There have been many events and demonstrations to show representation and support for the LGBTQ+ community throughout the month of June. Among all of their members are scores of creatives who have found their way to many different mediums, including video games. Now, although there are a variety of titles with prominent LGBTQ+ themes and characters, they can sometimes draw more attention than the developers who are part of the community and working hard to create a number of quality games. There are both groups and individuals who are pursuing this and here are some names that you should remember to keep pride going — not just this month, but every month.
Lumi Interactive
In Melbourne, Australia is a small team of kind-hearted devs who are working on a heartwarming experience. This game studio known as Lumi Interactive is currently working on a game called Kinder World. The game is all about self-care, which promotes mental health and general well-being. It revolves around a warm and inviting room where you’ll receive some potted plants that will be under your care. As you tend to them, you’ll also collect colorful leaves used to grow your own kind of plants. You’ll also receive prompts for daily exercises to help you unwind. Beyond that, you’ll join a community where you can send encouraging words and thoughts to other players.
Crispy Creative
With the way the world is changing, more and more people are deciding to work remotely. Naturally, this shift also includes whole companies. This is the case for Crispy Creative, which started in Los Angeles and whose entire team is working remotely on their project A Long Journey To An Uncertain End. The members are all contributing their own experiences to the game, but also offer services to aid people in developing their own games. Their first game is a sci-fi title with a heavy focus on narration and colorful animation. Identified as a space opera, you’ll be tasked with putting a diverse crew together in order to explore the unknown parts of the galaxy as you escape a toxic relationship and follow your own path.
Aipo Digital
The community is worldwide with devs wanting to share their ideas and passion locally and internationally. This is what Aipo Digital is trying to do, having established itself in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This game studio is made up of a team of talented designers and narratives who are working to bring Deliria to life. This unusual sci-fi game takes place in an outer-space bar that’s open to travelers from all across the universe. As you take a seat and have a drink, you’ll get caught up in the stories of the other patrons. And as you learn more about them, you may learn more about yourself.
OFK Band
There are many ways to tell a story through words, visuals, and of course, music. What’s beautiful is when all of these pieces come together and that’s what OFK Band is working on. With a full team of talented developers from all over, they’ve come together to tell their story in the upcoming biopic game We Are OFK. Planning for summer release, it’s a musical animation journey following the interconnected lives of several people. As you guide them on their individual journeys, you’ll need to make decisions both large and small, social and professional, all in pursuit of what you really want and who you really want in your life.
Fuzzy Ghost
itch.io has really stepped up in terms of providing a place and community for new devs to share their ideas. Among these devs in the small team of Fuzzy Ghost who are combining their animating talents to bring joy through gaming. They currently have two games available in Queer Man Peering Into A Rock Pool.jpg and Pebble Witch. The former is a third-person adventure following an old man as he prances across a beautiful rosy coastline looking for things to put in his house. The latter is a shorter top-down experience where you play as a witch exploring a small town and listening to the sounds of stones.
Up Multimedia
Another itch.io creator, Up Multimedia appears to be a solo practitioner working on adventure and visual novel types of games. They’ve got two games in their catalog which have almost a comic book feel to them and sci-fi themes. You’ll be in for quite the ride in Escape From Pleasure Planet and My Ex-Boyfriend The Space Tyrant. Both are point-and-click experiences where you guide the hero across a colorful world and meet colorful characters. There’s comedy, drama, action, adventure and a whole lotta space to found around here.
Alexis Royce
Going by their name, Alexis Royce has built a place for themselves on itch.io with several titles to share. Still working as a webcomic artist, Royce expanded into the world of gaming by taking on the Visual Novel genre. With four titles on their page, Royce covers a range of comedy, romance, crime, and simulation in their creativity. The following games May I Take Your Order, Is Lupin Still Flirting?, The Case Of The Serialized Killer, and The Jig Is Up! Are all available to play and Royce is also offering commission work to keep honing their artistic skills.
