The Complete History Of LGBT Video Game Characters

[Jazzy]

Note: This article contains minor spoilers for the following video games: Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy XII, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Resident Evil: Dead Aim, and The Last of Us.

The fight for gay rights isn't limited to real-world spaces. There’s a swelling movement for greater diversity and LGBT representation in video games that’s about to reach a national tipping point.

Just last week, Nintendo issued a public apology for failing to include same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life, a new life simulator that lets users customize everything about their characters except the sex of their significant others. The company claimed that future version of the game will be “more inclusive.” There are also upcoming indie games like Ultimate Gay Fighter, billed as the world’s first gay video game, and a new documentary, Gaming in Color, devoted to the movement.

Modern game titles now have more people who exist outside traditional gender and sexual orientations, represented more broadly and accurately. We are getting to a place where we can say that there are relatable and realistic gay characters young gamers can be inspired by.

But LGBT characters have been around almost as long as video games themselves—hidden in plain sight—and they've become some of the most beloved, enduring characters around.

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