Microsoft’s team of Xbox Ambassadors is collecting LGBTQIA+ fans’ personal stories for potential inclusion in their upcoming media celebrating Pride Month. They detail that these stories should be about what gaming means to those who participate, and can be submitted in any format — text, audio, or video; the deadline to submit for Xbox’s feature is May 31st. Selected submissions will appear on the Xbox Ambassadors Community blog, Xbox Wire, and potentially other media outlets as well.
Xbox Ambassadors is a community-driven movement, encouraging all gamers to be more inclusive and compassionate. Their focus is on inclusiveness, accessibility, and safety. You can sign up for free, as long as you have an Xbox account (also free). The requirements for becoming an Xbox Ambassador are being 17 years of age or older, having 1500 or more Xbox Gamerscore, having no previous bans/other disciplinary actions on your Xbox account, and signing the Pledge.
Being an Xbox Ambassador involves completing missions for XP, earning fun rewards, and driving the Xbox community at large into a more inclusive, accessible, and safe space for all gamers. After completing Missions, you gain XP, which helps you tier up in the current Season. The better your Season, the better the rewards! There is also the option to become Ambassador of the Month, which will usually involve players being part of a voluntary initiative focusing on inclusion and accessibility in gaming.
The call for gaming experiences in the queer community is a fantastic event for Pride Month. It is excellent timing as well, with many gamers’ local Pride festivals being canceled or postponed because of coronavirus. Gamers worldwide are disappointed at the loss of the biggest LGBTQIA+ community event of the year, but Xbox’s new project will certainly help in alleviating this. Their use of the Ambassador program to gather these stories is a very apt choice, too. It will be interesting to see what Xbox does with the results, especially since it accepts submissions in all formats. Considering the great work their initiative has accomplished since its founding in 2011, this is another step in the right direction.
Source: Xbox Ambassadors
