The MMORPG Guild Wars 2 (GW2) is colorful and diverse. Players celebrate this every year with parades for the LGBTQ+ community, and they are a wonderful spectacle.
While Guild Wars 2 is still hosting the Dragon’s Brawl, today marks the last day of Pride Month. A month typically filled with parades and events to support the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ stands for the community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals, along with others of diverse orientations. We at MeinMMO as well as GameStar and GamePro take a clear stand on this issue.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many “Christopher Street Day” parades or other events were canceled this year. However, this did not apply to the Tyria Pride 2020 in Guild Wars 2. The parades took place again this weekend, vibrant and spectacular.
[Source: Tine of Nice Dreams via YouTube]
Colorful Costumes, Fireworks, and Kites
What is Tyria Pride? Tyria is the world in Guild Wars 2 and is the namesake for this event. For several years now, parades have been taking place in Guild Wars 2 in June.
They aim to support the LGBTQ+ movement, not just ideologically but also actively with donations to charitable organizations. For this purpose, players from the European and American megaservers come together for parades.
Guilds and players from the LGBTQ+ community meet, as well as those who simply want to show support.
How colorful is Tyria: Players do not gather just any old way. For the parades, colorful colors and costumes are brought out. Players often cloak themselves in rainbow colors or pastels. Outfits can also be quite extravagant for some.
During the parade, fireworks are launched. You will also find all sorts of kites and balloons there. Everything that shines and draws attention is allowed.
You can see what a parade looks like in the video by Sognatori Di Tramonto [DRMS]:
Marching for a Good Cause
The parades are not just a spectacle for in-game fun. A serious issue is being highlighted here, and donations should be collected for this purpose.
The invitation to the event is made through the Guild Wars 2 forum, among other places. Here, information is provided not only about the location, time, and reason for the parades, but also about the important purpose of the donations:
Residents of Tyria!
You are invited to celebrate Tyria Pride 2020 with us on June 27th and 28th at 4 PM on the EU server and at 4 PM on the NA server.
We mainly march to show our support for players of gender and sexual minorities. Some of them have discovered Guild Wars 2 as one of the few safe places where they can just be themselves and escape the problems of the real world.
In other words, we march to spread the message of positivity, acceptance, and love!
Supporters and advocates of equality for all are especially welcome, as are members of the LGBTQIA+ communities! (here the abbreviation is further extended by groups such as diverse and asexual)
In addition to the fun in the game, we also want to support charitable causes! For the third consecutive year, we are partnering with “Gamers Giving Back,” who lead the organization on the NA side. Together we are raising funds for “Rainbow Railroad,” a charitable organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ individuals who seek a safe haven away from countries where their lives are in danger—just because they are who they are.
Lelling.6795 via Forum
How much was donated? For Tyria Pride 2020, a nice sum was raised again. In total, supporters donated nearly €1,800, which can now be used for those in need.
This is not the only event organized by the Guild Wars 2 community. Players are also active in other areas. Recently, an event was organized to revive the PvP scene.
Parades Full of Messages, Not Just for LGBTQ+
The chat is also actively used during the parades. Calls for “Tyria Pride 2020” are joined by many other declarations of tolerance. However, this year Tyria Pride stood not only for LGBTQ+. The recent events of police violence in the USA also brought “Black Lives Matter” into focus.
Therefore, the organization decided in 2020 to encourage its participants to also donate to BLM organizations. They provided links to the donation website of Tyria Pride, where supporters can get informed or split their contribution.
Guild Wars 2 is not the only game that supports the LGBTQ+ movement. The Elder Scrolls Online also addresses the topic. And MeinMMO author Larissa Then believes that ESO does this in a very beautiful way.
