Poll: Gay Main Character

[Shudmeyer]

Definitely. I hate that my orientation don't get hardly any representation in games. I know Mass Effect and Dragon Age and Fallout all have options, but they are all very limited compared to what the straight options are. I think it might even be nice if in RPG's you could choose at the start whether the character is gay or straight, and it would open up options to act on it in various ways. Even if I just got to make subtle advances on an unwitting girl, or thinly veiled sexual remarks at the guys at any time, I would be so happy.

Or if there was just a game about a girl saving the princess and living happily ever after. That would be nice too.

 

[blankedboy]

I don't care.
It's just the protagonist's sexuality, anyone who cares becomes insta-tard.

 

[MrMixelPixel]

Not that I would really mind a main character being homosexual... but I think it would take some really creative story writing to weave it in to where it wouldn't look out of place.

I myself would rather have the option, like in Dragon Age.

 

[Skorpyo]

It depends on the characters overall attitude. If I could forget that they were gay because I wasn't paying attention, fine. There were and are many people I've known that I couldn't tell were gay. When they told me, I was still comfortable being around them, because they were just "some more average people I knew".

If the subject were pushed to the point that I would be made uncomfortable, then I would avoid that game like the plague.

For instance, THIS goes beyond words:

*video retracted for fear of BANHAMMER*

However, if used properly, perchance it could lead to more content in-game. Alternate story lines, personal histories, statistics, gameplay...

 

[Xojins]

If there's an actual purpose to it, not just having a gay main character for the sake of seeming like an equal opportunity commercial.

 

[Mik0ri]

I think you should be able to choose your orientation during character creation, though it shouldn't have any effect on your character except what gender they flirt with in cutscenes and such. Or do more with, in games like Mass Effect...

Like someone said before, a gay character wouldn't be a good experience for them since they couldn't connect. There would be no sense of immersion. Likewise, it tends to be very immersion-breaking in certain games to have your character go around wooing the ladies when you don't care for the ladies... so everyone should be able to choose.
Of course, I doubt very many games would bother rescripting for a minority audience, but it'd be nice to see this idea in a couple places.

 

[Gigaguy64]

I wouldn't care either way.

I don't feel like there should be a quota but, if the developer wants to make him/her gay the i wouldn't care.
as long as the game is great and the main character fits then im fine with it.

 

[Hashime]

no, the only reason to do it is to create controversy, and I would not play as one.

 

[triggrhappy94]

Well, I know the idea would sit well with all the over-masculent (over-compensating) duche bags that populate games like MW2 (not everyone who plays MW2 is a OMDB, but all OMDB love violence) and choose games over violence and hate guy people for the same reason why we should question some of the more questionable things America does. You get the picture I'm trying to paint right?
Well they'll hate, so don't expect record breaking sales. but that's not important.

What I want to know is if playing as a striaght character is un-immersive to gay player, because I'm wondering about the reverse, but if the writers do their job I'm sure there wont be a problem

 

[ElTigreSantiago]

I think it would be pretty cool to have a gay main character if it was something that you saw from the character's point of view, like it was a issue he was having, eating at his mind. That could be interesting. But if it's not done right...

 

[DocBalance]

Nope. Romance and relationships in general can keep their twisty noses out of my relaxation time, thank ya very much.

 

[Mik0ri]

What I want to know is if playing as a striaght character is un-immersive to gay player, because I'm wondering about the reverse, but if the writers do their job I'm sure there wont be a problem

If the reverse is true, it's true. It's the same question with the genders swapped.
How would you like it if you saw a hot girl in the corner and your character ignored her and went on to woo the gay boy at the bar? Something of a hairline fracture in aforementioned immersion.
Which is why allowing the player to choose orientation is the only way everyone will be happy... but then again, it's not really their job to make /everyone/ happy, but hitting the spot once or twice would be nice.
/ramblings

 

[cheywoodward]

While I agree that diversity is important when it comes to Videogame characters this issue doesn't really matter to me because (at least in my mind) a characters sexuality is less important than how interesting they are to me. If developers can find ways to make a characters sexuality an interesting part of who they are then I'm all for it but if it turns the character into a walking stereotype than it becomes a nuisance to character development rather than a boon and thus becomes unnecessary and possibly offensive.

 

[triggrhappy94]

What I want to know is if playing as a striaght character is un-immersive to gay player, because I'm wondering about the reverse, but if the writers do their job I'm sure there wont be a problem

If the reverse is true, it's true. It's the same question with the genders swapped.
How would you like it if you saw a hot girl in the corner and your character ignored her and went on to woo the gay boy at the bar? Something of a hairline fracture in aforementioned immersion.

I'd probably think that that was pretty funny

 

[The Austin]

Why not? I loved Army of Two, so I guess I could go for some more.

 

[Paksenarrion]

How about asexual characters? Guy saves girl, girl makes obvious advances, player is unable to choose "STICK IT IN" option, game developer cackles evilly in posh window office.

 

[Serenegoose]

What I want to know is if playing as a striaght character is un-immersive to gay player, because I'm wondering about the reverse, but if the writers do their job I'm sure there wont be a problem

A little, but it's not a big problem. There aren't many lesbian protagonists anyway, so it's not like I get catered for either way. I'd like there to be more LGBT protagonists, just like I want there to be more (believable) female protagonists. I'm not talking a quota, I just want people to not get scared away by it.

 

[Dags90]

What I want to know is if playing as a straight character is un-immersive to gay player, because I'm wondering about the reverse, but if the writers do their job I'm sure there wont be a problem

It only breaks the immersion when sexuality comes up and even then it isn't guaranteed. If the female love interest is well written and there's more to her (and the relationship) than absurd cleavage. This is generally not the case in video games I've played. Most video games present relationships to the main character as "Here's your love interest. Sure you don't really know anything about her, but look at those funbags."

 

[Shudmeyer]

I think it would be good, because it would mean a greater variety in game characters who some people can relate to. I mean, honestly, it's just like saying "Should there be female main characters". More often than not, there isn't solid reason Samus or Lara Croft NEED to be women. The games would be more or less exactly the same if they were men (Except way less people would play Tomb Raider). Is there a reason Mario NEEDS to have a mustache? Or a brother? Or be Italian? What if Master Chief had a southern accent? It's just a way to build a character. The individual parts don't matter, it's the final product that does, and it's all better if that product is a little different than the last. It's A way to branch out, make the gaming world more varied and to an extent inclusive of the people who play them, even if they aren't a big part of it.