By Sagar V. Mankar 
Nintendo, BioWare, and other major gaming studios have been nominated for Outstanding Video Game at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards, which recognize positive LGBTQ+ representation in media, including video games. While well-known developers secured nominations, the majority of contenders this year come from indie studios known for their strong LGBTQ+ themes.
GLAAD, a non-profit organization advocating for LGBTQ+ representation, introduced the video game category in 2019. This year’s nominees include:
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Intelligent Systems / Nintendo)
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts)
- Dustborn (Red Thread Games / Spotlight by Quantic Dream)
- Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
- Caravan SandWitch (Studio Plane Toast / Dear Villagers)
- Dread Delusion (Lovely Hellplace / DreadXP)
- Fear the Spotlight (Cozy Game Pals / Blumhouse Games)
- Minds Beneath Us (BearBone Studio)
- Sorry We’re Closed (à la mode games / Akupara Games)
- Until Then (Polychroma Games / Maximum Entertainment)
Nintendo’s nomination for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is particularly noteworthy. The original 2000 GameCube release featured a ghost companion, Vivian, who was depicted as trans but was misgendered by other characters. However, this aspect of her identity was censored in multiple localized versions, including the English and German releases. For the 2024 remake, Nintendo restored Vivian’s trans identity, a change widely celebrated by the LGBTQ+ gaming community.
BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard earned recognition for its inclusion of LGBTQ+ relationships and a non-binary companion character. Similarly, Life is Strange: Double Exposure was acknowledged for featuring a bisexual protagonist, continuing the franchise’s tradition of LGBTQ+ storytelling.
A recent GLAAD report highlighted the importance of diverse representation in gaming. According to the study, nearly one in five gamers identify as LGBTQ+, yet LGBTQ+ characters and storylines account for less than 2% of all games. The report also revealed that 72% of LGBTQ+ players feel more positive about themselves when they see representation in games, while 68% expressed a desire for more prominent LGBTQ+ narratives.
Historically, major gaming studios have been slow to embrace LGBTQ+ representation, making this year’s indie-dominated nominations even more significant. Previous winners of the Outstanding Video Game award include Baldur’s Gate 3, Apex Legends, Life is Strange: True Colors, The Last of Us Part 2, and Tell Me Why.
The winners of the 36th GLAAD Media Awards will be announced later this year. For more details, visit GLAAD. And remember to subscribe to Gaming Foodle for more news!
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