LGBTQ games like Dragon Age and Overwatch 2 could end up banned in Russia
Russia has tightened its bigoted grip on the LGBTQ+ community thanks to its further extension of the ‘LGBTQ propaganda law’ – and now queer gamers in Russia are worried that it’ll affect LGBTQ games like Dragon Age and Overwatch 2.
On December 5, Russian President Vladamir Putin signed in a law that further expands the restriction and repression of something which the government deems to be “LGBTQ propaganda.” What this effectively means is that any expression of the LGBTQ “lifestyle”, whether that’s through advertisements, TV and, yes, video games, could be subject to a heavy fine. Previously the law was only focused on the prohibition of LGBTQ ‘propaganda’ and ‘behaviour’ being shown to children.
While this new law hasn’t outright stated that LGBTQ+ inclusive media will be banned, Metro News has pointed out that “the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee of Education, Yana Lantratova, named Apex Legends among a list of titles featuring LGBTQ+ characters that may be banned in Russia” back in November this year.
Some of the games mentioned by Lantratova are Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Divinity Original Sin 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Life is Strange, The Last of Us Part 2, Apex Legends, Overwatch 2 and RimWorld.
“In all these games there are gays, lesbians, transgenders, and bisexuals,” Lantratova is quoted to have said.
The chairman also mentioned The Sims series, with a particular focus on The Sims 3, which they said was popular with female gamers in particular. They mentioned that the player, also known as ‘the hero’ has the option to kiss a “same-sex friend”, ask them out on dates and shockingly enough, even start a family and have children. What was particularly damning was Lantratova stating that “sometimes the hero himself can be molested with kisses by people of the same-sex. Such behaviour is demonstrated as the norm.”
As of the time of writing this article, it has not been confirmed that queer Russian gamers will no longer have access to these games in the future. However considering the harsh and homophobic legislation passing through Russia at the moment, queer Russians are fearing for their future.
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