Running head: HOW HOMOPHOBIA IS AFFECTING VIDEO GAMES
How Homophobia is Affecting Video Games
Will Zettel
Sheridan College
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HOW HOMOPHOBIA IS AFFECTING VIDEO GAMES
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Table of Contents
Heading
Page #
Abstract
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How Homophobia Is Affecting Video
Games
Homosexuality in Games
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The Consumer Response
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The Future of LGBT Characters
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Conclusions
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Recommendations
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References
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HOW HOMOPHOBIA IS AFFECTING VIDEO GAMES
Abstract
This report discusses the video game industry and the inclusion of homosexuality.
Some games and companies have paved the way for others to follow, and this report
includes the ways in which they have helped develop an identity for LGBT characters in
the world of video games. This report also describes how some consumers and anti-gay
activists have slowed the progress of the inclusion of diversity. This report analyzes the
audience’s responses.
All research for this report was gathered from Internet articles and personal
experience.
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HOW HOMOPHOBIA IS AFFECTING VIDEO GAMES
How Homophobia is Affecting Video Games
The video game industry is ahead of many of its consumers in relation to
homosexuality being included in video games. This being said, however, there is still a
long way to go, though there are a few modern video game developers who are trying to
make progress in this area in a meaningful way. Two major examples are Lionhead
Studios, the creators of Fable, Fable the Lost Chapters, Fable II, and finally Fable III.
The other more dominant example is BioWare, creators of Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon
Age II, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and most recently Mass Effect 3 and Star Wars: The
Old Republic. Both of these companies have not only included different sexual
orientations in their games but have also stood strongly behind the decision to include it,
as evidenced in their sequels and later works that continue to include it.
However, progress is not as simple as just including homosexual, bisexual, or
trans-gendered characters; it is important to create storylines and characters that belong,
regardless of their sexual orientation. Thankfully, there is a powerful way to include
different sexually oriented characters in a deep and meaningful way. First, this inclusion
can be accomplished by making sure the character exists because he/she is important to
the game. Second, game creators should ensure that the character is defined by his/her
importance, not sexual orientation. Last, it is important to avoid stereotypes and create an
original character in a realistic manner. In these ways, the development of characters and
the inclusion of different sexual orientations become more meaningful and integral, and
contribute to the video game industry as a whole.
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5
Homosexuality in Games. Homosexuality's inclusion has
not always been the way it is today: "While progress is definitely
being made in introducing gay and lesbian themes [into video
games] there is still a large history of negative stereotyping in
video games that stands as an obstacle to understanding and
relevant inclusion" (Morine, 2009). Though this statement is
outdated, as more progress has been made since this statement was
published, it still holds grains of truth, and the history of
negative stereotyping cannot be ignored. An example of this
Makoto, Enchanted Arms
Source:http://i.neoseeker.com/ca/encha
nted_arms_conceptart_2iNvs.jpg
stereotyping is "Makoto, an openly gay character from Ubisoft's Enchanted Arms" who
"is both a positive and negative stereotype of a gay man." He is principled, loving, and
combat effective, but he is also portrayed with an extremely prominent lisp, feminine
body gestures and pose, as well as a very feminine outfit (Morine, 2009).
Lionhead Lays the Groundwork. Other games and game companies have been
bolder and have pioneered the way with their inclusion of homosexuality. First there is
Fable, a game developed by Lionhead Studios in 2005, in which the player, as the
protagonist, can marry anyone he wishes, whether it be another man, a woman, both, or
none, as many times as the player decides. This choice is progress because in the game no
one is openly gay in a sense. Instead, characters are just people who either like the player
or not, and though not entirely realistic, Lionhead Studios does avoid placing stereotypes
on sexuality. Lionhead, with the later installments of Fable II and Fable III, continues to
build upon the relationship portions of the game. The player can now play as a male or
female, and then proceed to marry anyone he/she wishes, regardless of gender. As well,
HOW HOMOPHOBIA IS AFFECTING VIDEO GAMES
these games introduce more realism by identifying certain non-player characters (NPCs)
as specifically gay, straight, lesbian, or bisexual. Again, this is another step in the right
direction, as there are no positives or negatives to any sexual choices in the game.
BioWare, the Current Leader . The other big player in pioneering the industry
forward is BioWare, with its many games focused around player choice and options.
BioWare has created multiple games that
include same-sex couples. BioWare's
portrayals are progressive in adding different
sexually oriented characters. The characters
they include are integrated into the story, and
though they do step on some stereotypes,
overall, these are believable characters, who
are also gay, lesbian, or bisexual, but their
Mass Effect 3, Steve Cortez. The gay romance option for
Male Commander Shepard
Source: http://www.gamingphoto.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/09/normandy-char-cortez.jpg
sexuality is incidental to the action.
Consumer Response
Of course, the inclusion of homosexual themes in video games has encouraged
gamer response. The louder opinion is that the content does not belong there, and people
with this opinion have been extremely vocal about it, to the point of sending hate mail
and protesting the companies that have made the game (Brightman, 2012). It is apparent
that the inclusion of homosexual themes has caused a massive uproar, especially among
the homophobic and anti-gay organizations. Though they are not a majority, these people
certainly make their voices heard.
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Homophobic Defense. These anti-gay activists make wide claims that include
spouting that, "When LGBT activists began pressuring BioWare, which is a daughter
company of Electronic Arts, to let players simulate homosexual scenarios, the company
declined. During an Internet discussion in April 2009, a BioWare monitor wrote that
terms such as gay or lesbian “do not exist in Star Wars” and closed the thread. (Johnson,
2012).
This is not the case. BioWare included the option to have relationships with samesex companions because the company already had some opposite sex companions in the
game that were romance-able (able to be romanced or start a relationship with) and
wanted to include more options so that players had more choices. There was no pressure
from LGBT activists; there was just input from people who like the game, and play it,
and wanted to give their own ideas on how to improve the game, just as gamers do on
any other game forums.
These anti-gay activists go on to defend their homophobia with claims that they are
defending children, even going so far as to present highly assumed statistics as fact: "An
online poll used to express support for inclusion of LGBT characters in the game
consisted of just 35 people. The Florida Family Association estimates 1.7 million copies
of the game have been sold, the vast majority to young children" (Johnson, 2012).
This statement is incorrect. First, the article does not state what the votes were for,
only that 35 people voted. As well, online polls are a weak source of evidence because
they only show feedback from one particular website, not a population. Secondly, the
Florida Family Association is assuming that the game was sold to a vast majority of
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children, which if true, would still require the parents to have bought the game. The
children could not have bought it themselves, since the game is rated T for Teen which is
a 13+ rating. Johnson goes on to quote David Caton, the president of the Florida Family
Association, "the worst part about this is we have children who are 9, 10, 11, 12 years old
children playing these games" (2012).
The Game Rating System. This again brings up the point of the rating system.
The ESRB is the current rating system for all video games in North America. It covers
everything from E for Everyone through M for Mature and lists content in the game,
ranging from comic mischief to intense violence, blood, gore, sexual themes, etc. All
video games are required to be rated. Though these rating are just guidelines and it is not
illegal for someone under 13 to play a T-rated game, retailers still have rules to follow.
Retailers cannot sell T games to children 12 and younger or M games to people 17 and
younger without a parent present and giving permission for the purchase. With this rating
system in place, the anti-gay activists’ whole defense goes up in smoke, because not only
is the game given a rating that states who should be playing the game, but it also says
what content the game includes. Therefore, the responsibility really falls to the parents. It
is as simple as saying what content you want your child to experience. Technically, there
is an unspoken agreement in the purchase of a video game, which involves the purchaser
saying that he/she consents to the content in the game, whether for him/herself or the
child.
However, what if the child is 13 and therefore capable of buying it on his/her own,
and ignoring that the parents should still have the final say on what their children access?
The argument that Johnson quotes from Caton is, "[The] main concern is the social
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engineering element,” he said, adding that he is concerned someone's young child will
see “this cool looking character who is transgender male-to-female, and says, 'Hey that's
what I want to be.' It's something he would never think about apart from that game."
(Caton, 2012).
This way of thinking is a fallacy. First, this clearly comes from someone who still
thinks that homosexuality is a choice. Secondly, he clearly thinks that teens 13 (has to be
13, otherwise they should not be playing the game unless the parent feels that the child is
able to maturely handle the content at an intellectual level) or older do not already have at
least some idea of their sexuality. This again shows the holes in the reasoning against
homosexuality in games.
The Future of LGBT Characters
In the future, LGBT characters will be interwoven throughout video games' lore
and societies. Game companies will continue to include homosexuality in the games they
make as they work to mirror society, creating more believability and depth in their game
worlds and characters. There will always be people who believe differently, but
homosexuality has just as much place in video games as women and people of different
races, just as they do in the reality. Though the roads look troublesome ahead, diversity
will pave the way to understanding, and the speed bumps caused by people who are
against homosexuality will slowly fade.
Conclusions
Characters with different sexual orientation exist and belong in video games. With
the initiative of Lionhead Studios and more so BioWare, the inclusion of sexual diversity
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is increasing. Other game companies will follow suit and help create something truly
amazing. Though having homosexuality in video games is not always well received by all
consumers, its inclusion is not only necessary but also a very smart fit, as games are an
interactive media where the player not only lives fantasies, but also lives alternate
realities. Perhaps with hard work and determination, video game producers can break
through the barriers of prejudice towards people with different sexualities and help
people understand other people by placing players almost literally in another's shoes.
Recommendations
1. Portray homosexuality in a non-stereotypical way, with real character development.
2. Include homosexuality where appropriate.
3. Create characters that are defined by their importance to the game and other
characters, not by their sexuality.
4. Include different sexualities, inclusion leads to normalization.
5. Support companies with your wallet and stand up for the inclusion of different sexual
orientations in video games.
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References
Brightman, J. (2012). EA defends itself against thousands of anti-gay letters. GamesIndustry
International. Retrieved from www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-04-04-ea-defends-itselfagainst-thousands-of-anti-gay-letters
Johnson, B. (2012). Star wars video game to allow characters to have homosexual romances.
LifeSiteNews.com. Retrieved from http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/star-wars-video-gameto-allow-characters-to-have-homosexual-romances
Morine, N. (2009). Homosexuality, bisexuality in modern video games. Suite101. Retrieved
from http://suite101.com/article/homosexuality-bisexuality-in-modern-video-games-a173785
Seitz, D. (2012). Anti-gay group hilariously freaks out over "The Old Republic." Uproxx.com.
Retrieved from http://www.uproxx.com/gammasquad/2012/03/anti-gay-group-hilariouslyfreaks-out-over-the-old-republic/
Vitali, D. (2010). From heroes to bullies: homophobia in video games. Student Pulse. Retrieved
from http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/159/from-bullies-to-heroes-homophobia-in-videogames