Gaymers Speak Out
Are you a gaymer? If so, you’ve probably already realized that Mass Effect: Andromeda has just released this week. Problem is, gay gamers are pretty upset with what they got.
If you aren’t a gaymer and don’t know, Mass Effect: Andromeda is just the latest in a video game series that’s been running for a decade now.
The Mass Effect series started back in 2007 and was about humanity’s next big step, space. Specifically, you played as Commander Shepard (who’s gender and sexuality you could choose) as he (or she) captained a motley crew of space adventures and protected the Milky Way galaxy from an evil alien threat.
The sci fi game was so successful that it garnered two sequels and now this third one.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is not just the newest installment to the video game series, but it’s also the first with a totally different setup.
This game as a new story and hero. In it, you choose one of two twins who have joined a mission to inhabit a new galaxy. Your hero leads the charge into the colonization of this new galaxy and meets new aliens (both good and bad) in the process.
One of the things that gamers (both gay and otherwise) have been looking forward to with the game is the romancing aspect. That’s right, the game’s most popular feature is that it includes straight, gay, and human-alien romances.
The problem is that gay gamers who had early access to the game are crying foul play because the gay romance options are small and pretty bland.
@tibermoon @aarynflynn @gamblemike so Cora/Scott sex is literally porn, and Gil/Scott censored fade to black. Ok.Crewmates = Squadmate?Aha
— Nick Knight Ⓥ (@nickclark89) March 20, 2017
@tibermoon @aarynflynn @gamblemike so Cora/Scott sex is literally porn, and Gil/Scott censored fade to black. Ok.Crewmates = Squadmate?Aha
— Nick Knight Ⓥ (@nickclark89) March 20, 2017
“Cora and Ryder get one of the most sexually explicit scenes in a BioWare game to date, and we don’t even get one gratuitous ass shot of Gil,” wrote YouTuber KendylTV in comments under a video that features some of the romantic scenes.
“It further lets us know that, for the time being, gay sex is still too taboo for developers to seriously consider incorporating in a mainstream video game.”
In addition, there’s clear bias when it comes to same-sex relationships. The straight relationship gets a pretty racy looking sex scene that borders on porn, but what do the gay relationships get? Making out and a fade to black. Thanks Bioware.
Funny thing is, this game is not Bioware’s, the developing company’s, first time adding LGBT characters to their games.
The first Mass Effect game started with a bisexual alien that the player could romance no matter the character’s gender. But, since that alien looked basically like a woman, it was a victory for the lesbian players (good for them) and for guys who liked girl-on-girl action.
The second and third game upped that by having multiple lesbian romance options (some humans included!). The third game however finally gave one to the boys with a single gay romance route.
Adding to that, the company also produced the Dragon Age series, which is essentially like Mass Effect but set with a fantasy twist. In that series, gay male romances were present since the start, gay characters were essential to the plots, and in the latest release players were given the “gratuitous ass shot” KendylTV mentioned.
If you want to see for yourself what all the complaints are about, watch this youtube video to check out the Gil/Scott Ryder romance.
