Steam’s Queer Games Bundle puts LGBT representation front and center

LGBT representation in games is shaky at best, but getting better. In the last few years, games have been including more queer characters, or at least the option for same-sex romance, even as (some of my favorite) games continue to perpetuate harmful tropes or treat sexuality as an afterthought. That’s why I’m so excited about Steam’s new bundle, specifically devoted to games that are queer as heck.

Each of the seven games featured in this bundle is beautifully, unabashedly queer, from the (graphically) erotic visual novel Ladykiller in a Bind to the adorable pixel-y, adventure game that explores gender, Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor, to the tear-jerking narrative game Fragments of Him. Also included are the Kickstarter-funded games 2064: Read Only Memories and Your Royal Gayness. The former is a cyberpunk adventure and the latter is a “reverse dating sim” about a gay prince trying to get out of marrying a princess.

The standout for me is Fullbright’s Gone Home, a game about a teen girl coming to terms with her sexuality. As a bisexual woman who was a teen not long ago herself, I related to the story of a young queer girl keeping secrets and longing for acceptance. Plus the ’90s aesthetics hit the nostalgia button for anyone who grew up wanting to be a riot grrrl.

Tacoma, Fullbright’s follow up to Gone Home, is included in the bundle as well. A narrative game about an abandoned space station manned by a diverse crew, it’s not nearly as personal as Gone Home, but I still had fun piecing the story together.

The Queer Games Bundle on Steam costs $54.93, which is 50 percent off the typical combined price. If you already own one or more of the games included, you have the option to “complete the set” and only pay for the games not already in your library.

The bundle is only available through now until Aug. 21.