Sex in games seems to be coming in. GTA was the first game really to allow you to be a criminal and kill and maim at your leisure…and I remember the media furore that caused. Now it’s fairly common place. I think sex in games will become more common both straight and gay. I agree the sex scenes in Mass Effect were quite tastefully done.

But then you have games like Enchanted Arm with Makoto, who’s stereotypical screech made me want to tear my ears off. I’m sure to some gay people that may have found that an offensive portrayal? However to my knowledge he’s also the first openly gay playable character is he not? So a brave and mature decision but it could have been handled better for the Western releases.

I have to disagree with the GTA thing, especially with GTA4. So far in the full game and the two expansions I’ve given a crap about the protagonists because of the way the story works.

I also believe Rockstar have also handled the idea of sexuality the best way to introduce it into the industry; with a lot of humour.

It did make me laugh with The Lost and Damned with the infamous ‘full frontal nudity’ scene. I’d read about it, and when it got to that cut scene the camera kept daring to go lower, and just when I thought it had been oversold, or was being exaggerated, it was exposed and I was left thinking ‘There it is, a big dong!’.

Sure it’s purely for shock value, but it was dealt with humour which makes it less possible for media to pick up on it out of context and make a big deal a’la Modern Warfare’s airport level.

I mean, it’s only in recent years TV and movies have been able to deal with homosexuality in more mature ways, after years of poking fun at the subject. I think it’s gonna be a ‘one step at a time’ kinda thing.

It’s certainly a subject the industry will tackle at some point, as soon as sex can be included in a game without a massive media frenzy.

I wonder why developers like to throw in the girl on girl, do they think that we really want to see it?! personally I think that its just a way for devs to assert heterosexuality into their games.. lets face it which would most straight people rather watch, 2 girls or 2 guys?

I think thats the question that it bottles down to. I also think that although its socially acceptable to be gay its still not socially acceptable to broadcast it in such a way, but 2 girls is cause its for the majority.

Pretty sad really if you ask me. Yeah I’m straight but I have openly gay friends and it doesn’t bother me at all. Its all down to choice. I also think that this is a good topic for a poll!

Other games like GTA, Fable II etc, the sex angle is titillating, and (in the case of the former at least) gratuitous. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with a laugh and a joke, but at what expense to how people who don’t play games view the Games Industry at large I wonder?

I can only hope that developers like Bioware and Quantic Dream etc continue to blaze a trail with such mature storylines and handle them appropriately – I really do think they can add to a game and how immersed you become in it and care for the characters you get to know, as apposed to games like GTA where you don’t (not that this makes them bad games, it doesn’t – it just makes for brainless gameplay as a whole that isn’t anywhere near as engaging).

As an openly Gay man I hope developers like the above also don’t shy away from embracing Gay-related storyarcs in games with paths of choice, my only real disapointment with ‘Mass Effect’ (which is my favourite game I’ve ever played due to its amazing immersion) was the fact that the only Gay choice was for two female characters to hook up, which I kinda felt was a little bit of a cop-out if truth be told.

Time will tell, but there are developers out there who know how to do this stuff, and do it right within the context of a games storyline.

And a strip tease in the end credits.

Don’t think they made it into the US release tho.