No Real Gay Characters in Bioware?

[Sgt. Dante]

Just because the PC is potentially Bi doesn't mean that the characters are, they only sleep with the PC if the romance option is high enough and in that play through they never really romance anyone else, and unless they talk about their past lovers they may as well be gay.

This presumes of course that different game saves are essentially different universes, so straight in one = gay in another and vice-versa.

But that's just it. Like I said before there shouldn't be "what if"s and "might as well be"s. There should be clearly defined characters. It isn't like there aren't character that are straight, specifically referred to as straight, and are, without a doubt, straight.

But they are, IF you are a guy and can romance a guy, they are gay, if you can't they are straight.

Conversation options and back stories don't really change to reflect a difference between the two, so why does it matter? If you want to get on with the character and are able, go nuts. restricting the players experience is usually a bad game design principle.

Again with ifs and thens. Why can't a character just be gay? There are characters that are just straight. That restricts some players. Why is that allowed? But then again I am talking not just about Bioware, but games in general. And yes it does matter. Did you just ignore the rest of the thread?

And it's more than just the relationship aspect. It's not about restricting the player. It's about making developed and believable characters, thus making a more believable game. I assumed a nice and detailed story with characters that reflected that was part of what people wanted from a game, but apparently people want nothing more than the gratification of the romances.

It may not be about restricting the player, but it has the effect of doing so, and I do agree with your last point, it's only a bit of digital body-bumping, so why is it so massively important these days? Don't get me wrong I understand the use of emotion to immerse a player in a digital world, but it's almost like the graphics debate, how far is far enough and beyond that is there any point?

Clearly defined characters may make for a better story, but more choice will make for a better game.

 

[nobodysoldier25]

Well when you're the member of a minority that is often the victim of vicious and unprovoked attack, you tend to put quite a bit of weight on your sexuality.

I don't quite agree with that assessment. I'm not saying that people are not viciously attacked without provocation, but I fail to see why someone should be entitled to something based on sexual preference. Similarly I fail to see why they should not be allowed to have what everyone else has access to. But I don't believe people should be given special treatment based on demographics.

Where is the entitlement? Tell me please. People keep saying that gay people are asking for something specific or asking to be catered to, but how do people keep seeing that. Asking to be fairly represented isn't entitlement at all. What I'm saying is that a gay character can be as interesting as a straight or bisexual character, because there are subtle differences between them, and that, more often than not, the gay character tends to get brushed aside or redone as a straight or bisexual character to ease the fans. There is no special treatment. In fact it would probably be considered by some as substandard treatment considering how hard someone would have to work to even get as far as having a gay supporting character.

When there is some sort of law or rule that requires them to have it in a game then it becomes entitlement.

 

[Xenmut]

i think too many ppl are taking it too seriously, like when u say "black"(color) or "Niger"(country) every black person (not just african americans) with a racism soft spot will shout "RACIST".

I honestly think that bioware FAILed to make gay character maybe because in the developers staff it aint any, and.. people tend to go for stereotipes or bad fames as the next posible example, therefore they suck. I dont think they should be fired but, yes, they should be told that they did wrong.

I think it was in Yahtzee's article that i saw a comment of a gay dude that sayd: im gay but i dont have to have sex with every guy to be it(...) i dont even have to have sex at all to be gay. (yeah was something like that i think).

Then you realice that .. yes.. maybe the developers could be morons or maybe they are just wrong or ignorant in the theme, even more to believe so if they use the statement: you get to decide from (incert options here), for marketing purposses as they did for the RPG industry interest in freedom of choice.
(and also you gotta think that it may not be as easy to aproach this for em, in the actual game).

What they need to do, is more research, and work to not make the same mistake again, i doubt in a marketing point of view that this issue have made em stronger.

also would be nice to see Extracreditz vid on sexual diversity =3
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2520-Sexual-Diversity

Im a bit out of context because i havent played the actual game (getting money! i want mass effect 2 too =D) but im talking about general problems that are normal to occur and i have read the posts on yatzee's article.

I don't believe people should be given special treatment based on demographics.

totally agree with you.

Sry if i left out something or if i sayd something out of the line.
Cheers!

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

The character's aren't Bisexual in DA2.

Fem Hawke doesn't exist if Male Hawke does.

Admittedly, Anders very much likes the ladies in Awakening, so he's excused, and Isabella openly is...

But that's not the point!

That argument doesn't really add up. On another forum I recently had the same argument thrown at me that Juhani is ~not~ lesbian because the canonical player character in KotOR is male, and therefore she can't be lesbian since she can't get romance by a female PC (let alone the male one). She still is a lesbian since A) the female playthrough plainly shows it. And B) There is another female NPC in the game who admits to having spent... many nights under the stars with her.

So just because you can only romance them with one gender at a time (or with one canonical gender) doesn't mean they'll never feel something for the other gender before, during or after the game's events.

 

[sir.rutthed]

Should the gay community be upset about this since it seems to imply that sexuality is completely a choice? What are your thoughts, fellow Escapists?

So you are saying that bisexuality is a choice?

I'm not saying anything either way on that. That's just my interpretation of what I've seen from those characters.