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On Gay Themes In Videogames
shadowcabbit writes "Gamespot's most recent GameSpotting covered a wide range of topics, but probably one of the most intriguing among them is the examination of homosexual themes in video games. The article raises a few interesting questions, such as 'how much longer until an explicitly 'gay' game comes out?', but oddly focuses on male homosexual relationships, claiming them to be a way to entice female players; and mentions that while the main purveyors of homosexual content in games are Japanese companies like Squaresoft and NEC (who made the infamous Chou Aniki series), U.S. producers are starting to slip in some risque content, citing Temple of Elemental Evil's 'gay pirate' Bertram, and Will Wright's The Sims not balking at same-sex couples adopting a child character." We've previously covered another article on a similar subject.
There is no market for 'artistic' games. Only fun ones.
The article raises a few interesting questions, such as 'how much longer until an explicitly 'gay' game comes out?',
How about when a game comes out that has a story where the character is gay, and the characters sexuality adds something to the storyline? I'm sure it won't end up being like that, some game developer will do it just to be 'edgy' and it probably will have no bearing on the game whatsoever.
but oddly focuses on male homosexual relationships,
Of course, because they are more shocking/disturb more people.
claiming them to be a way to entice female players;
Not....likely. It's more likely that you can entice male players with female homosexuals.
and mentions that while the main purveyors of homosexual content in games are Japanese companies like Squaresoft and NEC
Of course, because their culture is more open (or depraved, depending on your point of view) when it comes to sex.
and Will Wright's The Sims not balking at same-sex couples adopting a child character."
Why not, it's only someone else they can market the Sims to. Personally I hope when the first "gay" character comes out of the closet it actually has something to do with the storyline of the game, rather than it be just window dressing.
This article is way behind the times. I play CS and all I ever here are people telling each other how gay they are. Maybe that is what all those terrorists and CT's are fighting over. It's all pent up homoerotic sexual frustration.
Hey I totally agree with you, but its just not going to happen until EVERYONE sees [group x] as just regular people too.
I'd only buy the game because its good, not because of its social value (if the game was crap, but had a [group x] character, you're right, so what?) but when a game is good and it treats the character of [group x] just like any other character, mission accomplished in my mind.
Moo.
In an effort to prove they're not any different from anybody else, they're made out to be uber special in some grand glorious event.
You mean like Gay Pride street parades?
Or St Patricks Day parades for the Irish? Or maybe you'd like to tell African-Americans not to have Black History Month Parades or Civil Rights marches because they shouldn't make an event out of trying to prove they're just like everyone else.
Moo.
Anyway that is my theory about yaoi.
In most games where relationships take a role I don't like it when I am forced to "only" take the approved hetero option. The sims was a very welcome exception. I can tolerate that the love interest in Planescape torment are only girls, I am a guy with strong hetero feelings (translation: Oooh bouncies!!!!!) but I can imagine that a hetero female or gay male or gay female wants to have a wider choice then angel succubus and boiling devil girl.
Same with the otherwise excellent KOTOR. Why can't I whoo balista with a female char eh? (and people that choose to finding out that the mandolorians were like the spartans eh?)
As someone whose family was closely affected by the holocaust I am extremely nervous about people that suggest that certain life styles are less worthy. You just know that people that say gay people should have lesser rights then hetero's want to say the same thing about differently colored people or people with different religions.
So good luck to The sims 2, a courageos decision if they really leave it in in the current american climate. Peter Molyneux if you finally allow me to play a lesbian (and anyone who wants to a gay) paladin I might even forgive you for Black & White. (note it got to be a love story not toee was not a love story)
As to the gamespot story, well it is clear its author still needs to learn a thing or two about homosexuality. Picking out high-heels and lipstick for your female avatar doesn't make you gay. If anything picking a male character and making his looks just right and hunky makes you gay. Creating a sweet hot perky female avatar just makes you pervert. When gay rights have been achieved world wide the human race will have made a step forward but when the rights of perverts have been regonized we will have arived at nirvana. Oh well back to getting balista to play the b-side. (as a side note do female players of KOTOR like the way the male comes on to their character? As the male I played the "50's" movie banter character constantly teasing balista but playing as a female I just found him tiresome, is that my testosterone talking or does the estrogene crowd feel the same?)
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Wich might suggest that the game playing audience is a lot more ready for this then the game makers or the game reviewers or the game raters.
In morrowind when you where naked you were still in your undies. In a prequel I think when you where naked you really where naked. This was removed to appease goverment regulators in the USofC(ensorship).
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
I have a problem with all the "gay shows" on TV now-a-days not because they have gay characters, but because of how the gay characters are portrayed as having that be their only character trait. It's like homosexuality is a gimmick that executives use in order to get higher ratings.
Anybody remember Ellen DeGeneres' old self-titled sitcom? It was actually pretty funny until Ellen came out of the closet, then every episode became centered around how gay she was. All of the humor was gone and the show got canceled pretty quickly after.
Rob
Your constant focus on the act of homosexual anal intercourse leads me to belive that you are probably filled with hate for one reason: You secretly fantisize about anal sex (perhaps gay, perhaps straight), and yet you think it is a sin, and only by forcing yourself to hate it, can you keep yourself from engaging in it.
Why else do you hate the act rather than the people? Do you hate straight people who engage in anal sex? How about straight people that engage in oral sex?
...comes from the presence of it in Japanese culture. The Japanese are much more open about sexuality on the entertainment level than Americans are: Janet Jackson shows one so so breast and the country freaks out. One of the most popular doramas (an hour long sitcom / drama) in the last few years was GTO (based on anime and manga), which should characters watching hardcore porno (and showed the porn). That sexuality has been a part of Japanese culture since the explicit Tale of Genji and later explicit wood block prints.
This extends to homosexuality; it's no secrect that priests and samurai often performed homosexual acts. Beat Takeshi Kitano was in a film about this, Gohatto, which presented members of the Shinsengumi as homosexual.
As mentioned Yuri and Yayoi are popular manga genres exploring lesbian and gay themes respectively. Even other popular media can have references to it; I remember in Final Fantasy VII Cloud getting his HP restored after visiting a brothel and being fapped (nothing is shown) by another guy. A lot of it can be done jokingly.
"There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter," Jeeves, (Jeeves and the Impending Doom)
Of course, its normal and common over there, so of course they dont make a big deal about it. Here, its not like that. Once a big deal is made, it will be normal and not a big deal after. Just look at civil rights for a historical context. A big deal was made when women fought for, and won, the right to vote for the first time. Now, its not a big deal, its normal for women to vote. What would be a big deal is if you say, lowered the voting age to 16 or something like that.
Moo.
there are a lot of queer folk (lesbian, gay, bisesual, transexual/transgendered, intersex, questioning, and the rest of the alphabet soup), myself included, who are sick to death of the monoculture that's built up. there seems to be this impression that once you identify yourself as belonging to a group that identity supercedes any you may have had before. it makes dating a rather unpleasant experience: my choices are guys my age who haven't gotten over the fact that they like cock or guys about 10 years older than i, about a quarter of whom have realized that there's more to life than rainbow flags, circuit parties, and the gap's latest fall clothing lines (gee, i'm not bitter...).
the more i think about it, the more a lot of the media attention on homoexuals has strong parallels to the blacksploitation films of the early '70s. the thematic elements are different, but the market forces are the same: how to best capitalize on the present frenzy of attention being paid to the issue. personally, i'm really looking forward to the day when nobody gives a fuck about this and we can all move on with our lives.