GaymerX Organizers Kickstart Cyperpunk Game

[Revnak_v1legacy]

This game draws attention to those by drawing attention to the lacking of representation of homosexuals in our media which, if it were increased, would serve as an excellent way to diminish those other problems.

I largely agree that media portrayals of social minorities can be very important in securing rights for said minorities however I feel this game will have little impact and is going about it all wrong. Simply having more LGBT characters won't be a particularly fruitful endeavour, you need be believable and organic characters who's sexuality feels natuaral to them (like Obsidian's Arcade Gannon for example) to whom people will feel attached to. Purposely drawing attention to the fact you have LGBT characters in your game feels, like I said before, gimmicky and cheap, and will inevitably lead to these aspects of the character to be perceived as forced and unnatural.

I think it can only be called gimmicky and cheap if it is done to draw attention to yourself and your games. It really doesn't apply when the intended goal is to draw attention to sexual minorities as a whole and their goals.

 

[TheMadScientist]

Wasn't Bill in the last of us a homosexual and that is a pretty big game granted this is just an example. I wouldn't mind this as long as it doesn't turn into the character's sole trait, there is nothing worse than one dimensional characters. If they wanted to promote gay characters in games they could use Bill from the last of us

 

[thisbymaster]

Anything that "draws attention to" or is trying to "create awareness for" are sucker games. Sort of like Charities that are trying to "create awareness" of cancer. Everyone knows already so they can just pay the top execs massive salaries while doing nothing. Sort of like this game, they will show them off like circus freaks to get some cash but in the end will not do anything useful, like a solution.

 

[Tanis]

Is this going to be the next 'gamer girl' vs 'girl gamer' meme?

That being said...
The first thing I thought of from the game title was Daft Punk, so that's always a good thing.

I just hope it doesn't suck.

 

[JazzJack2]

Please inform me, what exactly is the 'solution?' I see a lot of people saying that mere representation is no good, but they don't offer many alternatives.

How about good representation? one believable fleshed out gay character is worth 100 gay characters who have simply been shoehorned in.

The fact that we're even having this discussion should be enough to tell you there's a visibility issue

No that doesn't really follow.

But they're not just using it to promote their game and make it look edgy. This is a game that seems to want to focus on queer issues in video games,

But they themselves have said it is not a game about homosexuality (or LGBT in general) and simply has gay characters, perhaps I am preemptively judging it but it's blatant advertising of the fact it has LGBT characters makes it seem like it's treating homosexuality as a gimmick to me.

 

[kenu12345]

So your solution is for the gay people writing gay characters is to just take out the gay characters cause obviously gay people don't know how to write gay characters?

 

[JazzJack2]

So your solution is for the gay people writing gay characters is to just take out the gay characters cause obviously gay people don't know how to write gay characters?

No that's not what I wrote, try re-reading it.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

I don't mind the whole gay character gimmick, but it has to have more then that to be worth playing. I don't think the inclusion of gay characters is enough to solely carry a plot, much less a whole game.

 

[kenu12345]

So your solution is for the gay people writing gay characters is to just take out the gay characters cause obviously gay people don't know how to write gay characters?

No that's not what I wrote, try re-reading it.

I know precisely what you wrote and its a good concern if it was someone else other than a gay group. Come on think about it this news is the equivalent of a straight developer revealing to the world that *gasp* some of his characters are straight. The only reason this is getting blown up because it a group of gay gamers making a game with gays in it. Do you really think that gay people wouldn't know how gay people act?

 

[JazzJack2]

I know precisely what you wrote and its a good concern if it was someone else other than a gay group.

I really don't see how that would make a difference.

The only reason this is getting blown up because it a group of gay gamers making a game with gays in it.

My problem with it is that they are highlighting the fact the game has gay characters and using it as an advertising point when there is no real need to do that.

Do you really think that gay people wouldn't know how gay people act?

Is there any reason to assume they would?

 

[kenu12345]

I really don't see how that would make a difference.


My problem with it is that they are highlighting the fact the game has gay characters and using it as an advertising point when there is no real need to do that.


Is there any reason to assume they would?

Its not really advertising it simply one statement. Most of the bad representations of gay people of gay people come from people who aren't gay so that why I said all of that. Just read the article again. They were just giving a general summary of what the game will have in it. The article just drags out the point that they said gay people will be in it. A statement that mind you also said that there would be straight people in it too, but that don't mean I think the game would have a horrible representation of straight people. People are most comfortable doing what they know. This should come of no shock and really for this really being the first bit of news on the subject, I think its a bit unfair to judge that they will have horrible representation just cause they said the word gay people.

 

[JazzJack2]

Snip

But it is trying to bring to light the issue of underrepresentation of queer characters in gaming

Err how in any conceivable way is it doing that?

but doing nothing is FAR WORSE than diversity that's arbitrary.

What does entirely arbitrary diversity in a fictional medium achieve? diddly squat is what. In fact I often find it worse when games shoehorn gay characters in, it feels like I am being patronized.

Even then, this is just one feature of the game, so yes, it is judgemental to assume it's going to be 'dumb.'

Maybe, but the 2retro4u graphics aren't inspiring much hope in me either.

Maybe, the ability to not openly identify as a gender, or be 'out and proud,' doesn't mean shit to you, but it does to a lot of people.

Actually it does mean a lot to me.

There are people who are so dreadfully unhappy with themselves because they don't fit into societal norms, so having a character that might be like them is so important. It might not be a cure-all, but it is a helping hand.

Speaking from personal experience and maybe this is just my opinion but characters who feel unbelievable or shoehorned do not help people when they feel isolated froms society because they won't be able to connect to or even beleive the character.

 

[wulf3n]

A group of people don't like that the games they want to play don't exist, but instead of complaining about it decide to just make it instead...

Yes, 1000 x yes.

If everyone who complained that the current state of games doesn't appeal to them decided to go out and make a game that did, instead of just complaining about it on the internet the games industry/community would be an infinitely better place.

 

[IPunchWithMyFists]

A group of people don't like that the games they want to play don't exist, but instead of complaining about it decide to just make it instead...

Yes, 1000 x yes.

If everyone who complained that the current state of games doesn't appeal to them decided to go out and make a game that did, instead of just complaining about it on the internet the games industry/community would be an infinitely better place.

This guy knows what's up.

 

[JSoup]

More interested in the game itself than any thinly veiled point it might be trying to make.