Let's Address Elephant in the Room - Sex & Sexuality - it's Portrayal in Video Games

[Jackdemenzes]

I think regardless of how you view homosexuality, gay people do exist in the wider world, so it seems to me like they should exist in gaming fiction unless you make a specific decision to edit them out of existence. It's like if your game series has no blonde people in it anywhere. It might not jump out at you at first, but eventually you'd start to think "I feel like there's something...missing..." Sometimes context might let you get away with it...if you're especially anti-blonde you can set your story in China where 99.78 percent of Chinese people have black hair (thanks wikipedia), but even then I'd probably raise a sceptical "how conveeeenient" eyebrow.

[rayvio]

sexuality is implemented well in modern video games when compared to older games but rather poorly when compared to real life. BioWare receive a lot of praise for their romance options, with good reason, but even they have their flaws. the fact is though that sexuality, romance and other relationships are far more complicated than a game can realistically simulate and would likely be less fun if they were too realistic since people often use games to escape from real life stresses

personally I love the idea of romance options in games. anything that adds more options on ways to make your gameplay unique for that playthrough increases replay value which is never a bad thing. when done well they add more story content and an extra emotional attachment to the game. some people take it too far and obsess over them, marrying a pillow with their picture on it or spamming the BioWare forums telling everyone that they're not allowed to romance Tali because she's their girlfriend or complaining that the presence of something entirely optional is an extremely offensive insult to anyone who doesn't want that option. they're pretty much the video game equivalent of the guy who goes to the restaurant in a star trek uniform and tries to place his order in klingon and making the rest of the fans look bad by association (I have actually heard a story of a guy doing that, it probably wasn't true though. but I assume you get the point)

ultimately, when done well it's a great thing to include in a game. it's not something that fits in every game. it'd be a bit odd for example if Portal included an option for Chel to start planting kisses on Wheatley or GLaDOS, if Stick of Truth let you hook up with Kenny or Wendy and so on. it's also something that can be implemented badly, it'd be pretty stupid for example to get somebody you barely know to marry you just because you did them a small favour and wore a necklace
in real life I'd never jump into bed with a stranger or sleep with multiple partners in a short span of time, but that doesn't mean I can't do it in The Witcher, but if I chose not to I can also avoid those options. in real life I'm not a dwarf either, but I still play one sometimes in Dragon Age. in real life I wouldn't have a romantic relationship with another man (or at least, I've never been romantically or sexually attracted to one at the time of this post so it's a safe bet that I won't) but that doesn't mean I can't experience the male romance options in games or that their presence should offend me. in real life I wouldn't stand a chance saving the universe from alien death machines but in video games that's something I go out of my way to do

[alt-ithist]

A few weeks ago while playing ESO some guy all of a sudden start spam zone chat of "why the fucks is forcing homo quest on them, how he doesn't care if an npc is gay, but there was no need to shove it in his face" I eventually got to that quest. The quest was nothing more then an npc who's husband died, and he request you help him by gathering some flowers for the funeral right... That was the whole "shove sexuality in his face.

Think of how many quest of "save my husband, avenge my wife, get that cute barmaid to notice me" that goes on in that game. Yet it's not till the 3rd, 4th if you count the starter zone, 5th if you count coldharbour, yet homosexuality is being shoved in his face. As a straight man I /facepalmed at his idiocy.

[Queen of Hamsters]

Never saw the appeal of sex in games and shows...it's fake, it's silly and sometimes downright embarrassing, such as Game of Thrones early seasons. Give me a great story and gameplay and skip the sexual content, Homo or hetero, and I'll be happy.

[Vankrys]

why is that an "elephant in the room".

I though this expression was used to address something that is on evryone's minds, often because something happens in the news recently.
I don't constantly have sexuality in my mind when i play video game, especially gay sex. It is not an elephant in the room.

[Itisamuh]

Unfortunately even if a male character just happens to mention having a boyfriend in passing there's a lot of people who try to make it out as if sexuality is being shoved down their throats. It's even more hilarious when they don't apply that same train of thought to a female character stating in passing that she has a boyfriend.

That's because the latter is normal, while the former isn't.

[Simulacrum]

That's because the latter is normal, while the former isn't.

Roughly 5-10% of the population is bi/gay, and probably a lot more would be if it weren't (still) so stigmatized in our society.

That makes it a lot more normal than many things people don't make notice of because they consider it trivial.

Personally I hate the PC-police, but indications that video game characters are gay isn't something that even borders on bothering me. It's not unrealistic or insulting, like a lot of the things the SJWs clamor about, so I'm fine with it.

[Ytlayol]

There's an elephant in the room? IRL, there's hardly anyone giving a shit about sex and sexuality in video games. This must be a internet thing.

[Aurimas]

I think it's more important to talk about how these damn elephants get into the room? Is someone leaving the door open?

[Lightwysh]

There's an elephant in the room? IRL, there's hardly anyone giving a shit about sex and sexuality in video games. This must be a internet thing.

This about sums it up. Its not really a thing unless you are an internet SJW on a crusade to force it down peoples throats.

If a character is strait, gay, bi, transvestite... awesome. But don't force it on people for the sake of pushing your own agenda. Not every piece of media needs a LBGT shoehorned in for the sake of making the LGBT SJWs happy.

[Deleted]

There´s been a steady steep increase of fags within WoW the last 2 years.
But I haven´t seen alot of homosexual panda NPC´s and other players around this expansion.

[Scottyjscizzle]

I don't care about any of it as long as it is well done, The "omg keep gay outta games!!!" attitude is just as annoying as the " OMG why isn't that character gay!!!!" attitude. Just make the game write your characters and if one like the same gender then cool if not then cool.

[Graeham]

I don't care about any of it as long as it is well done, The "omg keep gay outta games!!!" attitude is just as annoying as the " OMG why isn't that character gay!!!!" attitude. Just make the game write your characters and if one like the same gender then cool if not then cool.

Yeah, I agree with that wholeheartedly. If people are going to say that it isn't a big deal then there's no reason not to include it if it's done well. Diversity can be a great thing when it's presented in a reasonable way.

[Wildberry]

Unfortunately even if a male character just happens to mention having a boyfriend in passing there's a lot of people who try to make it out as if sexuality is being shoved down their throats. It's even more hilarious when they don't apply that same train of thought to a female character stating in passing that she has a boyfriend.

Perhaps that's because heterosexuality is the "norm" for society, whereas homosexuality isn't?

Oh wait, last time I argued that here, I got pegged as a homophobe, silly me.

In regards to the main topic, I'd really rather not see it, unless it's done well.

Homosexuality can be portrayed, sure, it can be done well enough in literature (Renly Baratheon and Loras Tyrell for example.) However, if it adds nothing to the story and is only being added in to cater to the crowd screaming about representation, I'd really just rather not see it.

[GennGreymane]

I have no idea where the "Look over here! I'm gay for the hell of it!" in Mass Effect is...

Its actually pretty normal in mass effect I dont see it being forced on you either.... I do love the modded scenes with Male Shepard and Garus though.

- - - Updated - - -

If it is part of a characters immediate story i am all for it or if it's done like Arcade Gannon from New Vegas. but if it's got the character and marketing madly flying the rainbow flag i find it offputting as it's putting the sexuality first before the character. I'll still play the game mind you and most likely enjoy it.

I was actually going to bring up Arcade. Well done character, good mission, his sexuality was not his defining characteristic

[Deleted]

more sex? - yes
more gays? - no

sorry, I'm normal

[Durandro]

more sex? - yes
more gays? - no

sorry, I'm normal

Define "normal" without sounding like you're from the 1950's.

[Deleted]

Define "normal" without sounding like you're from the 1950's.

normal is something that can produce children

[Durandro]

I have no idea where the "Look over here! I'm gay for the hell of it!" in Mass Effect is...

Ditto.

There are two gay characters in Mass Effect. One, a lesbian, doesn't reveal that fact unless a male protagonist pushes the subject (though she's clearly quite a sexually driven lady who makes references to feminine qualities quite a bit - but then so did Yeoman Kelly in ME2, a bisexual). The other, a gay man, refers to his dead husband in an utterly natural manner (to the point you could easily remove 'husband' and replace it with 'wife' and there would be no noticable difference in the context) and doesn't really push the sterotype - infact you have to twist his arm to go to a nightclub!

Both are very well done characterings of homosexuals. The matter of the "by the way I'm bi" characters is another matter (namely Kaiden and MaleShep, who shows zero inclination beforehand)...

[bbr]

Some of the characters in Dragon age Origins swing both ways as well.
In case you're interested.