Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

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Nikisaur
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Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Nikisaur »

I know there is a topic about gay characters in Suikoden. But this is... not about Suikoden. My friend and I were having a discussion about this today, and I don't really know of any games that have openly gay or bisexual characters. Are there any that you know of? Or any that are heavily implied? I'm interested.

I am, of course, turning a blind eye at the serial bisexuality of characters in Bioware games for the moment. Simply because the player already influences so much of the games direction anyway, changing the sexuality of a character isn't much of a stretch from that. Although I would love it if the player tried to pursue a character of the opposite sex and they just turned around and were like "Sorry, I'm full homo."
The only thing Suikoden lacks...is dinosaurs.
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Zer0
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Zer0 »

The one example that really sticks in my mind? Persona 4 has Kanji Tatsumi, although he's not specifically stated to be gay, he's confused about his identity, his artistic interests, and his attraction for a girl who dresses like and resembles an androgynous male because she fears being discriminated against at her profession. (Kanji thinks shes a guy at first).

Really, Persona 4 is a game that tackles a lot of issues not normally seen in videogames, you should check it out.

While Kanji is not explicitly, openly gay, he's the greatest example i can think of, of a character that tackles these sort of issues as part of his development.
Last edited by Zer0 on Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Darkbeat
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Darkbeat »

Enchanted Arms has Makoto, who is not only gay and in love with another (male) main character but is exceedingly flamboyant.

For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StKodcZRe8I

While I'm on the subject, not only did I enjoy his character I fully enjoyed the entire game as one of the better JRPGs of this generation.

Though I agree if you want the situation handled tastefully in a character that everyone, without fail, absolutely adores then it has to be Kanji Tatsumi.
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Zer0
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Zer0 »

Forgot about Makoto lol, Enchanted Arms was a pretty sweet game. Good call.
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Oppenheimer »

I discussed my opinion on Makoto in this thread:
http://www.suikosource.com/phpBB3/viewt ... 62&t=11378

The Sims has always given you the option of same sex relationships if you want.

Gaygamer.net has a somewhat suspect top 20 list of gay people in video games:
http://gaygamer.net/top_20_gayest_video ... haracters/
Plus a few other articles on the site adding more people to the mix.

And of course there's Zevran and Leliana in Dragon Age.
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Luke
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Luke »

@Zer0: hide the information on the second character of Persona 4 you named. It's a spoiler for those who haven't yet played (not me) this game, especially in sight of the psv porting of the game
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Zer0
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Zer0 »

I suppose so. There you go.
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Rooks
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Rooks »

I have said this before but there are few gay or bisexual friends in video games, there are far fewer straight ones than many would imagine too, as the subject doesn't really fit into most games. When ever you play a character, all we really know about that character is in the text of the game, and I think part of the fun might be that people like to imagine or theorize about a character's sexuality. I don't really care too much, except when characters are defined only by that sexuality, rather than people with thoughts feelings and motivations of their own.

I guess I could bring up Choaniki, the infamous Choaniki at that, also called: The Legend of Holy Protein. It was made first for SNES then for PSX and there might even be a PS2 game out too. But it is just so over the top that it is impossible to tell whether the characters are homosexual, a mockery of homosexuals, or some kind of idealistic fantasy produced by a mind that has taken way too many illicit substances.

There is nothing overtly offensive about the gameplay, but it might give some people nightmares. I think the funniest thing is that the guy playing this just keeps commenting: "This is horrible. This game is just so horrible!"

*Link Removed For Public Morals*

*Link Reinstated by popular demand*

http://youtu.be/VEW2jNKb_Xs

The game depicts muscular men in speedos firing beams from the tops of their heads, which have been hollowed out in order to allow for the beam cannons, I guess. . . It is just so over the top and incoherent that virtually any commentary on it is kinda pointless.

But I find many characters in games -both "straight" and "gay"- kinda the same way. They are kinda hollow and pointless, and they are so over the top that reading too deeply into them is a mistake, because if you do that, then you are giving the creators of the games way too much credit.
Last edited by Rooks on Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Belle
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Belle »

Rooks wrote:I guess I could bring up Choaniki, the infamous Choaniki at that, also called: The Legend of Holy Protein. It was made first for SNES then for PSX and there might even be a PS2 game out too. But it is just so over the top that it is impossible to tell whether the characters are homosexual, a mockery of homosexuals, or some kind of idealistic fantasy produced by a mind that has taken way too many illicit substances.

There is nothing overtly offensive about the gameplay, but it might give some people nightmares. I think the funniest thing is that the guy playing this just keeps commenting: "This is horrible. This game is just so horrible!"

http://youtu.be/VEW2jNKb_Xs

The game depicts muscular men in speedos firing beams from the tops of their heads, which have been hollowed out in order to allow for the beam cannons, I guess. . . It is just so over the top and incoherent that virtually any commentary on it is kinda pointless.
What do you mean... there's... nothing... overtly offensive...? It's a thong sandwich almost two and a half minutes in... and did... did you... did you completely miss the mechaboners at 4:03 and 4:21? They bend and stretch obscenely and erupt for crying out loud. I suppose you can't expect anything less from a game with 'holy protein' in the title. The bald dude at the bottom of the screen made me laugh, though.
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Rooks
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Rooks »

Sorry Sorry. I mean, there is no actual nudity and the err. . . phallic objects are mechanical, at least. I mean yeah. . . it is all implied I guess. I'll remove my link. You should do the same in your quote of me.
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Zer0
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Zer0 »

Not to sound childish but i laughed at "mechaboners"
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Belle
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Belle »

LOL, sorry, I didn't mean that I was personally offended. Sometimes it's hard to express one's meaning through text only; I probably should have made use of the emoticons in this case. The whole sequence is actually pretty funny for the reasons you've listed. I just found it odd that the phallic structures on the boss went unnoticed... even by the majority of the Youtube commenters.

Seriously. Please don't remove your link. It is epicness of a strange kind.
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Rooks
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by Rooks »

LOL Ok I'll put it back up. I can see why someone would be offended though, I mean, if I wasn't laughing so hard I might be offended, I don't know. But, as I said, Cho Aniki is so surreal that it is hard to figure out if this was a real attempt at introducing games to gay culture, or whether the game is little more than a dorm room joke that got way out of hand.

Here is where I first learned about Cho Aniki, from Gay Rights advocate and Journalist Brian Safi, on his little portion of the "Infomania" program that airs on Current TV. He also lists many other games that he enjoyed playing as a kid with maybe/might be/who the heck knows gay characters in them.

http://current.com/shows/infomania/9248 ... re-gay.htm
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chibinovachan
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by chibinovachan »

In Summon Night: Swordcraft Story for GBA you can choose to be male or female. If you get the gaurdian beast, Sugar, she is in love with and wants to wed your character regardless of gender.
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RangerDeon
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Re: Question: Homosexuality in Video Games

Post by RangerDeon »

"Sorry, I'm full homo" lol Ace.

Urick in Drakengard 2 was 'full homo'. It was hinted through dialogue during a fight that he and this guy who looks like Schtolteheim Reinbach III had a sorta romance before said guy went all evil on him. And what I loved about Urick was he was the tank of the team. The game didn't go straight for the stereotype.

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