GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Video Game

In September 2018 GLAAD announced that it introduce a category at the GLAAD Media Awards for recognizing video games.[8] According to Zeke Stokes, the Vice President of Programs, GLAAD had been interested in the video game medium for years.[9] Some of the factors that led to the creation of the Outstanding Video Game category were, according to Stokes, 2017 being a turning point in the industry—given the plethora of LGBT-inclusive video games released in that year—as well as video games being one of the primary sources of entertainment for youngsters.[9]

Stokes acknowledged that in contrast to films and television series, video games and especially Triple-A games rarely include LGBTQ characters and themes.[9] While independent games are more inclusive of such content, GLAAD is interested in Triple-A games including LGBT themes, especially given the size of the industry.[9] Prior to announcing the creation of the category, GLAAD had consulted various gaming studios, to ensure that the category would have "weight and meaning and attract submissions to give the industry an optimistic path forward".[9]

In January 2019, following the announcement of the inaugural Outstanding Video Game nominees, GLAAD released a statement regarding the inclusion of Assassin's Creed Odyssey. The game's Legacy of the First Blade downloadable content attracted controversy for featuring a storyline placing the player character Alexios or Kassandra in an unavoidable heterosexual relationship that results in an offspring.[10]

While GLAAD's Blair Durkee, Associate Director of Gaming, also criticized the storyline for "send[ing] the harmful message that sexual orientation can be changed at will and that LGBTQ people can choose to conform to heteronormative expectations in spite of their identities",[10] she defended the nomination of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, acknowledging that progress can be complicated and that to "encourage developers and publishers to continue to make these types of bold moves in the future, we must allow for growth, acknowledge that missteps do occur, and give proper credit where credit is due".[10]

Following the category's announcement, Polygon's Owen S. Good lamented that given the awards eligibility criteria, indie games inclusive of LGBT characters and themes such as Tacoma, Butterfly Soup, and Dream Daddy couldn't be nominated.[2] CJ Adriessen of Destructoid was disappointed by the inaugural nominees in 2019, arguing that The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories deserved a nomination given its positive and respectful representation of trans people,[20] and described the game's exclusion as having "le[ft] a rotten taste in [his] mouth".[20]

Also discussing the category's inaugural nominees, Jay Castello of Rock Paper Shotgun criticized the inclusion of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, particularly in light of its Legacy of the First Blade DLC.[21] Castello argued that, especially given GLAAD's own criticisms of the DLC, Odyssey "wasn't, in fact, 'outstanding'",[21] pointing out that all optional love interests in the game are playersexual, and doesn't offer enough same-sex options for Alexios.[21] Furthermore, she argued that indie games such as Heaven Will Be Mine and Hardcoded, which deal heavily with LGBT themes and are made by LGBTQ+ people—unlike Assassin's Creed Odyssey and The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset—were more deserving of recognition.[21]

Imogen Beckhelling also of Rock Paper Shotgun, would go on to criticize the 2020 nominees, arguing that it's still "missing the point",[22] pointing out how in Overwatch both Tracer and Soldier: 76 are revealed to be queer only in the tie-in comics, outside of the game.[22] While Beckhelling believed that LGBT representation in video games is important, and progress in Triple-A games should be celebrated, she argued that indie games deserve more recognition, singling out Heart of the Woods for praise.[22]

Regarding the 2022 ceremony, Jade King described the nominees as consisting of "both triple-A titles and indie hits".[23] While King acknowledged some of the nominees' representation was minimal and the games were included likely to "make up the numbers",[23] she recognized that progress isn't a linear process, and described the list as being well-founded.[23]