GLAAD have been awarding other forms of media for over two decades now.
GLAAD have announced that they will start giving awards to LGBTQ-inclusive video games for the first time in its annual media awards. They said that they introduced this award as more video games started including content for an LGBTQ audience.
A description for the award reads: “[This] award is given for an interactive experience that includes authentic and impactful LGBTQ characters or storylines.
“Judging will take into consideration the degree to which the LGBTQ-inclusive content is effectively woven into gameplay, including player agency and the world itself.”
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, GLAAD’s Zeke Stokes said: “The industry is ready to give LGBT characters bigger roles, so it’s a lot of what’s already happening in the industry combined with the vastness of it all.
“Seeing a lot of young people gravitate toward gaming as a primary or preferred source of entertainment is another factor. The very baseline of it is a matter of numbers.
“If we’re working to make sure LGBTQ people are included in media, we can’t ignore the video gaming space, and it’s super evident the gaming industry is willing to make this step.”
Stokes also said that GLAAD was hoping to reach a wider audience with the new inclusion, saying: “When it comes to reaching a wide swath of young people this is an important way to do it.
“For LGBTQ people, gaming is one of those spaces where they can experiment with owning their identity [when] they may not be ready to do in their real life.
“A place to try on their authentic self in an environment that is not threatening. Making sure that we are reaching people where they are with messages of inclusion is very important.”
Although Stokes wouldn’t reveal what games had been nominated, he did say that the current list of nomination “exceeds a dozen.”
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