Set in early 15th century Bohemia, the narrative follows Henry of Skalitz, a knight caught in the political struggle between Wenceslaus IV and his brother Sigismund of Luxembourg. The highly realistic, medieval epic’s narrative was quick to gain praise, being a well told-politically complex, cinematic experience. Throughout the story, alongside questing and fighting, the player is given the opportunity to romance several characters, including Henry’s best friend Hans Capon. With the pair first meeting only a few hours into Kingdom Come, the game’s predecessor, players praised the slow-burn, authentic nature of the romantic plot, and felt its inclusion was a great moment of representation for the LGBTQ+ community.
As common with the RPG genre, these games give players the chance to experience perspectives different from their own and connect with said experiences personally. This is especially true for ones like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which has an impressively large story lasting over fifty hours on average. When these narratives include LGBTQ+ storylines, at least two outcomes are possible. First, members of the community can see themselves in a form of media that, compared to film and TV, lags behind in terms of this depiction. Second, it can expose people to the reality of the lives lived by LGBTQ+ people, bringing both normalisation and awareness of difficulties faced by the community.
In fact, in 2024, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) conducted a study regarding LGBTQ+ representation in gaming and its effects on gamers, surveying those in and out of the community. Both groups, 80% and 67% respectively, appreciated ways in which gaming allowed players to experience different perspectives. Moreover, the survey illustrated the benefits on mental health brought by this sort of representation. 55% of LGBTQ+ players felt more accepted in gaming spaces than in their real-life communities, with 65% reporting that playing games with this representation helped them cope with struggles in the real world. 75% claimed that, in an increasingly hostile world, they felt that games allow them to express themselves when they can’t in real life. It is clear to see then, that the inclusion of these storylines has a positive effect on those playing.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 isn’t the only example of an openly LGBTQ+ storyline winning big. In 2020, The Last of Us Part 2 received tremendous critical acclaim, and went on to win both Game of the Year and Best Narrative at the Game Awards. Not only is the protagonist, Ellie, in a lesbian relationship, but Lev’s narrative focuses on the experience of being transgender and real-world hostility trans people face. Being an incredibly popular and successful game, this kind of LGBTQ+ representation was placed in the spotlight. Unfortunately, with this came an incredibly loud minority opposing these inclusions, suggesting that the game was “going woke” and too focused on pushing a political agenda. Kingdom Come was subject to this too, with people claiming the inclusion of a gay relationship wasn’t in line with the extreme accuracy to the time that the game was hailed for, suggesting it wouldn’t have happened in a historic, heterosexual environment.
Both of these are an example of one of the biggest criticisms of LGBTQ+ representation: tokensim. Opposers to this inclusion accuse developers of only including the stories superficially as a selling point, or to meet diversity goals. Despite largely successful games, like those mentioned already alongside The Sims, Stardew Valley, Baldur’s Gate 3 and more, having open LGBTQ+ representation, the previously brought up GLAAD study shows how much progress there is left to go. Whilst 17% of US gamers are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, only 2% of games have open representation. If these storylines were more frequent, with proper care put into them, such accusations would possibly fall, with LGBTQ+ representation becoming increasingly normalised.
The acclaim received by Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 indicates that a significant number of gamers (and critics) appreciate the seamless implementation their LGBTQ+ storyline, especially as it wasn’t used as a marketing tool upon launch. There is chance that the success of representation like this can have a domino effect, causing more developers to consider implementing LGBTQ+ storylines with care. Ultimately, when loud backlash from a vocal minority is pushed aside, and fails in dissuading developers from adding these narratives, there is greater room for wider representation, only bringing positive effects on players. Or in other words: fortune favours the brave.