Nintendo has been recognized at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards for its trans representation in the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on the Nintendo Switch.
GLAAD, a non-profit organization focused on LGBTQ+ advocacy, hosts annual awards to celebrate LGBTQ+ representation in media, including video games since 2019.
This year, Nintendo earned a nomination for its treatment of Vivian, a ghost companion in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In the original Japanese release on GameCube, Vivian was a trans character misgendered by her sisters. However, some international versions, including the English and German translations, altered this aspect of her story. In the recent remake, Nintendo restored the original dialogue, re-establishing Vivian’s trans identity. This decision was widely praised by the LGBTQ+ community.
Other nominees include Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which features LGBTQ+ relationships and a non-binary companion, and Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which follows a bisexual protagonist.
The full list of nominees for Outstanding Video Game is:
- Caravan SandWitch (Studio Plane Toast / Dear Villagers)
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts)
- Dread Delusion (Lovely Hellplace / DreadXP)
- Dustborn (Red Thread Games / Spotlight by Quantic Dream)
- Fear the Spotlight (Cozy Game Pals / Blumhouse Games)
- Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
- Minds Beneath Us (BearBone Studio)
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Intelligent Systems / Nintendo)
- Sorry We’re Closed (à la mode games / Akupara Games)
- Until Then (Polychroma Games / Maximum Entertainment)
Many of this year’s nominees come from indie developers, highlighting a gap in LGBTQ+ representation among major game studios.
A GLAAD study from last year reported that nearly 20% of gamers identify as LGBTQ+, yet characters and storylines reflecting this community make up less than 2% of all games. The study emphasized the impact of representation: 72% of LGBTQ+ players said seeing characters that reflect their identities positively affected their self-perception, while 68% expressed a desire for more prominent LGBTQ+ narratives.
Last year’s Outstanding Video Game award went to Baldur’s Gate 3. Previous winners include Apex Legends, Life is Strange: True Colors, The Last of Us Part 2, and Tell Me Why.
Nintendo’s nomination underscores the importance of revisiting and improving representation in gaming, particularly from major studios.
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