Pride Week: A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986 is a tale of lesbian romance and coming out
Hello! All this week Eurogamer is celebrating Pride with a series of stories examining the confluence of LGBT+ communities and play in its many different forms, from video games and tabletop games through to live-action role-play. Here, Lottie takes a personal delve into the visual novel A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986. Please note this article contains significant plot spoilers.
The last thing Michelle expected when visiting a shoe cobbler in Mong Kok was to share dinner with his daughter, Sam. Yet, she finds Sam interesting and, even though she doesn’t understand why at first, feels an undeniable connection to her. Their romance blossoms in A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986 – a visual novel created by the Vancouver-based independent game studio Oracle and Bone, a game which has drawn considerable acclaim for its tender portrayal of a LGBT+ romance since its launch last year. Its creators, Charissa So and Tida Kietsungden, say they knew they wanted to make a game with a focus on an Asian LGBT+ storyline from the onset. “We felt there was a need and opportunity to tell such stories through the medium of video games,” they explain. “As LGBT+ identifying Asians ourselves, we understand the importance of representation and know that positive and authentic portrayals of ourselves are necessary in humanizing our experiences and also reducing the stigma that surrounds LGBT+ sexuality.”Read more
Read More
