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Why A Video Game Blockbuster Will Finally Allow You to be a Gay Man

Spartacus FPV

Spartacus FPV

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Why A Video Game Blockbuster Will Finally Allow You To Be A Gay Man

In the video game adventures of Commander Shepard, being a gay man was neither a matter of biology nor choice.

It was a matter of programming. And the programming of Shepard's first video game, 2007's Mass Effect, made being gay impossible.

And then things changed. The programming changed. You can play Shepard as if he is a gay man in next month's Mass Effect 3.

Why? The people who make the game wouldn't say it's because they are advocates. Not quite. They have another reason.
"We got feedback from players that they wanted more choice," Ray Muzyka co-founder of Mass Effect studio BioWare told me during a recent interview. "We respond to that feedback and try to make our games better based on what our players are asking for."
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How very interesting the guys @ BioWare are, every game they're pushing the progressive envelope.
 

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Forget the man on man, I'm hoping to get Ashley into bed ;)

On my second playthrough of course, in my first me and Liara are going to have little blue babies together.
 
This is nothing new.

In Fable 2, not only could you shower your chosen npc with gifts, you could even wed them and set up a household.

In SW:TOR, romantic events with your companions are possible, though from what I hear, other than straight sex, only lesbianism is available.

And don't get me started on the Sims franchise...all combination were possible...even with children, so I've heard. Though to be fair, that was a mod.
 
Mycroft said:
This is nothing new.

In Fable 2, not only could you shower your chosen npc with gifts, you could even wed them and set up a household.

In SW:TOR, romantic events with your companions are possible, though from what I hear, other than straight sex, only lesbianism is available.

And don't get me started on the Sims franchise...all combination were possible...even with children, so I've heard. Though to be fair, that was a mod.
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I'm not convinced it's an agenda as much as mirroring real life.
 
Your Star said:
Forget the man on man, I'm hoping to get Ashley into bed ;)

On my second playthrough of course, in my first me and Liara are going to have little blue babies together.
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Psssh I killed Ashley off. Kaiden is so much better :)
 
iliveonramen said:
I'm not convinced it's an agenda as much as mirroring real life.
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Oh, I agree.

My point is that homosexuality in computer games...even big-named games...is nothing new.
 
That is pushing the envelope. Gamers (mainly males) were strangely preoccupied with lesbianism and the figures of young women, but were interestingly absent on including male on male contact. For a culture that brought us Laura Croft and Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball, I say, "go figure."
 
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Fiddytree said:
I kept the girl, killed the guy. I didn't use Kaiden much.
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With Wrex, Garrus, Tali, and even Liara, its no mystery why.

Kaidan and Ashley are both annoying. Well, Ashley annoys me, Kaidan is bland. I left with Kaidan with the bomb mostly because his voice actor voices an even more unbearable character in Knights of the Old Republic, an older Bioware game.

I guess I can see why some people would like them as 'comfortable' romances; I liked Nadia Grell in the Jedi Consular romance in Swtor.
 
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I'm pretty sure this isn't a new thing. I remember playing text games with potential gay main characters.
 
Your Star said:
You obviously didn't play right ;)

Gah I can't wait till next week.
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Same here. I wasnt going to get it when it came out but then I played the demo and decided I need it.
 
Omgitsme said:
Opposite for me. Kaiden almost always went with me. Or Garrus.
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It was always Ashley/Liara/Garrus for me in the first one. A little more varied in the second, but mostly Garrus/Mordin/Tali.
 
They are hardly the only ones. This has been going in since Mass Effect 1 and Fable 1. Not to mention Dragon Age.
 
StillBallin75 said:
They are hardly the only ones. This has been going in since Mass Effect 1 and Fable 1. Not to mention Dragon Age.
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The first Mass Effect you couldn't have a gay relationship. I mean, sure you could attempt to count the FemShep, and Liara relationship as a lesbian relationship, but since the asari don't really have a gender per say it doesn't really count. But you could romance Kelly in ME2 as a FemShep, so there's that.
 
Your Star said:
The first Mass Effect you couldn't have a gay relationship. I mean, sure you could attempt to count the FemShep, and Liara relationship as a lesbian relationship, but since the asari don't really have a gender per say it doesn't really count. But you could romance Kelly in ME2 as a FemShep, so there's that.
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I took gay to mean homosexual in general, but point taken.
 
StillBallin75 said:
I took gay to mean homosexual in general, but point taken.
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I did too, but calling the FemShep/Liara relationship a gay relationship really isn't accurate.

Total nerd about this **** :mrgreen:
 
StillBallin75 said:
I see all asari as female. They might be asexual, but they're all chicks.
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But they don't really have a gender, they just are. This is even brought up in the game, when you "flirt" with both Kaiden, and Liara at the same time, eventually they will both come up to you, and Kaiden will say "I didn't know you were into other women" and Liara will say "Well we asari don't really have a gender per say".

But yeah, I'm glad I only have one class next Tuesday.
 
Your Star said:
But they don't really have a gender, they just are. This is even brought up in the game, when you "flirt" with both Kaiden, and Liara at the same time, eventually they will both come up to you, and Kaiden will say "I didn't know you were into other women" and Liara will say "Well we asari don't really have a gender per say".

But yeah, I'm glad I only have one class next Tuesday.
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lol...i'm one of those guys who waits months and years after a game comes out before buying. Cheaper, and you can get the expansion packs as a packaged deal usually.
 
StillBallin75 said:
lol...i'm one of those guys who waits months and years after a game comes out before buying. Cheaper, and you can get the expansion packs as a packaged deal usually.
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Yeah, I can't do that haha. I got the collectors edition too.
 
StillBallin75 said:
lol. Have you been playing SWTOR? I played for a few weeks during winter break, but then spring semester started :)
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No, my laptop can't run it. I was looking into a PC, but just don't have the money right now. I will play it eventually though! Probably don't need it right now anyway since ME3 comes out next week, and would like to get all A's this semester.
 
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