Alternate Realities - The Queer Question

Gaming offers us the chance to enter other worlds, personalities, universes and realities. With the open ended possibilities within gaming, why then are these alternate realities stagnated in the here and now when faced with the question of queer or the female. If gaming is set in the future, or in other worlds, then surely these worlds should reflect possible futures or completely differing worlds from our own?

Historically the queer question is a simple one, are things getting better for queers in reality? although not a perfect YES!, the answer is still yes, things are getting better. Laws are changing, people are less fearful and with more knowledge comes less fear and discrimination. Looking at a timeline like this, then surely a title set in the real future should feature real future ideals--in this case perhaps gayness that is there and not hidden or is just accepted as the norm.

There are obvious 'now' problems facing developers who would dare go this route, but it does bring up a multitude of interesting questions. Why is it that when creating a fake world where often aliens and technology are par for the course, notions of homosexuality are still buried in the now.

This isn't a problem within gaming alone, science-fiction television suffers from the same dilemma. Star Trek for example is set in a future of the now, yet features no openly gay characters (barring a couple of side stories). This goes some way to explaining the recent furore over the Mass Effect 'lesbian' scene--people are not used to gay and lesbian content in games even if they are set in other worlds / universes.

Even when content in games may appear 'lesbian', there are a variety of 'ingenious' ways of covering up this content. In TV they will often use convoluted background stories to show their sensationalist 'lesbian' moment, only to have it fade into the background--games are no different. Matrix Revolution was passed by the ESRB only after the developers stated that the lesbian kiss was actually between two computers and not flesh and blood women. Similarly in Mass Effect, the developers were forced to explain the lesbian content by using the term 'mono-gendered' in reference to one of the female characters, who whilst appearing female, was within the framework of the story an alien being of both genders.

The recent Battlestar Galactica episode 'Razor' featured a lesbian relationship that just was. There seemed to be none of the usual sensationalist furore that surrounds lesbian content, but even in a series so forward thinking with regards to the female characters, it still fell into the demonisation of the lesbian character by having her be the villain--or in fact, both of them villains for differing reasons. None of the lead characters in the series are gay, even those that exhibit stereotypically gay traits.

It definitely seems that gay and lesbian visibility in popular culture is becoming more predominant, however it has a long way to go. Only when developers realise that creating the future may require them to be more diverse and accepting, will we see more lesbian / gay characters in games.

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Comments

[blackgem]

I think the last series I really remember treating gay/lesbian issues in the future well was probably Babylon 5.
Yes, the relationship between Talia and Ivonova was never explicitly stated, but it was pretty clear (waking up in the same bed in one episode for example). Similarly, casual mentions of gay relationships (including two characters posing as gay honeymooners) are all over the place and project the undercurrent that these things are just normal and accepted part of everyday life, which is how, in an ideal world, it should be.

Since then, despite the vast number of sci-fi series out there, the number of gay characters has been non-existant (Doctor Who/Torchwood being the only exceptions springing to mind).

[DarkPaineX2]

The only other game that I can remember with an actual lesbian relationship is Fear Effect 2 for the PSone. The main characters Hana and Rain were together. Check out this cutscene video from the game.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5kH7EnwwR1E

[xaositect]

Hey, great article, but there was one thing I wanted to mention.

In regards to this:

"Similarly in Mass Effect, the developers were forced to explain the lesbian content by using the term 'mono-gendered' in reference to one of the female characters, who whilst appearing female, was within the framework of the story *an alien being of both genders*."

The game itself never once hides from the fact that the asari are an "all female race". The term "mono-gendered" comes up to explain the fact that "male" and "female" mean nothing to the asari (in regards to their own species), as obviously they never needed to distinguish, being all "female".

[Ashley-Yin]

Just a quick mention of Buffy the vampire slayer and its really old too.

[Skotti]

Gah...

Helena and Gina...

I still cry over that complete and utter BS. My little brother has had to talk me down from the clock tower a couple times after my girlfriend (who's a die hard BSG fan) had me watch Razor and the first couple seasons of BSG.

My geek group at my university came to the sad realization, that we're VASTLY under represented in sci-fi.

[Thefremen]

As a longtime fan of BSG, I'd just like to defend the Cylons (especially number 6). They are not villians, they are freedom fighters.

I mean, nobody who watched DS9 thought of the Bajorans as being evil, why is it that everyone who watches BSG thinks the cylons are horrible monsters?

By the end of the series I think people will be pretty suprised about their true nature, and learn a little something about how they look at people who are different (talkin' bout cylons still).

That being said, the lack of gay characters in star trek is disturbing (even while some of the actors are in fact gay!) and this is a serious problem in the world of Science Fiction. I can't help but think that the legacy of Orson Scott Card and Robert A Hienlien has something to do with this, but on the other hand what about Frank Herbert? (people who've read all 6 books will understand what I mean, while those who are only familiar with Dune will just recall the Baron Harkonnen, moreover some think of the Bene Geserit the way the male characters in the first book do, as horrible manipulative power hungry bitches, while their true nature as stern mothers who do what they must in order to insure that humanity survives is only revealed much later)