5 Queer-Inclusive Video Games That Got Representation Right

​Earlier this month, Naughty Dog released a remake of its masterpiece video gameThe Last of Us. Now subtitled Part I, it’s a story about two broken people, a queer teen girl named Ellie and her reluctant adult protector Joel, who have to cross the zombie-infested United States to save mankind. In the process, the two forge one of the most poignant and impactful connections ever depicted in a video game. Revisiting this stellar piece of media reminded us just how well the game nailed queer inclusivity — and what other games got it right.

Video games have long had a contentious relationship with inclusion. Sadly, it was only a few years ago in 2014 that Ubisoft said it wouldn’t be including the option to play as a female protagonist in Assassin’s Creed Unity. Its reasoning was that the feature would be “too expensive,” while simultaneously flying developers to Paris to make sure they got the in-game Notre Dame cathedral just right.

Queer inclusion has often fared even worse.

We can go back to 1988 regarding the now cringe inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community with Super Mario Brothers 2. One of its enemies, Birdo, was described as “a male who thinks he is female” in its manual. Nintendo later went on to omit this entirely upon further releases. It wasn’t until 1995 when Squaresoft’s Chrono Trigger introduced the villain Flea that video games featured a major genderqueer character. Looking back, this also wasn’t the best example of representation of the LGBTQ+ community, but it was a start.

A year later, gamers got their first queer playable character, Curtis from Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh, a very sexually charged game with a focus on BDSM. Curtis has a friend, Troy, who identifies as gay. Throughout the game, Curtis visits his psychiatrist and eventually admits to his doctor that he has feelings for Trevor and might be bisexual. A step in the right direction in terms of inclusivity.

From the 1990s to the mid-2000s, if you wanted to see a representation of any kind in a video game, you would have to look to The Sims or role-playing games like Persona 2 and The Longest Journey. But that’s steadily been changing and, in the following years, gamers have seen some fantastic representation. Here are five of our favorites.

5. ‘Dragon Age Inquisition’ 

Dragon Age set an example for queer inclusion in video games, as it enabled players to get romantic with almost any of their party members, regardless of gender. This is especially true in Inquisition.

Whereas in prior entries in the franchise, more attention was given to showing off naked females, Inquisition leveled the playing field by celebrating male bodies equally. The game also took a significant step forward by introducing the trans character Krem. He’s treated just like every other character. He’s one of the game’s most feared mercenaries and is second in command to the much-respected Bull’s Chargers.

4. ‘The Last of Us: Left Behind’

​While Ellie was first introduced in The Last of Us, her queerness was confirmed in the game’s downloadable content, Left Behind. In this addition to the core game, Ellie and her friend Riley spend a day together in an abandoned shopping mall and, over the course of their time together, discover they have deeper feelings for one another.

For gaymers, it was a sweet surprise to discover a character they already loved and connected with was family. However, it drew criticism from certain corners of the internet who were outraged that they had grown attached to the character only to discover she was (gasp) gay.

It was a monumental step forward for video games at the time. A mainstream company like Naughty Dog and a massive game like The Last of Us let us experience this intimate story.

3. ‘The Last of Us Part II’

While The Last of Us Part II proved to be a very controversial title, both outside and within the queer community, there’s no question that Naughty Dog heard the criticism of Ellie’s queerness from the Left Behind DLC and responded by leaning in even further.

The Last of Us Part II is a very multifaceted game. Not only are we going along with the story of Ellie’s powerful (if heartbreaking) love story with Dina, but it’s running alongside her bloodthirsty revenge quest against her rival, Abby.

This is heavily spoiler territory for what we consider one of this generation’s best stories. We won’t go into a great deal about the main plot. However, we can’t talk about representation in games without touching on one of the game’s most pivotal secondary plots — which frequently outshines the main story.

Abby meets a character named Lev who, throughout his story, opens up about his gender dysphoria. He reveals how being trans resulted in him getting ostracized and eventually hunted by his cult, the Seraphites. Some have criticized the character’s story as being trans trauma porn, but his inclusion, the character’s complexity, and ultimately his fate (spoiler alert: he survives!) make Lev a notable if complicated addition to queer gaming canon.

2. ‘NieR’

While NieR is a fantastic game series, its first outing is the one on our list because it introduced Kainé. Kainé is intersex, and over the course of the game we learn that she survived harassment and endured bullying due to her sex, but overcame it to become a powerful, foul-mouthed anti-hero with a heart of gold.

1. ‘Borderlands 3’

Borderlands 3 lets its Pride flag fly and we love to see it. So many characters in the series are pansexual, bisexual, queer, asexual, and nonbinary — plus they’re completely open with it.

The two most prominent characters in the franchise are Tiny Tina and Moxxi. The former is a teenager with a hilarious penchant for murder and the other is Borderlands’ sex symbol — and both are queer. Tiny Tina is a lesbian, as confirmed by writer Anthony Burch, and is open with how she feels about Maya, another of the series’ main characters. Moxxi identifies as bisexual, noting that she’s dated both men and women.

Players are also introduced to Fl4k in Borderlands 3, a nonbinary omnisexual character who is on a quest to find themselves. It’s a powerful metaphor that queer player can relate to and one we hope to see more games explore in the future.

These five games have offered exceptional of representation for gamers, not just by including queer characters but by putting them in positions of power, as well as writing stories for them with real heart. This kind of inclusion speaks to a hopeful future where diversity and queer representation in games is the norm.