Poll: Games aren't gay enough.

[EstrogenicMuscle]

There certainly needs to be more gay or queer people represented, and represented well, in the gaming industry.

Along with, of course, women, strong women, and non-whites. Particularly blacks, who are almost non-existent as far as representation is concerned. Does the new Assassin's Creed game really star the first black female protagonist in all of video gaming? That's kind of exciting and sad at the same time.

By the way I really know how exploration of homosexuality and homosexual characters was done with Kanji in Persona 4.

 

[Adultism]

Okay first I am a homosexual. Well bi-sexual is what everyone refers to me as but I still like to say I prefer men over women. Anyways since Persona 3 and 4 are my favorite games OF ALL TIME, I'm going to have to pick at that post you just made

First Kanji isn't "gay" by any means. Yeah he defends himself in weird situations and his shadow was OBVIOUSLY flaming. But I think it was more of a, needing to get in touch with his feminine side kinda thing. He also had a crush on Naoto but It was pretty obviously a girl in disguise (sounded girly too) So I figured Kanji was just confused seeing a "feminine looking boy." However he may be bi-sexual but I'm pretty sure hes not gay. But its basically open up to discussion because they never reviled if he was or not, let you guess. So its all opinion.

I'm going to go on to COMPLETELY agree with you. There are a few instances like in Bully you can go around kissing boys, ME3 had a good example so did Dragon Age if I remember correctly. The fable series did it well too. But a lot of companies see it as a big risk having a homosexual character. Bias mostly.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

To be fair, we don't just have poorly written gay guys, we have poorly written everything right now. Hell, forget gay guys, we can't write good female characters. We can't even write good straight white males, it's that bad!
.

is it really though?

I mean I feel like I dont often have a grasp on "good" and "bad" writing but alot of female charachters and such come across to me as competantly written at least, just going on alot of the games I've been playing over the past year or so

I think he's probably talking about the female characters whose only defining characteristic are their breasts. I believe there are a lot more of those types of characters than there are just ?normal? women.

 

[Flutterfly]

Deconstruct it far enough and being gay is a sexual preferance, so is preffering under age partners. Then we start getting into dangerous waters. I don't like to get too involved because we are supposed to feel pity for one sexuality and despise another. Why are there parades for one and court sentances for another?

...I feel genuinely frightened by your assertion and people who think in such a way.

You don't know gay people, you've said it yourself. So maybe you shouldn't compare this massive group of 30% of the total population to pedophiles, and condemn a group of people you clearly know nothing of.

You feel frightened by people who have a differant opinion? I never condemned gay people I just shrug. To my reasoning a sexual preferance is what you prefer to have intercourse with and often it isn't a choice. Some people are born gay, some develop it over time or just go through a phase. Just think its a bit odd that we advocate one group and are meant to do the 'right' thing and support them while condeming other minorities who share the same trait of being differant.

Your different opinion is simply thinly veiled bigotry. You dare compare pedophilia and homosexuality and act like you're the reasonable one? No. You're not reasonable. When a pedophile has sex with the child they desire, someone gets fucked up for the rest of their life. When a homosexual has sex with the person they desire, it's the same as heterosexual sex. No one gets hurts in adult, consenting relationships unless .. it's non-consenting.

Less bigotry more ignorance. As I said in my last argument here I mistook paedophillia for the term for any under age sex. Again with the 'you dare do this thing'. Who are you to talk to me like that? Anyshiz I resolved this a few pages ago and came off the better for it.

Lastly I don't look down on anyone for what they stick their dick in. We are differant, some are just unfortunate enough to be the 'wrong' differant.

You certainly should care when it comes to pedophiles. Sex with a child is rape, always.

 

[Signa]

It could be pulled off if it was REALLY subtle, like Military Brown Shooter 2013 including a soldier that wraps his dog-tags in tiny pink ballet slippers, or keeps a teddy bear on his bunk, but has dialogue written just like everyone else. What I want avoided is the insulting stereotypes just for the sake of having gay people in their games.......

This was sarcasm/snark/irony right?

Nope. I was completely serious.

 

[Vault101]

I think he's probably talking about the female characters whose only defining characteristic are their breasts. I believe there are a lot more of those types of characters than there are just ?normal? women.

ummm....I havnt seen a "walking pair of breasts" for a while in games

 

[Catrixa]

Can't say more gay characters could hurt. At all, really. Honestly, as long as we're not adding them to say "ooh, hey! Look over here! This guy is gay! You will buy our game, because we're edgy and progressive!" I think we'd be fine.

Story-no-one-will-read time:
I was watching Warehouse 13 again, for the 11 billionth time, and I came to the realization: "Wow, every single character has *some* interesting thing about them. I don't think any of them are super-artsy and deep, but each one has more than just their [insert trope here] layer." These interesting things give new insight on each character, making them seem more like real, flawed people. I don't think video games need to define a character by the fact that they're gay (just like Pete isn't defined by having been an alcoholic, and Steve isn't defined by being gay [for anyone who watches that show, anyway]), but knowing a character is gay/straight/bi/trans can add a new level to them and make them an interesting character. And, in the end, video games could really use more interesting characters.

 

[Eomega123]

Fallout New Vegas - Arcade Gannon. Coolest gay character ever. Scientist, doctor, witty, hell of a shot with a plasma pistol. Shame he gets screwed over no matter what ending you get.

 

[II2none]

As long as said character has heavily redeeming qualities to over look his sexual preference. OR it's an optional experience. (Mass Effect 1 and 3) OR they are a minor character you'll rarely see I don't care.

 

[Mikeyfell]

Just out of curiosity is Kanji Tatsumi the one good gay character you're talking about?

And I know you mentioned Mass Effect, but I think Samantha Traynor is a really well written lesbian character. Or a really well written character who is a lesbian...


I don't think anybody's going to say there's enough good gay characters out there, but one thing that should be mentioned (That I thought goes with out saying) is that there aren't enough well written charters, gay strait, male, female, black, white, you name it. Maybe about 1 in every 50 (500, 5000?) characters is well written. and when you try to throw in a nuanced personality trait like homosexuality (That is SO easy to mishandle)that's a recipe for disaster.


One thing you can do that helps (It's what I do anyway and it helps add so many subtle layers of whateverness to the games I play) is just automatically assume all the characters are gay until it is made explicit that they're strait.

Good writing is when you don't have to spell everything out. So it may be only in my imagination but I can think the writers of certain characters are brilliant. It helps me enjoy games more.

Like Rita Mordio from Tales of Vesperia. I like her as a character already, but if pretend she's a lesbian and she just never lets on it makes her more interesting.
Same thing with Flynn.

This doesn't work as well with guys because (I'm guessing but) game writers and writers in general are more skittish about leaving male sexuality ambiguous, so if you go my rout you're going to end up with a ton of lesbians and not to many gay guys.

 

[Kakistos153]

I think people put too much focus on sexuality. but I also think that if a main character in a game just happened to mention that his husband or boyfriend or whatever did something, i think that would be a tasteful way of just being more inclusive. I think the risk is that characters with less common life experiences would be less relate-able.

I mean, in FFVII i can understand the nuanced complexities of the love triangle between cloud, tifa and aeris. But could i have gotten the nuanced complexities of a love triangle between cloud, barret and vincent?

I think the issue in these things isn't so much a factor of sex or sexuality, just of relate-able experience. But the bottom line is that something like 10% of people identify as homosexual or some variation there of, and i think its under-represented in the media regardless.