If you’ve ever come across our Who We Are page, you might have spotted the section on our company’s values. You might also have spotted that one of the values that defines Humble Games — and all of Humble — is We’re Inclusive.
Those two words mean a lot of different things. They guide how we work with our fellow teammates. They’re at the heart of one of Humble’s five key charitable focus areas, Equity & Opportunity. They guide how we work with developers, and our approach to accessibility, localization, and so much more.
As Pride month begins, we wanted to take a moment to share our thoughts on what these two words mean specifically when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion — in our approach to publishing, for the Humble Games community, and beyond — as well as spotlight some ways Humble at large is supporting LGBTQ+ charities this month through bundles and more.
Among the teams
Our game scouts (yes, that’s an actual job) have a fun mission, but it’s not an easy one: seek out games with unique creative visions and incredible potential, and figure out which ones of the many, many, many of those projects out there would be the perfect match for Humble Games. A key part of that is finding and forging connections with developers who share our values — “We’re Inclusive” included.
One facet of that is talent. On larger, diverse teams, LGBTQ+ people often have a voice in the project. Not only is that simply right, it’s also something we firmly believe leads to more authentic, more welcoming, and just plain better games.
That’s not always possible with solo devs or small teams, who might also be committed to creating experiences that are welcoming to LGBTQ+ audiences — and so we partner with them to help ensure they can make that possible.
Sometimes a team has a clear vision for their game already. Sometimes they’re looking for support through research or outreach. But no matter who we’re working with, We’re Inclusive means committing on both fronts to doing the work necessary to do right by the LGBTQ+ community.
“Some of my favorite moments while game scouting are when developers pitch a great game that speaks to their diverse backgrounds and experiences. I’m seeing more and more pitches that embrace inclusivity and diversity, either in the team or the game content itself. I’m super excited to support and wherever possible be a part of this change in the industry.” – Jonny Merritt, Senior Game Scout
In the games
There’s no question that seeing yourself represented positively in media — in movies, in fiction, in games — can be life-affirming. It reminds you that there are other people out there sharing experiences similar to yours, and it can make LGBTQ+ people in unwelcoming life situations feel less lonely, less afraid, and more hopeful that they’ll find a place they’ll belong. That’s why “We’re Inclusive” also means that we strongly believe in supporting games with LGBTQ+ stories, characters, and themes.
Witch Beam’s Unpacking (winner of Best LGBTQ Game at the 2022 Gayming Awards & 2022 GLAAD nominee) is partly a puzzle game, but it also tells a personal, relatable story of a bisexual woman inspired by the real-life experiences of its creators. rose-engine’s SIGNALIS (nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Video Game) and Studio Pixel Punk’s UNSIGHTED (also a 2022 GLAAD nominee) explore LGBTQ+ identities, relationships, and experiences through the lens of horror and science fiction.
Happy Ray Studios’ Ikenfell and Summerfall Studios’ upcoming Stray Gods are both made richer by the queer magic students, gods, and mortals who populate their cast of characters. We all love a good story — even more so when it’s one you can connect with.
Read more from Humble Games developers in our “Exploring the LGBTQ+ experience through games” article.
In our communities
When you’re looking for a place to hang out online, everyone wants to be able to be who you really are — and those are exactly the kinds of communities we want to foster for LGBTQ+ people.
Whether you’re in our Discord or following our Twitter feed, we want LGBTQ+ people to feel accepted and supported in our spaces, and in those of the developers we work with. That philosophy also guides which Twitch streamers and YouTubers we team up with, too, as we seek out creators who share our commitment to building friendly spaces.
Listening is critical, too. Crema, the developer of Temtem sought the help of non-binary members of its global community to help ensure the non-binary pronouns in their game were localized properly — the kind of seemingly small detail that can make a big difference for LGBTQ+ people everywhere.
In society at large
As the publishing arm of Humble, Humble Games is part of an ecosystem of gaming communities who share a desire to be a force for good in the world — and part of that is through charitable giving. For years, Humble Bundle has been working with charities dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights, equality, mental health, and more important causes.
You can find out more about Humble’s current charitable efforts—including how you can support Humble Bundle’s featured charity for Pride month, The Trevor Project — over on the Humble Bundle blog. There, you can also read about what inclusivity means to Humble employees, including some internal initiatives we’re hosting for Pride month.
Happy Pride month, and thanks to all of the LGBTQ+ people and allies who make our communities better. We’d love to hear what inclusivity means to you too — or just hear from you about whatever game you’re obsessed with right now — over on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Discord.
