Life is Strange: True Colors wins at the GLAAD Media Awards 2022
If you ask us, there is nothing strange at all about Life is Strange: True Colors from Deck Nine and Square Enix swooping in and winning the award for Outstanding Video Game at the GLAAD Media Awards 2022.
The GLAAD Media Awards 2022 have yet to be aired publically (at least, not yet), but the winners of most of the categories have already been shared online. This includes categories such as Outstanding Film, Outstanding TV, etc. This year has been a strong line-up for GLAAD, and we can only speak as a fellow LGBTQ+ publication, but we’re super hyped to see media from everywhere get the highlight they deserve.
For those who don’t know, the GLAAD Media Awards are a way for GLAAD to honor and celebrate LGBTQ+ representation within media. This year the event was hosted by RuPaul Drag Race stars, Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara, and D.J. “Shangela” Pierce.
In Life is Strange: True Colors players follow protagonist Alex Chen as she relocates to the cozy, comfy mountain town of Haven, based in Colorado. However her time there quickly turns sour after the death of her brother, Gabe, leaving her no choice but to rely on her two new friends, Steph and Ryan, to help solve the mystery of why Gabe died. As Alex, players get to choose whether they romance Steph, Ryan or end up alone. Either way, Alex is openly bisexual and there are several other LGBTQ+ references to other queer characters in the game.
The quality for this year’s GLAAD Media Awards 2022 is off the charts, particularly for the Outstanding Video Game category which, alongside Life is Strange, featured several popular LGBTQ+ games. These were:
- Boyfriend Dungeon – Kitfox Games
- Far Cry 6 – Ubisoft
- The Gardener and the Wild Vines – Finite Reflection Studios
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Ember Lab
- Life is Strange: True Colors – Deck Nine Games/Square Enix
- Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
- Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan – ManaVoid Entertainment/Skybound Games
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Ubisoft
- Unpacking – Witch Beam/Humble Games
- UNSIGHTED – Studio Pixel Punk/Humble Games
Each game featured incredible, authentic stories that included LGBTQ+ protagonists or companions, such as the non-binary protagonist in Rainbow Billy, the transgender operative in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, as well as the gay love story between a gardener and a prince in The Gardener and the Wild Vines.
Even so, Life is Strange: True Colors took the win for this year’s GLAAD. The series has always been popular with the LGBTQ+ community for telling stories that often other video game developers and publishers are afraid to tell, and last year’s narrative hit was no exception to this.
Other GLAAD award categories have not yet been announced, however the L.A ceremony will be available to stream on April 16 via Hulu.
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