A free queer game? Yes, please!
Video game developer DONTNOD Entertainment announced yesterday that it’s doing a special Pride Month giveaway. The company’s game Tell Me Why is being made available to download and play for free during June. This giveaway is available on Xbox consoles, Windows 10, and Steam. And of course, gamers who download the game during the month of June will be able to keep it after the month ends!
In honor of Pride Month, Tell Me Why is available FOR FREE on Xbox consoles and PC — for the entire month of June! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Read our latest blog post, where we ✨tell you why✨ we're doing this: https://t.co/nAgp5cmEGU pic.twitter.com/h1aoWawyx3
— Tell Me Why 🏳️⚧️ (@TellMeWhyGame) June 1, 2021
Tell Me Why is a three-part episodic game series that follows a set of twins as they unravel the mystery of their upbringing with their troubled mother. Tyler and Alyson Ronan return to their hometown and have to piece together the stories of their past. The game then uses that information to decide which story to believe.
After releasing last Summer, the game received praise from LGBTQ gamers for its transmale lead. The first of its kind in the video game industry.
Tyler Ronan Appreciation Post #Tellmewhy pic.twitter.com/v1MQylYYL7
— marc 🍂🐞🐈⬛ (@teomaticx) September 1, 2020
https://twitter.com/damisthios/status/1300497974922039300?s=20
#tellmewhy doodle. =‘) pic.twitter.com/O7WqrLzj3H
— bispa (@bispabispa) August 26, 2020
But why is DONTNOD doing this? In a blog post, the company shared their “intention in making Tell Me Why free for June 2021 is both to allow even more people to access the game and to encourage [their] players to spend their money in places that will directly affect trans and queer communities.”
The company then cited some ideas of where players could donate their money such as supporting games and interactive fiction from trans and queer independent developers. They then listed some of their favorites like That Which Faith Demands by Jenna Yow, Spirit Swap by Soft Not Weak, Ikenfell by Happy Ray Games, and If Found… by DREAMFEEL.
DONTNOD also noted the “intensifying bigotry and harmful legislation against trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming people in many parts of the world” inspired their desire to make trans representation more accessible.
Happy Pride Month to LGBTQ gamers and to DONTNOD Entertainment!
