lgtbq+ games

[jinkx]

hi, my name is jinkx and if by some chance you haven't run into me before on the site, i am indeed a flaming homosexual interested in lgtbq+ themes and video games. and when those two are combined, it's like the holy grail. unfortunately, i've found very few good games where these themes are truly explored. games i've played are: 

• life is strange 
  
• gone home
  
• libretta
  
• a normal lost phone
  
• kindness coins
  
• coming out simulator
  
• undertale
  
• read only memories
  

anybody played any other good games?? i'd be interested to know. 

 

[Devious Dilbert]

What do you mean by truly explored?


I've played Undertale, it was cute. Haven't played life is strange personally, but I've seen countless videos on it, Walkthroughs, different outcomes (It's like a 5 or 10 dollar game but I'm a broke boi so I couldn't actually play it, LOL. I only played Undertale because somebody gifted it to me on steam). Didn't like LIS though. o;


I've heard of gone home and wanted to play it maybe, but sadly I couldn't avoid all the spoilers about EVERYTHING.


I haven't heard of all the others listed. ;o


Honestly, I do think it's cool how some games explore these things or have aspects of it in them. I don't find it a turn off or turn on though when it happens. Truly explored sounds to me like you want a game solely based on the subject.


There's a few good games I've played where the its present, but the game isn't based around it. It's just kinda thrown in there, but it's nice.


Dragon Age: Origins lets you romance some of your party members of the same sex. Mass Effect had some gay character, can't remember too well. Probably some more games I've played, can't remember them all and also I have like 1 minute to finish this post up. 


Aaaaand also I'm broke so I can't play a lot of newer, more popular games. I wouldn't know about the newer titles delving into this. ;p

 

[myvalentina]

The name and game series made me pause before playing it, but Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony is actually pretty great. You play as Luis Lopez the body guard and right hand man of Tony Prince, the owner of the most popular straight and gay clubs in Liberty City. Tony is a really well rounded and flawed character, in line with many GTA characters, who I think defy's stereotypes. It still sucks that you can't even play as Tony, it's his story technically, but Luis is just as interesting and their relationship is so beautiful. If I remember correctly, the narrative never technically says Luis is straight, so my headcanon is that he's pansexual and that will be that!

 

[Saccharine Cyanide]

Hmm, all I can think of is this tiny, free-to-play text-based itch.io game called 12hrs.


Basically, you play a homeless trans woman and you have to survive the night.


It's not exactly a triple A game, and it's pretty short, but I can't help but think about it occasionally.


Oh wait, one that touches on homosexuality is Analogue: A Hate Story. Another text-based game A visual novel with some pretty strong themes, plus you can have a gay relationship with an AI girl in a maid costume. : P

 

[Grey]

I think this is an interesting interactive digital art piece more than a game, but I find it a cheering experience.  Maybe you'll enjoy it, too.


http://aliendovecote.com/uploads/twine/powerful.html#5


I'm afraid I can't think of any off the top of my head that haven't already been mentioned here.

 

[Flooffy]

As mentioned above, both Mass Effect and Dragon Age have options for same-gender couples, have a number of trans in them, as well as 'gay NPCs'. Both are very good games, with awesome plot as well, and I will always recommend them to people. They also have additional books/comics/short animations for more lore, if one prefers ^^

 

[MrNeko]

Fire emblem

 

[Dusky]

You may like this:


http://birdland.camp/


More interactive fiction than game, but hey. Some elements carry over.

 

[MrMooseyMoose]

Halo 3.

 

[DanDanDan]

It really depends on what you mean by "exploring." Do you mean inclusion + romantic interest paths, or games that center around the sexuality and how it affects the individual? 


If you want just romantic paths (albeit awesome story), there's Choice of Games's Hero's Rise trilogy, which allow you to be whatever gender you want and pursue  any gender you want. It's text-based. There are also a couple that take a step ahead and allow you to type out your own pronouns as well, if that's what you want. There's only one of their games that I know that actually deal with coming out, Psy High. Here's some info of the ones I recommend, and the links are to free no-download demos (straight from the official website, no illegalities): 


❥ Hero's Rise - In a city where being a super-hero is also super-common, you are the hidden child of two of the most famous and respected heroes but you've got one problem - your parents were jailed for the accidental murder of their nemesis. That happened years ago, and now under the hero-equivalent of the Identity Protection Agency, you live with your grandma in the probably the worst area in the city. On your 21st birthday, you receive a gift - a Powered-License! Armed with the power to fight crime legally, you don a new name, and face your very first nemesis who also seems to know a lot about your secret identity... (This one's a Trilogy, so if you get absorbed in these things... I'm sorry.) 


❥ Psy High - As the high-school equivalent of Sherlock Homes, you've taken on a bunch of small-time cases for your friends and others, making yourself a moderately well-known figure in your small neighborhood. Along with your two best friends, you discover a plot that has the principle of the school brain-washing your fellow classmates! Will you be able to stop him? .. will you even want to? (This one's a one-shot.) 


❥Choice of Robots -  Finishing up your grad-student years, you've created Artificial Life! Now, what do you want to do with it? Take control of your character for the entirety of this scientist's life and decide how robots will be implemented into humanity -- as slaves? as pets? as military drones? as human equivalences? as humanity's enslavers? The choice is yours and yours alone! (Super long, so many... so many different endings...)


I'd really recommend all the Choice of Games, to be honest, but these I think are the standouts for what you want. Click around if you want though, they all have free demos online, as well as apps and Steam equivalents. 


 

 

[Lord Pug]

*cough cough* Stardew Valley has gay marriage *cough cough*

 

[AThiefOfSpades]

So three mobile games I play; 


High School Story, Hollywood U, and Longstory. 


Now I haven't played Hollywood U in a while, but let me tell you that in Hollywood U and High School Story, which are both made by Pixelberry, anyone can date anyone, and it's your responsibility to make them date. There are a lot of canon straight ships in HSS (Kallie likes Connor and Julian; Payton likes Ezra and Julian; Autumn likes Wes and Julian) BUT you can make anyone date anyone, and there a few gay and LGBTQ tidbits tossed in there, such as


--Payton dressing up as an elf/witch/something fantastical and offering to seduce some evil witch during a game of D and D


-- Mia, who has bulimia (why did they feel the need to name the character with bulimia Mia srsly why) telling them that her parents didn't approve of the relationship between her and her female crush (who never gets mentioned again; apparently she got sent away to boarding school)


--The thing with Ryan (who is a disabled artist) and Calvin, his best friend (who is a huge, obnoxious band geek), who have their own ship name, which they use, with each other


--The way Wes acts around Ace...


--Julian accusing Nishan of hitting on him 


--Jack Fucking Carver. I'm sorry, but he has got a bad case of Draco Malfoy Syndrome


--Asher and Max in general


--Asher! ASHER! ASSSSSHHHEEERRRR


--Shane, the flamboyantly gay cheerleader


Then there's longstory, where everyone except like 5 people is LGBT and you can pick between multiple male interests, multiple female interests, being cis or trans, or whether you'd like to date a giant turkeyhawk. Plus, mystery. 

 

[Cold Ramen Noodles]

You can marry the same sex in Skyrim. XD Mjoll is always hitting on me.

 

[billthesomething]

Lisa The Painful.an RPG Maker game that takes Place in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Olathe, A world that after mysterious white flash, Caused all women to die out. You play as Brad Armstrong, a man who one day finds a small infant. an Infant girl to precise, who Brad names Buddy and raises with his three friends. Some years later buddy is kidnapped and Brad goes on a quest to find. During his adventure, he can acquire two party members who are openly gay, One being Queen Roger (A violent gay crossdresser, and owner of the Beehive, a some kind brothel) and Crisp Ladaddy (A Six-Sword wielding man, who will only join, if you hold his boyfriend hostage)

 

[Count Gensokyo]

A game shouldn't be about "how it's the next great progressive movement in gaming" being its supposed best feature. If that's a feature worth flaunting about the game, then I honestly expect a disappointing game.

 

[The Dark Wizard]

I think this is an interesting interactive digital art piece more than a game, but I find it a cheering experience.  Maybe you'll enjoy it, too.


http://aliendovecote.com/uploads/twine/powerful.html#5


I'm afraid I can't think of any off the top of my head that haven't already been mentioned here.

That was amusing

 

[Quincunx]

I think this is an interesting interactive digital art piece more than a game, but I find it a cheering experience.  Maybe you'll enjoy it, too.


http://aliendovecote.com/uploads/twine/powerful.html#5


I'm afraid I can't think of any off the top of my head that haven't already been mentioned here.

A lot of Porpentine's games (on slimedaughter.com; aliendovecote is her old site) have lgbt themes. And they're free, and her writing has a really beautiful aesthetic! My current favorites from her are With Those We Love Alive, Love Is Zero, and Vesp: A Tale of Sapphic Scaphism.

 

[jinkx]

@Captain Gensokyo Man, if I'm a queer person that wants to play a video game with queer characters, that's nothing to do with progression; that's just me having no interest in a game with straight characters 'cos I can't relate to it. It doesn't mean I don't play games without queer characters (because I do) but it means, I made this thread because games that I can relate to are SO insanely difficult to find, that I have to set up a gosh darn search party just to find one. 


On another note, thank you to everybody who posts in this thread. I read every single post and I appreciate all of your suggestions. You guys are awesome. 

 

[billthesomething]

@Captain Gensokyo Man, if I'm a queer person that wants to play a video game with queer characters, that's nothing to do with progression; that's just me having no interest in a game with straight characters 'cos I can't relate to it. It doesn't mean I don't play games without queer characters (because I do) but it means, I made this thread because games that I can relate to are SO insanely difficult to find, that I have to set up a gosh darn search party just to find one.


On another note, thank you to everybody who posts in this thread. I read every single post and I appreciate all of your suggestions. You guys are awesome.

I understand that it might possibly be difficult to relate to those who are different from you, on some capacity. But i don't see, how sexuality should in anyway be an important part of a game (unless sexuality is the focus of the game, but normally if that is the game. then like @Captain Gensokyo said, you can bet good money that the game is going to be utter shit). Games as a medium are unique in the way that it let's you, (the consumer) Assist in some capacity, where as movies,books and Music are all mediums in where the consumer are nothing more then a bystander. Games however allow the consumer to be something of a active participant.


So i find it odd that people wouldn't want to attempt to play as someone who is their complete opposite.


TLDR Sexuality in games, are the equivalent of that fancy armor that you unlocked. It's nice, for fucking sure, but it didn't really be makeing that much of a difference.

 

[The Mechanist]

If you want homo sexuality bioware has games that allow you to pursue homosexual relationships, dragon age, mass effect. Probably their most popular titles 

 

[billthesomething]

Elder Scrolls has a Gay Time Traveling Cyborg Knight (I know that this sounds like something you'd expect to find in Saint's Row, not Elder Scrolls, But the character is pretty subtle about his homosexuality, but once you discover it, then you're going to be like "GOD DAMN, HOW I COULD I NOT SEE THAT GUY WAS A QUEER!" Because after the discovery it's pretty obvious)

 

[KingofAesir]

You can do whatever the hell you want in any of the Sims games. The Sims Freeplay is free on mobile and is a pretty good time killer. You can pair up pretty much any of the characters you make, doesn't matter. The Sims franchise is one of my favorites.

 

[Natealie]

Persona 4 touches on a lot of subjects that can be pretty close to the experiences of teenagers and those who have been teenagers. This also includes sexuality in various forms, but also mainly deals in self acceptance.

 

[AVagrant]

VA-11 HALL-A was pretty neat. Go play that.

 

[Blemmigan]

I guess it's hard for games (or any media) to be "in-depth" involving same-sex relationships unless the game itself has a big focus on romance. Otherwise, you'll just have passing mentions to it, or if the option to romance characters is present, for that to be regardless of gender.
Most of the games I play either have no reference at all to romance/relationships, or they have a "pick whoever you want" attitude. I tend to feel that anything that flaunts lgbt+ themes as a Big Feature will be something involving romance/"struggles", which I'm not interested in, so I'm afraid I don't have any of those to recommend.

Then again, I know that Undertale and Night In The Woods have side characters who are in same-sex relationships, so if that's what you meant then... wheee. Weirdly I thought you mentioned NITW in your opening post, maybe because I see people talking about it (It's okay, but not for me. The art style and colouring is cute though).

Stardew Valley's been mentioned as being one of those "free for all pairing" games where it doesn't matter who you romance, as are the BioWare games, so uh... can confirm?

I'm probably contractually obliged to mention Sunless Sea, which has romance options that aren't dependant on gender-- hell, you can romance a squid-faced creature if you really want-- and Fallen London (the free browser/mobile game it's spawned from). Those two games have never been strict on gender or sexuality. You can pick a male cameo and have people refer to you as "Madam" if you want, or have no gender at all.
Sunless Sea has several NPCs who are neither male or female (Isery, the Irrepressible Cannoneer, the Voracious Diplomat, the Alarming Scholar).
But these two are very text-heavy games, which isn't everyone's thing. Still, I'm gonna plug it.