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Does Sexual Orientation Have A Place In Games?

November 10, 2009 in Blog comments 3

Sexual orientation and homosexuality aren't topics that often come up in gaming. But should this be the case?
Destructoid's Anthony Burch takes a look at sexuality in gaming and what he would like to see happen with the portrayal of sexual orientation and homosexuality in future games.

Go to the source for the full article.

Last week I recorded a rant in which I argued that gay characters have not been particularly well-represented in videogames. The subsequent discussion, while remarkably civil, included many variations of an argument I had not considered before: that explanations of sexual orientation of any kind should have no part in videogames to begin with.

"I don't know why a characters sexuality often even needs to be mentioned at all," commenter kefkaesque argued. "Sure everyone assumes Master Chief is straight because of how manly he is and because of the games he's in, but it's not like he ever goes around telling random characters HEY GUESS WHAT, I LIKE VAGINA."

While I can respect kefkaesque's point, I also completely disagree with it. Sexual orientation, especially in regard to narrative-driven games, is an important, honest, and useful aspect of characterization that can and should be explored whenever possible.

Hit the jump if you wanna know why.
Miss Razz via destructoid.com »
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  • 0
    RaidenXS* Nov 11, 09
    what kind of theme could you use with homosexuality? nothing worth diving into i say.
    • 0
      SebKus Nov 11, 09
      The same sort of themes you could explore with heterosexual relationships--only GAY! The point is the representation of a minority that too many people view as nasty, disgusting, or wrong. Of course, it would never work well what with all the hate and fear about homosexuals. And since video games still have the stigma of a children's game, the media would get a hold of whatever game was being developed and mark it as another gay incursion and threat to the innocence of children. The article makes the point that sexuality is another aspect of characterization that should be explored to make the character more human. If anything, being gay could be used to separate bland or typical characters from the rest of the cast. I know I was more interested in Kanji in P4 because of the fact that he wasn't entirely straight. Had he been just the average dumbshit tough guy, I wouldn't have been nearly as engaged with his character.
  • 2
    Insanity Prevails* Nov 11, 09
    I have to disagree with the article writer, who seems to think that any narrative driven game must make many references to the character's sexual preferences.

    Putting that in for the sake of putting it in sounds like a terrible idea to me. You don't just put things in out of some sense of duty, you put them in because they are needed and compliment all the other elements.

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