Gayming Awards 2023

The Gayming Awards returned for its third year with a streamed show on April 24th, 2023, presented by Logitech G and Streamlabs.

This year, more of the nominations were opened to the public in a continued quest to find and support diversity in games.

Watch the Gayming Awards 2023:

Categories

Game of the Year

The Game of the Year Award celebrates the best game released in 2022, as chosen by our diverse panel of judges.

Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers – Pqube & Fiction Factory Games
WINNER: 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

This award celebrates Gayming Magazine readers’ favourite game of 2022.

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
WINNER: Stray – Annapurna Interactive & Blue Twelve Studio
Tunic – Finji
Wylde Flowers – Studio Drydock

Best LGBTQ Indie Game

Indie games allow more personal and diverse stories to be told, yet regularly are overlooked for awards. This award acknowledges the best indie game made by an independent developer which is focussed on telling an LGBTQ story, or heavily features an LGBTQ element.

For the purposes of this award, we define an ‘indie game’ as a game developed by an independent developer who is an individual or small group that is not owned by another company that makes games.

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
WINNER: Wylde Flowers – Studio Drydock

LGBTQ Streamer of the Year – sponsored by Streamlabs

Streaming is one of the great new entertainment frontiers and LGBTQ streamers play a huge part in bringing together communities of likeminded people. This award is for the most popular LGBTQ streamer, as chosen by the watching public.

WINNER: DragTrashly
Espé Symoné
Fox Queen
Gothika Love
HiDro
psoymilk
Sammy M Jay
SuperButterBuns
Toph
Willow

Authentic Representation Award

Authentic representation of the LGBTQ experience is an important part of the modern entertainment world. This award recognises the best example of authentic LGBTQ representation in a game.

WINNER: I Was a Teenage Exocolonist – 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 – sponsored by Rocksteady Studios

The inclusion of LGBTQ characters in games is hugely important and can be a bold step for visibility. This award recognises the best LGBTQ character (playable or significant NPC) in a game.

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
WINNER: Lor – New Tales from the Borderlands – Gearbox & 2K
Tara Wylde – Wylde Flowers – Studio Drydock

Industry Diversity Award

Greater diversity in the games industry makes for greater diversity in games. This award celebrates the organisation who has done a significant amount of work in promoting, developing and championing diversity in the global games industry.

Code Coven
GaymerX
Girls Run These Worlds
WINNER: GLITCH
Qweerty Gamers

Gayming Icon Award – sponsored by Facebook Gaming

The Gayming Icon award is given to an individual that has significantly contributed towards furthering the status and increasing the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in the gaming industry.

Ashly Burch has been named Gayming Icon 2023 – read more here

LGBTQ Streamer Rising Star Class of ’23 – sponsored by Logitech G

The inaugural Gayming Awards Rising Star Class of 2022 consists of six streamers, all of which have made incredible strides in their streaming career over the last year and have made significant contributions to the LGBTQ+ world within the gaming space.

BetweenTwoGays (Jayce & Ryan)
Blobarella
itsOnlyVega
MadiDuVernay
Marisol Lords
TheJustRyan

Read more about the LGBTQ Streamer Rising Star Class of ’23 here.

Best LGBTQ Contribution to Esports Award

This award recognises the contribution of a person or organisation who has done a significant amount of work in promoting, developing and championing diversity in esports.

Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association
Team Overture
Valorant Game Changers
WINNER: XSET

Best LGBTQ Tabletop Game of the Year Award

This award recognises the best tabletop game or supplemental released in 2022 with LGBTQ themes.

WINNER: 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

This award recognises the best LGBTQ moment in a comic book or manga in 2022.

Marvel’s Voices ICEMAN – Luciano Vecchio & Marvel Comics
Rockstar and Softboy – Image Comics
Superman: Son of Kal-El – DC Comics
WINNER: Young Men in Love – Joe Glass and Matt Miner (editors) & A Wave Blue World

Supporters

The Gayming Awards are proudly supported by:

More Information

SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES: More sponsorship opportunities remain, contact ron@grayjonesmedia.com to discuss your involvement.

PRESS INQUIRIES: To schedule interviews with key talent, or to find out more about the stories available, please contact press@grayjonesmedia.com