Gayming Awards 2021

The Gayming Awards, presented by EA Games, broadcast exclusively worldwide on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/gaymingmag/, on February 24th 2021, at 8pm GMT (3pm ET, 12pm PT).

The Gayming Awards are the world’s first award ceremony celebrating all that is great about LGBTQ video gaming. The Awards set out to celebrate the achievements of the global gaming industry in representing and championing the LGBTQ world through video games.

The Gayming Awards is an initiative from Gayming Magazine, the world’s first LGBTQ video game magazine which launched in 2019 in the UK. Gayming Magazine has rapidly grown to become the voice of LGBTQ gaming and is excited to be able to acknowledge and reward game developers, publishers and industry individuals for their work.

Categories for the awards are listed below and an esteemed global panel of over 20 LGBTQ judges presided over the nominations and voting, with the exception of ‘LGBTQ Streamer of the Year’ and the ‘Gayming Magazine Readers’ Award’ which will be voted for by the public.

Watch

Categories

Game of the Year – sponsored by EA Games

The Game of the Year Award celebrates the best game released in 2020, as chosen by our diverse panel of judges.

Nominees:

Animal Crossing
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Hades – WINNER
Tell Me Why

Gayming Magazine Readers Award – sponsored by PlayStation

This award celebrates Gayming Magazine readers’ favourite game of 2020.

Nominees:

Animal Crossing
Baldur’s Gate 3
Crusader Kings III
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Hades – WINNER
If Found…
Kentucky Route Zero Act V
Paradise Killer
Tell Me Why
The Last of Us Part II

Best LGBTQ Indie Game – sponsored by Xbox

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.

Nominees:

A Summer’s End
Ace in Space
Errant Kingdom
If Found… – WINNER
Ikenfell
Murder by Numbers

LGBTQ Streamer of the Year – sponsored by Twitch

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.

Nominees:

BiggusBennus
BiqtchPuddin
CypherOfTyr
Deere – WINNER
Eevolicious
FoxQueen
IamBrandon
J0hnJ0hnn
LittleLegsTV
MermaidQueenJude
MeteorMatt
MiaByte
Psyche
QueerGod

Authentic Representation Award – sponsored by Green Man Gaming

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.

Nominees:

Hades
Later Daters
Tell Me Why – WINNER
The Last of Us Part II

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.

Nominees:

Andrea Rhodea – Final Fantasy VII Remake
Ellie – The Last of Us 2
Sir Hammerlock & Wainwright Jakobs – Borderlands 3: Guns, Love & Tentacles
Tyler Ronan – Tell Me Why – WINNER

Best LGBTQ Narrative – sponsored by Hangar 13

Telling an authentic LGBTQ story can be highly impactful and meaningful. This award recognises the best example of an important LGBTQ narrative in a game.

Nominees:

Borderlands 3 – Guns, Love & Tentacles
If Found… – WINNER
Tell Me Why
The Last of Us Part II

Industry Diversity Award – sponsored by Square Enix

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.

Nominees:

I Need Diverse Games – WINNER
Rainbow Arcade
Rainbow Game Jam
Ukie: The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment

Gayming Icon Award – presented by Gayming Magazine

Gayming Magazine is proud to reveal that renowned game developer Robert Yang will be the recipient of the Gayming Icon Award at this year’s Gayming Awards.

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.

Supporters

The Gayming Awards are proudly supported by…

Jagex – Publisher of RuneScape and the Home of Living Games

Creative Assembly – a craft-led studio with over 33 years’ experience

Sold Out Games – a world-leading video game publisher with 15 years of experience

Ukie – the UK’s games and interactive entertainment industry trade body

Out Making Games – the UK games industry’s LGBTQ representation group

Games London – the agency promoting London as a hub of games making