Jimquisition: Mass Effect 3: A Gay Erotic Love Story

[qeinar]

Oh my god, that was brilliant. Thank god for jim.

 

[Tanakh]

Have you ever been in the closet? Because if you have been, you'd know how much effort goes into hiding your sexuality.

As a gay friend said "even to be gay you need balls", and in conservative enviroments you need to be a man among men to be an open gay dude. That said, fuck retconning Shep into gayness! Mhee, screw ME in general, I want to see sometihng new from Bioware.

That's just entropy, and it sounds like a dash of social pressures as well. But really, you really shouldn't feel forced to do anything.

Nahh, not social pressure for that, my mother however asks me about a grandchild every once in a while, once a month if I am not going steady with someone... damn her. It's just that i like to get out of my confort zone as much as i can, try new stuff, live new experiences; so far the gay side however hasn't happened yet.

-snip-

Sup m8! Gonna dream with Jim whispering to your ear tonight? Jk, nway good 2 c u.

 

[Beliyal]

Heaven forbid people use the comments section to discuss rather than mindlessly worship the content creator.

I love discussions. However, they too often turn into mindless arguments with all the same points being abused over and over.

Simply put, I see no reason to bash the option for homosexuality in ME3. They wanted to put it in the previous two games too, but unfortunately, we live in society where homosexuality is frowned upon. I don't think it's an issue with writing or retconing; it's an issue with our society. Finally, they decided to say "Fuck it, we're doing it this time" and put the option in the game, where it should have been since the beginning. Sure, it would've been better if it was there from the start (I'm sure some people were disappointed for not having a gay option), but they had to scrap that idea for various reasons. I am not bothered by it though, as I don't see it as that big of an issue. You can play a consistent Shepard and not change anything at all in all three games. You can also decide that it was boring to be paragon and choose to be renegade. Or change your face or your class. There's no viable explanation for that, in-game, and your squadmates are going to address you all the same even if you suddenly went from being a noble soldier to some full-biotic douche, or you had a complete face change surgery. So, why is homosexuality such a problem? If I can completely change the look and morals of my character, I should be able to suddenly decide that my Shepard wants man sex (or woman sex). Or I could just pretend that s/he was gay from the beginning and it was other people who were not, so I couldn't indulge in my desires. Or I could completely ignore this option and play as I played until now. I have three Shepards, neither of them is gay and neither of them will suddenly become gay, because I want to finish relationships with the ones I romanced in ME2. But I could make a new Shepard, romance no one in ME1 and 2 (or romance someone just because I can) and then romance my true and only love in ME3.

There, here's a discussion.

 

[Rainboq]

...

That made me feel pretty uncomfortable, yet it made me laugh a bit. But mostly made me feel very odd because Jim is talking about a sex scene/fantasy moment despite if it had to do with males, females, straight, homo, whichever. Must say it takes a lot of bravery to read that out loud. So interesting video is all I have to add...

I find it rather odd that sex makes you uncomfortable, care to explain why that is?

 

[secretsantaone]

Did I say that? Yes you can criticize the game, hell, if you don't like this decision, DON'T BUY THE GAME. If you do buy it, you basically have little to no right to complain. Seriously though, the segments might be well written for all you know, and you might never encounter those moments, but I'd imagine that there are some players out there who played Shepard as a rather flirty gay male, but never got to explore that further.

Woah hold up there partner.

On one hand you're saying I can't know for sure whether or not the writing will be good or not until it comes out and I play the game for myself.

On the other you're saying I have no right to complain about the writing if I buy the game.

So can I not criticise the game unless I pirate it or something?

How on earth can you play Shepard as a flirty gay male, when neither of the two existing games contain any flirty gay dialogue? Are you expected to imagine a back-story where he chats up Edwardo while on shore-leave?

 

[SajuukKhar]

Heaven forbid people use the comments section to discuss rather than mindlessly worship the content creator.

I love discussions. However, they too often turn into mindless arguments with all the same points being abused over and over.

Simply put, I see not reason to bash the option for homosexuality in ME3. They wanted to put it in the previous two games too, but unfortunately, we live in society where homosexuality is frowned upon. I don't think it's an issue with writing or retconing; it's an issue with our society. Finally, they decided to say "Fuck it, we're doing it this time" and put the option in the game, where it should have been since the beginning. Sure, it would've been better if it was there from the start (I'm sure some people were disappointed for not having a gay option), but they had to scrap that idea for various reasons. I am not bothered by it though, as I don't see it as that big of an issue. You can play a consistent Shepard and not change anything at all in all three games. You can also decide that it was boring to be paragon and choose to be renegade. Or change your face or your class. There's no viable explanation for that, in-game, and your squadmates are going to address you all the same even if you suddenly went from being a noble soldier to some full-biotic douche, or you had a complete face change surgery. So, why is homosexuality such a problem? If I can completely change the look and morals of my character, I should be able to suddenly decide that my Shepard wants man sex (or woman sex). Or I could just pretend that s/he was gay from the beginning and it was other people who were not, so I couldn't indulge in my desires. Or I could completely ignore this option and play as I played until now. I have three Shepards, neither of them is gay and neither of them will suddenly become gay, because I want to finish relationships with the ones I romanced in ME2. But I could make a new Shepard, romance no one in ME1 and 2 (or romance someone just because I can) and then romance my true and only love in ME3.

There, here's a discussion.

Ohh gods

someone making a well thought out and reasonable post?

I though it was impossible.

 

[Rainboq]

Have you ever been in the closet? Because if you have been, you'd know how much effort goes into hiding your sexuality.

As a gay friend said "even to be gay you need balls", and in conservative enviroments you need to be a man among men to be an open gay dude. That said, fuck retconning Shep into gayness! Mhee, screw ME in general, I want to see sometihng new from Bioware.

That's just entropy, and it sounds like a dash of social pressures as well. But really, you really shouldn't feel forced to do anything.

Nahh, not social pressure for that, my mother however asks me about a grandchild every once in a while, once a month if I am not going steady with someone... damn her. It's just that i like to get out of my confort zone as much as i can, try new stuff, live new experiences; so far the gay side however hasn't happened yet.

Interesting. I think this friend of yours and I would probably get along quite well. And I sort of agree, while the content creators should have free reign, it is rather fan servicy.

Also, I know that feel bro, from the female side mind, I get nagged constantly.

 

[NaramSuen]

Jim raises an excellent point, I narrowly avoided catching teh gay from a previous Bioware game - Jade Empire. Curse you Sky you handsome rogue with your tempting wiles! As gamers, we'd best be on our guard for any other encroachments of equality or diversity.

Spot on satire Jim. Probably your best episode to date.

 

[Rainboq]

Did I say that? Yes you can criticize the game, hell, if you don't like this decision, DON'T BUY THE GAME. If you do buy it, you basically have little to no right to complain. Seriously though, the segments might be well written for all you know, and you might never encounter those moments, but I'd imagine that there are some players out there who played Shepard as a rather flirty gay male, but never got to explore that further.

Woah hold up there partner.

On one hand you're saying I can't know for sure whether or not the writing will be good or not until it comes out and I play the game for myself.

On the other you're saying I have no right to complain about the writing if I buy the game.

So can I not criticise the game unless I pirate it or something?

You're misinterperting me, I'm saying that you can criticize, not complain. There is a difference, critizism tends to be more in depth and constructive.

How on earth can you play Shepard as a flirty gay male, when neither of the two existing games contain any flirty gay dialogue? Are you expected to imagine a back-story where he chats up Edwardo while on shore-leave?

Were there's a will there's a way. It could be the way your character moves when around other characters. Honestly, there's more to a character than just the dialogue.

 

[dietpeachsnapple]

Saying a great deal of what has already been said. Apologies, for the recap.

-Good satire.

-The age check shouldn't be necessary, but it is wise to avoid legal complications for potentially sensitive content.

-The DSM dropped its definition of homosexuality as a disorder in 1973 which in terms of progression in clinical psychology is a lot more recent than many of you would like to believe.

-Society is only recently getting comfortable with homosexuality. There are those groups who are not comfortable with this increasing comfort.

-There is no such thing as "appeasing" a market. You are opening doors to interested parties, which is good business.

-It is not shallow to include homosexual relations in a game. It is shallow to include any sexual relations in a game.

 

[Avatar Roku]

Heaven forbid people use the comments section to discuss rather than mindlessly worship the content creator.

I love discussions. However, they too often turn into mindless arguments with all the same points being abused over and over.

Simply put, I see no reason to bash the option for homosexuality in ME3. They wanted to put it in the previous two games too, but unfortunately, we live in society where homosexuality is frowned upon. I don't think it's an issue with writing or retconing; it's an issue with our society. Finally, they decided to say "Fuck it, we're doing it this time" and put the option in the game, where it should have been since the beginning. Sure, it would've been better if it was there from the start (I'm sure some people were disappointed for not having a gay option), but they had to scrap that idea for various reasons. I am not bothered by it though, as I don't see it as that big of an issue. You can play a consistent Shepard and not change anything at all in all three games. You can also decide that it was boring to be paragon and choose to be renegade. Or change your face or your class. There's no viable explanation for that, in-game, and your squadmates are going to address you all the same even if you suddenly went from being a noble soldier to some full-biotic douche, or you had a complete face change surgery. So, why is homosexuality such a problem? If I can completely change the look and morals of my character, I should be able to suddenly decide that my Shepard wants man sex (or woman sex). Or I could just pretend that s/he was gay from the beginning and it was other people who were not, so I couldn't indulge in my desires. Or I could completely ignore this option and play as I played until now. I have three Shepards, neither of them is gay and neither of them will suddenly become gay, because I want to finish relationships with the ones I romanced in ME2. But I could make a new Shepard, romance no one in ME1 and 2 (or romance someone just because I can) and then romance my true and only love in ME3.

There, here's a discussion.

Very good points. Expressed it far better than I did.

 

[conflictofinterests]

I'd play male Shep as a homosexual, because it does interest me greatly, however I cannot stand male Shep's voice acting. Perhaps if a cock were shoved down his throat the entire time I could actually manage a playthrough as him, though...

 

[Rainboq]

-It is not shallow to include homosexual relations in a game. It is shallow to include any sexual relations in a game.

That's a wee bit 'No True Scottsman'. Sexuality is a core component of human relations, and as such, sexuality can and should a part of more adult games that talk about the human condition, like Mass Effect. Hell, even TES and Fallout have sex, just heavily implied.

 

[secretsantaone]

Heaven forbid people use the comments section to discuss rather than mindlessly worship the content creator.

I love discussions. However, they too often turn into mindless arguments with all the same points being abused over and over.

Simply put, I see not reason to bash the option for homosexuality in ME3. They wanted to put it in the previous two games too, but unfortunately, we live in society where homosexuality is frowned upon. I don't think it's an issue with writing or retconing; it's an issue with our society. Finally, they decided to say "Fuck it, we're doing it this time" and put the option in the game, where it should have been since the beginning. Sure, it would've been better if it was there from the start (I'm sure some people were disappointed for not having a gay option), but they had to scrap that idea for various reasons. I am not bothered by it though, as I don't see it as that big of an issue. You can play a consistent Shepard and not change anything at all in all three games. You can also decide that it was boring to be paragon and choose to be renegade. Or change your face or your class. There's no viable explanation for that, in-game, and your squadmates are going to address you all the same even if you suddenly went from being a noble soldier to some full-biotic douche, or you had a complete face change surgery. So, why is homosexuality such a problem? If I can completely change the look and morals of my character, I should be able to suddenly decide that my Shepard wants man sex (or woman sex). Or I could just pretend that s/he was gay from the beginning and it was other people who were not, so I couldn't indulge in my desires. Or I could completely ignore this option and play as I played until now. I have three Shepards, neither of them is gay and neither of them will suddenly become gay, because I want to finish relationships with the ones I romanced in ME2. But I could make a new Shepard, romance no one in ME1 and 2 (or romance someone just because I can) and then romance my true and only love in ME3.

There, here's a discussion.

Which is pretty much what we have been discussing for the last 3/4 pages.

My argument is that the amount of effort adding a gay relationship into the series this late isn't worth it. The development time could have been better spent on additional general content, especially considering the small amount of development time (2 years, which is pretty tight for an RPG, especially one which prides itself on choices).

Not only that but a staple of good writing is foreshadowing and hinting. Making Shepard gay this late in the series seems much more like pandering rather than adding anything meaningful to the story.

 

[VladG]

I'm sensing a poke at something underneath all this. Was there some sort of controversy about homosexuality in ME3 that I missed?

Remember the controversy surrounding the first game? All the brainwashing alien sex turning players into guaranteed deviant sex offenders? Now it's GAY alien sex! You won't be able to drive your car on the road for men fondling each other...

 

[Rainboq]

...

That made me feel pretty uncomfortable, yet it made me laugh a bit. But mostly made me feel very odd because Jim is talking about a sex scene/fantasy moment despite if it had to do with males, females, straight, homo, whichever. Must say it takes a lot of bravery to read that out loud. So interesting video is all I have to add...

I find it rather odd that sex makes you uncomfortable, care to explain why that is?

Not used to watching anyone narrate a sex story in person, or ever seen anyone do so on a video posted by The Escapist or any website for that matter. I thought Jim was going to talk about the reasons why homosexuality was going to be no issue but people tend to make it so- while joking. Yet, the whole time he was actually reading a story that caught me off guard lol. The details he gave out specifically despite what gender was involved.. made me put on a "What did I just hear" face lol.

Besides, not everyone is into sex all that much. I tend to stay away from it, not discussion wise but being involved wise. That's just me, it's not wrong for others but I like to keep a clean mind and not go for the gutter haha.

No offense, but I'm going to pick apart that last sentence of yours. Why is not thinking about sexuality, one of the baser component of human psychology, which the repression of has been proven to be harmful, a bad thing? What is so bad about thinking about one of the fundamental concepts of life itself, procreation, seen as a dirty thing? Aside from the obvious, religious reasons, of course.

 

[Rainboq]

I'd play male Shep as a homosexual, because it does interest me greatly, however I cannot stand male Shep's voice acting. Perhaps if a cock were shoved down his throat the entire time I could actually manage a playthrough as him, though...

okay, that made me lol, kuddos!

 

[LarenzoAOG]

"50 Penn Gilletes" I luaghed so fucking hard at this video, shine on you crazy fuck.

 

[VladG]

As usual, wonderful video.

I think Jim addresses the matter adequately. I didn't know some fans were actually raging at the inclusion of a gay romance option and the very idea that some of them were raging about that makes me want to pull off a pretty massive facepalm.

I don't think it was the fans (except for those fans that will complain about absolutely anything) I think it's more to do with the media (I smell Fox News' stink all over this). But you know how people are... just because the option exists, it means the game straps you down Clockwork Orange style and makes you watch Garrus pound maleSheps' ass for 5 hours...

 

[secretsantaone]

You're misinterperting me, I'm saying that you can criticize, not complain. There is a difference, critizism tends to be more in depth and constructive.

Complaints are just negative criticism.

It could be the way your character moves when around other characters. Honestly, there's more to a character than just the dialogue.

What does that even mean? Awkwardly and repeatedly bumping into them from behind? It's pretty hard to show subtle body gestures in a shooting game with stock animations.