Putting the Gay in Games: The Industry's Evolving Attitudes Toward Sexuality

Games and gamers alike may have matured quite a bit in the past 40 years. But when it comes to sexuality, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Compared to the increasing prevalence of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) characters and storylines in other media -- from same-sex prom dates on Glee to gay headmasters in Harry Potter -- video games remain relatively stuck in the Dark Ages. What little LGBT content does make it into AAA titles often reflects stereotypes and attitudes that would've seemed quaint even under the 1930s Film Code (even William Hays would roll his eyes at Duke Nukem Forever's not-so-clever cigarette brand, "FAGGS").


"On one hand, it's justifiable to say that these are games, and not platforms for social causes," says David Gaider, senior writer at BioWare and lead writer of the Dragon Age series. But, he adds, "being entertainment doesn't mean you're absent of responsibility for the message you put out there."

Still, as the average gamer grows older and the definition of "gamer" changes, we're starting to see developers experiment with LGBT content in new and more interesting ways. The truth is, games have never been gayer than they are now.

More LGBT Content!

Just look at the relative wealth of LGBT characters and storylines in many role-playing games and open-world games these days. The Sims and Fable series, for example, both allow players to woo, sleep with, and even marry same-sex partners. In the latest Fable installment, gay protagonists can even adopt.

"These romances have evolved along with the overall political climate," says Denis Farr, writer and editor for GayGamer.net. "In some ways -- like in allowing same-sex marriage -- they're even ahead of the times."


Improved game-building technology is what makes open-ended game romance possible, says game designer Jeb Havens, who fronts the International Game Developer Association's LGBT special interest group.

"As technology improves and allows designers to include more choices in their games, it just makes sense to offer more options with the gender of the characters the player can pursue romantically," he says, "especially in an open-world game or an MMO, where you can do anything as a character."

These love interests, however, aren't characters so much as props: Eligible Bowerstone bachelors in Fable III, for example, have no dialogue and only a small set of standard actions they can perform. Their entire personality is summed up in a three- or four-word profile. Compare that to the default heterosexual romance option, Elise/Elliot, who offers the player special dialogue and gifts, and even a personal quest.

"The generic characters aren't really interesting in and of themselves beyond being able to offer you that choice, but I think it's what we'll see a lot more of," says Farr. "With better technology, it's difficult to justify not including it."


One developer that offers more complex LGBT characters in its games is BioWare. In both Dragon Age games and the upcoming Mass Effect 3, players can woo non-player characters of the same gender, no matter what their own. Dragon Age II even offers an equal number of potential same-sex partners for a male protagonist as opposite-sex ones (female protagonists have one additional heterosexual option).

What's more: Leliana, Anders, and the rest of the Dragon Age series' supporting characters offer hours of conversation and interaction beyond just the monosyllabic babble available in the Sims or Fable games. Indeed, Anders' personal storyline -- one often compared, Gaider says, to the current controversy over gay rights -- serves as the driving force behind Dragon Age II's overarching narrative.

What's distinctive about BioWare's approach is that although players may choose to have straight or gay romances in the game, the characters themselves are written to be gay from the start. A player's choices merely reveal their bisexuality if it exists, rather than defining it. Take Anders, who will reveal to a male Hawke his prior involvement with a man named Karl, but neglect to mention it to a female Hawke.

"No matter who the player is, Karl was always someone [Anders] was romantically involved with," says Gaider. "The part of him the player is exposed to, however, is different. Anders doesn't mention Karl to a female Hawke because Jennifer Hepler [Anders' writer] didn't think he would -- and also because a player who prefers to think of Anders as straight is welcome to do so."


The downside to building more fleshed-out LGBT characters, however, is that it requires additional manpower, development time, and testing that perennially time-crunched developers may not have. "You have to be careful where you apply your resources," Gaider says. "Spending a great deal of effort to make something only a small number will see isn't always going to be possible."

"But if we approach the subject of romance, and providing extra options isn't too expensive, is there a good reason why they shouldn't be there?"