Confetti’s Cozy Corner: 10 fun games for Pride all year round
The month of June is coming to a close, but that does not mean we stop celebrating Pride. We are queer all year and of course will be gaming, so here’s my 10 games to celebrate pride all year round.
Queer representation in gaming has been on the rise, and that includes asexual representation. If you are looking for some fun games to play with unapologetic queer representation check out some of the titles I recommend!
Wylde Flowers
Wylde Flowers is a magical farming, life sim where you play as Tara Wylde, a witch in training. Tara moves to Fairhaven to help out her grandmother Hazel with her farm. Although Hazel is getting up there in age, her mind is as sharp as ever and mentors Tara in the ways of farm life.
Tara acclimates to Fairhaven by meeting all of the residents, running errands and learning her way around town. Not everything is as it seems in Fairhaven, as Tara notices a strange group of masked individuals in the forest. Upon further investigation Tara discovers her grandmother among this weird group and naturally has questions. Hazel reveals that she is a witch and that the group of masked individuals are her coven. Before Tara could process all of that information, Hazel reveals that Tara is also a witch.
In Wylde Flowers, you can date almost everyone in Fairhaven. When Tara pulls up to the cozy island, there is a Pride Flag front and center that signals to queer players you are safe here. However, my biggest wish for future titles is the use of the progress flag, so the support of BIPOC Queer and Trans folks is also very visible.
Sticky Business
In Sticky Business you own and run a cozy sticker business. Create stickers, pack orders and hear your customers’ stories. And build your small business into the cutest shop on the internet! Your shop can have a theme, customize the stickers you offer and get the DLC to have even more sticker options! There is intentional effort put into having the majority of identities under the queer umbrella represented to make stickers. Queer representation was present in this cozy game from the beginning, which means inclusion was thought of from the beginning, not something to be added later on.
There are so many LGBTQIA+ sticker options to create! For me I have many progress flag options and Asexual sticker options which is the theme of my shop! A safe, fun and vibrant place to get your ace stickers! Sticky Business is the perfect game to turn off the brain to the daily stressors of the world and maximize one’s creativity while having a fun time.
Date Everything!
Date Everything! Is the newest dating simulator that is taking the cozy community by storm! After starting your first day as a work from home customer service rep, you are laid off due to AI taking your job. Not even having the time to process the high of starting a new job and the grief, [and confusion] of getting laid off the same day, you receive an odd delivery from a drone that gives you glasses called ‘Dateviators’ – which make your house come alive and dateable!
As an introvert I think it is completely reasonable to hold out that the love of my life will simply show up at my doorstep with a marriage proposal, Birkin and large pepperoni pizza. Date Everything feels like an introvert’s dream come true. With a cast of over 100 voice actors, this fully voice acted sandbox dating sim will leave your feet kicking and face flushing.
Ray Chase makes his video game directorial debut with Date Everything, stating intentionality when it came to including asexual and aromantic folks in story lines. You have the ability to skip over certain content, there are fair content warnings, and you are never penalized for not engaging in spicy playthroughs if you do not want to. What Chase and his team did should be standard in more dating sims! When it comes to queer dating and intimacy in dating simulators, more thought should go into including asexual and aromantic folks because so often we are left out or when ‘considered’ we are reduced to unfeeling robots, which is disappointing.
Unpacking
Unpacking is a cozy puzzle narrative game where you take things out of boxes, and decorate the homes you move into. As you unpack and decorate you learn about the life of the person at different stages of their life. It’s a cozy, unique and intimate journey and a beautifully told story. The way queer representation unfolds in Unpacking is simple, elegant and heartwarming. Unpacking is a brilliant example of making a big impact through simple methods with their storytelling. To avoid spoilers, I will not reveal how it is revealed to the player that there is a queer story line, but how it unfolds or unpacks rather, will touch players hearts.
Dragon Age Origins
Dragon Age Origins was unapologetically queer from the moment it released back in 2009. While some NPCs had preference when it came to the protagonist’s gender, the majority of datable suitors would allow you to choose queer relationships. Dating in Dragon Age Origins flowed naturally with the plot and it was apparent that queer representation was included from its development.
One practice that is great about the Dragon Age series is the icon markers used to determine the types of conversations you can have; mainly: romantic, curious/sarcastic, tough and approval seeking. This is a great way to determine what type of conversation players want to have with other characters. This is something I would have loved in a game like Baldur’s Gate 3 to be aware of what type of conversation could happen and to know if the option is romantic or ‘spicy’ in nature. Sometimes not everyone wants to be surprised or accidentally fall into certain conversations, while labeling conversation types certainly did not start with Dragon Age Origins, it definitely made an impact.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn is an action RPG adventure game that follows Aloy, a curious and brave girl of the Nora tribe who is cast out and eventually sets out on an adventure to not only pursue the cultists that murdered the man who raised her but determine their ultimate goals. Horizon Zero Dawn is Guerrilla Games’ first role-playing game and they knocked it out of the park. Visually the game is stunning and the plot will have you questioning everything around you [as good art should do].
Aloy is canonically lesbian, but before we discover that in-game Aloy also exhibits ace coded behaviours. For those who do not know, it is possible to be more than one identity, so if it came to be that Aloy is an asexual lesbian, that would be wonderful; and a great opportunity to show the layers of queer identities and how to write that representation well in a video game.
Thirsty Suitors
Thirsty Suitors is a story-driven game blending RPG combat, skateboarding, and cooking challenges. Developed by Outerloop Games, a minority led studio, this “breakup simulator” focuses on confronting exes, dealing with family, and self-discovery, over dating. The game is fully voice acted, the story is beautiful, messy, and battle mechanics are fun. The game is MESSY and will have you laughing in many moments and crying in the next. Thirsty Suitors tells a story of first loves, friendship, forgiveness, grief and self-discovery. Thirsty Suitors was the recipient of the 2024 Gayming Awards Authentic Representation Award and Best LGBTQ+ Indie Game Award.
Fields of Mistria
Fields of Mistria is a cozy farming sim who’s artwork gives a similar appeal to the anime magical girls of the 80s and 90s. The story begins in the humble and peaceful town of Mistria that’s recently suffered a bad earthquake that has left the town in a disheveled state. So naturally this is where you come in as you are ready to begin your new life that will be full of adventures, love, magic and so much more as you work to restore the village to its former glory.
Fields of Mistria not only has queer romance but queer accessories for many queer identities! I constantly have my farmer in ace gear and having that visible representation in game, especially in a vibrant game like Fields of Mistria makes me feel seen. While the Fields of Mistria 1.0 release date is still a bit away, what is represented in early access gives me hope for even more representation down the line!
This Bed We Made
This Bed We Made created by LowBirth Games is a suspense driven narrative mystery game where you play as Sophie, a hotel maid who is a little too curious about the personal affairs of the guest and finds herself in the middle of scandals and a murder. This Bed We Made takes place in 1950s Montreal the week of Valentines Day during a terrible winter storm. The game begins with our protagonist Sophie being escorted through a police station and the entire scene is in black and white. After a few questions color takes over the screen and you’re transported back to where the story begins, with Sophie cleaning room 504 humming to the tune of Au parc Lafontaine by Lucille Dumont.
You will have the option to clean rooms, clean up potential evidence, and even form relationships with your co-workers. This Bed We Made, depending on which path you take, will go through narratives of the struggles of dealing with stigma of mental health in the 1950s, as well as the barriers queer folks have to deal with just to find a safe space in this cruel world. There are many overlapping queer plotlines that will have you rooting for love throughout the story. This Bed We Made is full of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat and the best part is that there are multiple endings! However, there is sensitive subject matter presented throughout the game, so for a full list of content warnings, it is strongly recommended to take a look at This Bed We Made’s Steam page.
The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds is a player driven action RPG that does not shy away from the very flawed protagonist you play and flawed world you are trying to survive in. Awakening decades later on a colonist ship, you discover you’re lost in transit at the galaxy’s edge. Now, you find yourself embroiled in a profound conspiracy that imperils the Halcyon colony and you must find a way to survive and topple a corrupt corporation. In The Outer Worlds there is a character who is canonically asexual.
Parvati is a talented but shy engineer who often names her machines. She lacks confidence and is a bit indecisive but often speaks on the challenges of romantic relationships because she is asexual and has a specific aversion to physical intimacy. She states that her partners found her cold and felt that relationship was not fulfilling for them, but when getting to know Parvati as a companion you’ll get to know and see just how creative and brilliant she is as you get little glimpses into her world. Her aceness is never the ‘blame’ for her previous relationships not working out, and while she sometimes internalizes her identity being the issue, it’s not. At the end of the day her and her previous partners are simply not compatible.
As Pride Month comes to a close, I want to emphasize we don’t stop being queer July 1st. Amplifying, supporting and protecting queer folks is something that should be done year round. Seeing queer representation in games always makes me happy, and it’s exciting to see more asexual representation in video games. As a queer gamer, I am appreciative to have a space like Gayming Magazine that serves [purrr] and serves as a central hub for all queer media so it’s possible to keep up with all queer Gayming News. Happy Pride everyone, and I hope my gayming recs bring you joy as they have done for me!
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