LGBT in Video Games

[Connor Lonske]

Well being a pansexual for the most part male, I find that feelings about LGBT people, mainly on Xbox Live, are very bad. I find issues with both people's own manhood, peoples choices in words, and other people's sexuality to be mostly solved with the throwing around of the words "gay" as an insult. I use this response when I come across this.


Of course overly flamboyant LGBT peoples, like Eridan has just demonstrated, can of course make things worse for a lot of people, both LGBT and straight.

I think these issues are most apparent in games like GTA IV, which the single player I hold at a high regard, but it's mulitiplayer I do not.

I find biases are so apparent in GTA IV's online mulitiplayer from all races and creeds to all other races and creeds that it's almost unplayable for most sensible people unless your playing with a good friend via the internet. I would say I lost faith in humanity, but I never had any to begin with so I'm mostly indifferent.

Games like Halo and Call of Duty aren't much better, but are more focused on manhood issues and just dealing with the fact that someone is LGBT than hating them. This is largely due to the fact that most people who play Halo or Call of Duty are below the recommended age or mentally below it, unlike GTA IV where it's only little kids or young adults past teen years from my perception.

Just the concept of seeing another man's penis scares them, as you would assume from a teenage boy going though puberty, so I find their lack of knowledge is more understandable, but equally sad if not more so.

I don't have much experienced opinion of the people who play TF2, so I can't tell you.

I can say I found the most LGBT and women playing L4D though, and none to little misinformation, if not more in game trolling at least.

And that's all I can say with an educated opinion.

 

[Malconvoker]

As an asexual female, I can only say that as long as my lack of an interest in sex is respected I will respect their preferences. I would like to just see gaming take itself more seriously and respect people. If someones whole character is represented by one aspect, like race or sexuality or religion, then the writers are doing it wrong.

 

[Nimcha]

A straight guy is not going to be interested in playing a game where he has to rescue a gay love interest.

That is an extreme generalization.

And false logic too. By that I as a gay gamer should not have any interest in playing a game where I have to rescue a straight love interest. And how many games have that?

 

[Handbag1992]

I don't care what anyone does in his private life, he can have sex with mailboxes for all I care (as long as they aren't mine), but the trend to want to push one's own sexuality into someone else's face e.g. "Look at me, I'm gay, respect me, I'm special!" and the "token gay character" that every TV show and/or movie has to have today to be "complete" is somewhat pissing me off sometimes.

Natural biology is a load of crock. Nature often gets things unbelievably wrong, see: birth defects and auto-immune disease for examples.

You know that that argument, can as much work against you as you think it is working for you though, right?

Someone feels like a man trapped in a woman's body, nature has f***ked up and we need to fix it. I'm not quite seeing the problem here.

 

[lovest harding]

No different from anyone else. If they flaunt their sexuality (eg: being overly flamboyant for being gay) I still find that annoying. Other then that, no differences.

I've never understood this. So a man is flamboyant. Say they have a lisp and say girlfriend after every sentence and everything they talk about is fashion based. Isn't that their personality? How are they flaunting it?
People don't look at a straight man who drinks beer all day and talks about nothing but tits and NASCAR and say he's flaunting his sexuality.

I'm not trying to start and argument or be offensive. I seriously want to know how you justify saying that a gay man is 'flaunting their sexuality' when they simply have an over the top personality.

OT:
As a gay man, I appreciate being included.
But as a gamer (completely ignoring sexual orientation) I appreciate the option. The same way I appreciate the ability to create any race I want (or at least a wide variety of races) in a human player character, despite being white.
I will say that I don't see a huge need for sex in games though. I mean, there are very few games where a personal relationship like that actually mattered to the gameplay or story. And if it doesn't matter to the gameplay or story, then it doesn't really need to be included at all.
For instance, I loved play Jackie in The Darkness. He's quite obviously straight and yet because he was so well written I could still relate to him (it didn't hurt that his girlfriend was really well made and well written as well).
If it's a static relationship in order to characterize the player character I just want it to be well written. If there's an option (say like Alpha Protocal and it choice of like 3 women), I'd prefer them to simply offer an LGBT option. It doesn't make much sense to me to do it in the middle like AP did. It seems a bit stupid to give options when in reality you're only giving options that lead a player to the same conclusion (that the main character is straight or that he has to be white). Why not just characterize him then? It's one of the things that bothers me with certain games.

Anyway. I hope that helped. I just rambled about different topics. xD

 

[mkb07a]

As an asexual female, I can only say that as long as my lack of an interest in sex is respected I will respect their preferences. I would like to just see gaming take itself more seriously and respect people. If someones whole character is represented by one aspect, like race or sexuality or religion, then the writers are doing it wrong.

This.

No different from anyone else. If they flaunt their sexuality (eg: being overly flamboyant for being gay) I still find that annoying. Other then that, no differences.

I've never understood this. So a man is flamboyant. Say they have a lisp and say girlfriend after every sentence and everything they talk about is fashion based. Isn't that their personality? How are they flaunting it?
People don't look at a straight man who drinks beer all day and talks about nothing but tits and NASCAR and say he's flaunting his sexuality.

I'm not trying to start and argument or be offensive. I seriously want to know how you justify saying that a gay man is 'flaunting their sexuality' when they simply have an over the top personality.

Also this. I want to marry this part of your post so hard.

 

[Mikeyfell]

Just for sake of clarity I'm a strait guy.

I'm a bit of an awkward case when talking about this subject. The vast majority of my friends are gay (or not strait anyway, 1 strait guy, 1 gay guy, 7 lesbian/bi girls) with so many of the people in my social circle being not strait I assume by default that everyone I'm introduced to is gay.

So, according to some, I'm far to willing to read between lines and see homosexuality where it might not have ever been intended to be seen. For example in Tales of Vesperia I'm convinced that Rita's a lesbian. It doesn't happen so much with videogames than with other things.

I don't like that game characters are so often boiled down to "strait white males" and "Token minority/love interest". If you want to get into bisexuality in games it would be a crime not to mention Dragon Age (Origins for a good example, 2 for a bad one)

Spoiler: Dragon Age

The reason Dragon Age Origins is a good example is because Zevran and Leliana both treat men and women differently. With hardly any prompting Leliana will tell you how badly she wanted to fuck the sisters at the chantry after they took their vows. Zevran brings it up to. It's part of their character. Their bisexual, they have preferences, it defines their character and makes them deeper.


The reason Dragon Age 2 is a bad example is because all 4 love interests are bi but none of them ever bring it up. (Except Isabella, but I'm trying to make a point here). The point is in the relationship part of the game they never bring up their sexuality or even mention Hawke's gender. I romanced Fenris as a man and a woman and the dialog never changed. The characters in DA2 were bi because everyone was mad that Garrus wasn't bi, not because it made sense for the character development.
End ex-fanboy rage

As much as I'd love to see more LGB or T characters in games, they need to figure out how to write good strait white male characters before they branch out to the harder stuff.
I think it was Susan Arendt who said that on a Comic-con panel, or something. Regardless of who said it I still agree with it.

 

[Handbag1992]

Someone feels like a man trapped in a woman's body, nature has f***ked up and we need to fix it. I'm not quite seeing the problem here.

Nature and general evolution has brought mankind to the point they are at today, instead of being one of the many dieing out species, it has also made and formed the planet we are living on with its different biotopes and has done pretty much "right". One could argue that mental states going against that natural order of evolution and reproduction might as well be "nature fucking up" one would like to "fix" as you so well put it as has been practice 50+ years ago, but I'm sure you didn't want to go there xD

The moment you can cure gender dysphoria is the moment you become a very rich man. Until your future space-mind comes up with a solution however, all we can do is alter the body to suit the mind rather than the other way around.

Just because nature and natural selection does many things right doesn't mean it can't get things wrong.

 

[ResonanceGames]

"Look at me, I'm gay, respect me, I'm special!" and the "token gay character" that every TV show and/or movie has to have today to be "complete" is somewhat pissing me off sometimes.

Name one specific example of this.

 

[lovest harding]

How about the radical idea that video games should just feature human beings?

I think that's exactly what the LGBT community are pushing for? After all, LGBT people are human beings, yet are surprisingly absent from video games in general. Much like... women without gravity-defying chests, men whose arms aren't as big as my legs, anime characters that are anything but that creamy shade of white...

Anyway.

Heterosexuality is constantly mashed in our faces in video games in general. We get it, Mario; you are attracted to Daisy! (or Peach? ...Both?) I just wish Nintendo wouldn't keep harping on about it. I mean, I like straight people. Some of my best friends are straight people. I just wish they'd stop rubbing my face in it! You're straight, all right! I get it!! Stop kissing in front of me! I don't wanna see that!

If there were more games where you have "Main_Character (who is, incidentally, gay)" rather than "Gay Main Character! He's Defined By His Gayness! He Will Charm You With His Spell of Lvl1 Flamboyancy Rainbow Ray", the overall perception of LGB's in the gaming community would be far more positive. (As I can't help but think that gay people have quite the, uh, negative image on the collective international consciousness. Can't for the life of me think why. I mean, it's only been, what, 2000(ish) years of oppression?)

Maybe if there weren't so many LGBT people who are flaming, in-your-face types...those stereotypes come from somewhere (cough)SanFranGayPrideParade(cough).

That implies that there is something wrong with those who consider themselves "flaming". After how many years of being constantly told that you are wrong, disgusting, sinful, and must hide away an aspect of yourself that you consider important, can you blame someone for wanting to dance it out on a parade float? Regardless, whether one is a "straight gay" or can "pass" without being discriminated should not be something to cheer for- it should be understood that some people want to parade their sexuality because we live in a society that wants the exact opposite of that, and there is nothing wrong with them wanting to act in such a way.

Then explain the folks who are obviously flaming without the rhinestone codpieces and ass-less chaps?

Need an example? Richard Simmons.

Richard Simmons has never publicly once said he was gay or straight. That's just his personality.
Isn't that proof that the issue is with you not the 'flamboyant gays'? He's hardly flaunting his sexuality when he has never even said he was gay publicly. Right?

 

[LuckyClover95]

I think it's the same attitude as it is with television really - sometimes got gay characters, often you'll find in american games they're complete stereotypes, and there are still loads of "It's funny because it implies they're homosexual!" jokes - same as tv.

 

[Senaro]

I think the same of them as I do any other person. They're people. Everyone has the same opportunity to be good or irritating, so I don't see why any specific group should be any different.

 

[Wintermoot]

I,m pretty sure Endrance from the hack GU games is gay (the way he talks to Haseo and the option of marrying him in vol.3) I,m cool with gay people.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

There are a lot of interesting places you could take something like this.

There's the fact that, by and large, gamers tend to be pretty accepting people, while simultaneously possessing a (well-earned) reputation for language that would suggest otherwise. Insults like "fag", complaints involving "gay", and jokes insinuating that opponents are gay are extremely common despite the fact that most of these people really wouldn't care at all. Some of my best friends still do it when they play games (with somewhat ironic results when the insults are aimed at me).

The thing that I find most interesting, however, is the incredible proliferation of the "as long as they're not flaunting it" attitude. Now if being gay is the only part of someone's personality and it's all they have to talk about, that's one thing. However, this usually means something more akin to a don't ask-don't tell policy. More often than not, this also seems to mean "I don't care if you're gay, but don't act feminine", so I think it's indicative of the divergent degrees of acceptance for LGBT orientation and for gender variation among gamers. Gamers, in my experience, tend to be much less open to gender issues.

 

[Robert Ewing]

I am completely impartial. Of course if they flaunt their sexuality, like being camp, then I get annoyed... It's not because i'm homophobic, because if a straight guy flaunts his sexuality, I get equally annoyed, it's not confined to homosexuals.

I'm fine with homosexuals in games, I'm not really sure about transgenders tbh... I dunno.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

i love LGBTs. though i hear that and think Great Lettuce Bacon and Tomato sammich... then i think "gay sex".
i'm bisexual (technically i come under pansexual), so it's kind of hippopoto-ma-critical[footnote]apparently the only problem is i misspelled hippopotami in a made up word...[/footnote] of me to be homophobic.

 

[Gah234]

If you can't even come to terms with what you want in life, especially at its most primal, then I cannot see a healthy mental condition.

But they did choose what they wanted in life. ¬¬
"I like both genders. I want to like both genders. I choose to like both genders."
"I feel wrong as a man. I want to be a woman."

See?

 

[Quellist]

I have no problem at all with the LGBT community. My boss is gay and a pretty decent guy, likewise a lot of his friends, i honestly dont really take a persons sexuality into account when i form an opinion of them. Though i am straight i have no problem with a gay guy flirting with me and in fact find it flattering.

As to the LGBT community in games, i find them vastly under represented in games in general. Makoto from Enchanted Arms is the only obviously gay character i can think of in any game i have played. I dont count the Mass Effect/Dragon Age characters because they seem rather than actually being bisexual to be sexually neutral out of a desire to offer gameplay to all, which is good but imo having each characters sexuality defined and having it be a part of their character would be more believable, i suppose Zevran might be somewhat of an exception as he came across as a oversexed 'takes all comers' bisexual and was easier to believe in that regard than Leilana

 

[Windcaler]

Im hard pressed to think of any characters that are part of the LGBT movement itself but I can think of a few that are bisexual or homosexual.

Probably the most interesting and well fleshed out is Kanji Tastumi who we get to see a real close look at if the protagonist works toward finishing his social link.

Theres also the girls from Fear effect 2 (I know ones named Rain or Rayne but the others name escapes me at the moment). During the game we see a few romantic moments and some flirting in the beginning. Of course some people refer to them as blatant pandering to the teenage demographic but Im not convinced thats the case

Veronica from Fallout:New vegas is another who I really liked because being gay was just another aspect of herself. Like her love for the brotherhood of steel and her joy of punching things with her power fist

For me the issue is that sexuality of any kind for people is fine but when it becomes the sole aspect of a person it becomes a negative thing to look toward. I understand that coming out can be a liberating event in a persons life but there is always more to an individual then their sexuality.

 

[nin_ninja]

I'm writing a Essay in my Critical Thinking Class about how the LGBT(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community is viewed by the gaming community. I want to hear my fellow gamer's opinion on the LGBT community. Let this be a open forum on your opinion. I want to hear what you all, be it negative, or positive, think about this topic. Feel free to get up your soap box, and get as preachy as you want, give your view on the LGBT community, as well as LGBT themes in video games. This Essay is suppose to be unbiased, so I need a wide range of opinions.

Edit: This is suppose to be a vague question. Say what you want, generally, or specifically, about the subject matter. For example, this doesn't have to be a "Yes, or no" kinda answer, you can pose your own question, or go on a rant, or even talk about how a specific game handles sexuality (Mass Effect, Sims, etc)

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.259903-Is-Dragon-Age-the-most-Gay-Friendly-Game#9809336

I think LGBT characters are fine in a game. They don't even to bring attention to it. Take Dragon Age for example. You have Zevran who is so full of sexuality he'd even screw Shale. He doesn't care, but his character is mostly about sex. Same with all the characters in Dragon Age 2. They're all Bi (technically) and their sexuality doesn't affect the story at all.

I DO think that if the person's sexuality is part of the story it better be well done, like Persona 4 or Nier.