Riot Games, Twitch, Sony, PokerBaazi, etc. celebrate Pride Month
With the world coming together to celebrate LGBTQIA+ during Pride Month, several esports brands also joined hands to show their support and commitment to building an inclusive space in the esports ecosystem.
Online games such as Valorant, League of Legends, PokerBaazi, and more, have created new content to celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities, recognize their progress, and work towards the goal of inclusivity.
Celebrating Pride with Riot Games
Riot Games has added a slew of collectibles to its various game titles for players to wear in-game. Riot has been vocal about its participation in IDAHOTB [International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia], which is celebrated on May 17th.
Since 2018, the company has been showing its support for the community through in-game icons, homeguard trail animations, emotes, and even a Guardian in Legends of Runeterra.
Additionally, Riot has been supporting the LGTBQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Trans, Bisexual, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and the rest) folks and allies across all its gaming titles by celebrating Pride through the months of May and June with events and personalized content.
Valorant showcasing support for Pride Month
Valorant gamers can equip Pride-themed gun buddies that can be customized and can sport Pride player cards. These cards celebrate all the specific Pride flags of the LGBTQIA+ communities.
During the previous year, players could redeem the Pride Month player cards using specific codes like PRISMATIC, COTTONCANDY, PRIMARY, and TWILIGHT, among others. According to Valorleaks, Valorant content creator and influencer, this year, players have access to the Pride Mint card and a new gun buddy.
Pride Emotes and Icons in League of Legends and Wild Rift
Similar to Volarant, League of Legends and Wild Rift have themed homeguard trail emotes, animations, and icons that players can equip and utilize. Some of these are already available on PBE for both titles.
Emotes and icons that are already out on the PBE are – Emotes with Graves and Twisted Fate titled Accepted and Partners in Crime, Poro Pride 2022 Emote, and Icons with Pengu holding different flags of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Players could witness new “Boom” animations unlocked for Pride Month. These booms are accessible by equipping the Pride Month Icons in the League of Legends.
“All are Equal at the Table,” PokerBaazi’s new campaign
PokerBaazi has shown its support for inclusivity and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. The game collaborated with renowned illustrator, Jasjyot Singh Hans, known for his artwork celebrating beauty in all colours, shapes, and sizes, to commemorate Pride Month. PokerBaazi launched a campaign called, “All are Equal at the Table.”
The campaign showcases a simple yet beautiful correlation between Poker and life in general. Just as everyone is equal at the poker table and is allowed to make their individual choices and have their gameplay, similarly, our society must allow people, regardless of their orientations and identities, to express themselves.
As part of the campaign, Jasjyot created a special-themed poker table for the players on the PokerBaazi platform. This is certainly a creative way to show their solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
Streaming With Pride, Streaming With Twitch
Twitch started June off by offering a slew of pride-themed features. The streaming service also released some pride-themed emotes and prepared a lineup of LGBTQIA+ streamers to feature on the homepage.
Sony’s “For all the players” showcase
Sony was another brand that was a part of the pride month bandwagon. A Pride-inspired PlayStation 4 theme is available for download. This theme is called “For all the players” and is full of rainbow colors. Although, there were no new sounds.