More and more development studios are making their games more inclusive. They are introducing characters in their games that represent the LGBTQA+ community. Here are 7 of them that you can encounter in MMOs and multiplayer games.
June is celebrated worldwide as Pride Month, and with it comes the rights of the LGBTQ+ community for equality. Together with our sister sites GameStar and GamePro, we at MeinMMO have issued a statement for tolerance and diversity.
Every day, we stand against hate and violence in our comment sections, and we let our banners shine in the colors of the Progress Pride flag during June. To conclude Pride Month, we have compiled a list of MMORPGs and multiplayer games that feature queer characters and stories.
In our selection, we focused on the diversity of the characters and their backstories, each coming with their own uniqueness.
Borderlands
The colorful and crazy game series from Gearbox has united a great variety of characters since the first game. Accordingly, over time, a number of queer characters have found their way into the game. There are homosexual characters like Athena or bisexual characters like Axton or the famous Mad Moxxi.
Borderlands 3, however, went a step further and dedicated an entire DLC to a homosexual couple. In Guns, Love and Tentacles, the story revolves around the two characters Alistair Hammerlock and Wainwright Jacobs and their wedding. The celebration is hosted by none other than Gaige, who has hung up her exterminator job and is now a wedding planner.
While one would expect the flashy and chaotic style of Borderlands to not take this DLC seriously, that is not the case. Apart from the typical Borderlands humor and plenty of explosions, “Guns, Love and Tentacles” features heartfelt moments, making the DLC a great mix of fun and seriousness.
Guild Wars 2
In the MMORPG Guild Wars 2, the developers have ensured diversity. On one hand, there are several homosexual couples in the game. These include the two Sylvari Caithe and Faolain or Kasmeer and Majorly who share a kiss in an emotional cutscene.
The theme of gender is also addressed by the developers in Guild Wars 2. For many years, there has been a transgender character like Aid Worker Sya. After losing everything in an attack by Scarlet Briar, she decided to accept her true self. She used her Mesmer magic for the gender change and changed her former name to Sya.
The Norn character Myrun Skialkin, on the other hand, is non-binary. Myrun plays a role in the Icebrood Saga and helped to protect the Thunderhead Keep against the Destroyers who serve the dragon Primordus. In the fifth chapter of the saga, Myrun supports the player character’s group in their fight against the dragons and offers wise counsel.
League of Legends
Although League of Legends is a MOBA that does not feature a campaign or ongoing storyline, the game still possesses a deep lore. And among the colorful characters, which include humans, cyborgs, robots, golems, animals, and many other anthropomorphic beings, there are also homosexual couples.
One such couple was recently introduced by Riot. For many years, players suspected that sparks were flying between the champions Leona and Diana, and not just during battles. In the short story “Rise Up With Me”, readers discover that the two started a romance during their school years.
The girls attend the same rhetoric course, where Leona unfortunately struggles. She asks Diana to give her tutoring lessons. This develops into a relationship that faces problems and misunderstandings but ultimately ends in a kiss. Unfortunately, the story has been shortened or even completely cut in China and Russia.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
When the romance options in Star Wars: The Old Republic were first introduced, many fans were surprised that only heterosexual relationships were possible. After all, BioWare was already known for series such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age, in which one can start a romance not only with same-sex partners but also with aliens and other races.
Therefore, the developers stepped on the gas and implemented bisexual relationships in their MMORPG over the years. As is often the case with BioWare games, you can start a romance with these NPCs. Initial dialogue options lead to flirting, from which, with a certain probability, a relationship can develop.
In the expansions Knights of the Fallen Empire, Forged Alliances, and Jedi Under Siege, various characters were added who will not refuse flirting attempts from both genders. These include Sith Lord Lana Beniko and Jedi Consular Nadia Grell, for example. But while sexuality may not matter, the fun often stops when you find yourself on the wrong side of the Force.
Overwatch
Similar to League of Legends, the hero shooter Overwatch does not have a story campaign, but there is plenty of lore and background information on its colorful characters. Since the announcement of the game by Blizzard, the Overwatch community has speculated that one character or another might not be entirely heterosexual.
This was confirmed by the development team gradually through small stories, comics, or hints in artwork. In a Christmas special “Reflections”, it was revealed that Tracer is a lesbian and has a girlfriend for whom she desperately tries to find a suitable gift at the last moment.
In the short story “Bastet”, which mainly revolves around the heroine Ana, it is discovered that Soldier 76 had a boyfriend. Unfortunately, unlike the story in “Reflections”, this story does not have a happy ending. Soldier 76 vowed to protect the weak and oppressed, prioritizing this duty over all else, including his then-boyfriend.
World of Warcraft
Blizzard has not only provided more diversity and rainbows in Overwatch. In their long-lived MMORPG World of Warcraft, you will also encounter queer characters. With the latest expansion Shadowlands, not only new raids, quests, and areas were introduced, but also the first transgender character in WoW.
The character Pelagos is even part of the main quest and an important NPC during the quest. He is a Kyrian in the Shadowlands. During his lifetime, he was physically a woman instead of a man. This changed after his death, as souls in the Shadowlands can choose a new form that they prefer.
Thus, Pelagos chose a form that corresponds more to his true personality, which was a male body instead of a female one. In Azeroth, there are also lesbian characters such as the enchantress Ilanya and her companion, priestess Driana.
Destiny 2
Wrapping up our list is the shooter Destiny 2, in which there are several homosexual couples. For instance, there is the scout Devrim Kay, who has his base in a church in the European Dead Zone. He was already outed as homosexual early in the game.
Devrim is married to an NPC named Marc, and they lived together in the Last City. Some time after their wedding, the two adopted the orphaned girl Suraya Hawthorne, whom they raised with much love. After the city was attacked by the Red Legion of Dominus Ghaul, they fled to the European Dead Zone, where they were taken in by other refugees on the farm founded by Suraya.
Another couple, which was announced several years after the release of Destiny 2, are the two lore figures from Destiny, Warlock Osiris and Titan Saint-14. In a series of sweet notes found in the game, Saint-14 refers to his partner as “my fiery phoenix”.
Other multiplayer games and MMORPGs that feature queer characters include Apex Legends, GTA V, The Secret World, and Stardew Valley.
What queer characters or homosexual couples in MMOs and multiplayer games do you know of? Share them with us in the comments.
