And then there’s Birdo. Hmm. No comment, really.

The early games seemed to express that homosexuality didn’t exist, or that such characters were inherently rather bizarre or insane. Things have definitely changed since then. And it seems appropriate that they seem to have started with one of my favorite series of all time.

Are you sure, Avatar?

I am an unabashed Ultima nerd. This series of games offered so many options, so many stories, and it’s still the standard to which I hold the role-playing in electronic RPGs. I played the earliest ones, but it wasn’t until Ultima IV that it really captured my heart. No evil wizard. No quest to slay dragons. Instead, the game was simply about inspiring others by becoming a better person. This blew my 16-year old mind!

Another first for me in the video-game world was in Ultima VII when I entered the infamous Baths at Buccaneer’s Den. There were three bath attendants, including Roberto, a male character. If you were playing a male Avatar and told him you wanted to choose him, he made sure you were certain, but then he went with you willingly. And in case you’re wondering, no, I didn’t remember Roberto’s name off the top of my head. I did research. I’m not that much of an Ultima nerd. What Roberto and I may have been special, but it was a long time ago…

Sim-ulatedly Gay!

The next big leap I can remember was when I got my copy of the original The Sims. My strongest memory of that purchase, besides waking my husband up at 4 AM with the sound of screaming sims who’d set the house on fire while trying to cook, was realizing that you could have two male sims fall in love, have sex (err WooHoo), and form ongoing relationships. This was a total mind-fuck. After all, three years previous, in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud was capable of cross-dressing, seducing Don Corneo, and even choosing to kiss him…only to be shut down at the last minute for comedic effect. This was a pretty big jump in three years.

From there, things really seemed to grow in favor of games having a gay option. Fable and Fable II both options to start a relationship with and marry a same-sex partner. In Bully, Jimmy Hopkins can regain health from kissing any girl, but only a small percentage of boys will reciprocate his interest…I’m guessing around 10% of them. Too bad Jimmy was never able to hook up with poor Petey from the same game, who seemed like the most obviously gay kid in school.

All of these, however, were just child’s play (pun intended) next to what arrived last year.

It’s Not Gay If It’s an Elf

If you recognize the Penny Arcade quote in my section title, then you probably know that I’m talking about Dragon Age. So, quick confession here…I never played Dragon Age. I watched my husband play it. Watching over his shoulder, however, I saw him nurture a very mature, sweet, and yeah, sexy gay relationship with Zevran, the charming elf assassin. When this led up to one hell of a steamy sex-scene, I was stunned and incredibly pleased. I’m sure it caused a furor, but it’s something you have to really actively work towards. It’s not as if the game forces you to have gay elf sex. It’s just something that can happen in a game that’s amazing for its various choices and the consequences thereof.

Rumor that you could have a gay relationship with Alistair turned out to be just that, sadly. Some people had made changes to their PC game to put a male skin on their female characters, thus making it possible to enjoy your steamy sex scene same-sex style with Alistair. This wasn’t something the game creators added: just enterprising hackers having some fun.

It’s also not possible to have hot gay sex in the stunning Mass Effect games (much to my husband’s disappointment). Well…at least not male gay sex. Lesbian sex is available, but, as Kinsey-6 a male as you’re likely to find, this really isn’t my area of expertise.

On the other hand, when I double-checked my facts on this with my husband and our housemate, my husband said, “No, there’s no gay sex in Mass Effect.”

“But there’s porn of it!” my housemate added.

Tomorrow’s Child

Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Will we see gay main-characters going mainstream in video-games? Hmmm…probably not tomorrow, but maybe the day after that. As more and more RPG-type games offer gay options, it becomes obvious that the industry knows that there’s a segment of society interested in them. Video games are art, no matter what certain individuals in the media have claimed and retracted in the past, and art reflects the society that creates it. As our society continues to gain acceptance for alternative lifestyles, it’s logical to assume our games will as well.

How About You?

What’re your favorite same-sex moments in video games? Are there characters that just seem to be that way? Share your own experiences.

At the time of this writing, I’ve played five of the six origin stories, and gotten fairly far on a few of them (well, it feels far, anyway).  I’m not through with the game by any means, but I feel I’ve gotten enough of a taste to begin to review.

First, the stories.  The last fantasy RPG  game I can remember playing for XBox was Oblivion – which, sadly, had a tendency to put me to sleep.  Not so with DAO – even when I’m observing friends play I find myself completely absorbed in the plot, which was a pleasant surprise.  Even though I knew this was supposed to be an “adult” game – I had seen the goriest trailers – I still gasped aloud the first time violence entered the picture.

That’s something of a trend with this game.  After playing one or two origin stories, you can guess what events must take place in order to put your character where it needs to be – but even if certain elements of the story are predictable, they are no less entertaining.   Conversely, there were quests in which I was certain I knew what would happen – and was floored when it took a twist I was not expecting.

The controls are something of a contradiction.  When I first took up the 360 controller, I felt that certain elements were counterintuitive – figuring out how to enlarge the mini-map took me much longer than it needed to.  However, it had been a long time since I’d played a 360 game that didn’t require a guitar or drums, so it might simply be that it was counterintuitive for me.

In contrast, I was apprehensive about the difficulty of the battle system, but it was surprisingly fun and simple.  I’ve been told by friends that you can get as in-depth as you want in controlling the members of your party, but I am content, at this point, to let fighting be as automatic as possible.

One friend felt that the fights themselves were inconsistent – that they either felt too easy or nearly impossible.  I’m willing to agree with that statement, except to say that “too easy” feels “just right” for me.

The graphics are a definite step up – visually, there’s less of a difference between when you’re controlling your character and when you walk into a conversation scene, making for a more seamless experience.  And the creepy deadeye look is indeed lessened here, as I’d hoped.  I also noticed that several different art styles are used throughout the game, adding to a sense of history, a more developed world.

The “romance” aspect has been a bit of a letdown.  Only one of my characters has earned a kiss – and then when that happened, I felt embarrassed!  I think I’ll leave the romance plots for chick flicks (and those novels that I occasionally read and then pretend I had mistaken it for fantasy).

The other adult factor, the blood, is all-too present, and at first it’s a little bit of a shock.  I soon grew used to my characters being covered in blood, though – all in a day’s battle.

All in all, I’d say that even though I was intrigued by the idea of Dragon Age: Origins, I was unprepared for how drawn in and entertained I’d actually be.  I think I was expecting something more along the lines of God of War – lots of blood, fun killing things, but not much more.  Instead, I found a storyline that, for the most part, moves along at a decent pace and keeps me playing – which is a nice surprise.

I was also unprepared for how addictive this game would be – in recent years I’ve been the sort of person who enjoys games that can be played for a few hours, left for a few months, and played a little bit more (unless it’s WoW).  I don’t think I’ve been this drawn in to a console game since the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

Dragon Age: Origins is definitely worth a look – if I had rented mine, I wouldn’t have wanted to give it back.