Lack of gaiety in gaming

[shadow skill]

Meh I would argue that many games, and alot of western gamers are latently homosexual or sexually confused. Just look at the lack of women in so many shooters, and the lack of the female heroine barring a few notable exceptions in general. The idea that female main characters will cause a game to not sell as well. The complete disappearance of women from some franchises (Reisistance.), the hyper masculinity of other games (Gears of War, UT.), the paranoia that seemingly half the internet displayed because of the mere existence of Jade Raymond, the tea bagging, the abuse of the word ******, the list goes on and on. (I personally think that those who abuse the term ****** so much are just projecting their own homosexuality which they do not want to admit to onto others.)

To sum it up I think that there is a rather sizeable contingent of "Larry Craigs" out there in the gaming world.

 

[Nutcase]

Isn't putting gay characters into games just for the sake of having gay characters kinda against the point of true tolerence, because it reinforces the stereotype that gays are different from straights, and should be treated differently? A character should be gay for a reason, not just to appease pressure groups.

What "reason"? Do people need a reason to be straight, too? To be black?

I agree that it's not "true tolerance" to do something to appease pressure groups. True tolerance would be to default to a diverse cast unless there is reason to do something else.

 

[DigitalSushi]

Does it really matter that much what a character's sexual preference is? Gordon Freeman could quite easily be homosexual, but would it change any part of Half Life 2?

This, there just isn't really a way that you can insert a particular sexuality into a game without it seeming gimmicky.

true say, but what about Gears of War?, if you played as Marcus searching for Maloof, Dom's estranged arabian waiter friend?.

as an aside, I'd buy a game twice if the major plot was to save gay morocan waiters.

 

[shadow skill]

I'd love to see a game where the main character was in a wheelchair only because it would all but force the team doing such a game to think outside of the box.

 

[teh_gunslinger]

Does it really matter that much what a character's sexual preference is? Gordon Freeman could quite easily be homosexual, but would it change any part of Half Life 2?

Change Alyx to Alex and try to relive the moments of sexual tension of the game. Since you're immersed in Gordon, as you're him, it would make it a little awkward, no?

Ah, but imagine Gordon attracted to G-Man but not interested in Alyx, as he seems to be. No change really, is there? We're not talking about changing the game, just his reactions.

I would say, in the case of Gordon, I think it was a mistake on Valves part naming him and giving him a face. When I play HL Gordons emotional reaction to persons and situations are mine. And so, when I play Gordon he is interested in Alyx. And Alyx sure seem interested in him. But another person playing might be more interested in Judith (or Barney for that matter). It really has no effect on the game and it's up to the player to decide. I think that's cool.
What I mean is, my Gordon is most likely a different Gordon than others play. My Gordon makes snide comments all the time. Others might not. In that way I think HL really is a perfect roleplaying game. It leaves it up to me to determine who Gordon is. My Gordon messes around in Elis lab and has other small quirks. Just like my guy in Bioshock is probably slightly different than others.
My Gordon is not gay, but others might be. That's also why I think a name and a face is a problem. It takes a little of my control of the character away.

On to Uncharted as was mentioned. Well, that's a different game. Nathan Drake is a more fleshed out character. When I play Uncharted I just control Drake. I don't decide who he is. The guys who wrote it could have written him as a homosexual or a girl. I wouldn't care if the game was good. As long as the sexuality is not just a forced gimmick but rather a part of the character I don't mind. Now, Uncharted being what it is, a gay Nathan would be rather unlikely but still, it could be interesting.

The sexuality of a character doesn't matter to me as long as it's not the center of attention. I don't feel like playing a game about a guy looking to score some pussy (Larry does not count) just as I don't want to play a game about coming out. No offence, but that's what I watch movies and reads books about. I realise that it is of great importance to a lot of people and I actually find the whole thing very interesting, but I don't wanna game about it.

Hmm, that got a bit out of hand. Sorry about that.

Edit:

true say, but what about Gears of War?, if you played as Marcus searching for Maloof, Dom's estranged arabian waiter friend?.

as an aside, I'd buy a game twice if the major plot was to save gay morocan waiters.

That would be an awesome plot. I can see it in my mind. Best.Game.Ever.

 

[gigastrike]

How could God Hand possibly be more gay?

 

[cobra_ky]

personally i thought the guy in indigo prophecy was a little too stereotypical. i could tell he was supposed to be gay the second i heard his voice.

a gay friend and i discuss why there's so few positively-portrayed gay characters in games, and it's basically the same reason why there's so few Peruvians and Paraguayans; there simply aren't enough character designers with theproper cultural understanding

I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit to http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_176/5485-Global-Games-Local-Perspectives for inspiring me.

EDIT: Oh yeah, i almost forgot. a design team i was on came up with a concept with two female leads. we had an inside joke about including a lesbian sex scene, but we decided on leaving it intentionally vague. as it turns out, i later learned that one of the team members was fairly religious and probably pretty uncomfortable with the whole idea, so i'm glad we didn't go with something more blatant.

 

[Kermi]

Having hetero relationships in a game is simply the safer option. Perhaps in the future we can toggle a preference switch at character creation if we're going to have a love interest character thrust upon us (so a gay gamer could chose manlove to have Alex instead of Alyx, Eddie instead of Elena, etc.).
Beyond that, there should be no classifications and any love interest in a game should be based solely upon who you as the character elect to pursue. Fable 2 had that right, at least, but not every game can have boatloads of straight/gay/bi NPCs roaming around for you to take home on a whim. Games like Half Life 2 and Uncharted really benefitted from the female sidekick/love interest character in terms of story and maybe in part that was because they weren't oversexualised eye candy. The interest was subtle and you could easily explain it away by simple comraderie or admiration if you don't like the idea of Nathan and Elena as a potential couple (in a 'we just escaped certain death about fifty times and I'm horny, damn it' way, naturally...)
But the simple fact is, it would have appealed far less to the mainstream gaming audience for Nathan Drake to have had an infatuated guy following him around. It's not a matter of outright homophobia, it's just the less-travelled path. Plus, there's enough drama stirred up from the media and religious groups when they put straight sex in a game. Imagine how they'd react to a gay protagonist! I can already see the Fox news report in my mind...

ACTIVISION DEVELOPS GAY SEX SIMULATOR
In the latest addition to their "Most Wanted" range of videogame titles, Activision follow up Call of Duty: World at War with their controversial homosexuality sim, Cock in Doody: Slam it Raw. In this game, targeted at impressionable teenage males, you take direct control of Major Schlong, a decorated Vietnam veteran who after years of prestigious service is conscripted into a secret US army test program in which his is psychologically tormented until he is twisted into a life of homosexual servitude to perverted Democrats. In this graphic depiction of REAL homosexual relationships, the player directs Maj. Schlong in first-person perspective through an ever increasingly depraved series of unsafe sex acts.
queergamers.com has forwarded us their review of the game, having received an advance copy. The first game to be played by homosexuals in the history of videogames has been offered generous nine stars out of five, and is considered "fabulous" by all participants.

More on this as it develops.

 

[Mean Mother Rucker]

I think slipping in a homosexual side-character, or find out later that one of the characters is a homosexual would not be bad. However, if a homosexual main character would happen to appear, the homophobic portion of the gaming community would avoid that game like the plague.
Games do tend to fall back onto stereotypes pretty hard. I won't give examples for fear of offending someone. But you don't need to be a nit-picker to find stereotypes in most games.

 

[new_age_reject]

I'd love to see a game where the main character was in a wheelchair only because it would all but force the team doing such a game to think outside of the box.

Play Munches Oddyssey. Similar concept, but yeah, something awkward like that could make for really interesting game making.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Way to many homophobic gamers to make games that note homosexuality. Also, a lack of general gamer maturity ensures that no deep ideas will ever appear in video games(except for a few games that never become really popular).

 

[jacks_a_dull_boy]

Well, ok, you can put "Gay people", or Homosexuals (<- Correct term, acording to my homosexual friends), BUT, alot of gamers are more homofobic than you might think! So it wouldn't sell well, which would upset the whole Homosexual-community... And things would go very bad.

I am not trying to offend. If it sounds like it, I'm sorry

Agreed, If you played on any online based platform. You'll notice the term homo, fag, queer, etc are used to joke, or insult other players. If you made a game where most of the characters are gay, most people would shun at even the thought of even trying the game.

Unless it was a yaoi based off some japanese title then most of your consumers would be Homosexuals and Craze anime fan girls.

"I like rainbows, Im not gay, but I support it." ~Demetri Martin

 

[The Wooster]

Are we assuming that games are only feature homosexual characters if they put a great big sign saying 'gay' on their back? Because I'm pretty sure Gears of War is all about the man love.

 

[Kermi]

Are we assuming that games are only feature homosexual characters if they put a great big sign saying 'gay' on their back? Because I'm pretty sure Gears of War is all about the man love.

A couple of the achievement names for playign through Gears 1 in co-op were highly suspicious, including a partial Brokeback Mountain quote...
I wonder how deliberate the inclusion of Dom's wife into the Gears 2 storyline was.

 

[cobra_ky]

I'd love to see a game where the main character was in a wheelchair only because it would all but force the team doing such a game to think outside of the box.

Killer7. (not really) I also remember some award-winning indie game about a girl in a wheelchair that i forget the title of.

also one time i wrote a design document for a game whose main character couldn't move his arms. there's kind of a long story behind that one.

 

[mark_n_b]

What it comes down to for me is, how easy would it be for me to create a game that approaches this issue in an honest, mature, and sophisticated way given my separation from the issues involved.

The point of this article isn't just "the gays" it is really about any complex issue. I mean, how can I presume to create a game that examines lifestyles and cultures I am not a part of, am I capable of creating a piece of work that appreciates these elements when I question my own personal knowledge and appreciation of them and I know that I am not exposed or involved in these cultural points.

And this then intrinsically begs the question that given that should I?

I do think anyone who wants to travel these roads should treat it with respect though.

 

[TheBlueRabbit]

ACTIVISION DEVELOPS GAY SEX SIMULATOR
In the latest addition to their "Most Wanted" range of videogame titles, Activision follow up Call of Duty: World at War with their controversial homosexuality sim, Cock in Doody: Slam it Raw. In this game, targeted at impressionable teenage males, you take direct control of Major Schlong, a decorated Vietnam veteran who after years of prestigious service is conscripted into a secret US army test program in which his is psychologically tormented until he is twisted into a life of homosexual servitude to perverted Democrats. In this graphic depiction of REAL homosexual relationships, the player directs Maj. Schlong in first-person perspective through an ever increasingly depraved series of unsafe sex acts.
queergamers.com has forwarded us their review of the game, having received an advance copy. The first game to be played by homosexuals in the history of videogames has been offered generous nine stars out of five, and is considered "fabulous" by all participants.

To start on a tangent, that was spit-the-cock-out funny.

I have to admit, this is one of the few debates I've enjoyed reading all of on any forum lately. It's not a topic I remember seeing discussed much before.

It's a rather slippery slope for the developers, I'd imagine. Being gay, I wouldn't mind seeing more gay leads in games, but the lack of it in no way bothers me. I tend to agree completely that shoe-horning them in just for the sake of having them would be a huge mistake. This could even do more harm than good for the increased acceptance we have received over the last couple of decades.
Think about it. If a hypothetical homophobic gamer found him/herself subjected to more and more homosexuality in their games, it could serve to further their hatred and resentment. It's a bit of a stretch, I'll admit, but you get the picture.

 

[1337mokro]

Most gamers are not teenagers, and the teenagers/gamers ratio will drop further as time goes on.

http://www.theaveragegamer.com/averagegamers/

Your site only takes in consideration PC gamers. Since I am also a PC gamer i wanted to let you know I am still a teenager. The GAMING community is more than just the PC seeing as the PC gaming industry has now become a MMO nerd zone, don't get me started on MMO's there is something severelly wrong with a game that you have to pay for without end to play it and sucks away at your social life.

 

[mmofan1]

Japanese are open to homosexuality, but its just when it gets to America they do change them into a female dike or EMO. This is happens in a lot of children?s anime, and its the same for games that young people play. Games where homosexuals appear are the games played by mature players. I remember that in Lego Batman Poison Ivy and Cat woman where able to use their deadly kiss attacks on female enemies. Someone explained that females should not be kissing females in a kids game, I?m not sure if the developers changed it or thought that there was nothing wrong with that. I got to check for myself if its actually in there.

Does anyone remember Leisure suit Larry on XBOX? There was a non stereotypical lesbian that was later revealed on campus.