TheInfamousKira
Reseterror Resettler
So, first and most importantly, disclaimers:
I think this is cool with the ToS, if not, mods can take care of it.
This is a topic for actual engaging discussion about representation's role in games, where it's used correctly, incorrectly, disengenously. Good examples of characters and protagonists, etc. Please keep this thread away from specific politics, as per THE RULES.
And finally, I know this is a redundant request for 98% of you, but keep hatred and slurs out of this discussion.
That said:
I was recently browsing another purple forum, and there was a thread about Chris Redfield and whether or not people thought he was gay, would ever be outed as gay by Capcom, if there's evidence of him being gay, etc. There was talk about a note in the RPD in RE2R that Chris left, and a couple of users interpreted it and subtext for his sexual orientation, where as the vast majority were like "He's obviously speaking out of character to send his comrades news of his sting on Umbrella in Europe without alerting the crooked police,"
And this got me thinking about the whole representation in gaming thing. Now, I wholly believe games should be games above all, but as the trend of narrative focused titles with deep characterization rises, of course there is going to be more facets of the real world expressed and explored.
So what, fellow GAF, constitutes good representation to you? What are some good examples that aren't hamfisted? What are some examples that you thought were poor, be it because of stereotypical portrayal, disingenuous check box ticking or real world agendas creeping in? Following that, do you think titles and characters defined by their sexuality should be a thing? Are we setting up a lopsided double standard, or is the error thinking that a game that doesn't have gay themes or characters is automatically a "straight game," ?
Furthermore, do you believe companies have gay coded characters without explicitly stating their preferences, or do you think it's mostly underrepresented people seeing animal shapes in clouds? Is there a perfect balance?
To put in perspective, I'm a bisexual dude who has mostly been involved with women, so none of this is coming from a jaded "You guys already know the answer I'm looking for!" point of view. It's just a topic I don't see explicitly mentioned on GAF a lot, and I figured for some, it would be a discussion worth having. For those not interested, I get it, too.
I think, just as a little bit of my own opinion before signing off here, Bill from the original The Last of Us was one of the best realized homosexual characters in gaming. He was a side character, sure. But his sexuality tied into his story without overpowering it, and it never creeped into the main storyline. It wasn't preachy, praised or condemned. It was just a part of his character. A detail to flesh him out and make him more realistic. There was a level of restraint and realism there that I'd love to see other games (and media in general) tackle.
Have it, guys.
I think this is cool with the ToS, if not, mods can take care of it.
This is a topic for actual engaging discussion about representation's role in games, where it's used correctly, incorrectly, disengenously. Good examples of characters and protagonists, etc. Please keep this thread away from specific politics, as per THE RULES.
And finally, I know this is a redundant request for 98% of you, but keep hatred and slurs out of this discussion.
That said:
I was recently browsing another purple forum, and there was a thread about Chris Redfield and whether or not people thought he was gay, would ever be outed as gay by Capcom, if there's evidence of him being gay, etc. There was talk about a note in the RPD in RE2R that Chris left, and a couple of users interpreted it and subtext for his sexual orientation, where as the vast majority were like "He's obviously speaking out of character to send his comrades news of his sting on Umbrella in Europe without alerting the crooked police,"
And this got me thinking about the whole representation in gaming thing. Now, I wholly believe games should be games above all, but as the trend of narrative focused titles with deep characterization rises, of course there is going to be more facets of the real world expressed and explored.
So what, fellow GAF, constitutes good representation to you? What are some good examples that aren't hamfisted? What are some examples that you thought were poor, be it because of stereotypical portrayal, disingenuous check box ticking or real world agendas creeping in? Following that, do you think titles and characters defined by their sexuality should be a thing? Are we setting up a lopsided double standard, or is the error thinking that a game that doesn't have gay themes or characters is automatically a "straight game," ?
Furthermore, do you believe companies have gay coded characters without explicitly stating their preferences, or do you think it's mostly underrepresented people seeing animal shapes in clouds? Is there a perfect balance?
To put in perspective, I'm a bisexual dude who has mostly been involved with women, so none of this is coming from a jaded "You guys already know the answer I'm looking for!" point of view. It's just a topic I don't see explicitly mentioned on GAF a lot, and I figured for some, it would be a discussion worth having. For those not interested, I get it, too.
I think, just as a little bit of my own opinion before signing off here, Bill from the original The Last of Us was one of the best realized homosexual characters in gaming. He was a side character, sure. But his sexuality tied into his story without overpowering it, and it never creeped into the main storyline. It wasn't preachy, praised or condemned. It was just a part of his character. A detail to flesh him out and make him more realistic. There was a level of restraint and realism there that I'd love to see other games (and media in general) tackle.
Have it, guys.
