ME3 Homosexuality Chapter (meant to be Ironic?)

[smeghead25]

But why? Even for a gay Shepard playthrough it's...out of place. And what's with the "accidentally discovers" bit? Why does a straight gamer's playthrough have to grind to a halt to turn into a "defend gay preferences" story for a whole chapter? Why does a gay gamer's for that matter?

It's meant to be a deep wide open game with lots of stuff to do and see and lots of places to go. It's simply one small branch in a tree of many small plots. That 'freedom' so many people enjoy in RPG's is only possible through having many different story elements. Now Mass Effect has always been about character development and they've always been mature about their representation of relationships and sex within the games. Having Shepard walk into an awkward moment like that will be a great way to fuel character development. Based on the choices you make after the encounter you'll have a whole range of outcomes based on how you reacted, what you said, and how they feel around you or on your team.

 

[kortin]

I really am sorry if this has been asked before, but does Mass Effect NEED homosexuality in it? I mean, of course homosexuality is definitely something that should not be shunned and ignored, but couldn't Mass Effect 3 be just as good a game if there wasn't any homosexual content?

Do we NEED heterosexual content? I mean really? I mean we could've gone through the first two games without it, and it would've been just as good, right?

They need to add reasons and make them an actual part of the game. Characters being straight is mainstream. Almost anyone will look at, say, Gordon Freeman, and think "That guy is straight", and its accepted throughout most of the community that most characters are straight. So if someones going to go against whats mainstream, they better do it right and not add them in just for the sake of having a gay character.

Well, you tell me, why can't somebody just be gay? You're saying that most characters are just
straight, so then why can't some just be gay? What is there to say Gordon Freeman isn't gay? Granted, I haven't played Half-life 2 Episode 2, but I doubt there was anything there implying that he is indeed straight. You are basically saying that there has to be some sort of direction behind a gay character, most likely as part of a pro-gay or anti-gay agenda, but that its fine for a straight character to "just be that way". Do you not see the double-standard, or do you not realize that sexual orientation is only one aspects to the many, many facets of a person's self-identity and personality?

Edit: That last sentence there had legitimate questions I'm truly asking you, and not personal attacks.

I think you misunderstand me. I think its great to have homosexual characters. I never said that games should not have gay characters. Never once. It is just so deeply ingrained into society that most characters are heterosexual, that if you are going to add a homosexual character, I believe you should try to make their purpose in the game to be beyond just being gay. I've seen a lot of characters that were gay just because the game didn't have a gay character. I simply believe that in order for there to be any legitimacy, in any game, you should have a GOOD reason to add a character that's gay into the game. Not because I don't think you shouldn't have a gay character, but because, in order to break the trend of straight characters being mainstream, you have to start slowly.

There is nothing saying anything about Gordon Freeman's sexuality. I was not using bias or anything there, ITS MAINSTREAM to think a character is straight without any proof. Its not a personal thing, its whats mostly accepted by society today.

 

[MisterDyslexo]

Saying that though, it is a huge retcon, I understand that you can be closeted for years, but Shepard should be at an age where he's already figured out his sexuality, however they could always say that he's managed to suppress it for so long that it's become buried and the near death experience bought it to surface, if he struggles with it, doesn't understand what he's going through and it is written well, I think we can forgive the retcon.

Or he could've just been chilling the first two games, showing zero interest towards Kaidan or Jacob. And yes, while that is boring, and might come off as a retcon, it has been yet to explained why exactly we can start having sex with two aliens in Mass Effect 2 that were previously available in the first Mass Effect. However, these characters, Tali and Garrus, are developed, rather than just simply put "Okay you can sex them now", so no dynamic changed with Shepard. Hell, there is nothing solid, as male-shep can turn down Liara for being an alien, yet bang Tali, and FemShep can explicitly say she ain't into women, yet "have dinner" with Kelly. Shepard needs not change, but really a character previously available, unless of course the male-male romance is a new character, in which case its not really necessary at all. Of course, thats all from the acceptable standard, since the same happened in Mass Effect 2 and nobody really said anything about it.

I think you misunderstand me. I think its great to have homosexual characters. I never said that games should not have gay characters. Never once. It is just so deeply ingrained into society that most characters are heterosexual, that if you are going to add a homosexual character, I believe you should try to make their purpose in the game to be beyond just being gay. I've seen a lot of characters that were gay just because the game didn't have a gay character. I simply believe that in order for there to be any legitimacy, in any game, you should have a GOOD reason to add a character that's gay into the game. Not because I don't think you shouldn't have a gay character, but because, in order to break the trend of straight characters being mainstream, you have to start slowly.

Well again, you are basically saying that a character can't just be gay, like straight character can. If they want to make a statement in doing so, by all means, go ahead, but by saying that to feel legitimate the character's orientation has to have some sort of greater purpose outside of gameplay, something to make us think. And like I said, that is totally fine. I would expect if a game developer wanted to take a stance on the issue, that is how they would do it. But you're saying that to break the thought that characters are straight by default (which isn't flawed logic, its statistical. However saying they're not gay just because you've assumed even though there is not evidence either way is flawed logic) they can't just be gay. They can't just be chilling about it, like we've seen in those other two Bioware games.

There is nothing saying anything about Gordon Freeman's sexuality. I was not using bias or anything there, ITS MAINSTREAM to think a character is straight without any proof. Its not a personal thing, its whats mostly accepted by society today.[/quote]

 

[DannibalG36]

Bioware are simply shoe-horning in a segment that deliberately focuses on homosexuality?

Equal opportunity gaming, coming to a store near you.

 

[MisterDyslexo]

Bioware are simply shoe-horning in a segment that deliberately focuses on homosexuality?

Equal opportunity gaming, coming to a store near you.

Its fake, I'm a member of the Bioware forums myself, and can tell you no such post occurred.

 

[mr_rubino]

Yeah let's pay for only half a game!
To you I recommend renting some adult movies. The actors don't look like they're made of plastic, you get uncensored sex scenes and they don't cost $50.

So you see a half-hearted attempted at sarcasm and your first reaction is to be a dick?

Isn't that the entire point of this thread?

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

...Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who realized that Bioware was kidding around with that forum post.

Anyone taking it seriously needs to get their sarcasm detector fixed.

 

[blaize2010]

why is it that i can't play a game that takes itself seriously anymore without every person in the party coming on to me, even if my character is a soulless evil son of a *****.

 

[CommanderKirov]

I'm sorry but if anyone takes that serious I will loose my faith in mankind....

What else do you think they would put in Mass Effect 3?

Shepard filing census?
Shepard trying to explain his/her mother why he never became a doctor?
Shepard have to decide if he/she wants to rally against or for abortion?

Reaaaly... That just cannot be serious

 

[Asuka Soryu]

I miss when games were about gameplay. Not who's shagging who.

Does the deepening characterization and further evolution of key characters get in the way of the roleplaying portion of the roleplaying games for you?

Why yes, yes it does. :3

 

[Frotality]

has any mod/bioware dude at the forums actually confirmed its sarcastic? if so, then fine its sarcastic...but if not, i recall quite clearly how everyone at the old bioware forums responded in a similar situation before ME2 came out:

rumors were abound that that you couldnt change your teammates armor, just had one alt outfit. many people exclaimed that bioware would never really remove the ability to change their armor, saying that any statements regarding it were taken out of context; that they might have the same modular system as shepard, and other such exclamations of disbelief. when ME2 came out and the alt outfit thing turned out true, the same people defended the system; just keep that in mind.

 

[ImperialSunlight]

No, seriously,

Am I the only person that can tell that the Bioware forum post is tongue-in-cheek?

Just look at it and think about all the criticism they've gotten over Dragon Age 2. They wouldn't do that, they wouldn't force a homosexual encounter on someone, AND they wouldn't have an entire section of an action/rpg scifi story based around your or your shipmate's coming out party.

You guys are actually taking this seriously? What the hell...

I don't think its a good idea for them to have a whole chapter based on this but I can see them having him walk in on... it.... And if do choose to play as a gay shepard, I see no reason not to have other characters react to it.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Shepard trying to explain his/her mother why he never became a doctor?

My Colonist-born shepard would like to have a word with you:
Shepard: "My parents are DEEEEEEEAAAAAAAD!!!"

*a cookie to the man who gets the reference!*


But I can see him filling out his census to be hilarious. I mean...he DIED once didn't he? That would be kind of awkward to put on there...XD

 

[ZeroMachine]

Listen up!

Jennifer Brandes Hepler replied to my message. Not only has she been inactive on the forums for a month, she has never commented on Mass Effect.

 

[Shavon513]

I was under the impression Hepler was on the DA writing team, not the Mass Effect 'writing' team. Haha, the sarcasm went over everyone's heads as well XD

 

[Gill Kaiser]

There's no way this is true. It boggles my mind that people are even remotely taking that post seriously. In fact, I doubt it's even a real post.