What about the queer female gamers?

[Worgen]

well most gamers are men.

Not so much.The amount of notable female gamers has been increasing rather much these last few years.

its about time, good to hear females are finaly getting into the game more and more

 

[cathou]

Personally I don't think homosexual women have it as bad as homosexual men.
I'm not saying there's a huge difference in how they are treated, but when people quote the bible to claim homosexuality as the worst thing evar, have you noticed its always:

"One man shall not lie with another as he would with a woman for that is abomination"[/paraphrase]

It just seems like the bible and therefore Christian's who take it by its word, only have something against male/male relationships.

believe me there's also verses against lesbians, and the christian churches have egal aversion against male and female homosexuality.

we do have it as bad as guys...

 

[mikecoulter]

I don't see how somebody's personal life comes in to gaming?

 

[Ryuk2]

Who cares? When i see a girl in a game. I don't say 'Hey, are you gay? I would like to have sex with you, because your a woman and your Human priest character is sexy.'
What your doing here is what i hate about internet. When I'm playing something there will always be people who will say 'Oh, I'm gay, just saying... is that ok?' Oh, it's not ok, that you say something like that to a stranger. I don't run around saying that I'm straight. Why are you saying that your gay? Or 'Oh, man I'm black, you can't say that to me. That's racist when you talk that to me.' Oh, sorry, but i don't care what's the color of your skin! It's ok to argue to people who are white, but when talking to a black guy, then I'm racist? Well, fuck you. I didn't even know it before you said that to me 10 sec ago.
KEEP IT TO YOURSELF! I'M NOT TRYING TO GET ATTENTION ABOUT 16 YEAR OLD STRAIGHT WHITIES PLAYING GAMES!

 

[Eldarion]

"I'm not making you do girly things when you're being gay" a little off-putting because not only does it derogate gay men who like feminine activities, it derogates straight men, and women of all sexual orientations who do enjoy those activities.)

HEY!

Effeminate does not equal gay.

Pretty guys get girls too!!

*Sulks in corner*

 

[cobra_ky]

Women are a minority in the Gaming community.

Homosexuals are a minority in the Gaming community.

Homosexual women are an even smaller minority. i think it's as simple as that, unfortunately.

Although, if you wrote a good enough article i'm sure you could convince the Escapist to run it.

 

[Megacherv]

As you said:

What about the gay women?

I don't understand what you're getting at here. You want people to discuss homosexual women? ...Alright, what's to discuss? That you play games, too? So does everyone else, gay, straight, men, women, black, white, asian, hispanic, martian, those with brown hair, those with green eyes, ones who like Saving Private Ryan and ones who found Scary Movie to be funny.

Should we start making threads for them too?

I think she's just pointing out that the attempt to cover all homosexual gamers is a bit half-arsed

 

[Mr.Squishy]

As you said:

What about the gay women?

I don't understand what you're getting at here. You want people to discuss homosexual women? ...Alright, what's to discuss? That you play games, too? So does everyone else, gay, straight, men, women, black, white, asian, hispanic, martian, those with brown hair, those with green eyes, ones who like Saving Private Ryan and ones who found Scary Movie to be funny.

Should we start making threads for them too?

True, true, true.

Honestly, who gives a shit? Whether your a guy, your a girl, your gay, your black, your a fucking four legged transvestite, I don't give a shit!

You play games, whoopdie doo!

This. A thousand times this. I'm a bi, 18 year old guy gamer, and I don't see what the fuck the issue is. We all play games, why do you need to read into it more than that?

 

[JanatUrlich]

I'm a bisexual woman and I don't see the point in this thread.

I don't get what the difference is between a gay gamer and a straight gamer, or a male gamer and a female gamer.

I'm just a person who likes games. What the fuck is the big deal?

 

[menamebephil]

There's wotsername from Knights of the Old Republic. ...That's pretty much all I can think of.

 

[ryuutchi]

Perhaps I am strange, and if so I can take that. But I can honestly say that I am sick and tired of threads like this. Yes, I am a woman. Yes, I am a homosexual. Yes, I am in a longterm relationship. Yes, I play a lot of games.

[clip]

Simply put: The more we raise the issue of LGBT-representation in games, the more we also point it out as something special and unique. Instead of trying to blend it seamlessly into gaming (ie. "Yeah, there's a transgender romance in this game, so what?" instead of "This game has a transgender romance, look at it! LOOK!") we raise it up and point it out as an issue that merits a lot of attention. Both for good and for bad. I can honestly say I am doubtful if I think lesbians require a better representation in computer games. But I am leaning towards a no.

Deal with it. The magazine itself deals with issues like this regularly, so I feel free to bring it up as much as I damn well feel like it.

Much like racial minorities should never talk about lack of representation for fear of pointing out the fact that they're different. That's the thing. It is different. It's different because it never bloody happens. When it happens and it happens often enough that it's not even commented on when it does happen-- then we can stop bloody talking about it. Because it's an issue that does merit attention to me. Maybe not to you, but it's not like lesbians are a hive mind or anything.

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

I'm a bisexual woman and I don't see the point in this thread.

I don't get what the difference is between a gay gamer and a straight gamer, or a male gamer and a female gamer.

I'm just a person who likes games. What the fuck is the big deal?

This and let alone that many games are ambiguous at best about the sexuality of the character. It's been repeated ad naseaum (sp?) and apparently it bears repeating. For all we know, Lara is into BDSM lesbian play with a stuffed mountain lion and Master Chief is into hardcore diaper play with his "daddy." Their sexuality isn't important to the story until it is important to the story, until then leave your assumptions.

This is entirely why I like customization in games, I can fill in whatever niggling blanks are left behind in character development. In other games, I tend to be too busy, I don't know... FUCKING PLAYING THE GAME! To worry about whether the protagonist is into Latino Rent Boys doing the made up sexual position "The Bendy Straw" or is into straight up boring missionary while the woman thinks of the empire and pretends she is in a better place.

While I am sensitive to the desire for alternatives in character development, I also know that most video game characters don't have a defined sexuality, IE it doesn't matter. Any concern beyond that is self hating projection.

So there is a link given above, use it and write about the lack of realistically *repressed chuckle* depicted anything in a video game. I'm all for a believable lesbian as a protagonist but I also probably won't give a damn since they will cock it up and I'll just ignore it in favor of shooting/stabbing/maiming things to make my balls feel big and my stress feel small.

Disclaimer for the criminally dim: The repressed chuckle is in regards to my pessimism that I will find a game that I like that will have a decent relationship dynamic that will make me care instead of wanting to get past it in favor of the aforementioned butchery.

 

[ryuutchi]

if you really want to make a change then do it yourself instead of complaining that someone else should do it and i suggest you start here [http://www.amazon.com/Art-Computer-Programming-Volumes-Boxed/dp/0201485419/]

[snip]

well put the but the sad thing this advice, nor mine will be followed. it is a case of someone wanting to complain in order to hear their own voice. it's sad that when given the choice of making a change or getting someone else to do it, they always want someone else to do it.

Actually, I had no idea that The Escapist accepted articles on a pitch-basis. Maybe I will write one, after I do a little research. Someone a page or two back had a really good point about the misrepresentation of lesbians rather than underrepresentation that deserves a full article.

I find it interesting how many people think I was just randomly complaining. Honestly, for all the idiots on the thread, there was a lot of constructive commentary on the issue-- which was the point. Sometimes it's good to complain, because then you get other people's well-reasoned insights into the problem (and sometimes you get ridiculous amounts of homophobia, but what can you do).

And you learn things like that The Escapist publishes unsolicited articles.

 

[ryuutchi]

I'm a bisexual woman and I don't see the point in this thread.

I don't get what the difference is between a gay gamer and a straight gamer, or a male gamer and a female gamer.

I'm just a person who likes games. What the fuck is the big deal?

Which just makes me wonder if you actually pay attention to the articles that get posted on this site. Cause, uhm... If you think my comment was so weird, what must you think about the fact that the Escapist dedicated an entire article to it?

It's not like this thread came out of nowhere.

 

[Kiutu]

Well, I think most issues with lesbians in gaming is the same for straight women. A gay gamer male would be liekly ridiculed and hated, while a revealed lesbian gamer would be more inclined to get perverts to harass them the way many female gamers are already. Not that they do not deserve to be noticed or cared about, but I dont think the sexuality of lesbians is belittled in a gay way as it is a woman way.
Lesbians are always a bit more 'accepted' than gay men.

 

[ryuutchi]

Stop acting like your sexual preference makes you superior. I don't give a shit what your sexuality is unless I want to know if you're flirting with me or not. We should all be trying to live together, not start wars. FYI, the articles are about LGBT. Check it. They use that specific acronym. Any idea what that stands for?

Sure I do! But when the articles only cover gay men, non-gender-normative men, and mtf transwomen, I think I can be forgiven for pointing out that although the articles are supposed to cover the LGBT community, they're sort of neglecting the L there.

 

[JanatUrlich]

Which just makes me wonder if you actually pay attention to the articles that get posted on this site. Cause, uhm... If you think my comment was so weird, what must you think about the fact that the Escapist dedicated an entire article to it?

It's not like this thread came out of nowhere.

Yeah those articles were bullshit too. Well, the ones about gay gamers were. The ones about gay characters were good, because I've never understood why America cuts all the gay characters out either.

But the ones about gay gamers? Fuck off, we're not a target market.

 

[Oneirius]

Of all my female friends, I think that it's actually the lesbian ones who don't play games. The straight ones play.

 

[ryuutchi]

Yeah those articles were bullshit too. Well, the ones about gay gamers were. The ones about gay characters were good, because I've never understood why America cuts all the gay characters out either.

But the ones about gay gamers? Fuck off, we're not a target market.

And you never wish you could read anything with a gay protagonist? Or watch a movie with a gay protagonist? It's not about being a target audience (well, maybe a little) except insofar as everyone should be a target audience.

Hell, I mean, someone mentioned a few pages back that it's sort of insulting to white, straight guys that the market assumes they can't identify with anyone but another white straight guy. Why isn't there more representation? Not only is it good for gay gamers to see characters they/we identify with, but it's good for everyone to have characters of more than one basic type.

 

[JanatUrlich]

And you never wish you could read anything with a gay protagonist? Or watch a movie with a gay protagonist? It's not about being a target audience (well, maybe a little) except insofar as everyone should be a target audience.

Hell, I mean, someone mentioned a few pages back that it's sort of insulting to white, straight guys that the market assumes they can't identify with anyone but another white straight guy. Why isn't there more representation? Not only is it good for gay gamers to see characters they/we identify with, but it's good for everyone to have characters of more than one basic type.

Nah dude, read my post. I'm saying that games with gay protagonists would be cool. But I don't think that a game should be designed to cater to a gay audience. That's just fucking patronising, not to mention insulting.