Gay protagonists in AAA games

[Maxilian]

Violence is ok in video games ,gay acts are not. Because of interactivity and the sole purpose of games. It's escapism. It's ability to do stuff you cant do in real life (like tear off the head of a deity). And no heterosexual would want to participate in gay activities. And given that heterosexuals are ~90% of all gamers - you do the math. And this percentage will NEVER change.

Well... games also try to give new experiences and sometimes for that they have to take you out of the confort zone (Look at all the videogames that now have main female characters -it used to be weird for some people and now it isnt-)

[Awbee]

Because it is illogical.

Lets say I'm a man, and I like men. There's more to being gay than having a penis and also liking penis I would imagine, so logically there is something about masculinity that is attractive, otherwise if what you want is a man so feminine that he is essentially a woman with a penis, why not just be attracted to that? Women with penises? So, logically speaking, if I'm a man who likes men, then I am attracted to something masculine, which is why as a heterosexual male I often find homosexual men so downright confusing. If you're attracted to feminine men who act like women...aren't you essentially attracted to women?

Nope.

I'm a woman who's only ever romantically attracted to men, but only to rather feminine men. I find masculinity to be a huge turn off (e.g. I find ALL male races in WoW to be extremely unattractive. Blood Elves are remotely acceptable, but in real life I'd find them far too bulky and guido-like as well), yet I'm not attracted to women either. Androgyny is a thing, and some people really like it.

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sry but thats total bullshit. naturely is there no rational justification for it because you dont know shit about the people you judge with that, if you take me for example, i have a friend that is openly gay since 5 years that i love like a brother (i know him for over 20 years and we grew up toghether), in this 5 years ive got to know a lot of great gay people for which i am grateful to my friend because if he wouldnt be gay i probably wouldnt have meet some of these amazing guys. so much for background story...so and now we got to gaming and even after i enjoy gay company and one of my best friends is gay i wouldnt like to play a gay character in a video game because to play or act gay myself doesnt appeal to me.

tell me now, am i homophobic?

No, but you lack empathy. You say you don't want to play gay characters because you're not gay yourself. How do you think your gay friend feels when he always has to play straight characters? You get to choose from tons of AAA games with straight dudes as the protagonist, but are against your friend even having ONE AAA game with a gay protagonist, so that -- for once -- he could play a character that's like him, which you always can.

That seems incredibly selfish.

[crakerjack]

honestly, seeing the eye opening misery that occured in heavy rain, I cannot consider gaming as a 'young company'.
If games like that, silent hill, resident evil, gears of war, god or war, grand theft auto, all with themes of ultra violence, horror, and implied sex all over, none of this can be counted for a young audience.

But why must that be a contributing factor anyway, why are themes like this a-ok for gaming, but a well written gay protagonist is considered taboo to gaming companies?

I mean this is considered perfectly acceptable?


But this is considered taboo?



What about people who are offended by violent images? Should game companies not make games with violence in them because people have an issue with that?

and if the answer is people are are offended by violent games should just stay away from them, why then isn't that the same reasoning to having opening gay characters?

Yep you got that right... if I wasn't warned that there was gay scenes in a video game or if it didn't say on the box, I'd probably go back to the store and demand a refund. I have no issues w/ gay couples, I really don't... I just don't want it shoved down my throat. I prefer games that have no sexual orientation because that way you can just pretend that your character is this or that. If I got into a game and 5 hours down the road he starts making out with a random dude... I'd instantly turn it off and take it back. Call me a bigot, idc, everyone is entitled to an opinion.

[Maxilian]

Yep you got that right... if I wasn't warned that there was gay scenes in a video game or if it didn't say on the box, I'd probably go back to the store and demand a refund. I have no issues w/ gay couples, I really don't... I just don't want it shoved down my throat. I prefer games that have no sexual orientation because that way you can just pretend that your character is this or that. If I got into a game and 5 hours down the road he starts making out with a random dude... I'd instantly turn it off and take it back. Call me a bigot, idc, everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Is true that's your opinion, but it shouldn't be a problem, why is that bothersome to have your character make out with someone of the same sex? (Male and male, cause i'm pretty sure if it were 2 females most people won't mind), just don't think to much about it, that's just a part of the game that you don't identify with and you don't have to identify with whatever your character do, for example, look a Kratos, he's an asshole, he goes around killing demons, killing monsters, killing innocent people, do you identify with that? No...

So it isn't really a problem...

Note: I know is kind of pointless to write these because as you said: "Everyone is entitled to an opinion"

[GrinningMan]

Hate to be the one to say this (not really), but part of me wants to say that people only support gay marriage so we can move onto something more important. Give them what they want so they can get back to worrying about the state of the nation, rather than if their civil union tax credits are worth the same as the marriage ones.

[Deleted]

Nope.

I'm a woman who's only ever romantically attracted to men, but only to rather feminine men. I find masculinity to be a huge turn off (e.g. I find ALL male races in WoW to be extremely unattractive. Blood Elves are remotely acceptable, but in real life I'd find them far too bulky and guido-like as well), yet I'm not attracted to women either. Androgyny is a thing, and some people really like it.

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No, but you lack empathy. You say you don't want to play gay characters because you're not gay yourself. How do you think your gay friend feels when he always has to play straight characters? You get to choose from tons of AAA games with straight dudes as the protagonist, but are against your friend even having ONE AAA game with a gay protagonist, so that -- for once -- he could play a character that's like him, which you always can.

That seems incredibly selfish.

see, there we have a hugh missconception of this threat, it looks like you think i dont want to have anyone else a game with a gay character...this is not true and in not one of my posts i told that...more like the opposite, all iam saying is i dont want to play a character that kisses or makes out with other guys if i can help it aka. choose my relationship. which would mean i wouldnt want to play this game. if there is a great enough playerbase to develop a game with a purely gay protagonist then go for it...i would just simply not wanna play it...i mean hell i watch the shit out of any good movie with gay characters, but play it myself...na not interested.

if that makes me selfish in your eyes i cant help it.

and for the lack of empathy i just quote myself from earlier this thread:

i dont think there is some conversion factor for either sexual orientation in a video game and i know some great gay people in my life but to be honest if it comes to sexuality i get really uncomfortable playing something i wouldnt want to do in rl...dunno why its just this topic because well, lets be honest ive tried nearly every shit out in videogames...from glory hero to massmurdering psychopath but this just feels weird. for example i couldnt bring myself to play a gay shepard in mass effect...dunno call me anti gay if that defines me but it is like that, felt wrong...god, i just hope it doesnt feel so wrong the other way around. /mindblown

[Rooflesstoofless]

Well... games also try to give new experiences and sometimes for that they have to take you out of the confort zone (Look at all the videogames that now have main female characters -it used to be weird for some people and now it isnt-)

That isn't the case for all games and just because something can remove you from your comfort zone doesn't justify its existence in a game.

No, but you lack empathy. You say you don't want to play gay characters because you're not gay yourself. How do you think your gay friend feels when he always has to play straight characters? You get to choose from tons of AAA games with straight dudes as the protagonist, but are against your friend even having ONE AAA game with a gay protagonist, so that -- for once -- he could play a character that's like him, which you always can.

That seems incredibly selfish.

I really don't think its any more selfish than wanting a AAA studio to spend millions on making a game that might cater to a small minority of players. And that's if the AAA studios actually got it right.

[Krastyn]

No, he means mostly that we don't know how the rest of the market will react (the 48.25%), that's the main question
[COLOR="

You mean the other 98.25% of the market. Targeting 1.75% of the market usually isn't good if you are going for a mainstream release.

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While this was pretty handily beaten into the ground with the examples in comics, there's also movies, where films like Brokeback Mountain make big bank and win awards. There's television, where you've got shows like Will and Grace, and Ellen Degeneres' great success with her talk show. It's pretty clear that gay personalities/characters, even leading characters, does not translate to financial failure directly. That argument is simply not true.

I don't think so handily. You can't compare Marvel making a couple of their characters in an alternate universe as the same as a AAA game. The cost comparison is not the same. As far as Brokeback Mountain goes, the budget for the movie was $14 million. That would not be a AAA release in comparison video games.

The vast majority of tv shows do not have a single lead homosexual character. Even Will and Grace, is Will and Grace.

The question isn't whether it is possible, but whether it is worth the risk or not. It is more likely we will see more games with sexual options in the style of DA or ME, than a game with only one gender/orientation.

Edit: And that doesn't even touch on immersion. You can't just compare different media across the board and call it the same.

[zito]

Just had a lovely lesbian kiss for 2 of the main characters in GW2

So there

[Deleted]

Just had a lovely lesbian kiss for 2 of the main characters in GW2

So there

well, thats great...see apparently this is not good enough, the thread was started because some people want a solely gay AAA game protagonist.

i mean i say if they can get someone to make it happen why not but i seriously doubt it and i personaly wouldnt play it if gay protagonist is the selling factor, which is kinda the point: either you make a game where gay is somehow the selling point with a gay lovestory somewhere in all the day saving stuff or you dont make relationship a thing in this game while still telling somewhere at the start "wow i like dudes" and never touch it again but then you can easily take one of the many AAA games where sexuality doesnt matter at all or isnt defined and just pretend because then it wouldnt matter anyway.

so what iam saying is either you build a complete gay game for this specific audience or you dont at all because the other option would kinda be emberassing to the great gay people i know. The problem is i dont know if enough people would play a game that is specificly targeted to the gay audience for it to justify a AAA game...THATS ALL IAM SAYING.

thats why i like bioware in this regard...in their games everyone gets his sugar.

[xxAkirhaxx]

If a AAA title was made with a main character who was homosexual I'd play it if it was a good game.


Honestly, the worst part will be if the game is bad. Because then I'll have to explain why the game is horrible and every gay/lesbian in the world is going to come at me like I'm a member of the KKK reviewing Huckleberry Finn.

Also you guys should play the Korean version of Magna Carta. It's a decent game, and the main character is a lesbian. It was intended to be AAA but did not recieve the deserved recognition (probably because they change the main character to a feminine male for the American release)

Edit: I read the thread a bit more and most people are hitting a very good point. If you make a title with homosexual main characters it is going to appeal to that audience and turn off another huge audience. All the money in the world could be poured into it (read Magna Carta) but it would not be popular because gay people are a huge minority, not an insult, just a fact.