The issue with modern same-sex relationships, however, is that they feel interchangeable with straight relationships. This is most prominent in the Mass Effect series, in which – as the vast majority of gamers know – you can choose which way you swing. Mass Effect’s attempt at homosexual relationships was as well-crafted as their heterosexual one (pretty fucking poor). Both felt incredibly mechanical and lacked any sense of actual human emotion. It’s still somewhat commendable that a blockbuster title included this option, though, even if it was handled as well as a ham-fisted man operating a wrecking ball.
So, what do gamers want? What type of same-sex relationship do gay-mers desire? My answer involves using the Uncharted series as an example. If Uncharted’s Nathan Drake didn’t have an on-again-off-again relationship with sassy news reporter Elena Fisher, but with sarcastic news reporter ‘Ian Fisher,’ would that honestly change the dynamic of the relationship? Yes. Like it or not, homosexual relationships differ greatly from heterosexual relationships and simply switching genders isn’t going to revolutionize the way homosexuals are depicted in the industry.
Drake isn’t gay, which I understand sounds strange as the scriptwriters could have made him so. They could have decided to make him fancy sea creatures if they wanted. My point is that Drake’s narrative throughout the three – and in 2016 four – titles wouldn’t fit if he was gay. Thus, if Drake had a relationship with another man, we could tell that it isn’t genuine – which again, sounds strange.
Players should stop asking questions like, “Why isn’t Drake gay? What would happen if he was?” because it’s a non-argument. It’s like asking why Indiana Jones isn’t gay or why isn’t Lara Croft gay? What we should be asking is, “Why is it so difficult to create realistic homosexual characters? Why can’t writers and developers seem to create believable protagonists?” Is it because even in 2014 we still feel a terrible sense of uncomfortableness when we see two people of the same-sex express themselves romantically? Well…. kind of.
In general, people do not like to see public displays of affection, of any nature. In fact, in the early days of mainstream cinema, audiences were outraged by anything more than a quick peck on the lips. While video games have evolved quickly, other visual mediums like film have decades’ worth of slowly conditioning audiences to view scenes of a sexual nature.
Going back to our video game example, in the entire series – so far – Drake and Elena have shared exactly one fervent kiss. Sure, there are scenes involving an underlining sense of longing between the two, but other than that, one of gaming’s favourite couples hasn’t done too much. Gaming is still rather young when compared to other mediums such as cinema, and both video games and certainly its audience haven’t matured to the extent that romantic scenes can be viewed in an adult fashion, which is why it’s so difficult to develop.
What I’ll call traditional video game relationships are years behind their silver-screen counterparts, so it’s not hard to imagine that homosexual video game relationships are even further behind them. I’m not saying that video games have to show every private moment of a relationship to prove that the relationship is real, but I’m saying that it’s taken many years to get to the point where traditional video game relationships are beginning to be portrayed in a convincing way. I’m not saying that all video games create these types of relationships, but they’re progressing well.
Gamers and developers should discuss this quite frankly, astonishingly sensitive subject of personal values forced upon a wider audience because debating the way we play video games, watch films and television is a great way to alter the content that we view. Groups should not berate developers because their games don’t show relationships how they see fit. It’s a point that these individuals need to understand.
Perhaps the answer to what we can do to help homosexual relationships in video games is to wait. I know that isn’t the most helpful answer in the book, but it’s an answer that seems to makes the most sense. Don’t you think?