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On Gay Characters In Videogames

Posted by simoniker on from the article-has-footnotes dept.

Thanks to Armchair Arcade for its feature discussing the portrayal of gay characters in videogames past and present. The article starts by pointing out: "In Troika Games' computer role playing game The Temple of Elemental Evil (2003)... the player is asked to rescue, and given the option to marry, an openly gay character", and ends by arguing: "Gay avatars are an inevitable development in the evolution of the videogame that will take place with or without this article. If we already see such possibilities opening up in even mainstream titles like The Temple of Elemental Evil, I doubt it will be long before even the idea of a fantasy role-playing game featuring only one white male avatar will seem a strange, misguided aspect of our distant past."

5 of 272 comments (clear)

  1. 700 hours of gameplay by AlternateSyndicate · · Score: 5, Funny
    In Troika Games' computer role playing game The Temple of Elemental Evil (2003)... the player is asked to rescue, and given the option to marry, an openly gay character.

    Do they have to wander around the United States until they find a city offering marriage licenses? That sounds like a pretty extensive side-quest.

  2. FPS more tolerant than the nation? by Tiamat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Given the option to marry?

    I never thought I'd see the day that first person shooters would be more tolerant of social differences the the general U.S. population.

  3. Where's the trolls by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 5, Funny

    For once, the GNAA would be slightly on-topic, and they are nowhere to be found. Trolls are so damn unreliable.

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    Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
  4. Neverwinter Nights by TheDarkRogue · · Score: 5, Funny

    It always pissed me off that my female avatar couldn't get any lesbian lovin at that whorehouse/tavern in act 1. I had her strip her armor and all, but neither of the women would go for her, told her to go talk to the guy. And the Token was non-refundable too if I remember correctly. So I just killed everyone in the building (except for that fat bitch, she wouldn't die, vital part of the story or some shit), but it wasn't as filling.

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    (Score:0, Interesting)
  5. Re:Gamers are Awful by Rallion · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'll go one step further -- I know gay people who do it. It really is just common slang now. Gay means either homosexual or stupid. It can mean both, but doesn't always.

    That said, I do try not to use it that way myself, but I'm exposed to it constantly, and ever so rarely it slips out.