The Accidental Lesbian

[Kegluneq]

Though I will admit MY Echo Bazaar character would be after the woman for sexual reasons. She is a hedonistic individual who is best friends with devils from the Brass Embassy, enjoys stealing from people and taking any opportunity to add another notch to her bedpost.

I'm fairly sure this is the default storyline for anyone who accepts any storyline as they appear (my male character is flirting with characters of both sexes at the moment). But yeah, if a 'reference' of the strength in the original complaint is enough to offend you, this probably isn't the game for you.

It does raise an interesting point - I think this is the main reason many game devs are afraid to make the protagonist gay. If the story includes a love interest, being forced to play a gay cahracter and presumably have gay sex might make some people uncomfortable.

Echo Bazaar, being non-graphical, gets round that problem fairly easily. It also has a fairly niche audience that is fairly sympathetic (generally) to LGBT issues.

I have to admit though, I really am having problems thinking of other lesbian videogame characters period. There was that couple in The Longest Journey, but they only got a brief conversation with the player character. Looks like Hana and Rain are going to be the sole benchmark for a while. At least they were pretty committed to each other?

 

[daftalchemist]

My character in Saints Row 2 ended up being a lesbian. I discovered that around the time she started talking about how the new hideout needed a stripper pole. I assumed it was because they were just too lazy to write separate dialogue for male/female characters. But considering the only decent looking hairstyle I could even bare to look at on her was skull-short and somewhat spikey, it kind of made the statement a little stronger than just an implication. So I rolled with it, and I love my little lesbian gangster.

 

[beefpelican]

Something rather similar happened to me in Mass Effect 1 with the Consort. I was playing as femshep, and had just completed a mission for an assari. She gave me a trinket as a reward, so I asked if that was it, hoping for some cash monies. Suddenly, a sex scene appeared! I wasn't all like "What is this lesbianing doing in my game?" but it still was surprising. Generally I'm at least aware that sex might happen before it suddenly does.

 

[Necrofudge]

Devastating Orb of the Gerbil bahahahahahah...
Ah I liked this article. Made me laugh a good number of times.

OT: I don't really think that dialog reflects too much on "accidental lesbianism". It's just a nice way of writing the dialog. Maybe the one who wrote it took one step too far in that assumption, but it does give the story and game more depth.

 

[Avistew]

My character in Saints Row 2 ended up being a lesbian. I discovered that around the time she started talking about how the new hideout needed a stripper pole. I assumed it was because they were just too lazy to write separate dialogue for male/female characters. But considering the only decent looking hairstyle I could even bare to look at on her was skull-short and somewhat spikey, it kind of made the statement a little stronger than just an implication. So I rolled with it, and I love my little lesbian gangster.

What, did she say it had to be female strippers?

 

[Formica Archonis]

What, did she say it had to be female strippers?

Or that she didn't intend to use it herself?

I'm playing Echo Bazaar and I just roll with the slight asexuality of the environment, like how my male character can go to the Empress's court in drag and Victorian-era combat boots and no one complains. (I do have such a lovely gown.) In fact, I enjoy the little breaks in reality I can make, like using second chances to grind a stat until I'm unlocking things that make references to previous events that I skipped. Mr. Inch, for instance, knows me from a society I'm not a member of. Indeed, how could I be? I've been off hunting bats and lizards with my high society friends, I have no time for dueling!

As to the original complaint of surprise lesbianism, I'm reminded of a crossword puzzle [http://barelybad.com/xwdthemes_110596.htm]. Long story short: One clue on a crossword puzzle could be legitimately answered two different ways. It seemed (from what I saw, anyway) that the majority of people who complained were the people who ended up with the answer they didn't want.

 

[daftalchemist]

My character in Saints Row 2 ended up being a lesbian. I discovered that around the time she started talking about how the new hideout needed a stripper pole. I assumed it was because they were just too lazy to write separate dialogue for male/female characters. But considering the only decent looking hairstyle I could even bare to look at on her was skull-short and somewhat spikey, it kind of made the statement a little stronger than just an implication. So I rolled with it, and I love my little lesbian gangster.

What, did she say it had to be female strippers?

Well, when the male NPC says "we need some stripper poles", and the chick PC agrees with him, one would assume they're both talking about female strippers. Also the fact that the only type of strippers you can get for the poles in the game are the female kind...kind of implies lesbian in my mind.

 

[Avistew]

Well, when the male NPC says "we need some stripper poles", and the chick PC agrees with him, one would assume they're both talking about female strippers. Also the fact that the only type of strippers you can get for the poles in the game are the female kind...kind of implies lesbian in my mind.

I don't see why with the first bit: the guy can very well suggest it because he wants female strippers, and the woman agree because she wants male ones, that kind of things happens all the time, people agreeing for different reasons. It's not like they can't hire both... which leads me to the second point: in the game, apparently, they can't, so then that makes sense. But as I said for the first point not so much.

 

[ckam]

I did not read this article, but I'll just look into Echo Bazaar later along with reading this topic.

 

[Deathlisk]

Of course she wouldn't complain if it assumed she was a heterosexual woman! That was the sexual preference she imagined her character with in the first place.
Someone did say that just because this had to do with homosexuality someone would rush to it's defence for some unknown reason.
And I think she would have complained about asexuality too bro.

Not defending anything but the player choice. It would be the same with any other type of player choice. Personally I wouldn't like it for a game that leaves it open to me to assume I'm black or white, religious or not, male or female, pancake or crepe lover.

The point is, if you're leaving it all up to player on character creation you shouldn't assume later on, that's just common sense, imo.

And "bro"? Why are you assuming I'm male?

No, I just like t throw that in sometimes. But then again..... a good followup question would be... Are you?

 

[Dragonrose]

Are you?

No.

 

[Deathlisk]

Are you?

No.

Ok. Ehm... this message feels short. Ehm... Weeeeeeeeee!

 

[leevio]

To repsond on the voiceless hero or the voiced hero.

I am awaiting the day where you can "pick" a voice out of a list of 4 to 6 different voices whcih your hero has during the whole game.

although that might be abit too expensive

 

[Zen Toombs]

M'lady, it is no more wrong to force the player character to be lesbian than it is to force the player to be straight. Or to force the player character to be a redhead. Or to force the player character to prefer to read books alone instead of going to a party.

It may not be the norm, but that doesn't make it wrong.
[/rant]

 

[tzimize]

Cool article bro.

Fascinating read. I love RPGs, at least the good ones. Just mentioning Dragon Age: Origins made me want to revisit it. I seldom revisit RPGs though. For example, in Mass Effect, the only "real" playthrough was my first one. The second felt just like an exploration of what I didnt do the first time, instead of a "true" story.

Once the story is done...you cant change it, it stays in your mind. At least it does in mine