GLAAD gives the Oustanding Video Game Award to Tell Me Why and The Last of Us Part 2
In a turn of events that we sure didn’t see coming, the GLAAD Media Awards picked two winners for the Outstanding Video Game Award – Tell Me Why and The Last of Us Part 2. As far as we know, no two video games have ever been tied for the win of this award before.
Both The Last of Us Part 2 and Tell Me Why were pivotal step forwards for triple-A gaming, introducing both the first lesbian and trans man protagonist in a lead role. People from all over the world have found passion and admiration in these two protagonists, Ellie and Tyler – so it’s no surprise these two games have had such an impact.
The Last of Us Part 2 follows Ellie who, alongside her girlfriend and companion Dina, travels to Seattle on a quest for vengeance. Along the way, she’ll meet new people, new enemies, and discover new things about herself that she didn’t know before.
As for Tell Me Why, it’s a game that puts players in the shoes of twins Tyler and Alyson and the mysterious circumstances that follow their mother’s death.
Both games do not focus entirely on the character’s and who they are – but that’s what makes the portrayal of them so engaging and says a lot about why these two games managed to both snag the award for Outstanding Video Game.
Em Schatz, co-lead game designer on The Last of Us Part 2 summed it up best. “Although the LGBTQ identities of our characters is important, it’s just one of many aspects, dimensions, and even contradictions, that make a character feel more human and more like us.”
While GLAAD chose The Last of Us Part 2 and Tell Me Why as its winners, let’s not forget the other nominees included, either. A big shout out to Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Bugsnax, Ikenfell, Borderlands 3: Guns, Love, and Tentacles, Hades, Immortals Fenyx Rising, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands and If Found… You’re all winners in our eyes.
The full list of GLAAD award winners is still being updated as we speak. If you’re interested in finding out more, click here.
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