We are only months away from the release of the much anticipated Bioware epic Dragon Age Inquisition. If you are familiar with Bioware then you already know that sexuality (and the issues some people have with it) would have popped up sooner or later. David Gaider, one of the lead writers of the series, experienced his very own inquisition today...
The problem was a tweet by the writer early on the day regarding a mage that will feature prominently in the upcoming game who is (to quote the original statement of the writer) "fully gay". Gaider expressed his excitement for writing this (first, for him!) "fully gay" character only to be promptly attacked by members of the bi community who took this as a slant towards their orientation.
He later apologized for using the word "fully" and specified that in the past many considered the bi characters that were written to be 'gay'.
Does it sound like a "damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario"? It sure does to me and this occurs often when a writer takes to social media to speak about his work or even excuse some of their choices. Recently Assassins Creed: Unity had a similar situation play out and we touched on that during our latest Thumbcast. You cannot excuse the absence of a female model when you have a history of diverse characters in your universe and PLENTY of female ones to boot roaming around in it. But we've covered that issue...
Only because he added the word "fully" (which was a mistake, granted, albeit a small one which he excused) he was put to the sword instantly. Is this a situation where an "easy target" was picked out and fired at? The Assassins Creed team shoved their foot in their mouths by allowing the release of the statement wherein it was explained that creating a female model would require a hefty amount of resources and time (I call BS). But Gaider? A man who has been writing since the LEGENDARY and historically important Baldur's Gate? A man who is OPENLY GAY? Attacked because he used the word "fully"?
We are all vigilant when it comes to internet bullies and we call upon anyone to "shut them down" on sight should we happen to witness the flinging of their poison on our screens. We need to be careful with every word we use nowadays due to keyboard crusaders that are "trigger happy" and itching to raise their banners. What happened to "ask first, shoot later"? As a gamer I am more than happy to find both bi and gay characters in my games, much like I do in real life. I WANT everyone to be represented in my videogames especially when it comes to titles that take place in expansive, vibrant worlds in which "character building" via role-playing is a major part of the deal. Attacks such as these could backfire greatly, especially when directed towards writers who were part of the shaping of this modern age of video games.
Tread carefully peeps lest you become the "trolls" you so vehemently oppose...
- Frixos Masouras 2014