Xbox Series S Contest with 3 Month Game Pass, One Console (US Only)

[Aaron]

Please Read OP!

Hi Games-Era, I am giving away one Xbox Series S console to a member of this forum!

Please READ the OP and rules:

1. Note, due to the worldwide Xbox Series X/S production shortages, I can only give away one console and it may take 2-4 weeks to ship to the winner from when the contest ends. Thank you.

2. Please be courteous to your fellow players, and if you can help it, allow the others entering who don't have next-gen consoles due to circumstances from finances or timing (shortages), etc a chance to receive something you already have.

Contest time! To play the game, reply about your favorite black or/and lgbtq video game character! Pictures, gifs and videos welcome too, with the accompanying post (although please at least name the character). Can be any length; All responses will be collected by July 1 3PM ET, with the winner being randomly selected, notified and DMed for further details! GL and LFG! One Entry Per Member.

 

[The Real Napsta]

My favorite character is Spartan Locke from Halo 5 Guardians.

I love the actor that portrays him as well as the voice actor.

The character is great because he is a proficient leader and inspires loyalty in his subordinates, even when they do not agree with his decisions.

He's right up there with the Master Chief and the Arbiter as far as Halo characters are concerned for me.

 

[Deleted member 36708]

I would say mine in Cole from gears of war. I do feel like he is written from a sterotype of what "black" is. As far as in the game he provides the comic relief. At the same time he gets shit done also. I don't feel the gears series would be the same without him as a complementary character. COLE TRAIN!

 

[anotherdayinbk]

I loved Lee from the Walking Dead. He was a good man and one of the only video game characters that really made me feel anything.

 

[Shadow2222]

Thanks for the giveaway. That's awesome! I really love Chloe from Life is Strange. Not only does she play a central role in the plot and decisions of the game, but I love her persona and can relate to her struggles.

 

[SteviaRelievingYa]

Sgt Johnson is the GOAT.

 

[litebrite]

Already have a Series X so definitely don't want to enter but just wanted to say what a great contest this is Aaron

Good luck to everybody.

 

[Diarrhea Day-Lewis]

I do want to enter only for the chance of giving my wife an XSS and game pass to play while she's on maternity leave in August! Regardless, thank you for the opportunity and your generosity.

I'd have to go with Korra from the Legend of Korra show and video games. She's bi, and a strong, multi layered character. The games do not necessarily mention her orientation, but I think having a bi character as the lead in a major children's TV show/game is ground breaking.

If I have to stick to games, it would be Riley from TLOU Left Behind. Sad fate aside, she's Ellie's best friend, she comes across fearless in the limited time we see her, and of course her character arc has a significant impact setting Ellie on a road to dealing with trauma in a variety of (entertaining) intense ways when she gets older.

 

[Maximum Spider]

I'm not entering but I just wanted to state that this is such a nice gesture. Good luck to all!

 

[Eblo]

Cool thread idea. Maybe it's cheating, but I'm choosing Miles Morales from the PlayStation games since I don't know much about the source material. Miles is a fun character who makes for a more interesting, greener Spider-Man finding his own way. I think being in a real-world setting helps boost his status as a relatable character. Also, his game gives this nice shot once you complete all the side missions:

 

[PixelsByNight]

My favorite LGBTQ+ character has to be Vivian from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. To those that don't know, Vivian is a trans woman in the Japanese version. Unfortunately, the English localization removed all that and made Vivian purely female.

Also, awesome of you to start up this contest! Best of luck to everyone!

 

[MistahS]

Clementine from The Walking Dead.

Her story going from a scared kid to this very prepared survivalist and leader and looking after AJ in the zombie apocalypse has been one of my favorite journeys in any medium let alone gaming. She's just an all round badass.

 

[mnemonicj]

It's been a while since I played the game, but I liked the part of the story where you get to interact with Bill in The Last of Us:

 

[xaosslug]

Barret Wallace. I remember being a litle boy and seeing a main guy in a game that kind of looked like me. <3

 

[MikeMyers]

Nights from Nights into Dreams

(I'm trying to post an image, but it's not working from my phone)

 

[Addleburg]

I already have a Series X, so don't consider this an entry, but I wanted to say that this is a great thread and offer my own character:

Louis from Left 4 Dead:



I don't think he's as important as other black characters in other games, but I always just appreciated that he was just a guy - not some super buff "alpha" black dude, not a gangster or thug, not a dude with an afro, dreads, or cornrows, and not someone who was defined by his blackness. Just a dude who was probably getting off from his office job when the zombie outbreak occurred.

I never got the whole "pills here!" meme being a thing with him, as I don't feel like he says it in a way that's especially comical, though. Likewise, I never got the whole thing with Lifeline in Apex and the whole "Mozambique here!" thing, but that's a different conversation altogether, I suppose.

 

[Frobary]

Clementine

 

[Badpsychometry]

I'm going to go with Lincoln Clay from Mafia 3. Love his characterization and brutality in and out of gameplay. I'm pretty sad we don't get more characters like him in games with subtle depth

 

[Cth]

My fave is Louis from Left4Dead.. upbeat everyman who works in IT (like me!) that looks like Lance Reddick if he were in Shaun of the Dead.

Added bonus, beating the meta narrative of black characters dying first in horror movies by playing Louis!

Quotes:

 

[Quinton]

Awesome contest. I think I'll go ahead and enter. I usually refrain since I'm a moderator and all. But the Series S would get some serious mileage at mi casa.

My pick is Dorian Pavus from Dragon Age: Inquisition, a character who I suspect will play a role in DA4 as well. He's many things -- clever, playfully deceptive, intuitive, magically-inclined, well-read, thoughtful, quietly heroic... and gay. It's hard to believe it's been almost seven years since DAI dropped, but it has; and in November 2014, it was on some level still considered radical not just to have an outright gay companion in a BioWare game, but to highlight that LGBTQ aspect in a meaningful, resonant conversation. Dorian's "proclivity," as his Tevinter father references it, can be troubling.

This is horseshit, of course. And the Inquisitor (the player character) gets to say so. Ultimately, Dorian's response to his father is all his own. But helping him through something so shockingly real in such a fantasy world, before and after, is touching.

 

[EYEL1NER]

My favorite black character in a game is Roy "Big Bo" Boateng from Binary Domain.
I started off the game annoyed with his quips and thought he was just supposed to be a RGG Studios take on a Cole from Gears but he grew on me a lot. He is a lot more funny than Cole, for one, and his energy felt a lot more 'real' to me. He was a like a true bro to Dan.

Spoiler: Ending Spoilers

His betrayal near the end (and redemption, depending on his trust level throughout the game) really hurt.

Him being at odds with Faye a lot was rough too, since I liked them both, but it made their stories better.

 

[KeyBladerXIII]

I'd love to enter, it would be my first Xbox console if I win! My favorite black character in gaming is I think the first black character I ever played when I was young, Jax Briggs from Mortal Kombat!

 

[Addleburg]

My fave is Louis from Left4Dead.. upbeat everyman who works in IT (like me!) that looks like Lance Reddick if he were in Shaun of the Dead.

Added bonus, beating the meta narrative of black characters dying first in horror movies by playing Louis!

Click to shrink...

 

[Beth Cyra]

Favorite Queer character is easily: Scherza from Starlight Vega. Can't get into it to much but she was incredibly magnetic for me and the moment where she finally lets the lead into her heart snd what happens stuck with me and never let go.

Note: not entering the contest, I already have an S but I wanted to post about a LBGT character who deserves more love.

 

[Bulerias]

One of many favorites I can think of, but Marina from Splatoon 2 definitely comes to mind. :) Another would be Celeste.

 

[Atheerios]

Marina from Splatoon 2.

Nintendo doesnt have a lot of PoC in their games, so it's very cool to see that starting to change in the last few years.

She has a lot of personality and is very prominent in the game.


Edit: damn you Bulerias

 

[Kami]

Hands down - Miles from Spiderman: Miles Morales.

As a black American myself, he's easily the most relatable and authentic person of color I've ever seen in a video game. Many times black characters are way too over the top or are just plain caricatures. He makes a damn good Spiderman too.

 

[valinthyne]

this would open up game nights big time!

gregg rulz ok

 

[Mashdyno]

Samantha Greenbriar from Gone Home. I remember relating so much to her young love and all of the emotions that go along with it.

 

[TwisterFantasy]

Nice giveaway! Ekko from LoL is def one of my favorite characters!

 

[TheMadTitan]

Parroting the Inquisition love with Vivienne.

Regal, powerful, and took no shit from anybody. On top of that, how many black women do you see outside of a character creator in a fantasy game? And not die in 12 seconds? A billion fantasy games since and she still hasn't been matched in the genre.

 

[Possum]

Cole Train baby! Whooooo!

 

[Quinton]

Parroting the Inquisition love with Vivienne.

Regal, powerful, and took no shit from anybody. On top of that, how many black women do you see outside of a character creator in a fantasy game? And not die in 12 seconds? A billion fantasy games since and she still hasn't been matched in the genre.

Click to shrink...

<3 Yes.

 

[GlitchyDegree]

Tyler Ronan from Tell Me Why

As a trans person that started to accept myself and come out last year, being able to play as a main character that has gone through something similar was awesome.

 

[TheRuralJuror]

For me, it's Adewale from AC. It's rough seeing a lack of representation in gaming, so it's a huge plus to see a character get the spotlight in a mainline series such as AC.

 

[Rune Walsh]

Not entering but Barrett Wallace is a hero. The man loves his daughter more than anything and realizes that she'll have no future without risking his life to fix the planet.

 

[famicorpse]

Twintelle from ARMS. As mentioned before, Nintendo hasn't been too great with POC representation. Twintelle's design is beautifully elegant and reminds me of the strong women in my life (Mom, Aunties & Sisters).

The design is so damn good! Her soft hair colors go well with the black pants + velvet lines. To me, the design says "I can be soft and I can be tough!". She's perfect!!!

Good luck everyone <3

 

[Gay Bowser]

My fave LGBTQ video game character is Bowser Gregg from Night in the Woods. Someone just posted a gif, so I won't, but: yes. Very gay and very awesome. Everybody should play NitW!!!!

 

[ManNR]

I do not have a next-gen system and have been considering a Series S.

My vote would have to go to Ellie from TLoU series. She has made me feel more for her character across both games then nearly anyone else in fiction.
To watch her grow into a deeper awareness of her reality through the first game (when she already had suffered so much loss before it even began) and then become poisoned by that reality in the second game before recognizing she was on a course to lose everything if she continued down her path...

So human and so heartbreaking.

I can hardly wait to see where the third game takes her narratively (and me emotionally).

 

[Taco_Human]

Demoman from Team Fortess 2.

wHaT MaKeS ME A goOD DEMO MAN? if I WERR a BAD demoman, I wootn't be SITTING here discOOsin it with ya now would AYE?

 

[tbassett]

COLE TRAIN baby!!!!!

Always deserved his own spin off game. Respect the king!!

 

[CorpseLight]

Barret Wallace from FF7.

I played the original when I was just 16 years old, and I distinctly remember realizing that I had never really seen or played as a main character in any game that was black. When you're a kid, a lack of racial diversity isn't really on your mind when you play a game, watch TV or consume any sort of media, but looking back as you get older you can find the issues with it.

 

[Geist]

Clementine from The Walking Dead.

Her story going from a scared kid to this very prepared survivalist and leader and looking after AJ in the zombie apocalypse has been one of my favorite journeys in any medium let alone gaming. She's just an all round badass.

Click to shrink...

Ya, definitely Clementine. Walking Dead 1-4 is one of the best sagas I've ever played specifically because it follows her growing up.

 

[CrazyIvan]

Such a generous offer, OP!

I've always been partial to Lucia from Suikoden II, and love that her lineage includes the main character in Suikoden III.

Huge shout out to a lot of other characters that have already been mentioned, especially Lee and Miles.

 

[SunBroDave]

I'll throw my hat in the ring. Thanks for the generous offer OP.

Billie Lurke/Meagan Foster from Dishonored 1's DLC, Dishonored 2, and Dishonored 2's standalone DLC Death of the Outsider. An absolute badass of a character who, not only do you get to play as, but she even makes her own interesting, character-centric decisions when not controlled by the player. She goes through a really satisfying character arc, with tons of screen time, across the 3 games, and is voiced by the incredible Rosario Dawson.

 

[tokenflipguy]

Marvin Bragnah from Resident Evil 2 (2019)



Acting was really good. I was shocked for a RE Game to have somehting of this quality.

" And don't make my mistake. If you see one of those things—uniform or not—you do not hesitate. You take it out...or you run. Got it? "

 

[wookiee]

Coach!

 

[Zack]

Agreed about Gregg

 

[EntelechyFuff]

Thanks for the contest!

I thought about a lot of current/recent-gen examples, but I kept coming back to a classic: Adam Hunter from Streets of Rage.

I have a lot of fond memories playing Streets of Rage with my family. For a voiceless 16-bit character, he has a ton of personality without falling into stereotypes that videogames still wrestle with when handling characters of color. I also love that he feels so prominent in the original game, despite Axel being the nominal "main character". Adam may not be the main character, but he's far from a sidekick or second-string.

I was deeply bummed that he wouldn't return to the series until Streets of Rage 4. I like him there too, but the modern interpretation of the character is a bit too cool. One of the things I loved about Adam was--in my mind--his coolness was rooted in the fact that he had no need to be cool, if that makes sense. Kind of a "cooler than cool = ice cold" thing.

Also, how can anyone not love that winning smile?!

 

[Addleburg]

Coach!

Click to shrink...

Coach is a great choice, too. I always thought it was kind of a meta "wink" that Coach is voiced by Chad L. Coleman, who played Coach Cutty in The Wire.

I love Left 4 Dead 2, but always thought they let down Rochelle's characterization a lot. The most memorable thing about her was her pink Depeche Mode t-shirt IMO.