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Ok, rant time. First off, the sexuality in ME3 in general seems a bit more forced than it was previous. Whereas Joker and EDI in Mass Effect 2 was implied that there was some chemistry going on, here it is pretty much obvious that they want to go at it, not a simple romance or even an intimate relationship, but actual bang buddies. Like they skipped a whole step and now want at it like rabbits. 1) She is a robot still, he is a human with fragile bones, and I know that gets brought up, but when she first goes into the cockpit and he makes mention about how attracted he is to her, there isn't even a "dude, she is a robot, how would that work?" thing brought up. Everyone seems entirely ok. I know if I suddenly had a thing going on for my toaster or my car people would flash me weird looks. I understand there is an acceptance that BioWare was going for, that in the future people probably have all kinds of robots for all sorts of pleasures, but still, shouldn't there be an education step instead of a general acceptance?
Second part of the forcing sexuality. I was expecting Liara to feel betrayed over my romancing Jack in 2 (even if I didn't ask for Jack, she basically forced herself on me, which kind of ticked me off, but that is for another time). Instead, she was very accepting of me and Jack, and after I told her that the romance there was over, all Liara basically said was, "oh, ok, wanna have some private time later?" That is it? Like we skipped the acceptance or the building of trust and are ok with it? I'm sure there is more to the story than this that I am missing, but it just feels like it is forced here.
Ok, now for the main meat of the article, the homosexuality. I won't even touch on Shepard same sex option where saying no is the renegade, but rather the other things I have noticed. The shuttle pilot was handled well, at least from what I have seen where he says that he lost his loved ones, including his husband. However, the way the line was delivered highlights the husband part, as if BioWare wanted to say, "He is gay, see, he has a husband, he is gay. Accept him for being gay, he is your shuttle pilot and he gets you things from the market. Did we mention he is gay?" I know I may overexaggerate that a bit, but it just feels too forced about his homosexuality. Then a friend showed me a part on the citadel with two lesbians holding hands publicly. I'm ok with that, it shows that, in a future with a female monogendered species hooking up with females from other races is ok, being publicly gay is acceptable. What I wasn't ok with is the convo that they had. They were discussing how to tell the husband of one of the women in the couple... I sat there for about 5 minutes with my jaw slacked open at what kind of message this sends to people. That suddenly if you are an adulterer it is ok as long as you are gay or in a same sex relationship? Once again I know I am not getting the whole story here, but still, it comes off as a forced scenario to try and put out "hey, we have gay people in our game, deal with it and accept it"
Now, in closing, I understand both sides of what BioWare is trying to do. 1) They are trying to make homosexuality more acceptable in games. 2) Game development and publishing is a business, and they are trying to get a niche market that is pretty much untapped. I am not going to touch on 2, that is a different story for another thread. 1 however, I once again applaud BioWare for attempting something that hasn't been widely explored, but there are problems with this. It feels less like I am playing an epic and more like I am apart of a love story, or worse, a fan fiction. I've been invested in Mass Effect for 2 (and part through 3) games now not because of the love, but because of the tale being told, the rich lore. I understand in most stories there is romance, but the sex is only in a scene or two, other then that there are scenes where once can see the connection of said couple, but they aren't constantly talking about sex or their love life. I paid for an RPG and a space epic, not a trashy romance novel. On the side of the homosexuality, it has been done in games in a less forced way, and more of a character's backstory than in their actual dialogue and forced out there like an awkward scar on the character. Examples of homosexual or sexual orientation in question characters in games include:
- Flea from Chrono Trigger. It wasn't until I was older that I figured out Flea may not be a woman. Yet it did not define Flea's wholly. Rather, it was just another small point on the character. His/her sexuality was not forced upon us, it didn't take priority, it was just a characteristic of Flea.
- Volgin from Metal Gear Solid 3. Yes, this is a bit more forced, but it is only in one scene where he grabs the players crotch to determine that the character is not his lover. However, the homosexuality does not take priority for him either, rather is helps to define his character. You'd figure a sadist like him would not have a loving romance, yet during his boss fight if you wear Raikov's mask, he pauses for a moment in hesitation, showing that underneath his sadistic nature actually lies someone who can love. Yet Kojima did not force this side upon us, but rather showed it through subtle context. On that note, many characters throughout the series have been implied as gay or not straight, but they have not been forced upon us.
- Fallout 2 had same sex marriage. I realize Fallout 1 and 2 were more satrical pieces and black comedy, but still, they had same sex marriage (whether it should be taken seriously or humorously is up to interpretation). Once again it was not forced upon the player, it did not dominate news headlines, it was just there for the player to discover. It was not forced upon them.
- Tommy from Indigo Prophecy. I realize the game falls flat at the conclusion, but this scene still shocks me and was handled pretty well. The female lead Carla keeps getting emails from Tommy throughout the game, and we are left to assume Tommy is her boyfriend. At the end when he does show up though, it is revealed through casual conversation about Carla's lack of a relationship that he is dating a banker and that there are plenty of good men in New York. This falls closer to the shuttle pilot from Mass Effect 3 in that it is revealed in dialogue rather than implied, but here it was more in context and helped to further the scene. Tommy was assuring her that if he, a homosexual man, could find love, that there was probably someone out there for her too. Yet no one seems to remember this scene.
Modifié par Templar_Blademaster, 08 mars 2012 - 07:02 .
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