Extra Punctuation: Roleplaying Homosexual in Dragon Age 2

[The Gnome King]

This design choice, to make Hawke so gay, is what bothers so many players. The design team, headed in writing by Gaydar, chose to queer Hawke and his companions up. They're gay for gayness' sake.

For drones who accept whatever fantasy they're offered that's fine. But I choose not to pay for a fantasy I don't want.

1) How was Hawke "made gay" - he was given ample opportunity to turn down Anders and to shack up with two females and a weird glowing elf if he so choose.

2) It is of course your choice to not pay for fantasy you don't want; but considering that Bioware's own statistics shows that the gay/bi romance options are hugely popular in their games, I don't think they'll be going away any time soon.

Are you also one of those people who believe that all characters should cater to a white male heterosexual audience as well, and that gays or other minorities should just accept the fact that they may be having to "pay for fantasy they don't want" if they want to play games at all?

I think that inferring that Hawke was "made gay" by offering him a choice to be so infers more about your own personality type than it does about Yhatzee or Bioware or... yeah.

The straight men I know who are secure in their own sexuality had absolutely no issue with a "gay option" being included in DA2, FWIW. They either explored it or ignored it as they choose. Considering it never comes up in the game if you turn down Anders and enter into a relationship with one of the women, I'm not sure how any but the most easily-offended could be... well, offended by it.

 

[IamGamer41]

Why are people so homophobi?

Its not your going to get the case of the "gays" by playing a game... haha

Always fun to poke fun at homophobis go and "hit" on them its funny as all hell how mad they get.

Yeah I guess it would.So when one of them knocks the shit out of you for doing that are you going to take them to court for a hate crime?

 

[Drake_Dercon]

Sadly, I didn't have the balls to roleplay the other team. I'm actually quite ashamed of myself for that, especially because Merill's character was inadequately explored and Anders' was so much more complete.

Tears.

 

[VanillaBean]

This was good Yahtzee, very good

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

The problem I have with gay romances in Bioware games (specifically ME2) is that there was no one who I could just be nice to. I loved Garrus like a brother, but I couldn't help but feel that he was giving me "I wasn't programmed to have sex with you, so back off" vibes. Tali was the only one I could see myself with, but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to keep on talking to everyone else.
I guess I'm trying to say that the relationships are sort of forced. Just because you're gay doesn't mean you'll fall in love with the protagonist, no matter how nice he is to you.

 

[constantcompile]

I think it's a sad, sad commentary that so much time and effort is spent discussing the "romances" in bioware games.

Would you feel differently if it were a book or movie? Whether because of age, location or expectation, fictional romances are all some people have.

 

[xdom125x]

I probably wouldn't do the gay romance in-game but that is only because I like to imagine my avatar as a person just like me (excluding the looks) but in a different world. I like to discover how someone with my personality would behave in fictional worlds. I may deviate from that for curiosities sake once in a while but I like when my characters behave like I would if dropped into that world.

It shows some steps for progress in gamings view of gay people that having your character be gay is at least an option.
Also, doing the gay romance is just one of several options in game and it won't be forced on you so it doesn't even seem like something worth complaining about.

 

[Naheal]

Merrill: The single most adorable little blood mage you'll ever run into.

And, yes. I did enjoy a certain attachment to specific characters.

 

[MB202]

Aww, what a sweet story!

 

[Xman490]

Yatzee's playing Pokemon White? Whaaaaaaa?

 

[Tempest13]

I would have gotten alot out of your article, had I not noticed that you picked Tepig, my thoughts derailing themselves. Fuck yeah, tepig! Nah I'm just kidding this was a very funny read and your article was insightful about how romances can keep all options available without feeling forced.

 

[Sylocat]

This was almost heartwarming. Uncharacteristically so for Yahtzee.

It also reminds me of something Yahtzee said about Silent Hill 2, when some wiseguy in the comments section said that Yahtzee must have some "things in common" with Sunderland, since he cares about him, thus insinuating... something. But Yahtzee pointed out that a really good story can make you care about a character you have nothing in common with and probably wouldn't get along with in real life.

 

[beefpelican]

I read the first page and agreed with everything he said.

The second page read like gay fanfiction. It was... weird. Since the lead writer actually does read and write gay fanfiction (or so I am told. She certainly enjoyed Twilight), this makes... sense?

Well, if you're actually role playing an RPG and getting invested in the story, aren't you creating fanfiction? And if your role is gay, then it is necessarily gay fanfiction. I thought it was charming.

 

[constantcompile]

snip

Is it strange that I'm increasingly surprised when a roleplaying game restricts romances to monogamy? i.e. "My Shepard romanced Liara!" etc.; with games like Harvest Moon it's understandable because there's a sort of civil union taking place beforehand, but it's a bit odd to see in Mass Effect for instance that while dating outside one's species is widely accepted, open relationships are still taboo - Consort aside.

 

[Neshel]

If I at some point play Dragon Age 2, I'm most likely to make a character that reflects my own sexuality(at the first play-through anyway), but mainly because you don't get to play as a lesbian often enough.

Also, I'm 100% lesbian, but there have been gay male/hetero romances or couples I've liked because the story was good or they were cute together or fit well with each other. And even preferred the straight pairing over the lesbian one because I liked the hetero-couple more.

I'd just prefer not to watch them have sex.

100% lesbian too, but in DAO I somehow ended up romancing Alistair, even though I was originally eyeing Morrigan and Liliana. It just fit the way I'd been playing the character.

I look forward to seeing where DA:2 takes me when I finally get my hands on it.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

Interesting read over all. I agree with you that heterosexuals shouldn't be complaining about the possibility of a homosexual relationship in a game. They aren't forced upon you and it's pretty easy to avoid them, so no need to ***** and moan about it.

As for my play through of DA2 so far, I'm doing what I do in most similar games. I try to make my avatar similar to me (although not in looks, I suck at making decent looking characters so I keep it simple and don't change much). I enjoy trying to play through it and make decisions the way I myself would. Guess it's because I just like putting myself in settings like that. That's usually just my first run through though. After that I'll run through as different types of characters. Don't know what my Hawke will end up with in terms of relationship as I'm not too far into it. Merrill and Anders seem the likely choices considering how closer I am to them.

 

[Truehare]

So you got hitched with the only guy who had healing magic and could save your ass most of the time, eh, Yahtzee?

Now that's true love for you...

 

[duchaked]

oh there's something beautiful to be found in a solid bromantic relationship until skins start touching (unless it was like manly sparring)

but hm...I definitely do play as myself as much as possible
example...I found myself being quite nice to nice people in Fallout 3...but as long as I was outside my comfort zone (aka anywhere not in Megatown) I shot first and asked question answers...

and try really hard to avoid combat cuz bullets are expensive