Growing up a straight, white male, this class is a challenging transition to try and think like others and see through the eyes of the LGBTQ community while playing video games. I have been thinking after reading “They’re all Trans Sharon” by Brianna Dym. I was curious when i came across this in the reading; “not only by adding queer characters but leaving narrative choices and details open so that players can interpret character identities in multiple ways”. In my history of video games, I thought that I have played a few in my history that can relate to this concept. Take in mind that being a straight, white male, I tended to play a lot of first person shooters and sports games, rather than walking simulators or other more relaxing games that may have allowed the player more control over their identity in the game. However, one of the game series that I used to play that can expand with this topic of identity in video games is the Fallout series. Fallout 3 was the first game that I experienced that gave the player that much control over the actions within the game. Looking back at the game and even replaying it, there are multiple ways to express one’s identity through their character. First off, dialogue can play a massive role in expressing oneself. Not only can the player flirt with other NPC’s, but barter and trade, or even argue. Even though it doesn’t relate with our class, Fallout granted the player to express themselves to fictional characters. Even though the LGBTQ community is represented in the game, it is done very slightly. However, I thought of the quote from Dym’s article about adding in queer characters and leaving narrative choice up to the player. Since the Fallout series does leave the narrative in some sense in control of the player, what would adding in (more) queer characters do to the game itself? Yes, it will make the story more diverse and relatable to some players, but I believe others will be left confused. I am all for more representation in video games, but for the right games. Even though the times are changing right now, and diversity is expanding, too much representation in video games I believe it will take away from the game itself, having the player focus more on the morals of the story, rather than the gameplay itself. That’s why I believe representation in games for marginalized communities depends on the game being played. If they added in a trans character in a game like call of duty or battlefield, yeah it is great for identity and diversity in gaming, but it also brings up a lot of questions as well. How will straight players take this addition? Does it even help with creating a more diverse narrative? Will it create a more toxic environment online? Depending on the game genre, I believe a more diverse narrative with more representation should be included within games that aren’t as high paced and chaotic like Call of Duty, but rather with games that focus on the story rather than the gameplay.