Extra Punctuation: Roleplaying Homosexual in Dragon Age 2

[Squilookle]

Every time he writes about an RPG and the shortcomings he finds in balance, contrived stories and a lack of freedom, it reminds me yet again of Warband, and I think of how much he'd probably enjoy playing it. Then I read him say:

"I suppose it's a significant point in a game's favor that it can provoke this kind of emotion, but I wonder how much of it was intended by the developers and how many blanks were filled in within my crazed mind alone."

And more than ever I begin to wish he'd review the Mount & Blade game. Apart from a few imagination sparking notes to choose from about your character's background, there is no overarching story but the one you create for yourself, and this freedom to build your adventure as you see fit is immensely gratifying. It's also the only RPG I'd ever get into (except perhaps for Deus Ex) because for once it's an RPG without magic and Orcs and elves and all that other fantasy crap.

 

[trooper6]

My problem with the game was never romancing as a gay, but rather how in dialog the game forces you to make certain choices. Since you almost always take joke option since no real person is so forceful or such a saint, while in other rpgs you get to choose between some proper options.

Now my opinion on Anders has since awakening been that he was a truly obnoxious person not because he is gay(Actually didn't know he was gay before I came on these forums and read about it), which meant I had very little playtime with only taking him when there were no other options aka when I needed a healer.

Funny, I almost never chose the joke options. I generally chose the peaceful options (unless people were threatening my family). I felt like I had choices in the dialogue...and I made different choices than you did...so I don't think they forced you into one dialogue choice.

 

[Lex Darko]

So does this mean I am the only person who wanted to blame the theft of the qunari artifact on Anders and subsequently turn him over to the Arishok.

Has far as some heterosexual male gamers bemoaning the romances in DA2 I actually share their position to an extent.

But that's just because the female characters that can be romanced in DA2 don't compare in quality to the female characters in other Bioware games. Really the two choices DA2 for a heterosexual male character come down to a whore and an arrogant, absent-minded twig shaped elf.

David Gaider responded in that thread saying "They're so used to being catered to that they see the lack of catering as an imbalance. They don't see anything wrong with having things set up to suit them, what's everyone's fuss all about? That's the way it should be, any everyone else should be used to not getting what they want." Original Thread [http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/304/index/6661775&lf=8]

The homosexual male romance options don't bother me (if they weren't in the game originally modders would have added it the game anyway), the lack of decent heterosexual romance options is what bothers me. And for anyone that says Isabela "the whore of Theadus" and Merrill "the clueless blood mage" are good options try comparing them to other Bioware characters.

Characters like Morrigan, and Leliana of DA:O; or Ash, Liara, Miranda, Jack, and Tali of the Mass Effect series; not to mention the fact that Silk Fox and Dawn Star of Jade empire make DA2's romance plots feel like a comic book compared to a novel.

 

[sylekage]

I like most everything Yahtzee talks about, or rants about, and this was well put together. If you're playing a game, is your homophobia really kicking your ass that bad? I mean you do make the choices, but if something feels right then you gotta roll with it.

I'm not gay myself, but I would probably do the same as him, "Oh, I've been putting this guy at the top of my priority list the whole game, maybe I should see what's going on"

Good article, as always.

 

[mrhateful]

Funny, I almost never chose the joke options. I generally chose the peaceful options (unless people were threatening my family). I felt like I had choices in the dialogue...and I made different choices than you did...so I don't think they forced you into one dialogue choice.

Yes I probably would have too, if I had known what he was going to say, but since I didn't then there were no choice to make other then purely guessing.

 

[latenightapplepie]

I may be biased, but I think this may be the best Extra Punctuation I've ever read.

Good job, Yahtzee.

 

[Falseprophet]

I haven't played DA2 yet, nor really gotten into the relationship aspect of either Mass Effect or DA:O.
Yahtzee mentioned he went with the monogamy option, is there a 'legitimate' bi/polygamy option in the game? Since the monogamy-is-the-only-true-way thing in our society is mainly because of the dominating religions in the past millenia or so it could make sense in a fantasy world with a very different history than ours that no such restrictions would have been made up or enforced. So, how do your other mates react if you keep on pursuing new relationships after getting it on with someone? Will they always get mad if they find out or are there dialogue options to make your other mates accept that you're screwing around with your entire party?

There's not a legitimate option, near as I can tell, and the setting doesn't really suggest legal polygamy is common anywhere on Thedas, though we don't really know much about family values outside of Fereldan and Kirkwall. The Chantry, even though it doesn't have the same hangups about sex and homosexuality that the medieval Catholic Church did, only sanctions monogamous heterosexual marriages. (One exception: male dwarven nobles and warriors are encouraged to regularly fornicate with lower-born female dwarves in the hopes of breeding more upper-caste dwarves [http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dwarf#Dust_in_the_Wind], but the women aren't brought into the household unless they bear a son.)

I decided early on that my female Hawke would play "Twilight" with Fenris and Anders, since they have completely opposite points of view. Every time I brought both of them along on a mages vs. templars quest, Anders would argue the poor mages needed to be free from Chantry oppression while Fenris would retort that all mages were rabid dogs that needed to be caged.

So I deflowered Fenris during a one-night stand, then dropped him and went and hooked up with Anders. I think there was one or two brothel visits in there. And while in a relationship with Anders, I hooked up with Zevran (though Anders wasn't there to witness that). The only consequence was one bit of party banter where Anders said to Fenris "You were a fool to let her go" and Fenris responded "If you hurt her, I will kill you". It was unexpected but totally in character, showing that whatever else you might think of DA2 vis-a-vis DA:O, the banter in this game is still fantastic.

Interestingly, in the climax,

I killed Anders for betraying me by blowing up the Chantry, but took the Circle's side anyway. So I was forced to kill Fenris too when he sided with the templars. I felt it a fitting end to such a tragic tale. Although Sebastian confessed an attraction so maybe Hawke ended up with him at the end.

 

[Ericb]

Incredibly progressive article, this is greatly appreciated.

 

[bakakun]

Tell us one more time how straight you are, I hope that the excessive "I love the (insert your favorite reference for lady bits)" was ironic. It kinda undercuts the thrust of your argument that this sexual orientation stuff shouldn't matter when you need to take up half the article insuring us that you are in fact a fan of the ladies.

 

[ShadowXX6]

Pretty much agreed with him. My favorite playthrough in the first Dragon Age was my male healer I made gay. Haven't played #2 yet. Not sure if I will.

 

[Negatempest]

I'm more curious on, why stop at just having one relationship? Isn't the main character usually the "chosen" one? Wouldn't the obvious solution be to have him/her breed with many to give birth to an army of "Children of the Chosen one"? Also, artificial insemination for those not interested in the opposite sex.

But than I'm just over analyzing the situation at this point.

 

[Madkipz]

Interesting cuz Anders as a LI triggers the most twillight esque romance i have ever seen.

Atleast Fenris is cute.

 

[Dragonpit]

"I ... I don't think I'd be able to look at him the same way again."

Umm...is he still role-playing?

...Well anyway, fun little column, as always.

 

[dogsbane]

I see what you did there.

 

[dogsbane]

I see what you did there

 

[Shjade]

so if you are the kind of person who has a problem with homosexuality you probably also didn't picture your character to be a healer

Wait, what? How'd you jump to that conclusion? There's some link between keeping people alive and homosexuality that I've not heard of before?

 

[Deviija]

One of the few great things about DA2 is the romances and relationships. That they are available for everyone of any orientation and gender allows for more freedom in creating a Hawke that is more your own person. Whether you want it to be someone like yourself or if you like roleplaying, there are options for you to choose from and have better variety in creating what YOU want. We lose nothing when we offer players more roleplaying choices.

 

[honeybakedham]

So it's really only two guys versus three girls that we can romance?
That hardly seems to warrant all the gay bashing this game has been getting.

When does anything ever warrant gay bashing?

 

[Dr. Ent-Face]

That has be to one of the most enjoyable and reasonable things Yahtzee's written that i've had the pleasure of reading in quite a while - right up to the Tepig, you horrible person. YEAH SNIVY PRIDE!

 

[psicat]

The single worst game Bioware has ever made and Yahtzee writes 2 nice reviews on it (and going by Yahtzee usual syle, YES, I do count this weeks ZP as 'nice').

Dude.. WTF????

Maybe because that's just your, and a few other haters, opinion on the game and not fact. Yahtzee will nit pick the faults in any games he reviews, even the ones he likes. Which is as it should be. But, he also has shown rarely, like today, that he can praise an aspect of a game he enjoys and respects, weather he loved the game or not.

You are entitled to love or hate any game you want to, but you can't criticize others for not having the same opinion as you.