Would you still play a game if the main character was gay?

[Baby Tea]

why does it matter if someone is gay?

This is an excellent question that needs to be asked.
Gordon Freeman, from the Half-Life series, could be gay. He could be straight. He could be a female to male transgendered person. We don't know! And, frankly, it doesn't matter. At all. Gordon's sexuality isn't brought into the light, because it hold no bearing on the game itself. If valve came out and said 'Gordon is gay', that wouldn't change the game, only people's perception of the game.

Game characters are, unless otherwise stated, asexual.
Or, at the very least, they are whatever the current player thinks they are.

A game that has a gay protagonist better have a really good reason for bringing up that they are gay.
It has to mean something, otherwise it means nothing.

 

[Xaio30]

If he was a total sissy; No.

If he was romaticly interested in men; Yes.

 

[Davey Woo]

Wouldn't make a difference to me, I'd have to close my eyes if there was a 'romance' cutscene but other than that.

£10 says Gordan Freeman is gay.

 

[Necrofudge]

Yes, because it really doesn't change the outcome of the game.

...Unless of course them being gay was the central pillar of their identity and the game was supposed to revolve around it. Then it might be in bad taste.

 

[CommanderKirov]

Would the game still be good?

In that case yes.

 

[Eisenfaust]

sure, why not...

doesn't really seem to make that much of a difference

 

[GBlair88]

Like others have said it would be ok as long as it wasn't shoved in your face at every turn just so the game makers can claim to be edgy. Maybe if it was only briefly mentioned during a conversation with your team mates. Subtlety would be key.

 

[latenightapplepie]

Of course.

I am gay. Why would I have any problem with such a character?

 

[SonofSeth]

I thought male Hawke is gay, you can play him straight if you wish, but he's still gay. I don't mean gay as fag, but gay as a man of homosexual orientation. You see him talking to other boys and then you see him talking to the ladies, it's clear where his interests lie.

I did play, but it got tiresome after a while, wish i could have turned the gay off.

 

[A Free Man]

I'd have absolutely no problem playing a game in which the main character was gay. However most of the games I like require you to make your character and as such these decisions yourself and since my characters usually reflect me as a person I doubt it would happen in any of my favorite games (not that I don't want to play as a gay person simply because my characters choices reflect my choices of a different nature). Also as others have stated I wouldn't want to play a game in which the main character being gay is obviously a gimick as that to me would represent more of an exploitation of a social stereotype then a step forward in open mindedness.

 

[Jonesy911]

I've played games as a plumber that shoots fireballs, a giant monkey, a boy traveling the world colecting monsters for cage fights, a fire breathing dragon, a warrior with a sword bigger than him who can cast magic depending on what magic balls he is carrying, a teenager who teleports to a different dimension through a tv to fight monsters, a green astronaut who kills aliens etc.

Being gay isn't all that weird by comparison.

 

[ramboondiea]

depends, if thats the whole premise of the game then no i wont because i would find it boring. really id care more about the gameplay then the characters anyway

 

[sam42ification]

Depends, if it was an RPG and the character was meant to be "you", I probably wouldn't. I would feel constantly out of place with my character.

If I was playing an already established character who just happened to be gay, then watevs, I'd still play it.

If find the appeal of rpgs is roleplaying somthing completely different to your self. For example i'm bi, large and would proberly make a good fighter with heavy armour but when i play rpgs i'm usually a tiny rouge character or anextreamly intellegent, wise mage thats hopless in a physical confrentation. Although i suppose sexualatiy is kind of different with most men really not wanting to explore sexuality i suppose role playing as a gay person may feel uncomfortable.

Sorry, I wasn't really clear with what I meant.

It's just if the RPG game forced "you" to be gay, I just personally wouldn't be able to identify with the character, that's all. I just don't know how I'd be able to role play. I'd imagine everything would be the same pretty much except for relationships, and character relationships is a big factor in RPG's for me.

What i'm trying to say is that a lot of people are best at role playing characters they have nothing alike. If the game forced me to be A sexual and have no desires then i would make the best of it and roll play it. What i'm saying is that i find rpgs funnest when you have to roll play outside your comfort zone and put your self in the shows of some one completely different to your self. Although i know that most men aren't comfortable with exploring their sexuality especially in a game so i guess it will be a long time before straight guys play a gay character in D&D or any other prgs.

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

Another one of these threads?

Well to answer no it would not, I play games with women protagonists why not homosexuals.

 

[Jacinto]

I wouldn't play Duke Nukem if he was gay. It defeats the purpose of a proudly misogynistic protagonist.

Duke Nukem had to have been gay. No one not DEEP in the closet could have overcompensated that much.

Yeah, pretty much I would play pretty much any game with a gay character, main/friend/antagonist.

Most guys actually are not overcompensating. It's called being straight and having a high testosterone count. It's a real thing.

Yeah I'll play games with gay characters. Fable 2 and 3, The Ballad of Gay Tony, Dragon Age 1 and 2, etc... Sexual preference doesn't matter to me really. Although if it is openly flaunting like a "flaming" homosexual, then no thanks. Hey, I can still have my preferences and the overly fruity type bother me, save for the few times when it is just a joke character. Oh also, No More Heroes. Travis Touchdown clearly went both ways what with his martial arts sensei and all. Still, a badass game just makes it awesome with some humour.

 

[thetruefallen]

I would play a game with a gay character, as long as it wasn't just thrown in to create media stir and had decent characterization and/or inclusion in the story/plot. I sure gay people live just as rich and fulfilling lives as everyone else.

 

[Russian_Assassin]

I couldn't care less about my character's sexual orientation. I wouldn't play it only if the game was fucking boring and terrible, but then again I wouldn't play a fucking boring and terrible game even if the protagonist was straight like a... straight... thing!

Well gears of war is pretty popular so...

 

[Someone Depressing]

Bein' gay doesn't effect your Agility Stat. Being gay doesn't effect how far you can throw explosives. Being gay doesn't change how many turrets you can place. Being gay doesn't change how big your Hand-Built Mansion is.

And I don't care who my Portagonist is, as long as he/she is interesting and actually makes me give 2 shits when they die.
I'm not afraid to explore Sexuality in games, I've always been interested in Characters with wide, open and interesting Diversities, rather than some masacistic muscly twat with a soft side.

I WOULDN'T Play it if the Dev's decided to Use this as pointless Sex-Appeal, that would just make the character un-interesting and bland. Look what the new American Dev's did to Tomb Raider.

So, in short : Yes, as long as the Sex appeal is Moderate and I give 2 shits about the Homosexual Character(s), or, infact any character.
This could probally work really good in a W-R.P.G (I stylized it. Don't ask why) because most W-R.P.G's usually allow romance between 2 characters.
You could do it in Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Just about every fuckin' The Sims game ever to Exist.