On Gay Themes In Videogames

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Posted by simoniker on Monday July 12, 2004 @07:59AM from the de-lovely dept.

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.

12 of 164 comments (clear)

who ... cares.... by MBraynard · 2004-07-12 08:02 · Score: 4, Insightful

More than movies or TV, games are about being fun. So while you might see an otherwise unejoyable tv miniseries get acclaimed for discussing some kind of social issue like pedophilia or AIDS, you are not going to find a game that tries to make a social issue it's theme cause it won't sell.
There is no market for 'artistic' games. Only fun ones.
1. Re:who ... cares.... by I_Love_Pocky! · 2004-07-12 08:30 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I don't know why this has been modded off topic. You are clearly trying to say that making a "gay" game for the sake of it being a "gay" game is "artistic."
  
  In that sense I agree with you. As with anything else, there is no point in creating entertainment featuring a particular segment of society unless it adds to the entertainment value.
  
  My biggest problem with this whole idea is that unless it is handled properly, I would think that any "gay" game would probably turn out to be one big stereotype reenforcing gay joke.
  
  Honestly, it shouldn't matter if a character is gay or not. Just as it usually doesn't matter if they are straight (I would think Duke Nuken would probably have been a very different game if Duke was gay). Most games don't really have that much sexual content in them anyway.
2. Re:who ... cares.... by Chasuk · 2004-07-12 10:18 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  A game with "gay" content is not an artistic one (necessarily).
  
  I'm gay. I also happen to be artistic, but that has nothing to do with the type of content that most of my community would like to see.
  
  What would we like to see? Gay-blindness, really. Game mechanics which make no distinction between hetero or homo avatars, and no gay characters who are stereotypes.
  
  Ever heard the joke about the trick-or-treater who dressed as a serial killer? The punchline was that he dressed the same as the everyone else, because serial killers can be anyone.
  
  Gay people can be anyone, and frequently are not whom you would expect.
  
  If I can speak on behalf of the gay community, I would guess that this is our collective wish: to be depicted and treated in games exactly like the hetero majority.
  
  From the main article:
  
  U.S. producers are starting to slip in some risque content,
  
  Gay content is not risque content. See above if you don't get it.
  
  --
  Neopets - the best free game on the Int
Morrowind by yoyhed · 2004-07-12 08:04 · Score: 4, Informative

In Morrowind (2002), Crassius Curio, in one instance, demands you give him a kiss for him to give you what you need, and another instance, demands you remove all your clothing (and you actually have to go into your inventory and remove everything you're wearing).

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WHO NEEDS SHIFT WHEN YOU HAVE CAPSLOCK/ DAMN1
Why? by JavaLord · 2004-07-12 08:06 · Score: 5, Insightful

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.
1. Re:Why? by cephyn · 2004-07-12 08:11 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  In an american context you're right, but in Japan, homosexual male relationships do indeed entice female players. Just look at anime and manga geared towards the femenine audience, almost all will have pretty-boy characters, many of them engaged in at the very least flirtatious behavior with other male characters. I agree that's unlikely to draw American females, but in Japan its a proven tactic.
  
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  Moo.
2. Re:Why? by david.given · 2004-07-12 08:29 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  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.
  You may be interested in Graham Nelson's interactive fiction game, Jigsaw (reckoned to be one of the best text adventures ever written).
  There are two main characters, working against each other: White, you is the player character; and Black, the major NPC. Black is trying to change history, and you are trying to prevent it. Mostly.
  One of the major plot elements is that you and Black fall in love. This makes things a little complicated, as you can imagine, and is extremely significant to the storyline.
  However, the interesting thing is that Jigsaw never mentions what sex you and Black are. Clever wording means that the text never even uses pronouns to refer to the two of you. All you know is that you find Black highly attractive. This means that you're free to project any sex you like onto the two characters. Different players will have different mental images; some reviewers saw White and Black as both being male, more tended to see them as being a heterosexual couple, of various combinations. (If you're at all interested, I saw White as being female and Black as being male.) It's a remarkable piece of work.
  (Must try replaying it... I never finished it the last time I tried; it is fiendishly hard.)
Well... by Per+Wigren · 2004-07-12 08:29 · Score: 5, Interesting

I'm openly bisexual myself and I just hate it when they make a big thing out of homo/bi/trans sexuality, like it's supposed to be sensational or chocking or something.. Get over it, it's no big deal..

That said, I love seeing gay love (I'm not talking about sex this time) in movies, when it just happens and they don't make a big thing out of it.. It's unfortunatly very rare in the westen world, but in asian movies (at least japanese and korean) you sometimes see gay/lesbian lovers and it's just there as a part of the plot and they don't focus on it anymore than they would have done with a straight couple. Beautiful!

I'd really love to see a fun lovestory adventuregame like Monkey Island but where Elaine is a guy (or even better, a transsexual) but they just ARE without making it a "gay-game"...

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My other account has a 3-digit UID.
Re:Please don't be an event by WormholeFiend · 2004-07-12 08:32 · Score: 4, Insightful

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?
Try XBL! by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-12 08:33 · Score: 5, Funny

Gosh, the author obviously hasn't played Xbox Live very much. If I'm to believe what everyone I've played against says, nearly everyone on XBL is gay.
That only happens if you are female or you played by SmallFurryCreature · 2004-07-12 08:51 · Score: 5, Insightful

That only happens if you are female or you played with a patch (or perhaps you had a bug (he didn't ask my male char)) but morrowind was hetero. Meaning females and males had different love interests. Of course since morrowind was designed to be easily patched by users this was quickly altered so that you could do all the love stories regardless of your characters sex.
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).

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MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Re:Put gays in games... by Pluvius · 2004-07-12 08:56 · Score: 4, Insightful

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