Not everyone is the same cut and copy, just like how we are in real life. Games featuring LGBTQIA+ characters make me feel like I’m real and accepted in the world. To put it in a way, the normalcy that a lot of games such as Mass Effect, Fallout, or even The Sims and League of Legends portray LGBTQIA+ characters in puts such a good feeling in me knowing that these people are just like me and just like real people. Normalization is a huge step in any community’s path to the mainstream and this was a game I looked to as a shining example of a great and supportive community supporting the characters regardless. It did not completely define either character, it simply existed. I’d like to point at Life is Strange for this where you, in game, can choose a more romantic or more platonic relationship with Chloe as Max while never being egregious. I was comfortable in any romance at some point and Mass Effect honestly helped uncover my pansexual identity because, from early on, all romance options were truly viable and it let me explore that to an extent.Īnd while there is plenty of negativity in gaming communities surrounding LGBT+ characters or choices (take The Last of Us 2 backlash for example), there have been small communities of genuinely fantastic LGBT people, allies, etc that come together to just love a game. This was an early test to see my comfortability in engaging in same-sex flirting and same-sex physical/non-physical romances. However, as I played and replayed the entire Mass Effect trilogy, I found myself comfortable in playing as a male romancing Kaiden or a female romancing Liara, and so on.
This is a timely one! Today (at the time of story submission) we are talking about Mass Effect (with the Legendary Edition releasing in a week). When I first started playing the first Mass Effect, I was not out but was curious and on my first play through I played a straight man romancing Liara. We received hundreds of responses and, with much consideration, selected the following to share. So, in celebration, we asked those who identify as LGBTQIA+ how games with diverse representation have impacted them and to share their own stories about being a member of a gaming community. Hey, it’s Pride Month! Highlighting and amplifying community voices is core to the Xbox Ambassadors community. And Xbox's Twitch channel will host takeovers throughout the month of June featuring creators and devs from the LGBTQIA+ community.įor all the details on how Microsoft is celebrating Pride month, head here.Compiled By Fifthpaw for the original article click here. Tell Me Why stars trans protagonist Tyler Ronan, so it's a great opportunity to celebrate LGBTQIA+ representation in games.
The organizations include The Trevor Project, which is the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ youth OutRight Action International, which works at national, regional, and international levels to advance human rights and Transgender Law Center, which advocates for changes to law and policy to protect people of all gender identities and expressions.ĭontnod's Tell Me Why is free to keep on Xbox and PC this month as part of Microsoft's Pride month celebrations. You can earn Microsoft Rewards points for donation to organizations that support LGBTQIA+ communities directly through Xbox, and any donations made through June will be matched by Microsoft.