The Gay Planet and Queering the Industry: It's Time for Video Games to Come Out

Gay, bisexual and transgender people need better representation in videogames - this has to happen. Basic decency dictates that everyone, regardless of race, gender and sexuality should be treated equally, and video games, by continually pushing against that, are starting to look out of touch and creatively stale.

For decades now they've been made by straight white men for straight white men, and if the plummeting sales figures from 2012's fourth-quarter tell us anything, it's that the heterosexual guy market is reaching saturation. If videogames are going to thrive, not just as a diverse, intelligent art form, but also as an entertainment industry, they need to get queer.

[mandf]

It's a sad day when you just can't be gay and be comfortable in your own shoes, but you got to ram it down everyones throat. If there is a large enough gay demographic of gamers, then go ahead and make a game. If not, don't make a game that doesn't sell and call gamers homophobes. It's a double edge sword when you try to break down a wall. Games today are geared for the straight male audience because that is the largest buyer of video games. I didn't make that up. That's why games aren't made for women, gays, and old people. The video game industry shouldn't be picked on because it evolved to point of where it is today. The industry didn't choose to be the way it is. The consumer did. Not every video game needs a gay person, a women, a black person, and a white person ,just to appease a few that are insecure. I have no problem with the industry making games for all minority types if the demand is there but don't do it just break down a wall to incite people.

[Thatguy-310]

Some what agree with you. But bringing someones sexual orientation into games isn't really needed. Most stories now a days don't revolve around a "relationship" or love interests. So don't see why shove it down ppl's throats just for the sake of accepting it or having it Co-exist with the heterosexual image in games. That being said though some people over think gaming too much. Just have fun with the game. Why do we have to put so much frustration to gender, race, sexual orientation etc. Just focus on the STORY and that's it.

[ChocolateGiddyUp]

You ever seen a movie called "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang?" There's a character named Gay Perry - he's the classic hard-boiled, tough-guy movie detective...but he's gay. He's not defined by his sexuality or anything, but it's a lot of fun to see a stock character like that get completely flipped on its head. Check it out sometime, it's a waaaay under-appreciated film.

I agree it'd be stupid to throw something into your game just to appease a group of people, but in this case, Gay Perry's gayness actually added a lot to his character - I could totally see something like this working in a game.

[zebramocha]

@chocolate if I'm not mistaken volgin from msg is a character who had relation with both men & woman.

[Red_Orange_Juice]

WTF / No

[Menchi]

So having Gays in -some- games is ramming it down peoples throats? Don't get that.

The whole point of the article was stating making games that -included- a demographic, not to appeal to -only one- demographic.

Why is it such a problem to -include- people if it makes sense, or could advance the am in some way?

[Incipio]

It's the fact that it would be a forced inclusion which makes it unappealing. It would be ungainly, unattractive and shallow at best.

[Menchi]

@Incipio Forced inclusion? Fact? What?

I'm sorry, but how on earth can you state a speculation, which is pretty baseless, as fact? Have you any evidence that a Gay character, or a Gay storyline would be forced, at all, outside of point blank ignorance?

[Thatguy-310]

But there is no point to it. Yea if the game revolves around it then why not let it reach its demographic but to just have it to have it seems dumb. I enjoyed the last two generations a lot for the simple fact that none of this was ever brought up. Everyone enjoyed the games and never really made a fuss about the characters race, orientation etc. People really nitpick games down to the core and that's why they don't enjoy them as much as back then.

[Menchi]

There is no point to a gay character, how? People aren't saying there should be a gay character practically raping the player. We're talking about having some form of acknowledgment, that all Gamers aren't "Straight White Males"

Sexuality, and characters having love interests has been in gaming since... well, the first time games had any real form of plot. Just don't see why it should be exclusively SWM only, even if they are the biggest demo.

[InMyOpinion]

Would you guys feel the same about having black characters in games? Are they also a "forced inclusion"?

Diversity in all shapes and forms make for better games. It hasn't got to be "forced" just because it isn't a common appearance.

[doogiebear]

I don't want that stuff in my games. Totally unnecessary. And disgusting. To hell with political correctness.

[joab777]

I agree. This is why i love capitalism and the concept of supply and demand. in its base form, it is quite simple. If ppl want something, u supply it for them. Many times, they dont know they want it, this is where risk comes in. in iys purest form, it is impartial to ideals and beliefs. Unfortunately today it has been inundated with ideals and beliefs and winners and losers are chosen. But why dont some ppl with the ability make a game. No one is stopping them. But dont expect huge corporations to invest millions to do it because its the right thing to do. Some may believe its right and it may crash and burn. How will this help the cause.

Now, on the flip side, even if it were thrown into games, it isnt what would make them good or bad or profitable. It just isnt. So, dont lecture us about how gaming will never survive if we dont accept something. If that something survives, it will make its way into games because both will co exist in our culture. Its like forcing ppl to buy green cars. I have nothing against them except that many r death trals and i would nevef travel with my child in one. Make one that ppl want and it will sell. I am tired of ppl telling me what i want or what i should buy if i were a good person. Especially when it is usually coming from the most crooked ppl on earth.

[doogiebear]

Exactly. Plus I'll go one further and use the fact that this article can't even get higher than 90 degrees in hits, despite the fact that u have all of these politically correct whiners here crying that we should impose gayness into our games for no reason. They say it would be "the right thing to do", YET these same people don't actually CLICK and read the article (41 comments as of now, yet article has low hit count). Do you know why? Because nobody wants to "see" what's in the article. There is too little actual, active demand for homosexuality in games. The straight people are the only one's asking for it. Gays don't make up a large enough number. Even in California gay marriage was denied, and there's a lot of them there. But still, it will never be something that straight people would ever want to forced to see. I for one sure as hell don't want to see that, and going by the backlash of Mass Effect 3's gayness, many straight people were not happy to see that either.

[N0S3LFESTEEM]

I said what what...

[solidt12]

Y'all keep Y'all A$$ in the closet!

[ATi_Elite]

The Gay Planet in SW:TOR is the Dumbest thing ever!

You gotta pay to stay and be basically Jailed on the Gay Planet if your character is Gay.

(setting up a possible Death Star attack by right wing Neo-Cons)

EA = STUPID

Let the Gay Gamers be FREE!

[OhReginald]

in the game can we nuke that planet from orbit?

[profgerbik]

Oh let's not forget Pansexuals this new breed generated by todays hipsters..

It's no longer cool to be bisexual anymore, now it's all about pansexuality.. God the state of the world is fucking stupid.

Pansexual makes literally no fucking sense and is only yet another way for people to act as if they are above one another but at the same time acting as if they care more than the next person does...

Oh are you gay, bi or straight? No I am a pansexual, I love everything.. I mean seriously what the fuck?

So basically you are bisexual, there are only two genders and only one case where a person can have two sexual organs on one body.. Doesn't matter if they had surgery or not they are still genetically a male or female or possibly a hermaphrodite which classifies a person who likes all above a bisexual.

There is no such thing as pansexual and kids wonder why people look at them like complete idiots when they say that, it's idiotic.

It's like the smug version of bisexual, nope I am too good to be bisexual.. I am pansexual.. God that shit is stupid. It urks the fuck out of me that so many kids are claiming to be pansexual now..

What a statement, I swear the stuff this generation of kids has come up with has been the worst...

[DarkBlood]

what in the hell is a pansexual? lol

[shackdaddy]

Basically, it includes attraction to transsexual people which for some reason others don't categorize as just being bisexual anymore.

[Heisenburger]

Lol I thought the exact same thing. I chalk it up to me having graduated six years ago. I do remember how (almost)every girl pretended to be bi, though.

All I know is that as insecure as I am the last thing that I would want is a woman that was attracted to men and women.

Haha ;)

[DarkBlood]

i see, thanks for the information

[torchic]

Pansexuality is an attraction to all sexualities, all experiences (with humans of course)

[DeadSpaced]

If you want to take a moment to learn, pansexuals are a little more than bisexual. They can be attracted to cismen, ciswomen (meaning cisgender), "transmen, transwomen, intersex people, androgynous people, and everything else." Basically, its a more inclusive term than bisexual.

Thought you could rant on the internet? How about exploring for the meaning rather than blaming it on "todays hipsters".

[profgerbik]

I understand it's meaning very well that is the problem, it makes no sense.

As said you are either born a male, female or both. Just because you feel a certain way does not change your genetic structure now does it? So if I am girl and I strap on a dildo and want to walk around like a man, that makes me a male is what you are honestly trying to tell me? You are trying to tell me the way you feel or think about yourself genetically changes you?

That is the dumbest point that all pansexuals try to make to justify it's moronic meaning, well there are trans genders. Like I didn't see every word of what you said coming simply because I have taken a crap load of my own time to try and understand this new trend pansexual is, after reading tons of definitions it occurred to me it doesn't even exist.

Not like I didn't already cover that, just because you get surgery done does not genetically change your gender, it only psychically changes it.

So the whole idea of pansexuality is beyond stupid. All pansexuals are just bisexuals. You can't just give random meaning to people just because they feel differently than their genetic gender normally would. Genetics are genetics they aren't swayed by feelings.

It changes nothing about their genetics or the actual meaning of the terms. Pansexual is made up nonsense as said to make people feel above all other sexualities as if they care more about everyone else than the next person.

You have fun trying to give meaning to the pansexual when it basically is bisexual or just as you put it a more smug way of being bisexual.

I can't help the term was created by actual hipsters, don't blame me for making up such a ignorant word or noticing that others have made up one.

Funny how the only people who ever claim to be pansexual are always hipsters also.. Which helps nothing.

[amaguli]

Definition of "pansexual": Not limited or inhibited in sexual choice with regard to gender or activity.

Last I knew there is only two genders, regardless of "cis", "trans", or "androgynous". Unless there is some secret gender out there "pansexual" is just some cool way to say bisexual.

[MeatAbstract]

Yeah pansexuality seems to be the big trendy one for people to say. Awhile back it "I'm bisexual" now it's pansexual where you apparently look beyond gender and are simply attracted to the person. Which sounds a hell of a lot like bi-sexual really.

It's just a way to make you sound even more pretentious and make people go "Wow, you're so cool and open minded" when this person has probably had a drunken make out session with the same sex once or twice in their lives, maybe never. Hell during the 'bi-sexual craze', I knew a guy that claimed to be bi and when I asked if he'd been with any guys or found any attractive he said "No, but I'm sure I will". Ah, I can see why he was studying Philosophy at Uni, the pretentious dolt.

[adorie]

Half man, half shark. Agree.

[DarkHeroZX]

When I first heard of pansexual I was like "wtf." Then someone explained it to me and I was like oooh its bi. Then after people still tried to convince me that there was a difference between the two, I finally came to the conclusion that pan sexual is attraction to anything you can relate to. Dogs, monkeys, horses, transsexual, whatever. As long as you "click" to it then you can get with it. Its the stupidest term I've ever heard of and I feel as though I just decreased everyone's intellect trying to break it down.

[torchic]

@profgebrik

not sure why you're so aggro, and don't see the point of your rant. I learned in basic psychology that humans always try to find a social identity; they have a need to belong, creating in groups and out groups in the process. if people choose to identify themselves in such a manner then let them be. I honestly don't get what your issue is. if anything I think we need to congratulate these people on being so open-minded. I don't want to go on and on about this but I'll leave you with a quote in Obama's inaugurational speech which I thought summed up this whole gender topic:

"for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well"

I also want to congratulate you on jumping on the bandwagon and misusing/butchering the word hipster. I again, don't understand the link you created between not being fond of mainstream activities/culture/artistry and sharing your love between all people regardless of the sexuality.

*I am neither a pansexualist nor a hipster (but I do, like most people have the proclivity to not like/follow the mainstream)

[deno]

Here they come with the gay agenda. Who in their right mind would want to play homosexual games.

[aLucidMind]

The answer is obvious, gay people would. By the way, having gays in a game doesn't make a game a "homosexual game". It's not like having a gay character (or the option to play a gay character) in a game automatically makes the game all about butt-sex.

[M-M]

@aLucidMind

>_>

[Incipio]

"this has to happen"

No, it doesn't. Homosexuality and the gay agenda (or LGBT) most definitely does not have to be force fed to anyone.

Videogames are fictional and don't have to represent reality, current culture, or be politically correct.

The creative industries are not bound to political correctness. I refuse to accept that anything at all has to be forced into the gaming industry unless a game developer feels it absolutely necessary to a game's story or design.

[Mutant-Spud]

Demanding that video games or other artistic creations contain specific content is censorship, pure and simple.
If homosexuals and hipsters want games made their way they can crowd fund and produce their own games, there's no excuse for crying discrimination anymore.
That'd be a test wouldn't it? Set up a site for a Gay themed game and see how many investors you get, I'd wager you might get enough to produce a very short flash game.

[DarkHeroZX]

I wanted my own black version of Goku/Superman and instead of trying to get the writers to appeal to me I just made my own character. Check the avatar.

[Thatguy-310]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[dirthurts]

I don't think the sexual orientation of anyone is affecting the games industry.

[bryam1982]

Let the gay community make some games for their people, if that make them happy, i suggest a mario gay game but instead of mario jumping on the gombas head he jump on their dicks lol

*runs and hide under his bridge*

[Bigpappy]

I have played many games (Morrowind, ME,DA, ... with gay characters in them . They did not feel forced and added to the depth of the game. But I do not see a need for a push to have more gays in games. This is completely up to the writer and developer to see if it adds to the game in a positive way. Just putting something in a game because of a petition can cause a back lash or feel so out of place that it completely destroys what could have been a great game.

I am a black guy, and I play many games that do not have any black in the games. But I don't think the white developers are anti-black. Every thing does not involve social issues. I am sure that if they were more gay writers and developers, in popular studio's, you would see even more gays in games. Yet if those games do not sell because the focus did not interest enough gamers to be profitable, even then, those developers will have to pull back on that focus just to stay in business.
Developers need profit. People who fail to understand this should open their own studio and prove them wrong, or just STFU.

[MeatAbstract]

Now to the article: When I read stuff like this, it just makes me sigh deeply. I do this because it's a safe generation trying to find a noble cause to fight for. Past generations had the racial problems, the sexuality problems, the protests on war. These days we're as accepting and as multicultural as we've ever been.

But then people come along and say 'Games need to be less sexist' or 'Games need to be more gay' and I ask "Why?". Would it change the overall experience of Gears of War if Marcus and Dom had a sexual relationship only for Marcus to reveal that he's a post-op transsexual and he did it because he wanted to get by in mans world. You'd still chainsaw things in half and shoot shit up.

If the creators feel they want to explore these themes in their games then awesome. But if people bitch and moan at game and developers like God of War, Gears of War, Call of Duty and other games then they should probably realize that developers are creating that they want (except COD, that's for cash) and got into the industry to make the games they wanted when they were kids.

[ChocolateGiddyUp]

This part of the article sort of confused me.

"...AAA material has revolved mostly around heterosexual power fantasies - shooting zombies, racing cars and playing soldier."

When I was little, my older sister had a friend who was gay, and I remember hanging out at his house playing Doom with them on his PS1. I wouldn't be surprised if he dug Gears of War today.

EVERYONE likes chainsawing stuff.

[danny818]

Gay.

[Cueil]

happy?

[danny818]

Yea im happy but sad! Im stuck deciding getting a ps3 this late in the gen or getting a wii u!!! :(

[HurstDarkStar]

this whole comment section is gay...

[aLucidMind]

Explains why the floor's so sticky >_<

[Gincredible]

Heres me thinking I stepped on gum! :(

[ajax17]

Mass Effect 3

[Cueil]

the best way to do it is to make it a choice... not to force it... the fact is that LGBT group is tiny and insignificant for a publisher to lean on. You want to have the largest possible revenue base

[Nemesis4567]

It really depends on the game. A relationship status is not really needed. Also, their are tons of visual novels that show gay,bi,transgender relationships. I think making characters to be gay,bi, transgendered would feel to forced in an action game. Remember, you have to appeal to everyone. So to make a game with just gay,bi, transgendered. Would not be fair to people who are straight. I think Mass Effect did it the best, where you can choose who you want. Visual novels are the same way. I think that's the best way to go about it, but that's just my honest opinion.

[Dynasty]

To be honest, I feel like the video game community is too immature to handle themes like homosexuality (as shown in the comments.) Don't get me wrong, I TOTALLY agree that these issues shouldn't be forced into games;however, someday the video-game industry is going to have to mature and learn to explore relevant issues like sexual orientation, race, etc. It doesn't have to be central to the story, but it could easily add to it. Movies and music explore these issues just fine, why can't video games?

Also, I'm sure if this article was to replace the gay men with gay women, most of you would have NO problem with it. Shit like this is why nobody takes gamers seriously.

[Blackcanary]

Does anyone remember there was a area in FF7 where you had a bunch of gay guys in it. It was in Mid gar. I'm gay but this is just over the top. There's no need for a game that has gay characters unless the developer want it and it fitted in the story line. I'm happy the way the game industry is. But this just looks like a scream for attention. And just being extra. Not ever gay person wants to play a game evolving a gay character. If they was able to, make it hard core with explosions then why not no camp crap.