Thread Topic - LGBT and Video Games

[endtherapture]

I don't care about the sexual orientation of the character.

I'd rather have a well written straight character than a badly written gay character made for eye candy, and vice versa.

Overall the quality of writing comes before all discussions of diversity and sexuality.

 

[happyninja42]

Think about what? The random things you stated and how we think about your opinion? The broad subject itself? You didn't really present a coherent question to reply to honestly, you just had a stream of concousness post.

I think this is one of those threads that went nowhere.
I honestly just wanted to talk about something other then gamergate and feminism.
It kind of ended up being a fragmented stream of consciousness about nothing.

I wouldn't say it was "about nothing", you just ended it a little odd is all when you asked us what we thought. xD


I'm a straight male, but I don't have a problem with more LGBT friendly games out there. Just like in my personal life, gay people don't bother me, or threaten me, or annoy me with their gayness. I've have several gay friends over the years, male and female, and it's never been an issue, so having games that cater to their interests is perfectly fine with me. I probably won't play them, if the whole focus of the game is "I'm gay, and this is what it's like to be gay" type of story, but I don't care if the game gets made. If the characters are simply gay as a single characteristic, but have other traits that are fully fleshed out too, then I'm totally fine with playing the game.

I admit I would probably be a little uncomfortable if my character was then part of an on screen gay love scene, but that's my own personal dislike of watching 2 men make out, but I'm not going to demand a publisher remove it just because I'd rather not watch it. And I admit that I wouldn't be bothered by two women characters, because I find them visually attractive, whereas I don't with men. But again, that's my personal tastes and attractions, and not something that has to be mandated across an industry.

So go ahead man, promote, request, encouarge, support your LGBT centric games. Hope you enjoy them as much as I've enjoyed the games I've played over my life.

 

[grassgremlin]

Thrift shops, Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc are great places to get clothes. Just gotta be a little creative, and knowing how to work a sewing needle doesn't hurt either.

Oh, thanks for the advice. I know where to look though, lol. I admit there's other factors (I don't have my own place and this house is well . . . crowded. I don't want to discuss it without getting personal about home life, but just saying not everyone is on board with it.)

 

[Blue C Jeffrey]

I don't care about the sexual orientation of the character.

I'd rather have a well written straight character than a badly written gay character made for eye candy, and vice versa.

Overall the quality of writing comes before all discussions of diversity and sexuality.

That goes without saying, really. What's the point in having a great concept if you screw up the execution?

Although one should not be surprised with eye candy. We already have that stuff prevalent in gaming. Who doesn't get hot and bothered by Dante, Snake, and Agent York?

 

[grassgremlin]

You want a gay DOA? Well here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUMq1u9oFDc

I'm gonna assume you're trolling because that game series is highly offensive.

 

[grassgremlin]

Think about what? The random things you stated and how we think about your opinion? The broad subject itself? You didn't really present a coherent question to reply to honestly, you just had a stream of concousness post.

I think this is one of those threads that went nowhere.
I honestly just wanted to talk about something other then gamergate and feminism.
It kind of ended up being a fragmented stream of consciousness about nothing.

On the contrary, the thread is going lots of places, just in no particular order. This is a good thread.

I guess I'll give it a chance. =3

 

[grassgremlin]

So what he is saying, he tolerates heterosexuals in games but he doesn't like it. How it is said makes it like hetrosexuals owe him one.

And again, you seem to be taking a very strong interest, one specific interest out of my entire argument which is specifically about the OP's motivations. I cannot deny, it's interesting.

I'm pretty sure I can tolerate something and not prefer or like it.
Heterosexual characters are the norm, I really don't have a choice.

I'm pretty sure you would say the same thing if every video game characters was LGBT. Just, sayin'.

You can choose to avoid these kinds of games because they aren't common. Meanwhile for some games, I just try to imagine if the character was gay or something to be interested. Helps with a lot of japanese games I enjoy.

Problem is, does gay characters have to be regulated to slash fan fiction? I think not.

In the end most of the time I don't care if I enjoy a game too and the only reason I defend heterosexual games is because I'm saying that they can have theirs. I'm not that selfish or entitled, see?

 

[grassgremlin]

You want a gay DOA? Well here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUMq1u9oFDc

I'm gonna assume you're trolling because that game series is highly offensive.

I only looked at it a bit. I couldn't tell if it was made for gay appeal, to mock it or an odd combination of the two (because Japan can do that kind of thing)

It's cute when straight guys assume what gay men are attracted to.

 

[Lightknight]

At some point we need to understand the inevitability of games branching out and catering to all sorts of markets. I'm not a big fan of horror films but I understand that it's a viable market and their dollars count every bit the same as my dollars. So why would I care if there are horror films for fans of horror to watch as long as I still have my action, drama, romance, and everything else that I enjoy or can stomach?

By the same logic, why should we feel personally slighted if someone makes a game, even a large budget AAA game, for the LGBT community or has elements that give them a nod? Let's take games like Mass Effect for example. Why should I give two shits from Sunday that people have the option to have a male shep romantically involved with a male character? My male shep slept with an alien. Hopefully people don't demonize me for intraspecies lovin'.

I agree that I don't want some sort of agenda shoved down my throat in media that I consume. But this is something that can exist alongside our media and even within thanks to the wonders of modern customization. As grassgremlin stated in the OP, if they make a game that just doesn't cater to you then don't buy that game. There are so many other alternatives and it's not like it's even humanly possible to play all games anyways. If a developer wants to cater to a group, that's entirely their prerogative.

So here's one straight white male saying bottoms up. You have an IPA like you like and I'll stick with my maltier low IBU beers like I like and let's have a fun time together in this wonderful world of gaming.

 

[grassgremlin]

At some point we need to understand the inevitability of games branching out and catering to all sorts of markets. I'm not a big fan of horror films but I understand that it's a viable market and their dollars count every bit the same as my dollars. So why would I care if there are horror films for fans of horror to watch?

By the same logic, why should we feel personally slighted is someone makes a game for the LGBT community or has elements that give them a nod? Let's take games like Mass Effect for example. Why should I give two shits from Sunday that people have the option to have a male shep romantically involved with a male character? My male shep slept with an alien. Hopefully people don't demonize me for intraspecies lovin'.

I agree that I don't want some sort of agenda shoved down my throat in media that I consume. But this is something that can exist alongside our media and even within thanks to the wonders of modern customization. As grassgremlin stated in the OP, if they make a game that just doesn't cater to you then don't buy that game. There are so many other alternatives and it's not like it's even humanly possible to play all games anyways. If a developer wants to cater to a group, that's entirely their prerogative.

So here's one straight white male saying bottoms up. You have an IPA like you like and I'll stick with my maltier low IBU beers like I like and let's have a fun time together in this wonderful world of gaming.

True that. Games bring us together. Some games are niche', others are for a broad audience. We can have both.
I'm actually astounded that we have games or jrpgs fulfilling a niche' moe harem girl tit and ass beach volleyball market, but we can't have something for a gay audience.

Seriously, we live in a world where Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball is a thing sold in America out in the open for all to play.

 

[Lightknight]

At some point we need to understand the inevitability of games branching out and catering to all sorts of markets. I'm not a big fan of horror films but I understand that it's a viable market and their dollars count every bit the same as my dollars. So why would I care if there are horror films for fans of horror to watch?

By the same logic, why should we feel personally slighted is someone makes a game for the LGBT community or has elements that give them a nod? Let's take games like Mass Effect for example. Why should I give two shits from Sunday that people have the option to have a male shep romantically involved with a male character? My male shep slept with an alien. Hopefully people don't demonize me for intraspecies lovin'.

I agree that I don't want some sort of agenda shoved down my throat in media that I consume. But this is something that can exist alongside our media and even within thanks to the wonders of modern customization. As grassgremlin stated in the OP, if they make a game that just doesn't cater to you then don't buy that game. There are so many other alternatives and it's not like it's even humanly possible to play all games anyways. If a developer wants to cater to a group, that's entirely their prerogative.

So here's one straight white male saying bottoms up. You have an IPA like you like and I'll stick with my maltier low IBU beers like I like and let's have a fun time together in this wonderful world of gaming.

True that. Games bring us together. Some games are niche', others are for a broad audience. We can have both.
I'm actually astounded that we have games or jrpgs fulfilling a niche' moe harem girl tit and ass beach volleyball market, but we can't have something for a gay audience.

Seriously, we live in a world where Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball is a thing sold in America out in the open for all to play.

The only thing I can think of is that the more you invest in a game, the more sales you have to make for the investment to make a profit or even break even. The LGBT community is rather small so I can understand companies not willing to invest significant funds in on a niche market that isn't likely to bring in significant funds. If the reason for this is purely financial, then I can at least understand it (compared to some sort of inane imposition of morality on consumers).

The way I anticipate it going is that you'll see a lot more LGBT-friendly customizations made available in AAA markets so that you're catered to without impacting the larger demographics and I imagine the indie market and smaller budget games will cater more directly like what we see in the film industry. Even though I didn't choose the gay option in Mass Effect, just the fact that I knew I could made the world more diverse and made it feel like anything could happen. That I was in control, you know?

The big positive difference is that customizations can be made on huge titles whereas in movies you're going to get Brad sleeping with Angelina and not (usually) Brad and Clooney hooking up because they're not going to re-act the whole film and release two versions. Though, maybe in the future a lot more films will be CGI acted and equally customizable even if not playable.

Either way, I'm glad you're beginning to get catered to and I'm excited for what the future brings.

 

[Musette]

I've gone further then that, I also like drag too, but I never done it myself yet. I can't quite afford the clothes.

I really wish I had the resources to try drag too. (A lot of people tell me the opposite, but I think guys got the better end of the stick when it comes to formalwear. For someone who doesn't put a lot of thought into clothing, I weirdly adore men's styles. I would choose a men's suit/waistcoats/ties/bow ties over a dress any day of the week, and I actually kinda get judged because I do exactly that when I perform as a percussionist. Still, if drag puts me a step closer to really pulling off men's clothing, Then it sounds like it'd be a ton of fun!) I hope that we both get to eventually indulge in this interest and then exchange Internet high-fives or something while looking downright awesome.

Let's be selfish about what we really want.

Something that sucks about being asexual is that every attempt to insert an asexual into a piece of media ends up this giant PSA that tries to shove the 101 information down your throat, which gives me the feeling that the character is not intended for me to enjoy, but to raise awareness. I have never seen an explicitly asexual character serve any other purpose, and it's frankly annoying.

On that note, I would actively prefer to have more LGBT characters in games. I enjoyed. Kanji in Persona 4, but I felt like the creators tried to hard to create the possibility that he was straight (though I would have been fine with him being established as bi as well). I also really enjoyed some hints of the gender politics within the charr race of guild wars 2, as the female characters actually do have to masquerade as male for at least one of the main questline missions. Tokenism feels a bit like misdirected pandering to me, but when an identity is treated as one of many elements that makes up someone's personality, I absolutely eat that up. Still, ridiculous one-note characters could use a little diversity too, because not every LGBT character needs some tragic past or be this deep exploration of the human psyche.

I'm pretty sure this ended up a stream of consciousness for me as well.

 

[Bombiz]

In the end most of the time I don't care if I enjoy a game too and the only reason I defend heterosexual games is because I'm saying that they can have theirs. I'm not that selfish or entitled, see?

I honestly can't tell if this is a joke or not? Like what are you trying to say with this line? You only defenend games because "they can have theirs". I don't...what is even a "heterosexual" game?

I feel like this is an elaborate sarcastic joke that I just don't get.

 

[Duster]

I'm gay and I feel it's a bad thing...Why shoehorne in inane non-cis messages

Oh well of course.

This was anticipated? What of it?

 

[Duster]

Bolded for emphasis.

I'm gay and I feel it's a bad thing...Why shoehorne in inane non-cis messages

Oh well of course.

This was anticipated? What of it?

Bolded for emphasis.

Oh, definition error, my bad. I'm glad it only took us 3 posts to clear this up.

 

[Lightknight]

In the end most of the time I don't care if I enjoy a game too and the only reason I defend heterosexual games is because I'm saying that they can have theirs. I'm not that selfish or entitled, see?

I honestly can't tell if this is a joke or not? Like what are you trying to say with this line? You only defenend games because "they can have theirs". I don't...what is even a "heterosexual" game?

I feel like this is an elaborate sarcastic joke that I just don't get.

I imagine grassgremlin is describing games in which the protagonist has a heterosexual love interest.

I've gone further then that, I also like drag too, but I never done it myself yet. I can't quite afford the clothes.

I really wish I had the resources to try drag too. (A lot of people tell me the opposite, but I think guys got the better end of the stick when it comes to formalwear. For someone who doesn't put a lot of thought into clothing, I weirdly adore men's styles. I would choose a men's suit/waistcoats/ties/bow ties over a dress any day of the week, and I actually kinda get judged because I do exactly that when I perform as a percussionist. Still, if drag puts me a step closer to really pulling off men's clothing, Then it sounds like it'd be a ton of fun!) I hope that we both get to eventually indulge in this interest and then exchange Internet high-fives or something while looking downright awesome.

I also think pricing is insane for women's formal wear. It's often less durable material and a lot more expensive for less of it. What a racket for what it really is. They're smart companies that take full advantage of cultures pressure on females to take fashion more seriously than males.

Something that sucks about being asexual is that every attempt to insert an asexual into a piece of media ends up this giant PSA that tries to shove the 101 information down your throat, which gives me the feeling that the character is not intended for me to enjoy, but to raise awareness. I have never seen an explicitly asexual character serve any other purpose, and it's frankly annoying.

Interesting, I was somewhat unaware of the asexual demographic feeling left out. If you don't mind my asking, do you find that the explicit characterization of the protagonist as Asexual is vital to feeling catered to or do you generally just roleplay when playing games without a love interest as though they were Asexual. It seems like aside from the absence of explicit references nearly any game without a love interest could be relevant to asexual orientations. Or maybe I'm just being ignorant. I was under the impression that people who classify themselves as Asexual just weren't interested in sexual relationships with others. How would you expect to see a legitimate Asexual character depicted other than a sentence saying that they're asexual? Heterosexuals and Homosexuals would be depicted in those sorts of relationships and reference to sexuality in a non-sexual game would be somewhat unnecessary. But again, I could easily be fully ignorant here on my understanding so please enlighten me.