The first blockbuster game featuring a playable trans character is ‘Tell Me Why’


The game, titled “Tell Me Why”, released its first chapter on Thursday. It will be one of the first games to be played on Microsoft’s latest console, the Xbox Series X, which is set to be released in November.

The story-based game comes from Xbox Game Studio and Dontnode, the developers of the hit series “Life is Strange.” “Tell Me Why” is about twins who can see past visions.

“Tyler as the first playable transgender protagonist in a major studio release It’s an important step toward representation in gaming, “Nick Ams Dumse, GLAAD’s director of transgender representation, said in an email. Characters are good for both storytelling and culture. “

The cost of the game on Windows and Xbox. Is 29.99.

Set in rural Alaska, the “Tell Me Why” telepathic twins, Tyler and his sister Alison, who reunited 10 years later, are preparing to sell their childhood home, focusing on her set.

Once there, they realize that they have the power to see the memories of their past, but the twins Remember things differently, allowing the player to choose which version follows.

At the beginning of the game, while at the store, the twins remember their mom arguing with her best friend About 10 years ago. Choosing to remember the fighting version of Tyler or Allison affects the story going forward, and decides whether or not The twins can grow closer to each other or separate.

“The industry still has some way to go when it comes to presentation, diversity and universality, but the medium will open up and grow in breadth,” Florent Gillaum, director of sports at Dontnode, wrote in an email. There are already many talented creators in the indie game god community who have created inspiring experiences with LGBTQ + characters and themes, which makes sense to many. “

Through the story Tyler faces several subtle aggressions, as he confronts older adults who remember him as a child and comment on his changed appearance. He is never referred to by his “dead” name, which is given to him at birth.

Kazuma Hashimoto, a trans-Japanese-English translator and sports journalist based in Germany, told CNN. The business said it would reserve judgment on “Tell Me Why” until all chapters of the game were released.

While Tyler is the studio’s first playable trans character, indie developers have created games with the release. For example, Hashimoto said that if the indie game “found” then “tell me why?” Explores trans issues in a less “dramatic” way than.

He added, “What Dontnode is doing is not exactly groundbreaking,” he added, “they’re just one of the first large-scale developers to do so.”

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