Thursday, December 26, 2024
Games NewsNews

Gayming Awards 2023 Nominees Revealed

The Gayming Awards has finally revealed all of the nominees for 2023.

2023 has been a great year for LGBTQ+ gaming, with more games across a variety of genres pulling their weight in showing an authentic, fun queer experience. This year the Gayming Awards 2023 nominees are looking particularly indie, with Wylde Flowers and SIGNALIS leading the way with three nominations each.

The Gayming Awards have thrived since 2021, where we hosted the very first LGBTQ gaming awards ceremony and event. The Awards set out to celebrate and highlight the achievements within the global gaming culture that represent and champion the LGBTQ experience. In our first year, Hades from Supergiant Games took home the prize for several categories, such as Game of the Year and Gayming Magazine’s Reader Award. It was an event that y was watched by over 150,000 unique viewers around the world, becoming the largest LGBTQ+ event on Twitch that year.

Ever since we’ve returned to celebrate the incredible LGBTQ+ games and the people who make them, with more and more people supporting, sponsoring, and partnering us along the way. 2023 is no exception to this.

The Gayming Awards 2023 Nominees

The full list of nominees for The Gayming Awards 2023 can be found below:

  • Game of the Year Award
    Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers – PQube & Fiction Factory Games
    Cult of the Lamb – Devolver Digital & Massive Monster
    Elden Ring – FromSoftware & Bandai Namco
    God of War Ragnarök – SIE Santa Monica Studio
  • Gayming Magazine Readers’ Award – sponsored by Devolver Digital
    Cult of the Lamb – Devolver Digital & Massive Monster
    Disney Dreamlight Valley – Gameloft
    Elden Ring – FromSoftware & Bandai Namco
    Ghostwire Tokyo – Bethesda Softworks
    Horizon Forbidden West – Sony Interactive Entertainment
    Stray – Annapurna Interactive & Blue Twelve Studio
    Tunic – Finji
    Wylde Flowers – Studio Drydock
  • Best LGBTQ+ Indie Game Award
    Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers – PQube & Fiction Factory Games
    Butterfly Soup 2 – Brianna Lei
    SIGNALIS – rose-engine & Humble Games
    ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area – Veritable Joy
    We Are OFK – Team OFK
    Wylde Flowers – Studio Drydock
  • LGBTQ+ Streamer of the Year Award – sponsored by Streamlabs
    – DragTrashly
    – Espé Symoné
    – Fox Queen
    – Gothika Love
    – HiDro
    – opsoymilk
    – Sammy M Jay
    – SuperButterBuns
    – Toph
    – Willow
  • Authentic Representation Award
    I Was a Teenage Exoconologist – Northway Games & Finji
    Saints Row – Deep Silver
    SIGNALIS – rose-engine & Humble Games
    Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands – Gearbox & 2K
    ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area – Veritable Joy
    We Are OFK – Team OFK
  • Best LGBTQ+ Character Award – sponsored by Rocksteady Studios
    – Bones Three-Wood – Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands – Gearbox & 2K
    – Bridget – Guilty Gear Strive – Arc System Works
    – Catalyst – Apex Legends – Respawn & EA
    – ELSTER – SIGNALIS – rose-engine & Humble Games
    – Lor – New Tales from the Borderlands – Gearbox & 2K
    – Tara Wylde – Wylde Flowers – Studio Drydock
  • Industry Diversity Award
    – Code Coven
    – GaymerX
    – Girls Run These Worlds
    – GLITCH
    – Qweerty Gamers
  • Best LGBTQ+ Contribution to Esports Award
    – Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association
    – Team Overture
    – Valorant Game Changers
    – XSET
  • Best LGBTQ+ Tabletop Game of the Year Award
    Adventuring with Pride – A Queero’s Journey – Jack Dixon
    Pathfinder Lost Omens – Paizo
    Pride Across the Multiverse – Wizards of the Coast
    Tower of the Soul – Awfully Queer Heroes
  • Best LGBTQ+ Comic Book Moment Award
    Marvel’s Voices ICEMAN – Luciano Vecchio & Marvel Comics
    Rockstar and Softboy – Image Comics
    Superman: Son of Kal-El – DC Comics
    Young Men in Love – Joe Glass and Matt Miner (editors) & A Wave New World
  • LGBTQ+ Streamer Rising Star Class of ’23 – sponsored by Logitech G
    – To be revealed in 2023
  • Gayming Icon Award – sponsored by Facebook Gaming
    – To be revealed in 2023

The winners of two categories, Gayming Icon, sponsored by Facebook Gaming, and the LGBTQ+ Streamer Rising Stars, sponsored by Logitech G, will be revealed in April ahead of the Awards.

Robin Gray, our founder and the founnder of the Gayming Awards said: “I’m thrilled by the amazing line up of nominees this year. It’s a real testament to the work in the LGBTQ+ indie game space that two of the three games leading the way with nominations this year are indies. I also love the amount of diversity on show from trans-led stories, impactful characters, and developers from all around the world. A huge congratulations to everyone and I can’t wait to see who takes home the Awards in April.”

The Gayming Awards makes its Broadway debut this April in New York City, with a date to be confirmed when tickets go on sale in late January. The show will also be streaming globally through the Awards’ official broadcast partners Twitch (twitch.tv/gaymingmag) and IGN. For the first time, the Gayming Awards After Show will broadcast live immediately after the main show with special guests on stream unpacking the results alongside some big surprises and exclusives!

Supporters for the Awards include Sumo Digital, Keywords Studios, Twitch, the German Games Industry Association, Out Making Games, GGP: Gay Gaming Professionals, and NYC Gaymers, with further sponsors to be revealed.

Public voting is now OPEN for the Gayming Magazine Readers’ Award and LGBTQ+ Streamer of the Year categories. Head on over to GAYMINGMAG.COM/VOTE23 to cast your votes!

About The Author