Supporting Pride – LGBTQIA+ and Allies Unite

Thanks Photographesque for the Wizard101 screenshot!

KingsIsle takes great pride in supporting our community and making sure that everyone feels accepted for who they are in the Spiral. June is Pride Month where we celebrate the diversity of both our players and the KingsIsle team as one united community of gamers.

Like the last Pride article posted in this blog a couple of years ago, we again reached out to several of our team members and community leaders to share their stories of diversity and support. Here is what they had to say!

Leah Ruben, Senior Studio Director

“I’m proud that KingsIsle is ramping up our Pride Month festivities for 2023. We’re working with Outright International for the second year in a row to support inclusivity in our games and communities. They’ll be on this month’s charity stream! I’m also excited that we’ll be launching the option for players to change their character’s name/gender in Wizard101 so Wizards can better reflect their current identity. It’s been a requested feature for a long time, and now it’s coming soon!”

Amanda Rogers, Associate Producer

“As Pride month begins, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the importance of supporting and uplifting one another. This year, I want to shine a light on our amazing trans siblings who face unique challenges in a world that doesn’t always recognize their rights and existence. Your unwavering strength and resilience continue to inspire me, and I want you to know that I stand in solidarity with you. 

Video games have always been a powerful tool for self-expression, allowing us to break free from societal expectations and explore our true selves. Even when games didn’t explicitly represent our diverse identities, they still offered a chance to live our best lives.  

Let’s ensure that diversity in gaming goes beyond mere coincidence—it should be a purposeful pursuit from game developers. I will continue to advocate for an inclusive environment where my colleagues can be their authentic selves, and where players can experience a genuine sense of liberation. Pride is more than just a month-long celebration—it’s a commitment to creating safe spaces and embracing authentic representation in gaming and beyond. 

Join me in making gaming a place where everyone feels welcome and valued. Happy Pride to all!”

Kayly Ginsberg, Marketing Manager

“One of the best things about the KingsIsle community is how diverse and welcoming it is. I’m so proud to be a part of a company that champions inclusivity both inside the workplace and out. No matter how you identify, please keep being uniquely you! We’ve made great strides towards more and more LGBTQIA+ rights in recent years, but we have such a long way to go before our work is done. Have pride in yourself and others – the world is better with a big splash of color. 😊”

Mathew “Sparck” Anderson, Lead Community Manager

“It was a bright and sunny day when I last wrote about Pride in this blog. I had shared my story about how I entered the game industry as a gay male and the challenges it involved. And oh my, there certainly were some challenges! If there’s anything about my story that really matters for anyone else going through a similar experience, it’s that I felt loved and respected afterward more than I could have imagined. Find your support groups, and hopefully family and friends are one of them!

One of those support groups I found were you all. Today (on another bright and sunny day as I write this!), we are as strong as ever as one united community. I’m so proud to be celebrating this month with my Spiral friends! We’ve seen more events being developed like Pride Run, collaborations with new players, and support and guidance from content creators in groups like Extra Credits. And now, we have our wonderful Wizard101 EU community and a Pirate101 community on Steam to keep the light shining for us all.

Two years ago I said, ‘I am more comfortable being me at KingsIsle and in the Spiral than ever before in my career.’ I can say that again and not just for myself. Thank you all for supporting each other!”

Chris Willis, Pirate101 Community Manager

“Love and identity are so important to the human experience. Celebrating those aspects of life is a joy. Pride is about actively choosing to wash off years of disdain and projected hate. Being human is *weird*. Accepting the weirdness and taking part in your own idiosyncrasies is a rare pleasure for many, which is why Pride is so important. Shake the weight of imposed restrictions and LOVE YOURSELF FOR WHATEVER THAT IS!”  

Kyle Donahue, Wizard101 Community Manager 

“Share your love and acceptance with everyone! Life is way too short and filled with so many amazing things to hate! Help spread your love and support not only this month, but whenever you can. Happy Pride Month everyone!”

Cassidy Tebeau, UX/UI Designer

“When I started playing video games you didn’t get an option of what gender the player character was, which meant for most games playing male characters. After some time that started to change. I was able to pick between playing as a male or a female, which was huge! It wasn’t perfect though, I still had to play as male characters because that was the only way I could romance female characters. Even though the option to see myself partially in games that I love was there, I still couldn’t be myself fully. That changed overtime as well. Games started allowing a few same-sex romances and suddenly I could start playing characters that represented me more authentically, even if it was limited. It’s only gone up from there, with newer games coming out that have complex and open character creation, pronoun choices, and a larger array of romance options for all genders.  

These options didn’t just magically appear. The push for inclusion came from members of our community both inside and outside of studios. We’ve come a long way, and there is still a long way to go, but I’m happy that today someone can pick up a game for the first time and not feel forced into pretending they are something they aren’t or having to pick and choose parts of their identity to enjoy the wonderful worlds created for them to explore. 

So don’t ever let anyone dim your light – you have a community that loves you and is fighting for you to be your authentic self.”

Game Programmer

“I always want everyone to feel welcome and accepted in the KingsIsle family, both for employees and players.” 

Oliver Hudson, Web QA Analyst II

“I don’t see KingsIsle as ‘Kings’ Isle. I see it as ‘Kings & Queens & Princes & Princesses’ Isle. We are all very supportive of everyone and I love it here!”

COMMUNITY LEADER STORIES 

Wizardeo

“At Wizardeo, we believe that everyone’s story adds a unique spell to our magical tapestry. Pride is not just a moment in time, but a continuing journey of embracing who we truly are. It’s about affirming that each of us, in our diversity and individuality, is a critical part of the great magic we create together. In the spirit of Pride, we not only celebrate but also stand firm in our commitment to fostering a culture of inclusivity, respect, and empowerment.

We stand with our LGBTQ+ community, honoring their resilience, courage, and contribution to our vibrant community. We remain steadfast in ensuring that Wizardeo is a place where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. A realm where we can all proudly express our true selves, weaving enchanting stories of love, acceptance, and unity.

So, here’s to each and every one of you, who makes Wizardeo a magical place to be. In our unity, we find strength. In our diversity, we find beauty. And in our acceptance, we find love. Happy Pride Month, Wizardeo family! Shine on with your true colors.”

Bonfirez, Fansite Owner (Wizardeo) 

Wiki101

“Pride is more than just being proud with the person that you are and showing solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. In my view, it’s a learning experience for those who may not be intimately familiar with the diverse group of identities which make up the ever-growing community that is celebrated every June. As an ally, it’s a time to lend an ear to someone who may not feel that they are being heard, or to let someone know that they belong and are respected, regardless of who they are.

In gaming, specifically in MMO communities like Wizard101 and Pirate101, I feel it is especially important that as a social collective we are doing our best to make sure we show the proper love and respect to everyone we can. This effort may sometimes come with conflict or debate, especially in such an all-encompassing group like the LGBTQ+ community, but it is imperative that we do not lost sight of the fact that we are all human beings.

We are all stronger together than we are apart. 

This has never been more true in the face of so much recent anti-LGBTQ+ hate and discrimination – though it is very easy to want to fight fire with fire, and fighting back is often necessary to prevent further harm, trying to get someone to see eye-to-eye and understand your views with the hope of them having a change of heart is always going to be better than other more destructive means.

It’s also important to remember that the struggles and hopes of the LGBTQ+ community do not cease to exist outside of the month of June, and that even if Pride Month is a time to shed light on the community, the movement towards acceptance is year-round.

Regardless of what events may transpire in the near future, I will never lose hope that we as a collective, the human race, can and will achieve a brighter and accepting future.”

Chris DeathRider from Wiki101 & Voices of the Spiral

MissCourtneyOlivia 

“We need to spread love & kindness in this world. Pride is for everyone. We are born this way and there is nothing better than feeling included and loved. I support you. You are loved. You are worthy. Happy Pride!” 

ChrysGP

“Pride to me is finding out who you truly are, and accepting the facts that you want to be yourself, no matter what other people think.

Pride to me is showing the courage to wave a banner of something truly beautiful, and to say that it’s what you really are.

Pride to me is being supported by the family, friends, or neighbors you see everyday who want to see you shine as who you truly believe you are.

As being a bisexual/polyamorous, I found it difficult trying to come out during middle school. I even secretly had a crush on one of my friends who was a girl, but I also liked a really tall guy who was a new student. I felt worried about telling my friends that I was bisexual. I worried that they wouldn’t hang out with me anymore, that they would call me a freak, or a sinner.

Two years after I got my diploma from homeschool, at 19, I officially came out to my grandparents and family as a bisexual. When they said they’d still support me no matter what, it filled a part of my heart with joy.

All I can say is, Pride to me is to not be ashamed of holding your head high, because no matter who you are, you are always loved and supported by people who care about you. Now, being 22, I’m proud to show myself as bisexual/polyamorous.”

ChrysGP