It is not a new phenomenon for people seek representation in what they consume, whether that's television, movies or otherwise.
It's also no different in games, and while the wider gaming community has been labeled as somewhat hostile to the LGBTQIA+ community at times, characters who represent the community are essential in helping players feel that this is also their place.
In this article, we have compiled a series of characters from the most varied competitive games who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community in their official lore.
League of Legends
Although League of Legends is full of characters with stories that give the community space to create theories about their sexual orientations, only a few of the champions have been confirmed by Riot Games as LGBTQIA+.
One such example is that of Leona and Diana, who Riot confirmed to be a lesbian couple in a short story posted to the Universe website. The pairing had been doing the rounds in the League community since 2016, when the Mount Targon update hit the game. During June, when Pride Month is celebrated, the developer gave some clues that the duo were a couple, through missions in the game -- even adding an emote of the two.
In 2017, the company changed the backstory of champion Varus and confirmed that he is gay, making him the first LGBTQIA+ champion in the history of League of Legends. At the time, Riot released a video showing the champion sacrificing himself for his boyfriend. Valmar, Kai and the dark spirit turned into a person full of hatred and revenge: Varus.
Released in 2018, Neeko is a Vastaya that is thousands of years old. However, according to its developer, Matt Dunn, the champion is still a teenager. She also revealed that Neeko identifies as a lesbian and was once in love with Nidalee, but the love ended unrequited.
Apex Legends
Shortly after launch, Apex Legends surprised the community by promoting great inclusivity within the game, confirming that two characters from the battle royale belong to the LGBTQIA+ community.
In his story, Makoa Gibraltar is described as someone who dedicated his life to helping others, after his parents rescued "him and his boyfriend" from a landslide while the couple enjoyed a ride on a motorcycle stolen from his father.
In addition to Gibraltar, one of the game's community administrators revealed that Bloodhound, whose names, race and country of origin are unknown, is non-binary, without a defined gender.
Overwatch
In Overwatch, two game characters are part of the LGBQTIA+ community. Blizzard revealed their identities in short stories produced to better explain the lore of the game.
In Tracer's case, the company revealed that the character identifies as a lesbian. This was told through a comic released as part of the Christmas celebrations in 2016, with an illustration of the agent's girlfriend. With that, she became the first LGQBTIA+ character in the game.
The second is Soldier 76, who was also revealed to be gay by Blizzard in a comic about the game's history. Titled "Bastet", the story recalls the soldier's memories with his colleague Ana. While looking at photos of the past, the partner remembers Vincent, a man with whom 76 previously had a relationship. The soldier tells him that his ex-partner is already married, and that he is happy for him.
Legends of Runeterra
In Legends of Runeterra, we can also find two LGBTQIA+ characters. Despite the launch being quite recent, the game has followed the same line as its big sister and seeks to include the most varied styles of characters within its guidelines.
In Legends of Runeterra, the card Tyari the Traveler symbolizes the only transsexual character in Riot's stable. As confirmed by a narrative writer, Tyari also identifies as non-binary, using he/him and they/them pronouns before climing the mountain, and she/her upon becoming The Traveler.
Another important point to note is that the voice of Tyari is performed by Maddie Taylor, a trans actress.
Another card that represents an LGBTQIA+ character is the Legion Veteran, whose description reveals that he is married to a man.
"He returned from the war on the brink of death, restored only by his husband's touch and the apothecary's balms. Noxus spared no expense to ensure his expert counsel, long after his fighting years."
Rainbow Six Siege
Finally, Rainbow Six Siege also recently added a character that belongs to the LGBTQIA+ community. Unfortunately, the addition went viral on the Internet and showed a much more homophobic facet to the gaming community than we would like.
Flores, the new agent, came to Siege in the Operation Crimson Heist update. In its official story of the release, Ubisoft revealed that the character is married to a man.
Original content from MGG Brasil.
