DONTNOD’s Tell Me Why features a trans protagonist
DontNod has always championed queer characters in their story-telling, as we’ve seen with their games such as Life is Strange and Vampyr. Now they’ve taken it one step further by including a trans protagonist in their new title, Tell Me Why, shown during X019.
Tell Me Why is a narrative-heavy, mystery game that has you following twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan, who had a loving, but a somewhat troubled childhood. It is up to the player to go through those memories and discover what happened.
What’s notable however is the story of Tyler. A character who Florent Guillaume, Tell Me Why‘s Game Director, confirms is a trans man. This is an inclusion that cannot be talked about enough, as Tyler may possibly be the very first trans character to be involved in an triple A game. We can only hope that this will inspire other studios to do the same in the future.
Xbox has also confirmed that DontNod has worked very closely with “LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD in shaping Tyler as an authentic representation of the trans experience, as well as a genuine, multidimensional character.” Considering how easy it is to turn LGBT characters into a caricature, we’re excited to hear more about how Tyler will be handled.
In terms of gameplay and story, both Tyler and Alyson are equals. Both are controllable and you’ll need both to discover the mystery behind Tell Me Why.
Check out the trailer for yourself below, then let us know what you think!
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