Lesbian Games and the Male Gaze

When Laura Mulvey first spoke of the ‘male gaze’ in relation to cinema, she referred to the notion that women were positioned in cinematic releases to please men. The reasoning behind this was that men made up the majority of the viewing audience and therefore it made sense from a business point of view to sell to them.

In the gaming industry, this goes a long way to explaining the inherent sexism that has been prevalent over the years where female characters often play the supporting role or that of sexual object. This also explains why titles such as Fear Effect 2, Outlaw Golf 2 and Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude feature such sensationalist lesbian scenes. Lesbian scenes sell to men, but in a time where we’re constantly being told women are now making up around half of all gamers, does this common theme need to continue?

The question remains as to whether for lesbians it is a positive statement to have ANY kind of lesbian content in a video game, or whether it would be preferable to be completely invisible rather than cater to the male gaze. With the recent uproar over Mass Effect’s ‘lesbian’ kissing scene, are we making any forward strides in being accepted as ‘normal’ characters in games or will we continue to be there purely for the male gaze.

Comments

[Crimson Jupiter]

Sorry, but i fail to see the problem here.

I don't think that many male gamers really care that much about seeing lesbian content in games. I think that the majority does not care about it. And even if they did. So what ? Why should a female gamer bother ? The only important question is: What do YOU want to see in the games you play.

I remember a dispute in a XENA Fan Forum many years ago (yes, i was a fan back then). Someone posted a rant about how unrealistic XENAs Armor was and that it should be changed and that its only function was to make her look sexy. To this there was a huge response both from the male and the lesbian Xena fans. They all pretty much told him to shut up and that they didn't care about realism and that they WANTED her to look sexy. Sexism is not a privilege of the male audience and it is not necessarily a bad thing. At least thats how i see it.

ps: "Fear Effect 2" did NOT have any lesbian scenes !

[Colvin]

Hi Crimson, I think we both read that article in differing ways given the writer didn't state there was a problem. The writer questioned the need for male gaze development regarding videogames due to the shift in the gamer demographic, which is a fair enough question.

Regarding the Xena thing, it's a common theme for people to complain about armor coverage, given armor serves a purpose and if that purpose is not being met by the equipment the equipment becomes obselete other than for ulterior motive (sort of like a blunt can opener or a pen with no ink).

PS Fear Effect 2 Retro Helix DID feature lesbians in the form of the lead characters Hana and Rain. There is a lot of info about this given the male gazed lesbian elevator scene so I am surprised you hadn't heard about it.

[Lesbolicious]

Did I say there was a problem? And if you don't think that male gamers care about seeing lesbian content in games, why are there articles all over the web about the lesbian scene in Mass Effect, about the top lesbian kisses in games and so on?
I'm not saying that sexism is a privilege reserved for the male audience. I was asking, do lesbians also want hot female characters in games, who does it benefit and so on.
As for lesbian content in Fear Effect 2, you're wrong. There's a lesbian subplot running through the entire game and there's a lesbian scene in the elevator where the two female characters make out to distract the guards.

[Cat_D]

I want hot female characters with a brain and some modesty. The character being lesbian just gives more depth and an open door to be able to relate with. Or role-play as, if you're into that stuff ;)

I also want to see fag-dykes. You know, metrosexual dykes. The androgynous ones that cross the gender barrier. They are fun and witty.

[Crimson Jupiter]

Hi Colvin,

you are right about reading the article in differing ways and i guess i took it the wrong way. I see that now.

As for FE2, it has been a few years since i played this and i remembered the elevator scene, but in my memory the lesbian theme was very subtle and only hinted at. Anyway i just found the elevator clip on youtube. Yes, it was different than i remembered, but i also see that i didn't remember it too wrong because i wont call that "making out". Fear Effect 3 was supposed to be a lot more focused on the relationship between Hanna and Rain, judging from the promo videos and the other material that got out before it was cancelled. I also read that they had trouble marketing it BECAUSE of the openly lesbian content. Why is that, if so many boys would love to see that in a game ? I still claim that most of them don't care about it. Half-Naked chicks with big boobs, yes, but not lesbians.

[Bonnie Ruberg]

It makes you wonder if we, as female gamers, can turn the male gaze around on itself when we look at hyper masculine characters...

Also, are those Steve Carrell's eyes? They totally look like it!