Free Fire, one of the most popular eSports battle royale games in the world, is known for its swift action and tactical gameplay, commanding a dedicated global fan base.
Developed and launched by Garena, a Singaporean game developer, Free Fire debuted on December 8, 2017, first targeting Android and iOS platforms.
The game's focal points include two main modes. Firstly, the Battle Royale mode pits up to 50 players against each other on an island as all competitors strive to be the sole survivor.
Secondly, the Clash Squad mode involves teams of four players competing in a series of matches to claim victory.
Players can choose from as many as 39 characters to compete in Free Fire. All characters are known for their unique ability and currently, 37 out of the 39 characters in the game have special abilities.
One particular question that’s been doing the rounds of late is whether any of these characters represent the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning or queer (LGBTQ) community.
Furthermore, the wider question surrounding the game right now is does Free Fire support LGBTQ?
Does Free Fire support LGBTQ
While there is no official statement or stance on if Free Fire indeed does support LGBTQ as per its gaming communty, it’s worth noting some of the intrinsic values of the game suggests that it wouldn’t be averse to doing so.
Even though Free Fire doesn’t explicitly declare support for LGBTQ+ rights, there are certain things to consider while narrowing down the stance of the game on the subject.
Firstly, Free Fire has always stood for inclusive representation among its players. This means Free Fire doesn’t have any features that would exclude LGBTQ+ players when it comes to character customization options that facilitates a level of gender expression with regards to numerous clothing styles available for all characters.
Secondly, the very nature of the game, which caters to a global audience, suggests that Free Fire’s global player base and audience makes it a game for all irrespective of their caste, greed, race, religion, and sexuality.
Since some cultures and regions across the world harbour stricter views towards LGBTQ+ issues than others, the game’s developers Garena avoid making their stance on the issue clear while respecting the sentiments of all communities at the same time.
Lastly, even though Free Fire’s in-game environment doesn’t exactly boast features that directly promote LGBTQ+ themes, the player community could have unofficial LGBTQ+ groups or guilds in the game.
With all that in mind, it is worth mentioning that Free Fire wouldn’t be the first game to embrace the LGBTQ community should they make their stance on the subject more clear.
Popular games from the past like The Sims, League of Legends, Assassin's Creed, and Grand Theft Auto have all had LGBTQ characters in them.
Photo credit: Imago
