Video games are a complex nexus of systems and possibilities. These systems include representational hegemonies and labor structures.

There are more and more mainstream games with gay characters. However, they do not always make it explicit. Overwatch, Borderlands and other games allow you romance characters of the same gender but homosexuality isn’t part of their story.

Best gay visual novels games

Persona 4’s first release was hailed for its willingness to show a gay character in a realistic way. It did exactly that. However, it was a game that also fell victim to a lot of tasteless anime tropes when it came to its characters’ queerness.

Take, for instance, the scene where Kanji and Yosuke are camping. Yosuke asks Kanji if he has any problems with girls. This is a dehumanizing and hateful question, which implies that being gay should be shunned.

The scene is then followed by a series of jokes that all revolve around Kanji’s alleged sexuality, implying that being gay means preferring men to women. Atlus’ attempts to make fun of the situation still send a dangerous message, that LGBTQ people are predatory people who should force straight people to adopt their culture. This is unfortunate, as the game’s plots explore how toxic masculinity affects the male leads and how they can replace it with love.

Gay story games

Video games are a great way to portray LGBTQ characters and reflect the societal attitude towards diversity. Video games have diverse narratives, from Kung Jin’s Mortal Kombat character to Makoto Naya’s BlazBlue.

These games transport players into immersive virtual landscapes and captivate them with heartfelt storytelling. These stories are based on real-life experiences and explore themes of love, identity, and acceptance. These games are particularly meaningful to LGBTQ+ players, as they can relate to their stories and experiences.

Some gamers, however, have expressed disappointment at the portrayal of queerness within the game. They claim that it is homonormative and “disappointing”. Other gamers have criticized both the gameplay and sex of characters. Dream Daddy remains popular despite these complaints. However, it does not address issues of intersectional queerness or queer sex in any meaningful way.

Best gay games

Blizzard Entertainment’s team-based first-person shooter Overwatch has numerous characters with rich backstories that are revealed through the game’s transmedia content. These narratives have been met with acclaim for the company’s progressive stance on representation as well as criticisms of their execution (Shlapak 2023).

Overwatch heroes Tracer and Solider: 76, who are both very popular, have recently been revealed as being gay. Both were outed through non-game content, such as a holiday comic that revealed Tracer’s girlfriend, Emily.

Authenticity was a key theme in the discussions of these revelations. This is a concept that entails both the fidelity of the character’s characterization as well as the coherence of Overwatch’s fictional world. The discussion also highlights a feeling of belonging among LGBTQ players. They are creating a safe and alternative space to belong in Overwatch. This is similar to how fans and gamers have long created their own spaces of engagement by utilizing fan fiction.

Gay story game

Many games are great at promoting the LGBTQ community without relying on tropes, or by focusing solely on diversity. Borderlands is a game that exudes queerness without hiding it behind cynicism and bigotry.

Borderlands has a wide range of queer characters. From a gay friendly demon to a fembot. Gearbox made it very clear, even with claptrap as a playable protagonist, that being gay was completely normal and didn’t require constant attention.

Todd Harper’s essay on the Mass Effect series highlights the way that gay romances have been a prevalent narrative in the game world. His essay, while focusing on the mechanical reasons for Shepard’s closet narrative highlights the fact that the game made room for romance and a happily ever after for LGBT characters. This is important in the context that a genre which was historically vilified has been welcomed.

Gay story games online

Video games are incorporating innovative gameplay mechanics with diverse LGBTQ+ themes. Indie game developers are at the forefront of this movement, offering gamers experiences that relate to their own lived experiences. From fantasy worlds and immersive storytelling, games like these offer a sense connection and empowerment.

Axton the splicer from the popular Borderlands franchise wasn’t originally meant to be bisexual. However, due to coding mistakes when reviving characters, Axton would say flirtatious phrases whether it was a male or female character that was being revived. Gearbox has accepted the accidental bisexuality and canonised the character as such in many of their DLCs.

Other games have a more explicit portrayal of a gay character, such as Riot’s ‘Caitlyn’ and ‘Vi’ who are in an intimate relationship, or ‘If Found …’,’, which is an independently developed game about a woman’s trans experience. It highlights both the euphoria as well the difficulties she faces during her transition.