| Would Mario Still Sell Millions if He Were Gay? |
By Gay Gamer |
Published
02/5/2007
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Blogging and Computing
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Rating: 
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A Whole New World?
Assuming what Witeck and Brathwaite say is true, and
companies like Lionhead Studios (which created Fable and is now owned
by Microsoft) and Rockstar Games (makers of Bully) continue to push the
envelope and move the industry forward, what could the future hold for
gays and lesbians looking for a more realistic and representative
gaming experience?
Edison hopes the future will bring "more of
the same kind of healthy gay presence we’re beginning to see in games
like Bully and Fable," he says. "I’d like to see more incidental
characters who happen to be gay or lesbian, and it not being that big
of a deal.
"I hope that in 10 or 20 years we can look back on
characters like (Nintendo’s "fruity" sidekick character) Tingle and
Enchanted Arms’ Makoto with the same sheepish absurdity we now see in
the gay TV characters of yesterday, like Paul Lynde’s uncle Arthur in
Bewitched," he adds.
"We are, I think, universally hungry to see
ourselves portrayed in the medium we love," Edison says. "Just as gays
and lesbians have welcomed themselves on the big and little screens, I
think that any halfway respectful representation of homosexuality will
be met with open arms by most gay gamers."
Bennett, who is
working with a few of the people he met on gamers.experimentations.org
to create a "gaymer-friendly" game for the PC, adds, "I think it’s time
games started to reflect a more diverse and sophisticated view of
homosexuality. This doesn’t mean game developers should feel the need
to arbitrarily add gay characters and themes to their games. What this
does mean is game developers should start trying to include gay and
themes and stories when it’s appropriate, and when it can be done it a
way that respects the game and the maturity of the gaming public.
"I
think the classic gay-friendly games like The Sims or Fable really get
it right in that they neither punish nor reward the player for
exploring gay themes in the game," he says. "They’re treated exactly
the same as their heterosexual equivalents. In television and film,
we’re finally seeing the portrayal gays as complex and varied human
beings. It’s my hope that one day we’ll start to see the same thing in
our games."
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