Despite the fact that homosexuality is quite well perceived in video games and in our current society, it was quite discreet in the past. Prior to the 2000s, the vast majority of main and supporting characters were defined as heterosexual. Homosexuality being only suggested. How has the video game world evolved on this subject since its creation ? Has homosexuality in games always been well received ? Let's find out together.
A discreet and difficult arrival
The very first game featuring a gay character was Moonmist in 1986. You can also find other gay games at gaysexgames.games. In one of Moonmist's four endings, Vivien Pentreat becomes the villain of the game. The protagonist finds a letter where Vivien talks about his late beloved in a desire for revenge. Even so, at the time of its release, Nintendo denied any form of homosexuality in the game.
Birdo, another example of a character who suffered censorship, first appeared in Super Mario Bros 2 in 1988. Of the game, it is written that Birdo is a boy who thinks he is a girl, and who prefers to be called Birdetta. However, he was censored and depicted as a female character in all countries outside of Japan. Even today, Birdo's gender remains unclear, but he is often considered the first transgender character in video game history.
An increasingly strong identification with the characters
Another game for playing transgender characters is The Sims. It offers very extensive character customization, both in terms of appearance and character. Since 2016, it is therefore possible to embody, for example, an infertile woman who has a deep voice and broad shoulders. Recently, many games like Dragon Age Inquisition, Skyrim, and Saints Row IV also allow the player to fully customize their character and choose their sexuality. In this case, they go even further because the character is not necessarily human !
When playable characters are enforced, developers tend to use two methods so that the player continues to identify with the characters. The first is to leave the choice regarding the personality and sexuality of the protagonist as in Fallout 2 or Fable II. The other method of the developers is to offer a greater diversity of characters and personalities so that each player can identify with one of them.
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