Would you like to see more same sex couples in gaming?

[NorthernChaosGod]

I would actually prefer if romance was left out of more games completely. And I fail to see why games should be representative of life.

[Rez09]

I'm completely indifferent to the issue itself; more homosexual relationships are the same to me as more heterosexual relationships. I generally find it one of the least important aspects of a character. That said, whenever I encounter questions like this my ultimate answer is less about my actual opinion on the matter and more about WHY a person wants more or less of something in their game worlds.

For instance, my answer is an emphatic 'no' if the primary reason a person wants more gay couples in their games is because they believe some people and their views are antiquated and see this as a way to combat those people and opinions. This is effectively weaponizing a concept and stuffing it into a game to push a political position and contributes nothing positive to the world itself.

Conversely, if someone wants more gay couples in a game because they feel they can tell a good story with them, or because they have written a good character and this element is a part of who they are, like Fiona in The Longest Journey, then my answer is a resounding 'yes' -- I like seeing more of any kind of relationship that makes people seem real and fleshed out.

Considering a third angle, if the person wants more homosexual couples in games just to have more homosexual couples in games, my answer here is ultimately 'no'; I don't see particular value in placing more homosexual couples in games just to have homosexual couples, just as I don't see value in placing more heterosexual couples in games just to have more heterosexual couples. Forcing character development in certain directions like this 'just to have something', while potentially interesting, strikes me as a generally poor development philosophy.

[KarlMay]

Yes, why not?

[rhophiehalul78]

Mass Effect, Fallout, Dragon Age and other games are already implementing this and I am personally OK with them.

[Laddy]

Romance in games bores me; I'm indifferent.

[Fynn]

I'm completely indifferent to the issue itself; more homosexual relationships are the same to me as more heterosexual relationships. I generally find it one of the least important aspects of a character. That said, whenever I encounter questions like this my ultimate answer is less about my actual opinion on the matter and more about WHY a person wants more or less of something in their game worlds.

For instance, my answer is an emphatic 'no' if the primary reason a person wants more gay couples in their games is because they believe some people and their views are antiquated and see this as a way to combat those people and opinions. This is effectively weaponizing a concept and stuffing it into a game to push a political position and contributes nothing positive to the world itself.

Conversely, if someone wants more gay couples in a game because they feel they can tell a good story with them, or because they have written a good character and this element is a part of who they are, like Fiona in The Longest Journey, then my answer is a resounding 'yes' -- I like seeing more of any kind of relationship that makes people seem real and fleshed out.

Considering a third angle, if the person wants more homosexual couples in games just to have more homosexual couples in games, my answer here is ultimately 'no'; I don't see particular value in placing more homosexual couples in games just to have homosexual couples, just as I don't see value in placing more heterosexual couples in games just to have more heterosexual couples. Forcing character development in certain directions like this 'just to have something', while potentially interesting, strikes me as a generally poor development philosophy.

I mean, I kinda get what you mean, but I'm also kind of miffed by this attitude.

If you're a creator and want to write in queer characters and couples, you can very well do so and always find a compelling reason for them to be there. If it's meant to bring a marginalized group more visibility and representation and you as a creator care about that group, you will find a good way to implement them in a believable way. But then, you can be a lazy creator and decide that you don't want to risk getting labeled as someone who "gave us the gays just because that's the PC thing to do".

It's not about weaponizing - it's about addressing current issues. Video games are now also a narrative tool, much like books and movies, and those will always touch upon social issues in one form or another. It's pretty much an inevitability and there is no wonder that certain groups wish they were represented better. And I always give writers props for trying