GLAAD Gaming

We work with the video game industry to provide consulting, education, and resources that make LGBTQ characters more authentic.

GLAAD Gaming, part of the GLAAD Media Institute, works to create authentic LGBTQ representation in gaming, more LGBTQ-inclusive workplaces for video game companies, and better player experiences for LGBTQ gamers.

We educate and consult with video game studios and publishers of all sizes to help them achieve authentic LGBTQ characters and storylines in games of all genres.

We know that authentic LGBTQ representation creates a better experience for LGBTQ gamers – and is a good business decision too.

Must Read

GLAAD Celebrates Outstanding Video Game Nominees at the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards #GLAADAwards

January 22, 2025

Educational Workshops

It's dangerous to go alone! Take this. The Legend of Zelda — Nintendo

We provide a range of educational workshop sessions for video game studios of all sizes, covering topics relevant to both the workplace and to the LGBTQ representation in the games studios are creating. We utilize insights gathered from the LGBTQ gaming community, our industry relationships, our research reports, and our own experience as LGBTQ players to equip studios with the latest knowledge about the LGBTQ community.

Video Game Development Consulting

Question Block Artwork - Super Mario 3D World — Nintendo

Our team specializes in consulting, helping developers create authentic LGBTQ characters and stories in video games of all types and genres.

We consult on a wide range of game aspects and features including characters, story and plotlines, worldbuilding, UI, feature design, environmental storytelling, and more. Whether the game is a story-heavy single player title, or a competitive multiplayer title without a linear plot, we work with studios to provide the advice their team needs.

Inquiries for Game Development Consulting or Educational Workshops

Want to work with the GLAAD Gaming team, or have questions about our consulting and workshops?

Consulting Highlight: Catalyst, Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment)

Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment consulted with GLAAD Gaming on Catalyst, the title’s first trans woman character, introduced as a Season 15 Legend for Apex Legends. The Respawn team’s drive to create a thoroughly authentic character meant that GLAAD Gaming gave feedback on nearly all elements of Catalyst, resulting in a character who stands out to developers and players as one of the best examples of LGBTQ representation to currently exist in gaming.

Consulted On:

Narrative: Backstory, dialogue, voice actor, VO recording and mastering process.
Art: Concept art, character model, promotional art.
Marketing: Cinematic trailer ideation and script, release communications plan, media training for talent, pre- and post-release bug fixes.

Apex Legends Consulting Details - READ MORE:

Quotes:

“GLAAD was really essential when we got to the point where we said, ‘Okay, Catalyst is really well-developed at this point, we’re comfortable with who she is as a person and her backstory, her personality – let’s get this checked out to see if we’re falling in any pitfalls’…They were really helpful with that and also educating the team on trans representation in media, so we could get a better view of not just what we were working on, but the landscape that we were walking into. They were really helpful going over the content we created, both the dialogue and Brett and Mirim’s work on the art side. It was a really good back and forth relationship with them, them giving us information but also checking on what we were working on as we were developing.” – Ashley Reed, Lead Writer at Respawn Entertainment (IGN)

“I’ve had such a hard time with presenting myself as who I really am to people, but playing [Catalyst] makes me feel like I’m unstoppable. Invincible. Made of iron! It’s such a moving experience for me that I already feel more comfortable in my own skin, emboldened and more confident. I believe in myself that much more and it just warms my heart.” – Trans Reddit user

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be seen as I am meeting Catalyst, the next character joining Apex Legends’ expansive roster of diverse and queer characters…With the help of both GLAAD and its trans employees, Respawn not only created an iconic addition to the small pool of ‘out’ trans characters but avoided several of the common pitfalls as well.” – Natalie Rayne, The Loadout (The Loadout)

Consulting Highlight: Create-A-Sim/Pronouns Update, The Sims 4 (Maxis)

Over the last decade, GLAAD has worked with Electronic Arts on several updates to The Sims 4 to expand its LGBTQ inclusivity in terms of both characters and systems. GLAAD has helped guide the addition of a greater range of gender customization options (2016), customizable character pronouns (2021), and sexual orientation options (2022) in the game’s Create-a-Sim tool. These new features have empowered players to craft a wider range of characters and stories that accurately reflect their own lived experiences.

Consulted On:

Systems: Overall systems design related to gender identity, pronouns, and sexual orientation, for both character creation and gameplay.
UI/UX: Menu layout and custom fields, description copy for Create-a-Sim.
Art: Character and world assets themed around LGBTQ Pride.

The Sims 4 Consulting Details - READ MORE:

Quotes:

“By working with GLAAD and the It Gets Better Project, the game aims to capture a wide range of perspectives in a way that respects and elevates the LGBTQ community.” – Anne Hebert (OUT FRONT Magazine)

Consulting Highlight: Tyler Ronan, Tell Me Why (DON’T NOD/Xbox Game Studios)

Xbox Game Studios and DON’T NOD consulted with GLAAD Gaming on Tell Me Why from the earliest stages of the project through to release. GLAAD Gaming worked alongside the game’s development team for over two years to help bring Tyler Ronan to life. By collaborating on story, dialogue, character design, and voice casting, GLAAD and the game’s creators worked to ensure that Tyler was a compelling, multi-dimensional character, and his story avoided the harmful transgender stereotypes and tropes of the past.

Consulted On:

Narrative: Major plot arc, character backstory, dialogue, voice actor, VO recording
Art: Concept art, character model, environmental design
Marketing: Pre-release FAQ about the trans content in the game, release communications plan, media training for Xbox executives and talent, post-release media junket and promotion.

Tell Me Why Consulting Details - READ MORE:

Quotes:

“GLAAD has been a terrific partner, as [they have] consulted in story, dialogue, character design, environmental design, and voice casting as everyone took great care to ensure Tyler is a genuine, multi-dimensional character, avoiding the many harmful transgender stereotypes.” – Joseph Staten, Senior Director at Xbox Game Studios (VICE)

GLAAD Gaming Report 2024

GLAAD Gaming: The State of LGBTQ Inclusion in Video Games is a 2024 research report that assesses the landscape of LGBTQ representation within video games and the gaming community. The findings reveal that while a substantial portion of gamers identify as LGBTQ, the games themselves do not adequately reflect this reality. The report also examines the purchasing and playing habits of gamers in relation to LGBTQ representation, demonstrating that inclusion is a net positive for the bottom line. Finally, we highlight how video games can be a positive force for LGBTQ gamers, particularly those who experience a lack of acceptance in their everyday lives. The GLAAD Gaming report seeks to educate the gaming industry on the overall state of LGBTQ representation, present a data-driven business case for LGBTQ inclusion, and provide a roadmap for a healthier gaming community through increased visibility and acceptance.

Read Full Report Here

Annual GLAAD Media Awards: Outstanding Video Game

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We select games with outstanding LGBTQ representation for our annual GLAAD Media Awards, providing a vetted list of popular and hard-to-find titles that LGBTQ players can enjoy.

Developers can submit their game for consideration on the GLAAD Media Awards page, with submissions open from approximately September to November of each year.

GLAAD Media Awards Nominees for Outstanding Video Game:

36th GLAAD Media Awards Nominees (2024): Caravan SandWitch, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Dread Delusion, Dustborn, Fear the Spotlight, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Minds Beneath Us, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Sorry We’re Closed, Until Then

35th GLAAD Media Awards Nominees (2023): Baldur’s Gate 3, Goodbye Volcano High, Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, Little Goody Two Shoes, Overwatch 2, Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, Tchia, Thirsty Suitors, This Bed We Made, Too Hot to Handle 2

34th GLAAD Media Awards Nominees (2022): Apex Legends, Desta: The Memories Between, Haven, I was a Teenage Exocolonist, Need for Speed: Unbound, The Quarry, SIGNALIS, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Wylde Flowers

33rd GLAAD Media Awards Nominees (2021): Boyfriend Dungeon, Far Cry 6, The Gardener and the Wild Vines, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Life is Strange: True Colors, Psychonauts 2, Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Unpacking, UNSIGHTED

32nd GLAAD Media Awards Nominees (2020): Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Borderlands 3: Guns, Love, and Tentacles, Bugsnax, Hades, If Found…, Ikenfell, Immortals Fenyx Rising, The Last of Us Part II, Tell Me Why, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands

31st GLAAD Media Awards Nominees (2019): Apex Legends, Borderlands 3, The Outer Worlds, Overwatch, The Walking Dead: The Final Season

30th GLAAD Media Awards Nominees (2018): Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset, Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, The Sims Mobile

Accelerate Acceptance

Your gift allows us to work with the video game industry to help create authentic LGBTQ characters in gaming in order to provide a better experience for LGBTQ gamers and accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ people.

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