The Problem With Subtle LGBTQ Characters in Games

Jasmine Henry writes: "The Last of Us' Ellie does share a kiss with her best friend in the game's standalone DLC expansion The Left Behind. However, we only know that Ellie identifies as a lesbian because of an interview that developer Naughty Dog did with an online publication - a publication that has since gone offline along with its archives."

[TheOttomatic91]

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Featuring_Dante]

Doesn't ellie kissing her best friend count as pedophilia by the developers? Who writes this stuff?

[Chaos_Order]

Uhhhh, what? If kids kissing is automatically paedophilia, I guess the writers of Jumanji, The Tweenies, and a thousand other children's shows/movies are written by paedophiles. Or maybe... there's nothing wrong with it. At all.

If they start using tongues and putting hands down each other's pants then yeah, sure, that's weird.

[Featuring_Dante]

Yeah... they might be closeted pedos anyway, whoever writes this stuff should be on a watchlist. Why on earth would you imagine kids kissing? Its an indicator.

[Chaos_Order]

@Dante

So I guess anyone who writes about murder is a closeted psychopath? Better rein in the developers behind 90% of video games on the market then, eh? Not to mention gamers themselves, who want to gun people down in GTA. IT'S AN INDICATOR.

[mixelon]

Not even remotely?

[Nicaragua]

Pedophilia? I do not think it means what you think it means

[Cartman55125]

I kissed a girl when I was 12. She was also 12. Should we have waited till we were 18?

[deafdani]

Nope, it doesn't.

[Goldenarmz]

Its not really pedophilia, but in some states, it is illegal to kiss a minor. Yes, we know kids do this, but if someone wanted to make a stink of it. They could. But if in the games both are the same age, its not that big of a deal.

[ecchiless]

But is a game is not real, so how is a big deal? Or now pixels have rights and are legally alive?

[dp5212]

Seriously, what does this writer want. Devrim Kay is in the middle of a war. Does the writer want him to go off and suck a D real quick to show he is gay. Does the writer go off and pat themselves on the back after writing this. None of the characters show their sexual orentation. In Destiny 2 your character doesn't talk and I have no idea what any characters sexual identity is nor do I care isn't that what everyone for equal writes wants.

[UltraNova]

Preach bro/sister!

[VerminSC]

I believe only about 3% of people identify as gay, so having gay characters so prevelant in games feels forced, and unnatural. That’s my issue with it anyways.

[TricksterArrow]

But a fungal infection that takes over the human brain and transforms them into zombies is believable and natural? I think people have issues with gay characters in general because they can't or are unwillingly to relate to them, just like some males have issues playing a game where a female is the protagonist (I've read this somewhere around here, swear to God), everything else seems to be excuses, to be completely honest.

I find it pretty easy to relate to any character as long as the story is well told and the character is sympathetic. I'd take over a hundred lesbian Ellies over Dontes from DmC any day. I can't find it difficult at all to relate to her struggles and even her love for Riley, just push gender aside and relate to the human aspect. It's not that hard.

[Highlife]

You can be gay all you want I don't want anything to do with it. This whole gay trans train is stupid. It's confusing kids. My cousin was caught up in it thought it was cool and found other people online telling her she should be a boy so she tried it. Later she regretted the whole thing. This whole trans gay thing is trying to be trendy.

[TricksterArrow]

You don't have to "do anything with it". Gay people exist since the dawn of time, heck, some societies were build around gay being norm, such as Rome and Greece. I mean, I were a kid once, I was never "confused" that I liked girls even though I was aware that gays exist and even had one gay uncle perfectly integrated in my family and happily married. You were a kid once, so tell me, were you confused? If you were, maybe you should explore that side of you rather than push it aside, we will all rot under the earth anyway.

Kudos for your cousin for actually having something to regret DOING, some people regret not doing it all. That's not particularly a sob or sad story of prejudice and oppression, she had her choice. Not sure why you told it.

Also, there is no train that I'm aware? Well, at least I'm not on board with it. Sorry if you are? Or feeling compelled to join? Like I said, you should look into that, mate.

[Highlife]

If you think there is no lgbtq agenda your stupid. Duh gay people have been around I don't have a problem with anyone who is gay that's fine your an adult do what you want but you can't say there hasn't been a push a trendy thing to it and it should not be pushed. How many genders are there? If your answer is not 2 them there is a problem.

[TricksterArrow]

What would you consider pushy? Because I'm not being pushed into becoming gay anytime soon. And what agenda is that that I'm not aware? World domination? Aren't you a little paranoid?

[Qdog]

More ShareBlue, purple revolution shill fodder. You have your view and Ill have mine. My view is, through decades of experience and heavy research, superior to your own in my mind, as I'm sure you'll say somewhat the same of your views. I am I open minded, but not to the proverbial point that my brain falls out.

There is an agenda to the studied, the versed, and the academically ambitious. When multiple industries as a whole (who make money by appealing to the masses, both niche and otherwise) choose to use so much money and effort to expose and normalise exposure to such a small percentage of the known population, while potentially alienating a very large percent of their money making demographic, I say yes, there is an agenda.

How many large corporations need to fall on their own sword over social and political statements and agendas, before they understand that they are only appealing to a very small sub-minority of the human population, while giving the finger to their true money makers?

Even worse, someone has to be paying for it, as ad revenue from a smaller percentage of what is already a single digit percentage of the population, cannot be making up the difference.

Be gay on your time, stop wasting mine and my children's time trying to get us to accept or condone your behaviors.

I care not of an individual's sexuality, it has no effect on my life. To each their own.

[TricksterArrow]

It baffles me to see people so defensive and aggressive and writing big walls of text on "something that does not affect me or my life" and "wastes my time". *shrug* I guess it somehow affects you and requires your time.

Plus, once again, I was a child once, and I'm pretty sure you too: I was exposed to gays and their existence, it never made me question my sexuality, not even once. Just as well, I used to play GTA and Resident Evil by age 6, I never went on a killing spree, never dissociated from reality like FX news would claim a few years later, and I also saw my first pornographic magazines by age 5, I also never had sex before I was 17, nor ever condoned or practiced promiscuity. And by the way, my favorite movie used to be Scream, by Wes Craven (aged 8). I'm done with this subject, the mob mentality already took place and there is no arguing with that.

By all means, protect your children and don't waste your time on something that doesn't affect you, because I'm done.

[Qdog]

I agree...

[Skuletor]

Guess every character going forward should have their sexual orientation tattooed to their forehead then, right?

[Tankbusta40]

All homosexual characters must be flamboyant and wear pink!!! Then there will be articles claiming that they are all stereotypes...

Can't please everyone in this small minority(or their over bearing white liberal defenders) I suppose.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

We shouldn't try to please them at all, they don't buy games.

[Psychotica]

The main problem is that it's trying to promote the LGBTQ agenda to brainwash children into thinking that's it's ok and normal instead of immoral and evil.

[Tankbusta40]

MTV has already been doing this for a while!

[Highlife]

Completely agree. They are confusing kids and is sick.

[TricksterArrow]

Yeah, I mean, while you're at it, let's ask to ban violence and sex as well. Poor children.

[mixelon]

Evil? Methinks you’re in the wrong century.

It’s not immoral or “evil”. My daughter is aware of this stuff, we have friends and family who are gay.. If she grows up being bi or lesbian we’d support her regardless. We wouldn’t call it evil, or think less of her.

If you would do otherwise I’d suggest it’s your morals that are wonky.

[Psychotica]

Well that's mainly because you don't know or care what God says about it..

God created man in His image
God created Eve FROM man
Sexual union between man and woman recreates the image of God
Thus..anything else is a perversion of God's image and is evil\satanic.

[mixelon]

And you think they’re more twisted than you when you make such totally baseless claims? :D

Judge not lest ye be judged, ie.. Christians need to be better at christianing and leave others to their own business. God doesn’t like it when you presume to know his thinking.

[OffRoadKing]

Oh this bullshit again. Why should it matter, why does it need to be expressly stated what the characters orientation is? I'll tell you why, so that the LGBTQPTRZ3X7 community and its supporters can continue to push their agenda. Go ahead and ban me if you want mods I'm so sick of this garbage when it comes to video games.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

This isn't neogaff, you likely won't get banned for something like that. Watch out when you criticise Sony though, thats a big no no on this site.

[OffRoadKing]

Weird I've only ever been banned for criticizing Microsoft, so........ must be a matter of perspective.

[Jls1]

Just another reason parents should watch what their kids are playing. In this case playing before letting them play lol.

[Darkwatchman]

The babies didn’t approve of my comment on their site. How cute

[FloydianAndroid]

I’m so sick of this narrative that it’s mandatory that devs have gay/transgender characters. I’m a short fat guy and I don’t see many short fat characters in games. Everyone just wants to be offended these days.

[nitus10]

You could play Atelier Sophie - The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book. There is a short fat guy in that although you would be hard-pressed to complete the game in under 40 hours. 😎

[NordicRainy]

Finally, I looked at where this article is from before clicking. Don't give any clicks to this site!

[iofhua]

I don't want this crap in my games. I haven't played The Last of Us, and now I won't be, ever.

If you're going to make a game, leave your politics at the door. I play games for a break from reality, not to drink your personal brand of kool-aid.

[Paytaa]

You realize that if all games "left politics at the door" many great franchises wouldn't exist, right? MGS, Wolfenstein, Call of Duty, Bioshock, Deus Ex, etc. all have political undertones in some way and without them, the games literally would be lifeless, specifically the ones I mentioned.

You as a consumer have the right to buy whatever games you want. Complaining about games due to whatever opposing "political nature" they feature is a waste of time because you wouldn't buy it anyway.

Then again, hating on art that inherits a different view of your own is shallow minded in my opinion.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Yeah but SJW politics are retarded and don't make for good stories like some of the games you mentioned.

[Paytaa]

Refer to my last statement. What you may not like, someone else will and if the quality is objectively good, why not step out of your comfort zone and try it?

The term "SJW" gets thrown around a lot, and I personally have yet to play a game in the almost 20 years of gaming encountered a situation where "SJW politics" has ruined or even negatively altered any of my gaming experiences. I look at it as something people latch onto in order to critique something they don't understand or something out of the norm, which isn't even an issue.

Gaming is the biggest it's ever been in terms of game quantity and by the amount of people who want to be in game development. You're going to see games influenced by all different portions of the political spectrum.

[2pacalypsenow]

Here we go again

[Big_Game_Hunters]

This is exactly why people hate sjws. Its not enough to have these characters in the game, but they have to make the game about them being gay,trans, bi or whatever. Its pathetic, you people are so insecure about what you identify as that you need to make everything about it.

[Paytaa]

Art is often used as self expression though.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

So they can make thier own.

[Paytaa]

They are lol. Isn't that the complaint? Even then, there's no need to segregate teams of artists based on orientation. Trivial complaints, really.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

The complaint is that they try to pressure devs into removing things they don't like and try to pressure devs to pander to them. Protecting self expression and creative freedom are the last arguments SJW's should be using.

[drizzom]

Thats all fine and well. But this is the entertainment industry. If your "self expression" isn't appealing to the masses you'll be out of business quick.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

SJWs don't buy games. They don't buy comics either.

[Cy]

As a gay dude, I'd rather have gay characters be subtle than for their gayness to overshadow everything else. Ellie isn't a good or compelling character because of her sexuality. In fact, she'd be pretty much the exact same character if she was straight. Her sexuality is unimportant to the story of The Last of Us, and forcing it to take the spotlight would change the game into something it was never meant to be. But to hell with story integrity, right? All we care about is "representation" because we can't identify with any characters who might be *gasp* straight. It's just not in our rainbow colored blood.

[dp5212]

Exactly, I don't care what someone's sexual orientation is and we don't need it shoe horned in. We don't know many characters sexual orientation and we don't need to. The writer is using bad examples to prove her point just so she can feel good about herself. She even goes as far as accusing these developers as helping to promote bigotry. This is why the left can't get their sheet together they are to busy out social justicing themselves.

[Cy]

Ew, she said the devs were helping to promote bigotry? Really glad I didn't give that site a click now. Guess I can add newnormative to jstationx and polygon and marysue on my garbage SJW website list.

[EatCrow]

The bigger problem is that gamers never asked or cared to know the sexual preferences.
Another problem I see is that homosexual characters are given a heterosexual personality and mannerisms. Which is not realistic as I've met many homosexuals and could tell them apart by the way they speak or act with other men. Not always but most of the time.

2 little girls kissing doesnt constitute lesbianism. Women hugging and being affectionate has been a standard throughout history. Even kissing has had its moments in history.

The Last of Us has not a single hint of actual sexual preference in either Ellie or Joel. It doesnt need it.

A persons identity is also not their sexual preference as many seem to make it appear. Identity politics is insulting of the real depth of the human person.

"Maybe then I won’t have to hear gamers explain that Tracer and Emily are just ‘gals being pals’."
Nope. They're fictional characters. Used to propel an idea or mindset. Nobody had to convince anyone that a man and woman together was natural. And if a large group of people seem against it why automatically label them bigots without explaining their stance. Person A not agreeing with Person B doesnt make Person A a bigot. Because it stand to reason that Person B also disagrees with Person A. Are they both bigots? IF so then we are all bigots by logical conclusion.

Give me deep characters with deep personalities. Not generic npcs with the craving for one body part over another.

[CrimsonWing69]

it's forced that's for sure.

It's like hey, LGBTQ is a big movement right now let's try to push the agenda and get some success off the popularity.

I find it hard to believe that devs think a majority of gamers really want this stuff in their game.

[Cartman55125]

Does my character's sexual orientation directly affect the story I am playing and the choices my character makes? If not, then I don't care what my character wants to fuck.