BioWare has long been known for creating believable, realistic characters within its games. While many video games still resort to overly-gruff men saving women with bombshell proportions, BioWare has made a point to try and be as inclusive as possible: for years, the studio has supported same-sex relationships within almost all of its games. Its latest game, Dragon Age: Inquisition, for instance, featured the most well-rounded representations of a gay man the industry has ever seen.
Fans have always backed BioWare's inclusive roster of characters, but this is the first time the studio will receive an award solely because of its characters: GLAAD, or the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is awarding Dragon Age: Inquisition with its Special Recognition Award.
As the series' first entirely gay male character, Dorian could have been nothing more than a stereotype - in fact, that likely would have been the case were the game handled by any other studio. BioWare, however, didn't resort to the typical gay tropes, such as a troubled home life or outrageous flamboyance - instead, the studio crafted a character that felt like a real person, regardless of orientation. It's not the sort of representation that the gaming industry sees very often.
While the GLAAD Media Awards are typically limited to film and television, there is a specific category for media that doesn't fall into those lines. Video games have yet to receive a specific category, and as such, BioWare will receive the Special Recognition award.
Of course, it's far from the first award that Dragon Age: Inquisition has won: the game was one of the biggest titles of 2014 and won several Game of the Year awards from several different publications. As fantastic as it is to win such an award, receiving an award like this from GLAAD is on an entirely different level.
BioWare hasn't said much about the award just yet: speaking with Polygon, a representative said that the studio was 'proud and happy' to win the award.
The 2015 GLAAD Media Awards will take place on March 25 in Los Angeles.
