2020’s Tell Me Why from French studio Don’t Nod remains the best trans story in games – and we could use more of them
Now is the perfect time to play 2020’s story-driven adventure game Tell Me Why: in honour of Pride month, it’s currently free to download. Developer Don’t Nod’s tale follows a trans man returning to his childhood home and confronting his family’s past. A major video game that centres any trans character is a rarity to celebrate, but Tyler Ronan doesn’t feel tokenistic; he is part of a mature and complex story. Tell Me Why feels like a necessary counterbalance to a wider climate that seems desperate to make gender-diverse people feel marginalised and forgotten.
Tyler, a trans man, and his twin cisgender sister, Alyson, spend much of the game exploring the mysteries behind their mother’s death. Mental health and the fallibility of memory take equal weight, as the game explores transphobia and belonging. As a trans woman, I found the narrative compelling, challenging and deeply affecting. I was drawn in by its representation of trans people, but my attention was held by its musings on the universal concerns we all have. In other words, I was moved by its confidence in showing that trans lives are as complex as anyone else’s.
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