not insignificant… The majority has no inherent
‘right’ to get more options than anyone else.”
HEADER
Just like in real life, there are a few attitudes that
we’ll have to help change along the way, but
we’ve at least been acknowledged. Even Ken
Levine, lauded for his work with the “Bioshock”
series once said, “Writers don't have a responsi-
bility to make exclusively noble gay characters,
they have a responsibility to portray human gay
characters.”
The Internet and social media have made devel-
opers and publishers increasingly transparent.
Bioware’s ending to “Mass Effect 3” caused an
incredible outcry from gamers who disliked it for
one reason or another, and that outcry led to the
developer creating an alternate ending. If GLBT
gamers send a strong message of what they want
to developers, it’s entirely possible that they’ll
listen.
Another consideration is narrative. RPGs in par-
ticular are driven by strong narratives and char-
acter development, and are the perfect genre for
GLBT characters. The best characters, though,
won’t be the ones who burst into the room in an
explosion of glitter with the “We’re here, we’re
queer, get used to it” attitude. A character’s sexu-
ality should not be the focal point of that char-
acter because it creates a caricature instead. Per-
haps the best example of how to handle sexuality
is seen in the character Kanji, from “Persona 4.”
Characters in the game face their alter-ego —
physical manifestations known as shadows —
in an alternate dimension within the television
known as “The Midnight Channel.” These shad-
ows represent facets of their personalities that
they suppress. Kanji acts anti-social, macho and
works at his family’s textile shop, but his shadow
is the opposite — flamboyant, scantily clad and
inhabits a steamy bathhouse. you eventually help
Kanji face his inner turmoil and he accepts his
alter-ego as part of himself. His character never
comes out and declares his sexuality outright, but
in a world of continually straight characters, his
sexual identity conflict stands out. Here we have
a character with many attributes — strength, de-
pendability, dedication — that also happens to
not be absolutely straight. Maybe not everyone
can relate to Kanji’s specific struggle, but there
isn’t a person alive who hasn’t struggled with the
disparity between whom they appear to be and
who they actually are. g
Scott macdonald is an award winning young journalist
originally from Idaho. He writes The Simple Truth for Just
Out. Reach Scott at Scott@JustOut.com
October 2012
JustOut.com
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