This is my first time seeing this thread and I’ve enjoyed reading through the discussions and articles so far. I don’t know if I’ll have anything of value to add as I find it hard to express myself (I can’t even remember the last time I even posted in the forum) but it’s comforting to see we have a place here and don’t have to hide or be quiet. We can say who we are blatantly without fear of being told we’re attention-seeking, etc.
On the discussion of Tell Me Why and If Found… I have played both games and enjoyed them. I didn’t notice anything problematic in them but I’m also not the most educated gay so it can be hard to notice issues. While I enjoyed the gameplay of Tell Me Why more, If Found hurt. There were aspects to it that pulled me back to some hard times during my childhood, that didn’t even have to do with LGBTQ issues, but still are painful nonetheless.
On another note, it makes me very happy I can play as a girl and woo the girls in Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons. I always felt the bachelorettes were cuter than the bachelors in those games so it was frustrating that same-sex marriage wasn’t allowed in the franchise until fairly recently.
Gone Home is the first Steam game I ever purchased. Initially I remember disliking it because it was my first indie game and was not expecting to beat it in less than two hours, but it holds a special place in my heart because it takes place in my home state, Oregon. I feel like Oregon is rarely mentioned or a setting in media so I always get excited when games take place there.
I don’t know if it’s appropriate to recommend LGBTQ+ rep games here, but if so, I like these ones:
- Slime Rancher
- A Year of Springs
- A New Life