The video game industry has seen an evolution of inclusivity in many ways. Despite the ups-and-downs of crunch culture, lawsuits, and many other obstacles, there are at least ongoing efforts to represent people of marginalized groups and orientations. To spotlight some of those underrepresented in the video games industry, The Gayming awards will be the first LGBTQ+ awards show of its kind. The event will go live digitally on February 24, 2021, and be presented by EA Games.
Electronic Arts isn’t the only gaming company to offer its support for the awards show. Other sponsors for the digital-only event include Creative Assembly (Total War) and Jagex (Runescape). Online retailer Green Man Gaming will also join the roster of sponsors, along with AAA publisher and developer, Square Enix. As the show is more than four months away, there are promises of more sponsors to come.
“EA are delighted to be sponsoring the first ever Gayming Awards. As one of the founding partners of the #RaiseTheGame pledge, we’re committed to celebrating diversity and inclusion within the games industry and the Gayming Awards is a great opportunity to do just that,” said Colin Blackwood, UKI country manager from presenting partner EA Games.
Nominations are now open
The Gaming Awards will offer a variety of categories for nominations within the games industry. Some of those include “Best LGBTQ Character” and “Best LGBTQ Narrative.” Nominations are also open for “Best LGBTQ Streamer.”
The aforementioned game companies won’t just sponsor the overall show, but specific awards as well. For example, the Industry Diversity Award aims to recognize organizations, publishers, or studios that “have done a significant amount of work in promoting, developing and championing diversity within their companies.” This award will be sponsored by Square Enix. Others like the “Authentic Representation Award” will recognize the most authentic LGBTQ representation in a video game. That award will be sponsored by Green Man Gaming, a company that has also contributed to organizations like GamesAid in the past.
The Gayming Awards will go live on February 24, 2021, at 4 PM ET. Voting will take place in November and December. All games released in the 2020 calendar year are eligible for nomination.
