There's a small amount of truth in that, much as we'd all love to deny it. Listen to much popular discourse on video games, and you'll come away with the impression that they (and their players) are overwhelmingly sexist, immature, and unwelcoming to anybody outside of that traditional demographic. Nevertheless, the game does deal with heavy and traumatic themes, and criticism has been levelled at the developer for not hiring a trans writer to tell Tyler’s story.Games take a lot of flak for being a fairly un-inclusive medium, made by young straight men for young straight men and mildly offensive to everyone else. Of course, no one’s experience of being trans is the same, but Tell Me Why does a good job at exploring some of the commonalities that can occur. While making the game, developers Dontnod Entertainment consulted with experts at GLAAD to ensure that the character of Tyler was an "authentic representation of the trans experience”. Along with making decisions and solving puzzles, players will have to confront the tragedy that has shaped Tyler and Alison’s life. In the game, you take control of estranged yet telepathically linked twins, Tyler and Alison Ronan, who return to their childhood home after a traumatic event led to the death of their mother there a decade prior. What’s unique about it is that the choices you made in the previous games will dictate who you can romance in the third, and getting to develop those relationships is genuinely an exciting journey.Īnother episodic narrative game, Tell Me Why was one of the first AAA games to be developed with a transgender main character.
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In truth, the third game is the only one in the trilogy that allows for queer romance. In the first two games, you can’t really play a queer character although no matter what gender you choose to play as, you can romance Liara, an Asari (a species of alien) who is technically agender despite presenting as female. The thing about Mass Effect is the sheer amount of choice players are given, whether those are decisions about plot or who you might want to get it off with. Thankfully, earlier this year, developer Bioware released a remastered and slightly tweaked version of this epic sci-fi RPG trilogy. The first Mass Effect originally came out in 2007, which might make it hard for some gamers to play it now.
#Gay men video games Ps4
Platforms: PS4 ( backwards compatible on PS5 ), Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC However, if you’re looking for a game where queer people get to live happy and untraumatic lives, then The Last of Us is not for you – these games are bleak af. This follow up took the franchise’s queer representation further, making Ellie’s lesbian identity a central and essential aspect to the narrative, while also introducing a trans character, Lev.
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Building in Ellie’s queerness after the base game made players reassess what they thought they knew about the character, something that Naughty Dog expanded upon with its sequel, The Last of Us: Part 2. While the first game ranks fairly low on the Kinsey Scale, its DLC, The Last of Us: Left Behind, is a truly tender and beautiful queer story about the awkwardness, excitement and fear of young love. Platforms: PS4 ( backwards compatible on PS5 )ĭeveloper Naughty Dog’s apocalyptic epic is not only one of the most ambitious narrative gaming experiences ever made, but it’s also home to some of the better LGBTQ+ representation in gaming, especially when it comes to the character of Ellie.
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The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Left Behind, The Last of Us: Part 2