Midweek Blues

In wake of the awful attacks in Orlando last week, and the end of the E3 period, I thought we’d do something a bit different this week.

Games in the last few decades have become a driving force in the LGBT community. (One can hardly scroll through Tumblr without seeing fan art of characters.) So let’s pick up on some of the best examples of LGBT representation in games over the last few years.

The Witcher 3: Yes! Everyone’s favourite pupil of the School of the Cat, Ciri! You play as Ciri a lot in the game, and it’s always hinted that maybe she likes both sides of the fence. It’s a wonderful example of how a bisexual character should be presented. Because her sexuality is not what drives her. Too often we see token sexuality: LGBT characters being used to fulfil a contract. But CD Projekt Red nailed it with Ciri’s character.

The Sims: How could we not mention this? The Sims has always made strides towards creating someone you want to be. Same sex relationships have been present in The Sims since 2000, and they have recently released an update letting you be very specific as to your Sims’ preferences. A poster game if ever there were one. Bravo EA. Fifa might suck but, you know, The Sims.

Life is Strange: While I may not have been a fan of the teen-drama time-travelling simulator, it had some decent representation. From the main protagonist to the secondary characters, the representation is astounding. You play as Max, a time-travelling bisexual, who gets in way over her head. It has a really awesome roster of complicated characters, and there have been many members of the LGBT community who praised the game for the its casual approach to sexuality.

Dragon Age Inquisition: EA. You might have shoddy business practices but your games are pretty good. Inquisition was a really solid RPG, with a roster of pans, trans, and gay characters to romance and have relationships with. From Iron Bull, who was bisexual, to Dorian, the gayest of the companions, and Sera, who was probably the funniest lesbian elf to ever grace the world. Character customisation lets you create anyone you want, of any shape, size, and preference. It’s all up to you. But never forgive them for making Cassandra straight.

Borderlands (all of them): From Moxxi explaining her many ex-lovers, to fetching Sir Hammerlock’s ex-boyfriend’s audio diaries, the world of Borderlands is a land of psychopaths and all of the LGBT characters. Even one of the main characters you can play as is openly bisexual, (Axton, the soldier). Every character in that universe is cool and open, and the entire cast is unique to that world.

Gaming is a platform for all walks of life. From the characters in the games, to the people who play them, it’s amazing to see lesbian characters kicking the crap out of demons, or gay characters being total badasses, or bisexual characters looking like this:

To every member of the LGBT community who visits this site and reads our stuff: you’re dope. Just keep being you. And keep gaming, everyone. (But don’t pre-order. Because that’s bad.)

Happy Wednesday!