Would it bother you to play as a Gay Character

[Breaksmith]

There has been much debate over my side of the pond on the representation of minorities in videogames. Although ethnic avatars are often available (Ready2Rumble, any basketball game etc etc.) so far there has been little or no representation of homosexuals in the videogaming sphere, despite the number of gay gamers and the power of the pink pound(err... dollar, sorry)

So, what do you guys think? Would an overtly gay lead character put you off a title? Would it entice you? Do you think there is any need?

[Nikorasu]

Howdy Breaksmith - itsa me!

Overtly gay lead character you say?

Tricky - it would depend on the aim of the game.

Lets just state that for now.

[PaCrappa]

I don't consider gay people to be minorities at all. Noone has asked anyone, homo or hetero, to wear their sexuality on their sleeve. And without the sleevewearing who the hell knows who's hetero or homo? Nope not a minority.

I would have absolutely no problem whatsoever playing as a gay character in any game that could possibly hold my interest. Unfortunately a gay character would most likely be the star of some stupid "adventure" game that revolves around running to and fro in an 80 hour scavenger hunt that will reward the player with a buggy boss battle and then nada. Just like every other "adventure" game. And for those with limited reading comprehension, I did NOT say "stupid adventure game" because the main character would be gay. I chose those words because so called "adventure" games are usually just the opposite. Put the gay character in a game that requires coordination, skill and thought and I'm there, no question.

Pa

[Nick]

I'd happily play as a homosexual character in a game, I'd portray one in a movie, and I wouldn't care if my neighbors thought I was gay, so long as they didn't throw rocks through my windows or worse.

On a not-totally-unrelated note: if Spider-Man or Superman were portrayed in a movie by an African-American, Hispanic, or Japanese actor, would that impact your enjoyment of the movie, at least initially?

[Kaneda]

Wouldn't bother me.

In fact, I'm still waiting for the domestic release of Cho Aniki. Perhaps Eidos will pick it up under their Fresh games label?

[PaCrappa]

That's a wee bit too "fresh" Kaneda! We'll not see that one stateside methinks...

People of color and other nationalities portraying timeless characters would in no way hamper my enjoyment of any game, movie or other form of enetertainment.

Pa

[sleeve]

I would have no qualms about playing a gay character.

As a side note, which game has come closest to offering a gay main character (or any sort of gay character, Cho Aniki excluded)? I think Vagrant Story comes the closest; its story is one of the most cunning homosexual allegories I've seen.

[Green]

What would be the point in having a gay character? I admit I don't have any experience around gay people (though there are many gay artists I like), but what part of their life other than who they have sex with would affect a videogame? Say if the lead in Halo was gay, how would it change the game in any way? I'm all for outsiders being represented in games, and god bless the loopy Japanese game creators that have an odd bent (Treasure, Snk, ect.). There are also outcasts in mainstream videogames like Castlevania. A game just doens't seem to focus on any themes other than survival and completing goals, and thats something everyone deals with.

[James]

Well, keeping in mind tht about the only genre that's actually had relationships develop between its characters is RPG/aRPG (no, rescuing the princess doesn't count ) I'd have to say no problem. Generally the way romance is handled in games is so completely downplayed that it's hardly noticable, or so painfully forced that an inter-gender setup would at least feel like a breath of fresh air. FFX, anyone? (Unfair, I know, after Blitzball I put it up and never got back to it) Then again, bad writing is bad writing and a gimmick can only distract from that for so long.

One of the problems is that sexual orientation doesn't have a whole lot to do with video games. Maybe the hacker you play as in Rez is gay, we'll never know. Why is Mario's relationship with Peach/Toadstool so chaste, and is Luigi really his "brother"? Was it really coincidence that the Vagrant Story cast bought their clothing at a medieval Tom's of Finland? Could Duke Nukem be trying just a little too hard to be a "man"? Most important question- does it matter?

Another thing to keep in mind is that most games are Japanese in origin, or at least most of our favorites, and their pop culture doesn't exactly have a great record of portraying gay characters. America is only a little better in that regard. The problem is once they've saddle the character with "gay", it becomes their reason to exist. They're gay, and not one single damn appearance won't have something to do with them being gay. No being human, no being a personality, just being gay. (It's as bad as priest characters, really, with their "my son" this and "if God wills" that interminably painful dialog. Does anyone actually listen to people before writing this crap? -ahem- Moving along...)

Summary- no problem, but it's going to take better writing than we've generally seen to make it not be annoying.

James

[Scarly]

Being gay and represented in a movie or a game would suck. I mean, in almost all the movies with gay characters I've seen are battling with AIDS or some retarded romantic comedy involving a straight person or 2 or 3 other gay people.

That being said, I wouldn't mind a gay character in a game. As long as they're a strong character and not a cheap gimmic made by some company to be like "Look! We're selling gay! We're so nuveau!"