Ubisoft Writer Predicts No Gay Game Heroes Anytime Soon

[Andy Chalk]

Ubisoft Writer Predicts No Gay Game Heroes Anytime Soon

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon writer Lucien Soulban believes that gay video game protagonists are still a long way off, and there's a very simple reason why.

Lucien Soulban, lead writer at Ubisoft Montreal, has an impressive list of credits to his name, including Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Far Cry 3 and its amazing pseudo-sequel, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. He's also "openly gay," according to a Shockingly Short Interview on the Ubisoft Blog, and so it was probably inevitable that the question of gay video game characters was bound to come up - specifically when he thinks we'll see "a mid-30s stubbly-bearded brown-haired white guy with a raspy voice who is gay as a lead character in a AAA title?"

"Not for a while, I suspect, because of fears that it'll impact sales," he said. "So either we'll see a bait-and-switch like the original Metroid with Samus Aran where we'll find out damn near after the fact (PS: And Dumbledore was gay), or it'll come out of left field with Rockstar, Valve, Naughty Dog or Telltale, perhaps. But when it happens, I hope it's a serious take on it and not played up for jokes."

That's the real question, he said: When we're going to see a gay protagonist in a AAA property who isn't a one-off joke. "You look at Javier Bardem in Skyfall, his character's sexuality was total shtick to satisfy one scene. Otherwise, he was a narcissist with mommy issues, and a pedophile to boot," Soulban said. "It bothers me when I hear people using his performance as a benchmark for diversity in entertainment, and I have heard it being bandied about

But he added that progress is "happening quietly," citing games like Mass Effect 2 and 3, Fable III, Dragon Age II and Skyrim, which let players engage in same-sex relationships, and the gay characters in Borderlands 2, whose sexuality isn't treated as anything especially remarkable. "Videogames have stopped 'announcing' gay characters," he said. "They're introducing them without much fanfare in an effort to say, 'Yeah, it's there and pretty normal.' Call it, 'We're here, we're queer, and we're busy working'."

Source: Ubisoft [http://blog.ubi.com/shockingly-short-interview-lucien-soulban/]


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[Falterfire]

Given that the AAA execs seem to think the gaming audience is still in the 'girls have cooties' phase of gender relations, at least as it applies to protagonist selection, I wouldn't at all be surprised if he's right. That said, given how relatively few major titles feature only a single romantic interest with whom the relationship is a meaningful part of the plot, I'm not expecting it soon either.

Pretty much any dev you would expect to seriously consider including gay romances also offers multiple romance options.

 

[AntiChri5]

I would love a game where you are the stereotypical "mid-30s stubbly-bearded brown-haired white guy with a raspy voice" whose lover (who has a gender neutral name) was abducted by the villain. After fighting through all the bad guys, he is finally reunited with his lover who turns out to be a dude. The reactions would be so goddamn funny.

Anyway, what about New Vegas? I was under the impression that that handled it's gay characters rather well too.

 

[Pink Apocalypse]

Well, Bioware went so far to turn an established, definitively straight character gay in ME 3. I'm afraid we'll see such sudden changes of preference more often now.

Besides, what about Fear Effect? That franchise has two VERY clearly homosexual main characters, yet nobody ever mentions it.

Besides, in case somebody wonders about Mass effect:

Spoiler

It's Kaidan

Was it a straight character 'turned gay'? Or was it a bisexual character that remained bisexual?

Weird how people still insist on black-or-white absolutes.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

He's right about sales. I wouldn't buy a game with a gay protagonist. I don't have a problem admitting that because I'm not homophobic. I don't feel the need to fake extra political correctness. I don't have anything against homosexuality, I just hate mandatory romances in video games. That's not why I play them. And it would be especially weird if that mandatory romance isn't something that I can relate to. I want to relate to the protagonist. I can't do that if you shove his/her sexuality in my face like it's somehow important. RPG's like Mass Effect and Dragon Age I'm OK with because I can just choose not to engage my character in a romantic relationship if I don't want to. And having that freedom makes it more likely for me to explore the possibilities.

There is one thing that does bother me even about those games. Take Mass Effect for example. Characters in that game react to Shepard like they don't know that he/she is hetero/homosexual. They should fuckin' know! So why not simply let people choose their sexuality in the character creator before the game?

 

[Sanunes]

Well, Bioware went so far to turn an established, definitively straight character gay in ME 3. I'm afraid we'll see such sudden changes of preference more often now.

Besides, what about Fear Effect? That franchise has two VERY clearly homosexual main characters, yet nobody ever mentions it.

Besides, in case somebody wonders about Mass effect:

Spoiler

It's Kaidan

Was it a straight character 'turned gay'? Or was it a bisexual character that remained bisexual?

Weird how people still insist on black-or-white absolutes.

I think the comment was that in Mass Effect 1 Kaiden was only interested in a Female Shepard, but in Mass Effect 3 he would approach Shepard (regardless of gender) if Shepard wasn't already in another relationship.

 

[Ferisar]

There is one thing that does bother me even about those games. Take Mass Effect for example. Characters in that game react to Shepard like they don't know that he/she is hetero/homosexual. They should fuckin' know! So why not simply let people choose their sexuality in the character creator before the game?

I didn't know that we all divined other people's sexual preference via an omniscient "sex-sense" in real life. They're not that easy to distinguish a lot of the time. The reason people don't act around Shepard with the assumption of preference is because that subject likely doesn't come up that often given the situations they're in 90% of the time.

OT:
Yeah, and it's understandable to see this pattern given recent gender/sex-based discussion in video gaming specifically. It's also good to see someone acknowledge the idea that fanfare and parades when introducing diversity isn't always the best idea, especially now when it's easier to introduce without people throwing a fuss over it.

Either way, I hope it's not going to take too long, but also hope it's done with actual taste, not "exploit everything possibly related to homosexuality in gender politics while we're at it. Stereotypes for everyone!"

If your game's selling point is that the protagonist is a man or woman or of any race or of any sexual preference then the chances of me buying that game is extremely unlikely. Especially for an industry that has had their consumers play as VARIOUS animals, plumbers, mythical creatures, gods, demons, plants, machines, robots, reploids, and the list goes on. Even all of those games with said characters didn't sell the game because of that.

I think that's kind of his point. The idea that a game revolves around a sexual preference is silly, but for as long as the mere mention of preference being outside of "malexfemale" drives sales down, it's unlikely to be changed anytime soon. It's more of an observation and a response to a question rather than a proposal.

 

[ThunderCavalier]

in an effort to say, 'Yeah, it's there and pretty normal.' Call it, 'We're here, we're queer, and we're busy working'."

This, I like.

Personally speaking, if we want issues like same-sex relationships (or women taking a role in video games that isn't the stereotypical support or damsel role, etc. etc. etc.) to be taken more seriously, I think that people should... just stop giving it too much of a fanfare when it's announced. Just treat it like normal, like most of the conventions of writing that we now accept as normal nowadays.

Because isn't the whole point of introducing these elements to "normalize" them in media in general, anyway?

 

[Brian Tams]

How about a game where two gay characters can exist on the same squad but not be attracted to each other romantically or sexually? I mean, in mass effect 3, the only squad mates that came out as gay/bi were the ones that could be romanced by shep. How come you couldn't have a gay squad member who just wasn't attracted to Shepherd?

Petty complaint, I know, but just because two characters are gay doesn't mean they're obligated to fuck somewhere down the narrative line.

 

[Brian Tams]

How about a game where two gay characters can exist on the same squad but not be attracted to each other romantically or sexually? I mean, in mass effect 3, the only squad mates that came out as gay/bi were the ones that could be romanced by shep. How come you couldn't have a gay squad member who just wasn't attracted to Shepherd?

You mean like Cortez, who mourned his dead husband over the course of the game?

He can be romanced.

 

[Sanunes]

How about a game where two gay characters can exist on the same squad but not be attracted to each other romantically or sexually? I mean, in mass effect 3, the only squad mates that came out as gay/bi were the ones that could be romanced by shep. How come you couldn't have a gay squad member who just wasn't attracted to Shepherd?

Petty complaint, I know, but just because two characters are gay doesn't mean they're obligated to fuck somewhere down the narrative line.

Until Mass Effect 3 the only person that hooked up on the Normandy was Shepard, with Mass Effect 3 they had two minor hookups, but I think the problem is since people are still calling for boycotts or protests any BioWare game that has any kind of same sex relationship I think what you are asking for is still a ways off.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116660-Anti-Gay-Email-Campaign-Floods-Electronic-Arts

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

There is one thing that does bother me even about those games. Take Mass Effect for example. Characters in that game react to Shepard like they don't know that he/she is hetero/homosexual. They should fuckin' know! So why not simply let people choose their sexuality in the character creator before the game?

I didn't know that we all divined other people's sexual preference via an omniscient "sex-sense" in real life. They're not that easy to distinguish a lot of the time. The reason people don't act around Shepard with the assumption of preference is because that subject likely doesn't come up that often given the situations they're in 90% of the time.

Once is enough to make you wonder who the fuck thought that was a good idea. I had a playthrough from ME1 to ME3 with male Shep romancing Liara. And then all of a sudden Kaidan comes along and he wants to talk to me. He says he wants to be more than friends. I remember Shepard talking about how hot Liara was back in ME1. He was straight then, or at least bisexual. It doesn't make any sense for him to hit on Shepard at all, under any circumstances in that playthrough. I could at least understand if he were to approach Liara because he fancied her in ME1.

 

[Sanunes]

There is one thing that does bother me even about those games. Take Mass Effect for example. Characters in that game react to Shepard like they don't know that he/she is hetero/homosexual. They should fuckin' know! So why not simply let people choose their sexuality in the character creator before the game?

I didn't know that we all divined other people's sexual preference via an omniscient "sex-sense" in real life. They're not that easy to distinguish a lot of the time. The reason people don't act around Shepard with the assumption of preference is because that subject likely doesn't come up that often given the situations they're in 90% of the time.

Once is enough to make you wonder who the fuck thought that was a good idea. I had a playthrough from ME1 to ME3 with male Shep romancing Liara. And then all of a sudden Kaidan comes along and he wants to talk to me. He says he wants to be more than friends. I remember Shepard talking about how hot Liara was back in ME1. He was straight then, or at least bisexual. It doesn't make any sense for him to hit on Shepard at all, under any circumstances in that playthrough. I could at least understand if he were to approach Liara because he fancied her in ME1.

I have that issue with any potential romantic plot in Mass Effect 3 for any of the potential LIs in the game are going to approach you unless you re-affirm your relationship before talking to them.

 

[Ferisar]

There is one thing that does bother me even about those games. Take Mass Effect for example. Characters in that game react to Shepard like they don't know that he/she is hetero/homosexual. They should fuckin' know! So why not simply let people choose their sexuality in the character creator before the game?

I didn't know that we all divined other people's sexual preference via an omniscient "sex-sense" in real life. They're not that easy to distinguish a lot of the time. The reason people don't act around Shepard with the assumption of preference is because that subject likely doesn't come up that often given the situations they're in 90% of the time.

Once is enough to make you wonder who the fuck thought that was a good idea. I had a playthrough from ME1 to ME3 with male Shep romancing Liara. And then all of a sudden Kaidan comes along and he wants to talk to me. He says he wants to be more than friends. I remember Shepard talking about how hot Liara was back in ME1. He was straight then, or at least bisexual. It doesn't make any sense for him to hit on Shepard at all, under any circumstances in that playthrough. I could at least understand if he were to approach Liara because he fancied her in ME1.

Fair enough, although I think that's an issue with implementation as a game/narrative function rather than any pressing sexuality thing. Bioware has a tendency to assume the player might flake on decisions, so the amount of reaffirmation necessary to make a decision tends to be a little ridiculous. Some awkward confrontation is probably not the worst though, because people in even some-what realistic scenarios may make the mistake of assuming or contemplating someone's sexual preference (I've certainly witnessed at least one or two).

So ehhhh. Could be the fault of the dev, could be the fault of just over-doing the sexuality angle. Could be both? It's harder to tell with games like Mass Effect where the character is influenced by the player so much.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I wouldn't site Mass Effect as a game that's making progress with gay characters, since almost everyone's sexuality seemed to switch on the fly. But then they also shacked up Garrus with Femshep just cuz. Bioware was never really good at presenting romantic relationships.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

But he added that progress is "happening quietly," citing games like Mass Effect 2 and 3, Fable III, Dragon Age II and Skyrim, which let players engage in same-sex relationships, and the gay characters in Borderlands 2, whose sexuality isn't treated as anything especially remarkable. "Videogames have stopped 'announcing' gay characters," he said. "They're introducing them without much fanfare in an effort to say, 'Yeah, it's there and pretty normal.' Call it, 'We're here, we're queer, and we're busy working'."

See, this is what needs to be done anyway.

Making a game where ZOMG THE MAIN CHARACTERS LIKES DUDES isn't the right way to go.

If they do it purely for its own sake, it's condescending and takes away from whatever else is going on.

The same goes for twists. If you end the game with the main character revealing their undying love for dick and it is only for its own sake, the only thing it's worth is cheap Shyamalan-esqe shock value. It's just poor writing.

In addition, both of these things would have the effect Lucien predicts: A drop in sales.

Subtlety is and always has been the best way to go.