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[GandalftheRainbow]

Basically it means that you cannot have a different opinion about it, even ever so slightly, without being ridiculed, or worse.

Regarding this, I was more or less "thrown" into the LGBT scene (well, the lesbian scene for the most part) at a time when it was a taboo thing, quite a few years ago.. My boss in a small company was a relatively prominent spokesperson for the LGBT community in my country, and ran several sites about the topic, so because we got a close relationship, I had no choice but to try to understand. I survived, a lesson learnt about the blindness of prejudice and and an opened mind - and new friends. The strange thing was, there was a lot more room for discussion and help to get enlightened from the scene at that time than here on gaf where ignorance and opinions is met with a surprising amount of harshness.

I do think that sometimes poeple are too harsh but, come on, it's 2016, ignorance and ignorant opinions are pretty much a choice right now and, in most cases, say a lot about poeple that feel inclined to share their ignorant opinions.
For so long poeple who were pro-LGBTQ and LGBTQ themselves and in general pro-diversity where the ones riddiculed and marginalized for so effing long, that's why they're pretty vocal right now. I'd say it's a good thing.

 

[BBboy20]

I am the greatest

 

[VectMachine]

Another instance of great writing for a videogame character was in ps4 Golden, until they

Spoiler

wussed out at the end and made him not gay. The exploration of his insecurities and even self-hatred in the actual gameplay were fantastic. I still feel they betrayed the character with his ending. I'm not sure about Naoto's arc. I think the story could have been better if she was trans, but I don't have a great handle on that character because I found her dull.

Naoto was never intended to be Trans by the writers, I think. She's just a girl who disguises herself as a guy, a trope used for plenty of stories. And if I recall, Kanji's deal was never simply just security, but dealing with masculinity in a society where tailoring is seen as a feminine/"sissy" vocation.

On the topic at hand, it'll be nice if the game has LGBT+ characters worth a damn, but I don't see it as a selling point, per se. I find it silly that people are declaring it a Day One Buy seemingly purely by this tweet. Maybe it's me, but I'm not entirely comfortable of "we have non-straight characters" as a sole reason to buy a game.

Not telling you duders what to buy or not to buy. Just saying it's weird to make a fuss about buying this game simply for a few NPCs. The game looks legitimately solid and I hope that when it releases it plays well.

 

[Brushguy Woodthreep]

most of it is usually in the mind of the player unless there are specific story elements or mechanics which scream "I'm gay/straight".

If the game has any kind of characterisation or story, it's very often made explicitly clear that the character is straight. This is done in all kinds of subtle ways you might not even notice. For men, it's small references to wives and girlfriends, small comments implying interest in women (in general, or specific ones), flirting with women, implied romantic history with women, etc. It's very easy to make it absolutely clear that a character is straight.

Also, a story that leaves open the possibility of a character being gay isn't the same as a story that's told from the perspective of a gay character, with all the differences in worldview that entails. What people are really asking for is variety in the kinds of characters and stories that are presented. You don't get that by leaving it up to the player's imagination.

 

[Ramenman]

So is this the latest fad and buzzword in games? It's not open world, it's not celebrity voice actors, it's not global illumination, it's not 1080p, it's not 60 fps, it's LGBT characters? I mean, if Dishonoured was about LGBT people then sure. But I have the feeling it's thrown in there to satisfy the tumblrinas and will be used as marketing.

I very much doubt it plays a role in the story at all and is like one of those things, "you know I'm trans right?".

It's not being used as marketing, it's not being stated proudly as a strong bulletpoint in an interview on kotaku, it's an answer to a question asked on twitter.

Also,

You'll never know since they are just like you and me!

That might very well be the real answer.

People seem to think that "OH so this character will gratuitously throw his sexual preferences/identity at my face to get bonus points from reddit liberals !".
When really, most character development in Dishonored is done through written notes sent between characters, audio diaries, etc.

If I'm not mistaken, the fact that Corvo is Emily's father for example is never something that is stated bluntly, it's just something you come to realize or guess with some hints (or maybe there was a "big reveal" at some point and I got sleepy ? ).

"prominent LGBT character" doesn't been the character's LGBT-ness will be prominent.

It means the character is prominent in the story, and it just so happens that one of the traits that make up this character is he is LGBT.

So nothing to get all up in arms and bothered about, and certainly not something that will be written on the back of the box.

 

[-duskdoll-]

I'm just curious as to what people consider a "shoehorned" gay character. Is it them being proud to be queer? Is it them being flamboyant? Non-apologetic?

Making an LGBT character is not so straight people can decide whether they deserve to be there, whether they are well written, or if they are stereotypical. LGBT characters don't have to be a model of good writing or storytelling, they don't need a reason to be there. More importantly, LGBT characters are not there to make straight people comfortable. They exist so the average person struggling with their sexuality can look at them and think "Hey, they are like me.". The should exist in games because they exist in real life (what??), and their existence doesn't need to be constantly explained and defended.

And to be quite honest, i want them to be annoyingly queer, i want them to be in your face about it. I want them to be the stereotypical flamboyant queer person because they are the ones who are hated the most, even in the LGBT community.

 

[Trojan]

I am the greatest

Bish can read palms better than Miss Cleo

 

[michaelius]

I'm just curious as to what people consider a "shoehorned" gay character. Is it them being proud to be queer? Is it them being flamboyant? Non-apologetic?

When character screams I'm LGBT in situations which have nothing in common with sexuality.

In reality we shouldn't even know what sexuality most NPCs have just like in real life you don't know much about strangers.

 

[-duskdoll-]

When character screams I'm LGBT in situations which have nothing in common with sexuality.

In reality we shouldn't even know what sexuality most NPCs have just like in real life you don't know much about strangers.

There are people in real life who do that, especially people who are just starting to get comfortable with their sexuality.

 

[CloudWolf]

Hooray for diversity I guess, but I'm still not sure why it should matter. Unless the sexual preference of a character is an integral part of the story somehow, it shouldn't matter or be highlighted. It should be left up to the imagination of the player.

I think Smith implied Daud wouldn't be around in 2.

Of course Daud isn't around in 2, unless he got reincarnation powers in the second DLC. I mean, for a majority of players Daud is dead.

 

[MMaRsu]

Hooray for diversity I guess, but I'm still not sure why it should matter. Unless the sexual preference of a character is an integral part of the story somehow, it shouldn't matter or be highlighted. It should be left up to the imagination of the player.

Basically how I feel.about it too. Have nothing against gay or trans people, dont think it should be stated in a game unless there are story beats that go with it. That also goes for hetero's in my view. Good for more diversity

 

[Fred-87]

Seems like ever thread about diversity we have people shoehorning their opinions on why these things shouldn't be a big deal and want things to flow "naturally". Everyone must be well written or not written at all.

I think people are just afriad it will be a stereotype. I think Russians are tired all villians are Russians.. Italians are tired that all Italian types in videogames are passionate and so on. It would be nice to have a gay character who isnt the usual you see portrait usually.

 

[spazchicken]

Hooray for diversity I guess, but I'm still not sure why it should matter. Unless the sexual preference of a character is an integral part of the story somehow, it shouldn't matter or be highlighted. It should be left up to the imagination of the player.

I watched gameplay of a game where the main character can talk to his team while on route to a mission. He talks to everyone else about mission specific stuff but one character gets personal questions and two lines in he reveals that he's gay.

As forced as it was, I wondered how else would they tell the audience he's gay. Then I wondered why it mattered at all.

But then maybe later in the game it does...I don't know.

 

[SLESS]

How does sexuality play a role in this video game? I don't see how it matters and would find it kind of insulting if I were that way inclined? It shouldn't matter nor need to be played upon in my opinion.

 

[atpbx]

I'm just curious as to what people consider a "shoehorned" gay character. Is it them being proud to be queer? Is it them being flamboyant? Non-apologetic?

Making an LGBT character is not so straight people can decide whether they deserve to be there, whether they are well written, or if they are stereotypical. LGBT characters don't have to be a model of good writing or storytelling, they don't need a reason to be there. More importantly, LGBT characters are not there to make straight people comfortable. They exist so the average person struggling with their sexuality can look at them and think "Hey, they are like me.". The should exist in games because they exist in real life (what??), and their existence doesn't need to be constantly explained and defended.

And to be quite honest, i want them to be annoyingly queer, i want them to be in your face about it. I want them to be the stereotypical flamboyant queer person because they are the ones who are hated the most, even in the LGBT community.

We need to get to the point where we just see people, and the world as a whole needs to understand that people should not look to be defined, or be defined by their sexuality.

I've worked with many people who were not "straight" over the years, and I wouldn't of known if for what ever reason they felt the need to tell me. And on every occasion I've said that I don't need to know, because for me, on a personal level, it's just about the least important thing I need to know about some one, ranking below who their their favourite Moomin was.

I had a guy work for me at my last place, and I was asked two or three times by other managers if I knew whether he was gay or not, and I had the same conversation then, why does it matter to you? All that matters is he is a nice guy, he turns up every day, does a great job and goes the extra mile for us, what ever he does outside of work, or who he finds attractive is absolutely irrelevant.

 

[VectMachine]

Of course Daud isn't around in 2, unless he got reincarnation powers in the second DLC. I mean, for a majority of players Daud is dead.

I believe it's been stated that Daud is canonically spared. The devs have established a Canon set of events for the game.

 

[toddhunter]

Hooray for diversity I guess, but I'm still not sure why it should matter. Unless the sexual preference of a character is an integral part of the story somehow, it shouldn't matter or be highlighted. It should be left up to the imagination of the player.

While that is probably the right way to think about it long term, I don't think the world as a whole is close to being there yet. So games making a point of it is still welcome and may help young people especially to be more accepting.

I also believe dishonored 2 is the perfect game for this sort of thing because I consider the series to be incredibly uninspired. I played the first game and can't remember a damn thing about it and have absolutely nothing to look forward to with the second one.

So at least this is kind of something it could hang its hat on, while maybe doing some good.

 

[Brushguy Woodthreep]

We need to get to the point where we just see people, and the world as a whole needs to understand that people should not look to be defined, or be defined by their sexuality.

I've worked with many people who were not "straight" over the years, and I wouldn't of known if for what ever reason they felt the need to tell me. And on every occasion I've said that I don't need to know, because for me, on a personal level, it's just about the least important thing I need to know about some one, ranking below who their their favourite Moomin was.

I had a guy work for me at my last place, and I was asked two or three times by other managers if I knew whether he was gay or not, and I had the same conversation then, why does it matter to you? All that matters is he is a nice guy, he turns up every day, does a great job and goes the extra mile for us, what ever he does outside of work, or who he finds attractive is absolutely irrelevant.

A world where nobody ever even hints at their sexual orientation sounds like a boring world indeed, and frankly a very implausible one. Do your straight colleagues never mention their wives, girlfriends, kids? Not even during incidental small talk? No photos on desks, no awkward flirting at office parties, no relationships between employees? Not a single mention, ever, of finding a celebrity attractive?

The world we need is one where gay and bi people can be just as casual about their sexuality as straight people can. That doesn't mean avoiding the subject altogether unless strictly necessary, because that is emphatically not what straight people do, hence that would not be equality.

 

[NumberThree]

How does sexuality play a role in this video game? I don't see how it matters and would find it kind of insulting if I were that way inclined? It shouldn't matter nor need to be played upon in my opinion.

This game has a story. Stories often include relationships between characters. These relationships may be romantic.

Do you find it insulting every time a romantic relationship is presented in a a game?

 

[Dark Ninja]

Make Corvo into a transsexual. Make dishonored interesting.

 

[wesleyshark]

Not surprising, considering we don't know about ANY characters save for the two leads.

That being said, I'm somewhat curious to how people would react to an LGBT+ villain.

Wasn't the villain in Far Cry 4 gay? Or bisexual? Or was that kind of left open to interpretation?

He was a great villain, regardless.

 

[GandalftheRainbow]

A world where nobody ever even hints at their sexual orientation sounds like a boring world indeed, and frankly a very implausible one. Do your straight colleagues never mention their wives, girlfriends, kids? Not even during incidental small talk? No photos on desks, no awkward flirting at office parties, no relationships between employees? Not a single mention, ever, of finding a celebrity attractive?

The world we need is one where gay and bi people can be just as casual about their sexuality as straight people can. That doesn't mean avoiding the subject altogether unless strictly necessary, because that is emphatically not what straight people do, hence that would not be equality.

This, so much. I love how nicely and neatly you said it.

I don't think FC4 villain's sexuality was brought up. He was just extremely flamboyant, as I recall.

 

[Silent Chief]

Reminds me of the idiotic FarCry talks about the villain being gay

How so?

The villain wasn't even a prominent character in Far Cry 4.

 

[Silent Chief]

I don't think FC4 villain's sexuality was brought up. He was just extremely flamboyant, as I recall.

Are you saying he's not gay if it's not brought up?

I'm quite satisfied with characters that bring diversity without them actually demonstrating or proclaiming anything. It's not a dating game.

I just got my 1000th kill in Hardare Rivals. I don't know how many of those were on gay players and I don't need a stat to tell me, but some of those skins...

 

[Deleted member 10571]

I am the greatest

lol. I can't even deny this.

 

[GandalftheRainbow]

Are you saying he's not gay if it's not brought up?

Well, it usually is so, in this heteronormative world of ours. And assuming that he's gay just because he's flamboyant isn't really forward thinking.

 

[NHarmonic.]

So is this the latest fad and buzzword in games? It's not open world, it's not celebrity voice actors, it's not global illumination, it's not 1080p, it's not 60 fps, it's LGBT characters? I mean, if Dishonoured was about LGBT people then sure. But I have the feeling it's thrown in there to satisfy the tumblrinas and will be used as marketing.

I very much doubt it plays a role in the story at all and is like one of those things, "you know I'm trans right?".

Oh god, this is a joke right?

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Will people stop it with the "as long as they're written well" bullshit, no writer writes a character with the intention of it being terrible, and the concept of a straight character is never invalidated by a few of them being shit, why would that be the case for LGBT (or any minority) characters?

 

[kirblar]

Will people stop it with the "as long as they're written well" bullshit, no writer writes a character with the intention of it being terrible, and the concept of a straight character is never invalidated by a few of them being shit, why would that be the case for LGBT (or any minority) characters?

Seriously. The "as long as it's not a stereotype" thing riles me. It's a problem if every character is a stereotype. But it's also a problem if every character is Chris Redfield. Show the whole spectrum.

Persona is ultimately a story about masculinity and insecurity, not sexuality. It's usage is appropriate in context of the story they are trying to tell.

 

[Kai Dracon]

How does sexuality play a role in this video game? I don't see how it matters and would find it kind of insulting if I were that way inclined? It shouldn't matter nor need to be played upon in my opinion.

Here's the thing. There are countless ways in which the "sexuality" of a heterosexual character are indicated in works of fiction, that have nothing to do overtly with discussing the mechanics of sex. It's considered normal that a character may reference a romance, talk about dating someone, or respond to another character in a way that a heterosexual person would.

But because all this is taken for granted, it is invisible to people who have never had to stop and think about it. Therefore, when a gay character is inserted into a piece of fiction, a lot of people suddenly feel uncomfortable. Because now they see references to a character's sexual orientation that are new and different and this forces people to, for a moment, think about the topic of sex consciously. And they react by thinking "sex is being shoved in my face" in order to blame this discomfort on the immediate source, the gay character.

This is how we arrive at the silliness of a gay character's mere existence becoming "controversial" or "focused on sex" or "political". That is coded language for a straight person being uncomfortable that something in their field of view has for a briefly forced them to think about sexuality. Which is really a comment on society, and how it conditions people to be ashamed of openly discussing sex and insecure about sexuality in general.

Will people stop it with the "as long as they're written well" bullshit, no writer writes a character with the intention of it being terrible, and the concept of a straight character is never invalidated by a few of them being shit, why would that be the case for LGBT (or any minority) characters?

In some cases, people are genuinely concerned about the worst gay stereotypes being perpetuated and doing more harm than good. However, I must admit as time goes on "well written" seems to have become shorthand for the story treating the gay character as delicate and controversial subject matter that isn't appropriate for general audiences. And so gay characters shouldn't be in most works, because most works aren't specific discussions over sexual orientation and don't have a yellow warning sticker on them. Even some gay people seem to think this way; just because you're gay doesn't mean you can't be conditioned to be uncomfortable with seeing it acknowledged.

 

[SerTapTap]

I could get, to some extent, the Concern were this a bleh EA "kill the tone-deaf bad guys that are suspiciously all brown skined" title or something but this is Dishonored and the whole "oh no they will write them badly" argument is pretty reachy IMO. Not that it's a good argument anyway, tons of poorly written straight people. MAy as well even the odds.

It's kind of amazing that motherfucking Mortal Kombat 10 was the game that has the best use of subtly regarding a character's sexual identity.

Borderlands 2 was the first time I saw it done nicely and subtly. The writers for BL are pretty cool even if it's hip to hate 'em. Torgue is one of the best, and most LGBT friendly, characters of last gen

 

[kirblar]

I can understand where some of the "shoehorning" feeling is coming for some immediately after Sony's E3 though, if only because it's the final item on the "Everything was Last of Us" checklist.

-Parent-Child relationship (real or surrogate)
-Zombie Apocalypse
-3rd person action perspective
-"Cinematic" story focus
-High profile LGBT characters

But unless Kratos is now shouting "YASSS QUEEN" as his battle cry, it's very unlikely to be something people should actually be concerned about.

 

[BigDes]

Hooray for diversity I guess, but I'm still not sure why it should matter. Unless the sexual preference of a character is an integral part of the story somehow, it shouldn't matter or be highlighted. It should be left up to the imagination of the player.

Nate and Elena
Cloud and TIfa
Isaac and Ellie
Squall and Rinoa
Dom and maria
Prince and Farah
etc, etc, etc

Straight relationships are in plenty of games, and usually presented without comment or criticism. When the discussion comes around the LGBT characters and relationships it becomes oh this should be left to the imagination of the player. Sad.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Would wonder about that part as well. The way Dishonored is structured it wouldn't be a surprise if at least one of them is a target.

Not all targets in Dishonored are really strictly villains, though. IIRC my Corvo gave no fucks and executed most targets, but did spare at least one whom I felt didn't really deserve to die -- I think the lady in the manor?

Spoiler

Daud

killed everyone in the DLC though. He would give even less fucks and being merciful would be out of character.

first of all, I did not say a lesbian emily would be bad, any non-stereotype LGBT characters are good, no doubt. I just hope it won't be that because it would be a bit disappointing after that announcement and not that progressive. and I used the word "effective" when i actually should have specified more "progressive", but to clear up the confusion I will gladly elaborate on that.

as others pointed out, a lesbian would be "the easy way out", it's not progressive because girl on girl action is not perceived as negative in our society, unlike man on man action. I use the stupid term "action" here because I want to specify that I am not talking about real relationships here but the "wow that's hot dude" mentality when two girls kiss at a club and the men are cheering. that's not a real homosexual relationship but sadly that's what most lesbian relationships are reduced to in games and other media because that way, and only that way it pleases the straight white male audience. if the lesbians are not sexualized porn stars they are ridiculed like gay men, so this is clearly not about including LGBT but to produce eye candy for the male straight audience. only in very rare cases is that done right, I want to point out the last of us dlc here.

but dishonored, and I absolutely love that game, I finished it three times in a row and it's my favorite new franchise of the last generation, is very stylized game. it has a victorian and burlesque character design, which I love, but I don't see a grounded lesbian relationship possible here.

and because of those reasons I would think a straight female player character with a male romance option would actually be far more progressive, because that is something that is surprisingly rare in videogames. female player characters are rare enough but a forced female character with a forced male relationship is next to non existent. while the opposite is happening in almost every story driven game. of course nathan drake hooks up with his female companion, it's completely natural. lara croft however does not find romance, her male companion remains just a friend. playing AC: Syndicate last year made me realize how rare that is, because there Evie Frye is actually pursuing a romantic interest, but she is only one of two main characters and the focus was much more on her brother in the latter half of the game and the romantic interest more or less disappeared.

and this is the main reason why I think a straight female would be far more progressive. as much as I want lesbian players to have an experience in games that suits them, I think there is a far bigger neglected audience that has not had their due, yet. the straight female audience, and I think it would be great to include them more, and not only in RPGs where all kinds of romantic relationships are possible anyway.

I do say I hope the masculine woman isn't gay. I get tired of seeing Masculine Women as gay...Plenty of us gay women also are feminine and hyper "girly" and are attracted to it as well.

I agree showing a more tomboy/butchish/masculine ladies as completely straight is something that's be cool.

I love these posts. Thanks guys.

Yes, I admit it; I want Emily to be straight (or bi, whatever) and pursue a male love interest. Female protagonists in games never fucking do and it's... weird. And boring.

I guess they won't have her explore her sexuality whatsoever, though, from what they've said. That's too bad. Opportunity missed. Aloy, save us! ;D

Hooray for diversity I guess, but I'm still not sure why it should matter. Unless the sexual preference of a character is an integral part of the story somehow, it shouldn't matter or be highlighted. It should be left up to the imagination of the player.

Um. Why? Heterosexuality is always being shown even when it matters little to the story. Like having a womanizing male character, a flirty maid, whatever.

Of course Daud isn't around in 2, unless he got reincarnation powers in the second DLC. I mean, for a majority of players Daud is dead.

Well, will they really use that as baseline for the canon?

I believe it's been stated that Daud is canonically spared. The devs have established a Canon set of events for the game.

Oh booooooo!

Not them having a canon set of events, that's normal and expected. I did wonder which ending they'd have gone with. But Daud should have stayed dead. I can't imagine Corvo being so damn noble that he'd let him go after what he did to the mother of his child.

 

[GandalftheRainbow]

I can understand where some of the "shoehorning" feeling is coming for some immediately after Sony's E3 though, if only because it's one of the final item on the "Everything was Last of Us" checklist.

But unless Kratos is now shouting "YASSS QUEEN" as his battle cry, it's very unlikely to be something people should actually be concerned about.

There was one high profile character in The Last of Us and that's only really revealed in the DLC. The other one was a minor character, though written brilliantly. And his sexuality was brought up very subtly, to the point that I'm sure some poeple missed that.

And now I want a Kratos shouting "YASSS QUEEN". Maybe when he ends up in Egypt.

 

[CloudWolf]

Nate and Elena
Cloud and TIfa
Isaac and Ellie
Squall and Rinoa
Dom and maria
Prince and Farah
etc, etc, etc

Straight relationships are in plenty of games, and usually presented without comment or criticism. When the discussion comes around the LGBT characters and relationships it becomes oh this should be left to the imagination of the player. Sad.

My comment was about any and all sexual preferences. I never said I liked focus on heterosexual relations in games. In fact, I'd argue that unless a game is specifically about the relationship between characters, the player should ideally be left in the dark regarding sexual preferences of a NPC character. For most examples in your post I'd argue that the relationship stuff is an unnecessary drag on the main story.

Life is Strange is a great example of a game doing relationships well. Max can be hetero, gay, bi or just not interested in romance depending on your choice.

 

[E-flux]

A world where nobody ever even hints at their sexual orientation sounds like a boring world indeed, and frankly a very implausible one. Do your straight colleagues never mention their wives, girlfriends, kids? Not even during incidental small talk? No photos on desks, no awkward flirting at office parties, no relationships between employees? Not a single mention, ever, of finding a celebrity attractive?

The world we need is one where gay and bi people can be just as casual about their sexuality as straight people can. That doesn't mean avoiding the subject altogether unless strictly necessary, because that is emphatically not what straight people do, hence that would not be equality.

That's not what he said, he said that he just doesn't care about the sexual orientation of his colleagues, also with languages that have a bunch of gender neutral pronouns and shit like that those might not pop up so easily during small talk. And what you just described is in my opinion the best way to do a gay character, just let him or she be a normal character and hint towards it in the game, the "you know i'm gay?" conversation be it in real life, movies or games is always so dull. Or if there is a relationship in the game have it be a gay one, just don't wave a huge flag over their head and showcase them like a zoo animal.

And the tweet "prominent" in my language translates to eye catching which is again in my opinion maybe not the best thing to have when the game is going to be about stabbing people in the neck.

 

[Alienfan]

Nate and Elena
Cloud and TIfa
Isaac and Ellie
Squall and Rinoa
Dom and maria
Prince and Farah
etc, etc, etc

Straight relationships are in plenty of games, and usually presented without comment or criticism. When the discussion comes around the LGBT characters and relationships it becomes oh this should be left to the imagination of the player. Sad.

Ughhh this so much. Double standards really get me riled up - people are treating LGBT as some type of political point and therefore it should be left out of games, when no, it's just an aspect of daily life.
And characters can be well written and still present stereotypical tendencies. Stereotypes aren't some abstract concept, these traits can be apart of someone's personality or mannerisms - they aren't made up. Equating bad writing to leaning on stereotypes is just discrediting many people who actually behave in those ways.

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

How does sexuality play a role in this video game? I don't see how it matters and would find it kind of insulting if I were that way inclined? It shouldn't matter nor need to be played upon in my opinion.

Why would the fact that games are starting to include non-stereotypically LGBTQ+ characters be insulting?

As 'a gay' I think it's great that more awareness is given to my kind that we come in all shapes and sizes not just the stereotypes (not that there is anything wrong with it).

Being able to same sex date in Mass Effect and Dragon Age Inquisition made the games more fun than they normally would have been for me, especially in Mass Effect because it gave me a cause other than 'save the galaxy' to fight for, it made the story more personal to me and I wouldn't have got that if it were just heterosexual relationships.

ME3 Spoilers

Spoiler

The look on Kaidans face when he gets injured and you put him back on the Normandy just as you are about to go up to the citadel at the end of the game on a mission that is most likely going to get Shepard killed nearly destroyed me

 

[Alienfan]

That's not what he said, he said that he just doesn't care about the sexual orientation of his colleagues, also with languages that have a bunch of gender neutral pronouns and shit like that those might not pop up so easily during small talk. And what you just described is in my opinion the best way to do a gay character, just let him or she be a normal character and hint towards it in the game, the "you know i'm gay?" conversation be it in real life, movies or games is always so dull. Or if there is a relationship in the game have it be a gay one, just don't wave a huge flag over their head and showcase them like a zoo animal.

And the tweet "prominent" in my language translates to eye catching which is again in my opinion maybe not the best thing to have when the game is going to be about stabbing people in the neck.

With no disrespect to you, what the heck does "normal" mean? Sexuality and discussions about sex, relationships etc are typical things to have!

Imagine that in game conversation and replace that character with a straight one. Are all those issues you just raised still a concern? Probably not. I doubt many would bat an eye if a character mentioned/referenced their opposite sex partner, because heterosexuality is so invisible in culture. But that same character happens to be gay and mentions their same sex partner? We would get posts like the ones in this thread claiming the LGBT inclusion is pandering and doesn't fit the story.

 

[Orayn]

How does sexuality play a role in this video game? I don't see how it matters and would find it kind of insulting if I were that way inclined? It shouldn't matter nor need to be played upon in my opinion.

You're right, it's absolutely unnecessary to have Victor Sullivan of the Uncharted series talk about his sexual escapades with women. The straights should keep that sort of thing to themselves, IMO, we really don't need to have them shove it down our throats.

Spoiler

Do you understand why I'm saying this? Sully brings it up a fair number of times despite it not really being an essential aspect of his character; it doesn't affect why he's out there looking for treasure, or his relationship with Nate, so why is it mentioned at all?

 

[True Radiant Free]

Of course, this cesspool goes crazy over filth like this.

 

[Vital Tundra]

Please don't pull a mass effect.

 

[VectMachine]

Not them having a canon set of events, that's normal and expected. I did wonder which ending they'd have gone with. But Daud should have stayed dead. I can't imagine Corvo being so damn noble that he'd let him go after what he did to the mother of his child.

Chances are, it's because of all the targets, Daud is the most fleshed-out of the targets in the first game and the only one who's something other than "Some corrupt/powerhungry asshole". Not only does he have a big-name VA that shouldn't be too hard for Bethesda to hire (Michael Madsen will do any gig that pays him well enough) but considering his ties to Delilah, leaving him alive gives them a lot more possibilities story-wise (like having Emily confront him).

But yeah, in-universe, it would be a serious stretch to imagine Corvo sparing Daud without player choice being a part of it. Granted, in the first game you didn't even need to confront Daud and could either just escape or pickpocket him without getting caught to prove to him that you're his better.

From all evidence, it seems that Low Chaos is the canonical ending since High Chaos leaves Dunwall FUBAR'd as all hell

 

[T.O.P]

How so?

The villain wasn't even a prominent character in Far Cry 4.

No i was thinking back at people who were 100% sure he was gay because he acted a tad flamboyant and he wore pink

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=112126468#post112126468

Whole thing was a huge clusterfuck

 

[TheSpoiler]

Of course, this cesspool goes crazy over filth like this.

Yeah, this cesspool of people wanting to see LGBTQ characters! We are fucking FILTH.

 

[E-flux]

With no disrespect to you, what the heck does "normal" mean? Sexuality and discussions about sex, relationships etc are typical things to have!

Imagine that in game conversation and replace that character with a straight one. Are all those issues you just raised still a concern? Probably not. I doubt many would bat an eye if a character mentioned/referenced their opposite sex partner, because heterosexuality is so invisible in culture. But that same character happens to be gay and mentions their same sex partner? We would get posts like the ones in this thread claiming the LGBT inclusion is pandering and doesn't fit the story.

Yes they are normal things to have but the post i was answering to was talking about small talk and office stuff where i don't think that those topics are really that "appropriate" can't really think a better word for it now. Not really sure why you are asking me what normal means but to me if it's about sexuality it means that there's nothing wrong with it, or maybe that it's completely natural? I don't know. Until Dishonored 2 comes out we won't know how well they managed to do these "prominent" gay characters, but i'm on the skeptical side.

 

[xamidoxhua]

You're right, it's absolutely unnecessary to have Victor Sullivan of the Uncharted series talk about his sexual escapades with women. The straights should keep that sort of thing to themselves, IMO, we really don't need to have them shove it down our throats.

Spoiler

Do you understand why I'm saying this? Sully brings it up a fair number of times despite it not really being an essential aspect of his character; it doesn't affect why he's out there looking for treasure, or his relationship with Nate, so why is it mentioned at all?

His character is a dashing, treasure hunting, womanising, loveable old scoundrel. I'm of the view that the more you know about the character, the little backstories, the quirks, their life experiences etc. the richer it makes the fiction. Naughty Dog do a great job writing that in all their games.

As for Dishonoured 2, LGBT character, great. I don't see why people would be against this, and I understand why people are excited by it and see it as a potential milestone. But to me it'll just be part of the overall story. Not something to like or dislike - if written well hopefully something that adds to the story/character motivation.

 

[draetenth]

I was thinking Corvo and then reading through this thread people are saying that Corvo and the Empress was an actual pairing... Where did that come from in the game? I must have missed that conversation or didn't recognize it for what it was... :/

Still, I don't see why he couldn't be bi...

 

[GandalftheRainbow]

That's not what he said, he said that he just doesn't care about the sexual orientation of his colleagues, also with languages that have a bunch of gender neutral pronouns and shit like that those might not pop up so easily during small talk. And what you just described is in my opinion the best way to do a gay character, just let him or she be a normal character and hint towards it in the game, the "you know i'm gay?" conversation be it in real life, movies or games is always so dull. Or if there is a relationship in the game have it be a gay one, just don't wave a huge flag over their head and showcase them like a zoo animal.

And the tweet "prominent" in my language translates to eye catching which is again in my opinion maybe not the best thing to have when the game is going to be about stabbing people in the neck.

The "you know I'm gay?" conversations happen with me quite often because poeple don't get that fact until I blatantly state in a conversation. And after I came out in a subtle I'm nervous and worried if they knew what I really meant.

And "promiment" just means important to the plot.