222: Too Gay for the U.S.A.

[LaBambaMan]

So if Japanese game characters are to hide all traces of not "correct" behavior here in the states, then I think that proves that all the characters in the recent Final Fantasy games are cross dressers.

 

[The Cheezy One]

drakengard was incredibly censored compared to the japanese one
there were peadophiles (althought he was controlling it), child killing, and incest
loads of incest
it even went into the european one, they couldnt keep it ll out

 

[Eric the Orange]

Oh god, why did you bring up yaoi. That is a Pandoras box that needs to be left unopened. And is essentially the female watcher equivalent to Lesbian porn that's marketed twords men. Not exactly pro-gay material if you ask me.

And really, looking at the examples you've chosen only the Persona 4 one is really of a good thing. That Cho Aniki game you were talking about seems like gay fan service to me. And I'm against games based around fan service no matter who they target.

 

[ae86gamer]

drakengard was incredibly censored compared to the japanese one
there were peadophiles (althought he was controlling it), child killing, and incest
loads of incest
it even went into the european one, they couldnt keep it ll out

Yeah, I remember reading the wiki about this game a while ago. The American and Japanese versions were so different that they might as well have been two completely different games.

OT: Great article by the way.

 

[bluepilot]

Homophobia is more apparent in Japan than the US, and being gay is much less acceptable, but when it comes to entertainment, anything goes.

Japan has a long tradition of `cross dressing` for entertainment purposes, gay characters are created for comedy value, not acceptance. `pretty guys` are also admired by quite a few girls.

I do not think that games create prejudice nor stop it. They reflect a society`s values, not influence it.

Even though Japan presents a seemingly open front on cross dressing and homosexuality in the entertainment industry, the reality of being gay in Japan is a far far different story.

Still, I do not know why they edit these things out in games, games cannot `make you gay`.

 

[UpcountryGecko]

I really enjoyed the article. Never new about birdo so that was a bit enlightening. To be honest I never knew that the Japanese market was so open to homosexuality thanks to my ignorance of thinking that everyone is as bad as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

 

[mobsterlobster]

Yeah it was a pretty interesting article. I mean it's not like it was a huge expose ... wow ... lack of homosexual/transgendered characters in video games ... I never noticed

But that being said I think it would be a somewhat silly, and/or detract from the atmosphere, in many games to have ANY sort of open advertisement of sexual orientation in them ... that being said ... the weird and wonderful environment of Super Smash Bros. ... I found it strange they actually edited Birdo.

Any Call of Duty game for instance.

I mean ... most games are about trial and tribulations ... something bad happens ... player fixes said problem. So is it really appropriate to have sexual orientation to be thrust on the monitor just simply for the game developer to go "look, we're gay friendly!"?

Fable did it well though ... your sexual orientation took a back seat to the story.

That's what I was thinking. Most games don't have any hint of sexuality at all. I really don't see how having gay characters is an issue. I can't believe any form of discrimination still exists in this day and age. It seems to be just the United States that's holding us back, seeing as games go completely uncensored in Europe and Japan. Not that I'm blaming EVERY American, of course. It's just the idiots who are ruining it for the rest of the world.

 

[Eldarion]

Guilty Gear's Bridget was the best character in that game........yhea I said it.

There is nothing wrong with homosexuality/bisexuality at all. Unless you are attracted to them, their sexual preference should not matter. Transgender people are people too you know. Why can't we all get along?

Just um........ one thing......... effeminate boys aren't all gay, bad stereotype. Pretty guys get girls too.

 

[J.E.T.]

I'll just stick to the severed heads thank you very much.

 

[Kilo24]

Technically Kanji isn't Gay. He's more Pansexual than anything since he seems to latch onto anything that can comfort him (after all he wanted just as much as eveyrone else to see Naoko in a swim suit)

I actually think YOU missed the point of Kanji, that what you DO does not define who you are, the police and students all thought he was a violent thug an he hung around with guys easier than girls so he thought he was gay, and he got his phobia when girls laughed at him for knitting.

The end of his Social Link is pretty much "Yeah I knit, got a problem with it? I'm GOOD at it!"

He's nose bled at girls and boys so... yeah.

I mesan the article is good, just that stood out as 'Missed the point'

Yeah, that bugged me too. I think the official word was that Kanji wasn't necessarily homosexual, but might have been (and wasn't sure.) The steamy bathhouse dungeon is meant to represent inner fears, not truth if you recall.
And I agree that it was the best video-game depiction of the confusion of teenagers questioning their homosexuality in today's society (even though it's located in Japan, no U.S.A. games do better.)

Fable's depiction struck more as leaving out sexual discrimination code than anything else. It's not Harvest Moon or Mass Effect or Baldur's Gate 2, where romancing is actually affected by the other person's personality. The Sims 2 support is a bit more significant (though not by much) but it still doesn't go to depths that more dialog-focused games do with heterosexual romance.

A dialog-heavy homosexual male-on-male relationship depicted ingame will come with time. The fear of homosexuality is hardly restricted to games; we'll see more and more pushing the envelope with time and it'll become more accepted. That's pretty much the way of any social change in society relating to a minority or feminism.

 

[LeonLethality]

ugh why is america so anti homosexual? because of it all of north america can't get certain games... accept someones sexuality and get on with it there will always be homosexual people you cant stop that.

 

[Chadling]

Valkyria Chronicles has characters that gain boosts in the field when they are near a gender they fancy. About half are straight and the other half are gay or bi-sexual.

My copy in the UK has this feature but did America sensor this aspect of the game?

I don't think it was. Quite a few of the characters were openly gay, with a few of them getting bonuses from being around both genders... and one of the Lancers (your bazooka-guys) got a bonus from specifically being around Largo, who was your quintessential veteran soldier and did not share the affection at all. Or maybe that's just the character design from the anime spilling over--my memory isn't 100% here.

I'm similarly pleased that you decided to mention Kanji, though I see that character as more of a condemnation of traditional gender archetypes. My impression is that he isn't truly gay, but definitely confused in his sexuality. The fact that he's had so many problems in dealing with girls doesn't help. But while he appears to be a biker-type tough guy on the outside, thanks to his leather jacket and extreme aggression, his parents operate an old-fashioned textile shop, and he is definitely into the family business (as well as interior design).

But one thing that I can't help but appreciate is the difficulty of Kanji's boss, which is best described as "holy ****". I don't want to go into details for fear of accidentally providing spoilers, but I think that the fact that his boss is so damned tough reflects how hard it is for society to wrap its collective head around the issue of gender identity and sexuality. I love the symbolism in the designs of the bosses in that game.

 

[wolfy098]

never knew birdo was male

Nice to know

 

[Mordwyl]

Then they call Europe the Old World...

I don't give a damn what my character likes so long as they get to kick ass.

 

[wolfy098]

I recall hearing about Birdo being a guy. Yeah, being homophobic seems to be a popular fad that just won't die in the USA... I wonder why?

cos they don't get out enough...

 

[cobra_ky]

The funny thing about Poison is she actually was supposed to be a woman. Capcom changed her to a transsexual because they were concerned that Americans would be offended by violence towards women.

And i'm tired of hearing about Bridget. Venom's actually gay, dammit!

I mean ... most games are about trial and tribulations ... something bad happens ... player fixes said problem. So is it really appropriate to have sexual orientation to be thrust on the monitor just simply for the game developer to go "look, we're gay friendly!"?

Sexual Orientation is an area ripe for trials and tribulations, as Persona 4 demonstrated.

 

[khululy]

There was this ps2 JRPG where there was a very weird boss fight sequence but I cannot recall the name of the game. But it was very erhm... suggestive. Anyone who can find me the title gets a cookie.

Found it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZsHIAoTgZM&feature=related

*gives himself a cookie*

 

[Lamnidae]

In a few generations the 'Haters' will disappear I hope...

Everytime I hear such nonsense as this I get really angry and depressed...
Knowing that we are being hung, given lashes in public and getting our asses glued together while being fed laxation fluids day after day out here on this planet...
Yet the executioners of these acts claim to have their roots in the Divine and think they are intelligent highly evolved beings...
Humanity has got a disease and it's called Power-Obsession...
Of which Religion seems to be some kind of abberation of...

Knowing Homosexuality is even older than humanity itself because it can be found back in nature in many species...
So we're older than the time in which America was still wiping out the original inhabitants of the 'American' landscape and burning 'The Wild Peoples' and 'The Witches'...
Even older than the Religious Tales...
And we are far more then just the stereotype gaypeople...
Like in everything else there is a great diversity...

Hopefully one day people will know true love when they look upon it...

All people have to do is listen to their hearts instead of mindlessly parrotting what their Alpha-People are implanting in their hearts...

Damn... Had to post this...

Gay characters in Gayms...
Why not? It's not like we can't be Heroes and Villains...
And it's not like people won't want to buy this content...

If the parents of America are sooo concerned about their youth?
Then why is it children still are able to shoot each other by accident because their parents own weapons in the vicinity? Having their friends shot and their lives eternally ruined?

 

[Mother Yeti]

Don't forget Yuan in Shenmue 2. In the original Japanese game he is a drag queen in a romantic relationship with one of the (male) villains. He becomes a woman in the PAL and American versions, even though he really doesn't look female.

 

[Chipperz]

See, I'd love to see a really psychopathically roid-raged space marine murder wave after wave of alien nazi evil dudes to find his "lost love" that they abducted before the start of the game, only for it to turn out to be a guy at the end. I dunno how many ratings boards would play all the way to the end, especially if they played the first few levels and just saw "generic sci fi shooter".

Personally, I don't have a problem with any sexuality in games, and hell, it's always fun to have a bit of a change, right?