Pride Week: On Difficult Queer Games

Hello! Once again Eurogamer is marking Pride Month with a week of features celebrating the intersection of queer culture and gaming. Today, Eli Cugini revisits Christine Love's Ladykiller in a Bind and argues for more tricky games about bad gays.

When I changed my name to Elia in 2021, the first game I ever played using my new name was Christine Love's visual novel Ladykiller in a Bind. Knowing very little about the game, and given my lifelong affinity for my fellow effeminate brunettes, I gave my new name to this character:

I assumed he'd be a sweet, queer character and I'd be able to relate to his storyline. As it turns out, minimising spoilers, The Boy is actually a manipulative, pathetic object of contempt with precious few humanising moments. So, now that's my guy. Go figure.

Read more