisters, one of whom is transgender, who are reunited thanks to the efforts of the player character.

The quest’s exploration of the dynamics of being LGBT and “coming out” were noted by judges as being particularly salient points of identification for much of GLAAD’s audience and membership.