I am a 400-pound linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys.
I am a wizard with unimaginable power.
I am a shotgun-toting, wisecracking zombie destroyer.
I am an Operative in the Her Majesty’s Special Air Service.
I am a plumber who likes mushrooms.
I am a cage fighter with a bad attitude.
I am a knight on an epic quest.
I am a yellow three-quarter circle being chased by ghosts.
I am a giant, laser cannon-toting battle mech from the future.
But I am not gay.
I can break the sound barrier in a jet fighter.
I can take on a horde of mindless drones with my trusty rocket launcher.
I can explore uncharted planets.
I can drive a Ferrari through Manhattan at 217 MPH.
I can kill everything in sight.
I can create an entire species from the cellular level to spaceflight.
I can brave unfathomable danger to rescue the woman I love.
I can save millions from destruction in a nuclear assault.
I can do virtually anything.
But I cannot have a meaningful relationship with a same-sex partner.
The universe of videogames is populated with countless worlds: some simulate reality as we know it, others recreate how it once was, and others still imagine what it could be. These worlds are densely populated and highly active, and traveling between them poses no great difficulty. However, no matter the world you inhabit or the eyes through which you see the events of the world unfold, you cannot be gay.
Many video games include and positively portray minority groups in order to capitalize on that group's market segment; however, for the so-called "gaymer," there are no marketing campaigns, few witty advertisements (in fact, a single commercial for The Sims), and no other overtures to the market. There are exactly zero mass-marketed and commercially-available games developed for the homosexual gamer. We can imagine reasons for this. For example, the development and production of a game is very time-consuming and expensive, and the vast majority of such games do not return a profit for their investment; as such, developers seek to broaden their appeal wherever they can. Perhaps developers fear that the gaymer market isn't strong enough to carry the sales of a game. From the Fejes article (2003) we learn that advertisers fear identifying their products with being gay, though they could reach the gay consumer through regular ads. Still, we must take into account that Fejes wrote this in 1975; in the intervening thirty-plus years, the market has shifted and the gay consumer has become a well-defined and analyzed market segment. Films like Brokeback Mountain win Academy Awards, and television shows like Will & Grace, Queer Eye, The L-word and others gain critical acclaim in prime-time spots. But where are the games?
Over those same thirty years, video games have risen from the role of electronic stepbrother of LEGOs and GI Joe action figures to becoming a valid medium for artistic expression. Games are outstripping even the strongest blockbuster films in terms of revenue and have become a household fixture around the globe. Protagonists in video games range widely in every category; characters of different ages, races, genders, cultural backgrounds, and even species can be found in a throughout the industry. However, for the primary, player-controlled character, there are no true homosexual representations; this is a marked contrast to other minority groups who have begun receiving detailed and elaborate treatment from game developers. Gay characters in games are few and far between, and what these characters represent has a lot to say about the video game industry.
Representations of homosexuality in games:
"Comic Relief and Stereotypes Go Good Together!"
One of the earliest and most common representations of homosexuality in mainstream games is that of the comically gay/transvestite/flamboyant minor character. Birdo, a boss character in Super Mario Brothers 2, was actually described as being a boy but wanting to be a girl and to be called "Birdetta" in the original Japanese instruction manual, an explanation edited out for the American release. Streets of Rage 3, Final Fight, and the immensely popular Street Fighter 2 all included flamboyantly gay characters, replete with feathers, whips, and leather, that were removed for the transition from Japan to the Western markets. Flea, a male antagonist in Chrono Trigger (arguably one of the most popular games of all time), is depicted in a pink school girl uniform in updated versions. More recently, Makato from Enchanted Arms is a walking stereotype, a flamboyant queen whose lispy and high-pitched voice matches the mold; at least he's not shielded in androgyny (gameplayer.com).
"Lesbians ARE SO HAWT OMG!!!!11"
Though the market demographics for videogame consumption have shifted away from the teenage male, in many cases it doesn't appear that developers have caught on to the same trend. Immature, hyper-sexualized representations of women still persist; should I even mention "breast physics?" What better way to further inflame the lonely, hyper-libidinous gamer than digital girl-on-girl action! Fear Effect 2 is the most widely noted example, outside of limited-distribution porn games, for featuring a pair of buxom female protagonists whotitillate and tease the player.
The Optionally Gay, or "Bisexual is Good Enough, Right?"
Many of the sidekicks and minor characters listed above are openly gay, but aren't main characters. For main characters, progressive portrayals are apparently revolving around the "optionally gay:" in some open-ended games, there is the possibility of pursuing a gay romance or subplot, but it is never a requirement. Fable and Fable 2 allow the character to woo and marry men and women - but many more women will respond than men to your romantic overtures, and all wooing is purely optional. Bertram, if rescued during the events of Temple of Elemental Evil, will marry one of the male characters and live happily ever after - but saving him isn't necessary for the story. Rockstar's Bully features a protagonist that gets kisses to restore health in a prep school, and sometimes boys are an option, but only if you choose to pursue it. Mass Effect, a widely acclaimed game with a great deal of story options, allows a female protagonist to develop a relationship with a man or with a woman, which are exclusive; however, the developers dodge the word "lesbian" by making the wooed female in question actually a member of an androgynous alien race, who all miraculously look like beautiful (if blue-tinted) women, but really have no gender. Sneaky sneaky! Still not gay.
Portrayals of Non-Stereotypical LGBT
There are a small number of games I've seen with homosexual characters portrayed respectfully and tastefully. Bioware, makers of Mass Effect referenced above, released Knights of the Old Republic several years ago as an addition to the Star Wars universe. At one point the player fights a female opponent, and can choose to spare her and recruit her, or finish her after the battle. If the player kills Juhani, a female character accosts the player for murdering her love, with specific references to a lesbian partnership, and vows revenge.This also marks the first appearance of a gay character in the vast collection of Star Wars media.
The Sims, a reality simulation game, allows for characters to form romantic attachments to other characters as the player, who micromanages the world, dictates. This includes same-sex relationships, which are handled no differently within the game as heterosexual relationships. The Sims is also notable for its willingness to appeal to homosexual consumers in their advertising; one of their commercials, using real actors instead of electronic images to represent the game, pairs two men together romantically as one of a rapid succession of images.
There are more portrayals of homosexual themes, characters, and references throughout the video game world than can be listed here; the important theme is the fact that none of these portrayals are LGBT-centric, and it seems developers arehesitant to tackle the gaming world's equivalent to Brokeback Mountain. This is hardly surprising, as depiction of even the most tasteful of sexual images included in a video game can spark national controversy almost overnight (with one suchcontroversy going so far as the United States Senate). If video games can't discuss or portray sexuality, even in the most artistic and thoughtful way, then how can a reasonable discussion of homosexuality begin? If Brokeback Mountain had been released as a videogame, remaining faithful to the same powerful source material, and even keeping the same budget and actors, the infamous tent scene would have caused an unprecedented uproar. The game would be banned from several countries around the globe, no major retailer in the United States would dare carry it (because, of course, it would carry the dreaded Adults Only rating), and the company that made the game would likely fold in the wake of massive revenue losses. This is not hyperbole; Mass Effect was lambasted on FOXNews as a "pornography simulator" and they ran several hours of coverage of the ills of the game - and the sex scene to which they are referring lasts less than 30 seconds, is PG-13 in content, and requires forty hours of gameplay and the cultivation of a romantic relationship within the game to unlock.
It also can't help matters along that this is an age of virtually anonymous internet communications. Offensive speech and behaviors, removed from any sense of accountability, have reached new heights of vulgarity. In my experience, the word "gay" is one of the most commonly used gaming terms in existence, and is quite versatile in expressing displeasure. Standing off from a melee to attack with a long range weapon is "gay sniping;" killing players as theyre-spawn is "gay;" unsportsmanlike conduct is "gay;" and if you have anything to say into the microphone, then without a doubt, you are "gay." The term has become so ubiquitous as an expression of rebuke or objection that even non-homophobic players are utilizing the term frequently, not out of hatred towards any one group of people, but simply because the term has been appropriated into new usage in the video game world. Indeed, any player on Microsoft's Xbox Live, Sony's Home, or any of several Massively Multiplayer Online gamers must avoid self-identifying as gay in their gamertags, or online aliases; not for fear of ostracism and harassment from their peers, but to prevent being banned by the content provider for having inappropriate sexual content in their name. In efforts to prevent harassment based on these common terms of derision, game developers have blocked LGBT players from legitimately establishing gay-friendly guilds and associations.
These arguments are never so poignant as when paired with experience from reality. One of my closest friends, who has recently come out of the closet, is also a fellow hardcore gamer. Without any hesitation, during intense online matches and in moments of extreme frustration, I find myself shouting "DAMMIT THAT IS SO GAY!" into the microphone; I have appropriated the term from such constant exposure, and it means nothing more to me than a generalized expression of displeasure. But slowly it dawns on me, with my companion's affirmation of his sexuality, that I am spouting hate. I do not hate homosexuality, but like a parrot I mimic the language I have heard; or better, like a young child I have learned the word to plug in the gap in my expression of negative emotions, and know nothing of the consequences of using it wantonly. I am reluctant to regard this ever-present term as offensive - since many use the word as I do, I assume they don't use it as an expression of hate. It's just a word, right? Additionally, I've heard many worse epithets, splattered about the chat channels like the macabre remains of the zombies we routinely annihilate. I'm not bad like them; they're bad, and they spread hate because they're bad people from somewhere else. They aren't like me. I'm one of the good guys. Right? ....right?
Do I object to the use of racial, gender, and sexuality slurs? No.
Do I realign my personal vocabulary to remove offensive terms, not just reduce their use? No.
Do I refuse to play with people who use such terms in online battle? No.
Do I sit back and silently approve of a system that is presenting hostile conditions for any actual LGBT gamers who may have the misfortune of wanting to play one of these games online, and be subjected to all of this hate-filled rhetoric? Yes.
I hate presenting problems without presenting potential solutions. Do we start with the developers, to release games that legitimize homosexual portrayals in videogames, and hope the players adapt to the new ideas of tolerance? It's too financially risky; the games could fail, and producers could see this as evidence that the market won't support LGBT games. Do we start with the players, and educate them, possibly making them receptive to more thorough portrayals of LGBT issues? I would equate the difficulty level of educating anonymous internet combatants in sensitivity to roughly the same level as teaching a cat the basic tenets of Thermodynamics. Do we tackle the perception of the medium as a whole, presenting videogames as more than a toy attached to the television, but as a valid outlet for artistic human expression? We could, or we could wait fifteen years for the last of the generation before videogames retires and dies off, an option I've heard voiced by several industry professionals. How do you fight a war against hate and fear and discrimination when the enemy is a thousand miles away? How about in the apartment next door? How about sitting on your couch reading this article from behind your glasses? For me, I'm starting small.
I can listen to what others say without accepting it.
I can support those in the gamer community who are working for change.
I can openly and honestly evaluate my own behaviors and opinions.
I can have a meaningful relationship with my best friend, and cultivate respect for his culture.
I am an academic researcher of videogames.
I am a hardcore gamer.
I am ready to see a game that can change my view of the world.
But I am not gay.
...at least, not yet. I'm just waiting for the right game.
Fejes, F. (2003) Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-Reader. SAGE Publications.
http://www.gameplayer.com.au/gp_documents/Gays-in-Gaming.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKzF173GqTU Mass Effect vs FOX News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6alOnuN-wCY Halo 3 and the word "gay"
http://www.gaygamer.net/top-20-gayest-video-game-characters/index.php?page=2
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2008/05/gayer-player-ge.html
I am a wizard with unimaginable power.
I am a shotgun-toting, wisecracking zombie destroyer.
I am an Operative in the Her Majesty’s Special Air Service.
I am a plumber who likes mushrooms.
I am a cage fighter with a bad attitude.
I am a knight on an epic quest.
I am a yellow three-quarter circle being chased by ghosts.
I am a giant, laser cannon-toting battle mech from the future.
But I am not gay.
I can break the sound barrier in a jet fighter.
I can take on a horde of mindless drones with my trusty rocket launcher.
I can explore uncharted planets.
I can drive a Ferrari through Manhattan at 217 MPH.
I can kill everything in sight.
I can create an entire species from the cellular level to spaceflight.
I can brave unfathomable danger to rescue the woman I love.
I can save millions from destruction in a nuclear assault.
I can do virtually anything.
But I cannot have a meaningful relationship with a same-sex partner.
The universe of videogames is populated with countless worlds: some simulate reality as we know it, others recreate how it once was, and others still imagine what it could be. These worlds are densely populated and highly active, and traveling between them poses no great difficulty. However, no matter the world you inhabit or the eyes through which you see the events of the world unfold, you cannot be gay.
Many video games include and positively portray minority groups in order to capitalize on that group's market segment; however, for the so-called "gaymer," there are no marketing campaigns, few witty advertisements (in fact, a single commercial for The Sims), and no other overtures to the market. There are exactly zero mass-marketed and commercially-available games developed for the homosexual gamer. We can imagine reasons for this. For example, the development and production of a game is very time-consuming and expensive, and the vast majority of such games do not return a profit for their investment; as such, developers seek to broaden their appeal wherever they can. Perhaps developers fear that the gaymer market isn't strong enough to carry the sales of a game. From the Fejes article (2003) we learn that advertisers fear identifying their products with being gay, though they could reach the gay consumer through regular ads. Still, we must take into account that Fejes wrote this in 1975; in the intervening thirty-plus years, the market has shifted and the gay consumer has become a well-defined and analyzed market segment. Films like Brokeback Mountain win Academy Awards, and television shows like Will & Grace, Queer Eye, The L-word and others gain critical acclaim in prime-time spots. But where are the games?
Over those same thirty years, video games have risen from the role of electronic stepbrother of LEGOs and GI Joe action figures to becoming a valid medium for artistic expression. Games are outstripping even the strongest blockbuster films in terms of revenue and have become a household fixture around the globe. Protagonists in video games range widely in every category; characters of different ages, races, genders, cultural backgrounds, and even species can be found in a throughout the industry. However, for the primary, player-controlled character, there are no true homosexual representations; this is a marked contrast to other minority groups who have begun receiving detailed and elaborate treatment from game developers. Gay characters in games are few and far between, and what these characters represent has a lot to say about the video game industry.
Representations of homosexuality in games:
"Comic Relief and Stereotypes Go Good Together!"
One of the earliest and most common representations of homosexuality in mainstream games is that of the comically gay/transvestite/flamboyan
"Lesbians ARE SO HAWT OMG!!!!11"
Though the market demographics for videogame consumption have shifted away from the teenage male, in many cases it doesn't appear that developers have caught on to the same trend. Immature, hyper-sexualized representations of women still persist; should I even mention "breast physics?" What better way to further inflame the lonely, hyper-libidinous gamer than digital girl-on-girl action! Fear Effect 2 is the most widely noted example, outside of limited-distribution porn games, for featuring a pair of buxom female protagonists whotitillate and tease the player.
The Optionally Gay, or "Bisexual is Good Enough, Right?"
Many of the sidekicks and minor characters listed above are openly gay, but aren't main characters. For main characters, progressive portrayals are apparently revolving around the "optionally gay:" in some open-ended games, there is the possibility of pursuing a gay romance or subplot, but it is never a requirement. Fable and Fable 2 allow the character to woo and marry men and women - but many more women will respond than men to your romantic overtures, and all wooing is purely optional. Bertram, if rescued during the events of Temple of Elemental Evil, will marry one of the male characters and live happily ever after - but saving him isn't necessary for the story. Rockstar's Bully features a protagonist that gets kisses to restore health in a prep school, and sometimes boys are an option, but only if you choose to pursue it. Mass Effect, a widely acclaimed game with a great deal of story options, allows a female protagonist to develop a relationship with a man or with a woman, which are exclusive; however, the developers dodge the word "lesbian" by making the wooed female in question actually a member of an androgynous alien race, who all miraculously look like beautiful (if blue-tinted) women, but really have no gender. Sneaky sneaky! Still not gay.
Portrayals of Non-Stereotypical LGBT
There are a small number of games I've seen with homosexual characters portrayed respectfully and tastefully. Bioware, makers of Mass Effect referenced above, released Knights of the Old Republic several years ago as an addition to the Star Wars universe. At one point the player fights a female opponent, and can choose to spare her and recruit her, or finish her after the battle. If the player kills Juhani, a female character accosts the player for murdering her love, with specific references to a lesbian partnership, and vows revenge.This also marks the first appearance of a gay character in the vast collection of Star Wars media.
The Sims, a reality simulation game, allows for characters to form romantic attachments to other characters as the player, who micromanages the world, dictates. This includes same-sex relationships, which are handled no differently within the game as heterosexual relationships. The Sims is also notable for its willingness to appeal to homosexual consumers in their advertising; one of their commercials, using real actors instead of electronic images to represent the game, pairs two men together romantically as one of a rapid succession of images.
There are more portrayals of homosexual themes, characters, and references throughout the video game world than can be listed here; the important theme is the fact that none of these portrayals are LGBT-centric, and it seems developers arehesitant to tackle the gaming world's equivalent to Brokeback Mountain. This is hardly surprising, as depiction of even the most tasteful of sexual images included in a video game can spark national controversy almost overnight (with one suchcontroversy going so far as the United States Senate). If video games can't discuss or portray sexuality, even in the most artistic and thoughtful way, then how can a reasonable discussion of homosexuality begin? If Brokeback Mountain had been released as a videogame, remaining faithful to the same powerful source material, and even keeping the same budget and actors, the infamous tent scene would have caused an unprecedented uproar. The game would be banned from several countries around the globe, no major retailer in the United States would dare carry it (because, of course, it would carry the dreaded Adults Only rating), and the company that made the game would likely fold in the wake of massive revenue losses. This is not hyperbole; Mass Effect was lambasted on FOXNews as a "pornography simulator" and they ran several hours of coverage of the ills of the game - and the sex scene to which they are referring lasts less than 30 seconds, is PG-13 in content, and requires forty hours of gameplay and the cultivation of a romantic relationship within the game to unlock.
It also can't help matters along that this is an age of virtually anonymous internet communications. Offensive speech and behaviors, removed from any sense of accountability, have reached new heights of vulgarity. In my experience, the word "gay" is one of the most commonly used gaming terms in existence, and is quite versatile in expressing displeasure. Standing off from a melee to attack with a long range weapon is "gay sniping;" killing players as theyre-spawn is "gay;" unsportsmanlike conduct is "gay;" and if you have anything to say into the microphone, then without a doubt, you are "gay." The term has become so ubiquitous as an expression of rebuke or objection that even non-homophobic players are utilizing the term frequently, not out of hatred towards any one group of people, but simply because the term has been appropriated into new usage in the video game world. Indeed, any player on Microsoft's Xbox Live, Sony's Home, or any of several Massively Multiplayer Online gamers must avoid self-identifying as gay in their gamertags, or online aliases; not for fear of ostracism and harassment from their peers, but to prevent being banned by the content provider for having inappropriate sexual content in their name. In efforts to prevent harassment based on these common terms of derision, game developers have blocked LGBT players from legitimately establishing gay-friendly guilds and associations.
These arguments are never so poignant as when paired with experience from reality. One of my closest friends, who has recently come out of the closet, is also a fellow hardcore gamer. Without any hesitation, during intense online matches and in moments of extreme frustration, I find myself shouting "DAMMIT THAT IS SO GAY!" into the microphone; I have appropriated the term from such constant exposure, and it means nothing more to me than a generalized expression of displeasure. But slowly it dawns on me, with my companion's affirmation of his sexuality, that I am spouting hate. I do not hate homosexuality, but like a parrot I mimic the language I have heard; or better, like a young child I have learned the word to plug in the gap in my expression of negative emotions, and know nothing of the consequences of using it wantonly. I am reluctant to regard this ever-present term as offensive - since many use the word as I do, I assume they don't use it as an expression of hate. It's just a word, right? Additionally, I've heard many worse epithets, splattered about the chat channels like the macabre remains of the zombies we routinely annihilate. I'm not bad like them; they're bad, and they spread hate because they're bad people from somewhere else. They aren't like me. I'm one of the good guys. Right? ....right?
Do I object to the use of racial, gender, and sexuality slurs? No.
Do I realign my personal vocabulary to remove offensive terms, not just reduce their use? No.
Do I refuse to play with people who use such terms in online battle? No.
Do I sit back and silently approve of a system that is presenting hostile conditions for any actual LGBT gamers who may have the misfortune of wanting to play one of these games online, and be subjected to all of this hate-filled rhetoric? Yes.
I hate presenting problems without presenting potential solutions. Do we start with the developers, to release games that legitimize homosexual portrayals in videogames, and hope the players adapt to the new ideas of tolerance? It's too financially risky; the games could fail, and producers could see this as evidence that the market won't support LGBT games. Do we start with the players, and educate them, possibly making them receptive to more thorough portrayals of LGBT issues? I would equate the difficulty level of educating anonymous internet combatants in sensitivity to roughly the same level as teaching a cat the basic tenets of Thermodynamics. Do we tackle the perception of the medium as a whole, presenting videogames as more than a toy attached to the television, but as a valid outlet for artistic human expression? We could, or we could wait fifteen years for the last of the generation before videogames retires and dies off, an option I've heard voiced by several industry professionals. How do you fight a war against hate and fear and discrimination when the enemy is a thousand miles away? How about in the apartment next door? How about sitting on your couch reading this article from behind your glasses? For me, I'm starting small.
I can listen to what others say without accepting it.
I can support those in the gamer community who are working for change.
I can openly and honestly evaluate my own behaviors and opinions.
I can have a meaningful relationship with my best friend, and cultivate respect for his culture.
I am an academic researcher of videogames.
I am a hardcore gamer.
I am ready to see a game that can change my view of the world.
But I am not gay.
...at least, not yet. I'm just waiting for the right game.
Fejes, F. (2003) Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-Reader. SAGE Publications.
http://www.gameplayer.com.
http://www.youtube.com/wat
http://www.youtube.com/wat
http://www.gaygamer.net/to
http://www.goodasyou.org/g
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