The first LGBT+ video games characters

[thanonyx]

There's a pair of French PC games for the Apple II that are both contenders for the first game to feature an LGBT+ character and they both were released in 1985. First we have Le crime du parking which is a murder mystery about a couple of detective who found a woman dead in a shopping cart in a parking lot. A tailor you meat in the game named Paco is gay but unfortunately he's also the killer. The second is Le mur de Berlin va sauter which is an adventure game you have to stop The antagonist, Carlos, from blowing up the Berlin Wall. Carlos is gay and spends a lot of time in gay nightclubs and public baths.

Sure, they're not good representation but you have to remember, this was the mid 80s. It's a miracle that at this time an LGBT+ character got into a video game at all.

But now we have much better LGBT+ representation like Ellie from The Last of Us, Vivian fron the Paper Mario series, and Kanji Tatsumi from Persona 4.

 

[Gorse]

Oh, bugger, I was going to say you can be a massive queermo in Alter Ego (the Mac title based on growth psychology) first, but that's a 1986 game! But you still can, and you can be lesbian, too! That must have been quite controversial at the time.

 

[thanonyx]

Oh, bugger, I was going to say you can be a massive queermo in Alter Ego (the Mac title based on growth psychology) first, but that's a 1986 game! But you still can, and you can be lesbian, too! That must have been quite controversial at the time.

Please don't use the word queermo, it's derogatory.

 

[Waffles]

I will allow this topic to remain open out of respect for the OP's genuine intent to have a discussion on it, but please keep it civil, guys.

 

[Strategist]

I'm sure Japanese and European games had plenty of queer characters. Especially the adult visual novel type of games. And yeah it was probably the same for American adult games. I'm sure there were a lot of lesbian co-eds in the Leisure Suit Larry games. But I'm sure you aren't referring to that.

But as far as mainstream American games, I can think of Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect as the start of playable, romanceable characters with queer orientation in RPGs. Can't think of any before that.

Edit: Actually, there are a few more. Witcher 2 had Philippa Einhard, and she was a lesbian. The Witcher games in general have gay characters. But the Witcher games are European and they don't have the sexual taboos of Americans.

 

[Waffles]

I can only think of The Last Of Us and Life Is Strange (sorta? I know it's heavily implied with the Rachel Amber stuff but I don't recall if we actually see it), but both are extremely popular games, which makes their approach to such topics hugely important.

 

[Clippy]

Sure, they're not good representation but you have to remember, this was the mid 80s. It's a miracle that at this time an LGBT+ character got into a video game at all.

What do you mean by 'not good representation'? Yes, they happen to be bad people but it's not because they're gay. This sort of thing is why I hate the modern trend of making characters gay and shoving it down our throats. YOU CAN HAVE GAY CHARACTERS WITHOUT MAKING THEIR GAYNESS THE ONLY NOTABLE THING ABOUT THEM. The few gay people I know are more than just their sexual preferences and gaming (or other media) plots could stand to take that into account and write deep and complex characters who aren't defined by not being straight.

 

[Gorse]

I'm sure there were a lot of lesbian co-eds in the Leisure Suit Larry games. But I'm sure you aren't referring to that.

If we really want to go down this road, the Spellcasting series (which started in 1990 and was essentially a text adventure version of Leisure Suit Larry) has lesbian college girls, too, and you can become one of them through a transformation spell. DON'T ASK ME HOW I KNOW THAT

 

[thanonyx]

What do you mean by 'not good representation'? Yes, they happen to be bad people but it's not because they're gay. This sort of thing is why I hate the modern trend of making characters gay and shoving it down our throats. YOU CAN HAVE GAY CHARACTERS WITHOUT MAKING THEIR GAYNESS THE ONLY NOTABLE THING ABOUT THEM. The few gay people I know are more than just their sexual preferences and gaming (or other media) plots could stand to take that into account and write deep and complex characters who aren't defined by not being straight.

Just figured a murderer and a terrorist weren't the best types of people but you make a good point.

 

[DunkeyKong]

Is pacman gay?

 

[thanonyx]

Is pacman gay?

Not to my knowledge

 

[DunkeyKong]

Not to my knowledge

Damn, I guess Pacman love Ms Pacman (I kinda see why, even the ghosts )

 

[Strategist]

Is pacman gay?

In the new remake of Pacman coming out in 2050 he will be. He will also have an eating disorder.

 

[bjork]

I don't think there were lesbians in Leisure Suit Larry until the series started showing up on consoles? I don't remember any in the old 80s/90s ones, anyway.

Anyway, I don't know the actual release date of this, but in Sex Games for the Commodore 64, you had bi characters at the very least; it's a series of minigames with a woman and a different man, and then in the final scene it's like... double finger cuffs, for lack of a better term. A lady in the middle with a guy on either side, then a guy going into that guy, and they all thrust in unison. I figure whatever floats your boat.

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

No disrespect intended, but if you can point out that someone is LGBTQ-whatever, then you've just failed. And if in a book or game they say 'oh and i'm also gay/lesbian/pansexual' which has zero relevance to the conversation (like the the BG2 update back in 2015), it's just cringe.

Reminds me back in 2012 or something there was a discussion going on of if Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy was gay or not (probably following getting kissed in front of Han Solo). The answer? It doesn't matter, because that isn't the important part of the story, and it was never part of the discussion to that point and has zero importance at all.

Just because someone leans, does or prefers in the bedroom doesn't mean it should be public knowledge or be a major aspect of their personality. You don't have a man in rainbow costumes running around going 'I'm GAAAYYYY MAN!!!' everywhere. You shouldn't be referring to a gay superhero, you should instead referring to a superhero who just happens to be gay, but that gayness doesn't (or shouldn't) affect his loyalties duties and tasks to keeping people safe which should be his first priority, not telling you his pronouns or making sure you know he's gay or how gay he is compared to other gay people. Anyone gay or lesbian or whatever you really shouldn't be able to tell from anyone else if they are doing it right as they are just like anyone else. Those you can tell are likely being especially flamboyant (or dressing badly) and it just feels unnatural and in many cases creepy.

I suppose the exceptions to this is porn, and erotic games/books where it's a main/central theme and what you're there for as the main component, then it's totally expected. But in fiction be it books, movies, games, bad writing is especially prevalent the last decade.

Anyways, that's my two cents.

 

[Gorse]

I don't think there were lesbians in Leisure Suit Larry until the series started showing up on consoles? I don't remember any in the old 80s/90s ones, anyway.

One of the girls in 7 is definitely a lesbian, and 6 has an African-American trans character (that's kind of a spoiler, sorry). The Leisure Suit Larry series was nothing if not progressive in its every facet. Also, you can get Passionate Patti (the female player character) into some lesbian situations in both 3 and 5.

 

[bjork]

One of the girls in 7 is definitely a lesbian, and 6 has an African-American trans character (that's kind of a spoiler, sorry). The Leisure Suit Larry series was nothing if not progressive in its every facet. Also, you can get Passionate Patti (the female player character) into some lesbian situations in both 3 and 5.

I'll be damned. I didn't play 7, but I did play 6 and have zero recollection of that. Maybe they put the hottest lesbian stuff in Larry 4

 

[DunkeyKong]

In the new remake of Pacman coming out in 2050 he will be. He will also have an eating disorder.

A remake in the making? I'm sold

 

[Strategist]

No disrespect intended, but if you can point out that someone is LGBTQ-whatever, then you've just failed. And if in a book or game they say 'oh and i'm also gay/lesbian/pansexual' which has zero relevance to the conversation (like the the BG2 update back in 2015), it's just cringe.

Reminds me back in 2012 or something there was a discussion going on of if Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy was gay or not (probably following getting kissed in front of Han Solo). The answer? It doesn't matter, because that isn't the important part of the story, and it was never part of the discussion to that point and has zero importance at all.

Just because someone leans, does or prefers in the bedroom doesn't mean it should be public knowledge or be a major aspect of their personality. You don't have a man in rainbow costumes running around going 'I'm GAAAYYYY MAN!!!' everywhere. You shouldn't be referring to a gay superhero, you should instead referring to a superhero who just happens to be gay, but that gayness doesn't (or shouldn't) affect his loyalties duties and tasks to keeping people safe which should be his first priority, not telling you his pronouns or making sure you know he's gay or how gay he is compared to other gay people. Anyone gay or lesbian or whatever you really shouldn't be able to tell from anyone else if they are doing it right as they are just like anyone else. Those you can tell are likely being especially flamboyant (or dressing badly) and it just feels unnatural and in many cases creepy.

I suppose the exceptions to this is porn, and erotic games/books where it's a main/central theme and what you're there for as the main component, then it's totally expected. But in fiction be it books, movies, games, bad writing is especially prevalent the last decade.

Anyways, that's my two cents.

I did play the BG2 enhanced editions and hated the new characters. Just has that fan fic feel of someone trying to make their new characters cooler and stand out over the original ones.

But in RPGs with romance, the sexual orientation of characters is definitively relevant. Although, I get your point in a way. I like the approach in Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect. The sexuality of the characters is unknown until you start selecting the right choices in conversation. Then when it gets relevant the characters start talking about sex. Like Liara explaining the sexual attitudes of her culture only becomes relevant when you talk to her on the ship multiple times. She doesn't show up and announce: "Hey guys, I'm pansexual!".

 

[SuperGamer61499]

No disrespect intended, but if you can point out that someone is LGBTQ-whatever, then you've just failed. And if in a book or game they say 'oh and i'm also gay/lesbian/pansexual' which has zero relevance to the conversation (like the the BG2 update back in 2015), it's just cringe.

Reminds me back in 2012 or something there was a discussion going on of if Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy was gay or not (probably following getting kissed in front of Han Solo). The answer? It doesn't matter, because that isn't the important part of the story, and it was never part of the discussion to that point and has zero importance at all.

Just because someone leans, does or prefers in the bedroom doesn't mean it should be public knowledge or be a major aspect of their personality. You don't have a man in rainbow costumes running around going 'I'm GAAAYYYY MAN!!!' everywhere. You shouldn't be referring to a gay superhero, you should instead referring to a superhero who just happens to be gay, but that gayness doesn't (or shouldn't) affect his loyalties duties and tasks to keeping people safe which should be his first priority, not telling you his pronouns or making sure you know he's gay or how gay he is compared to other gay people. Anyone gay or lesbian or whatever you really shouldn't be able to tell from anyone else if they are doing it right as they are just like anyone else. Those you can tell are likely being especially flamboyant (or dressing badly) and it just feels unnatural and in many cases creepy.

I suppose the exceptions to this is porn, and erotic games/books where it's a main/central theme and what you're there for as the main component, then it's totally expected. But in fiction be it books, movies, games, bad writing is especially prevalent the last decade.

Anyways, that's my two cents.

No disrespect taken. But I do find this a little closed minded. There are a lot of RPGs and Dating Sims where sexuality comes into play with specific romance scenes. And there are even character arcs like with Vivian where it's about accepting that part of themselves for who they are. And having the confidence to go up to her sisters and make positive change for herself. Kanji too is about accepting like that he can be interested in guys and be into crafting cute things without being judged.

Ofc a character isn't defined by just sexuality, but I think there is plot or character writing stuff where you can't always be vague about a character's sexuality. A lot of it depends on context. I don't think having openly gay characters is a failure of writing or "cringe". (Idk for BG2's example so I can't comment there)

I feel like being subtle is fine, but if it comes up in the character writing someone's interests then I'm not gonna mind either. It's like how straight couples are written. Some are open about their taste, some don't wanna talk about it openly. But the open approach is an execution thing. Baulders Gate 3 has characters that are open to different sexualities and the like. Even some will turn you down if you aren't their type. And that is a beloved game ya know. As for porn well I mean. Everyone has different tastes so mostly I imagine you're playing that to get pleasure.

Hell, if I wanna go a little further there are tons of visual novels with strong yuri or yaoi themes about love and accepting who you are. It's not a one size fits all thing for me.

 

[χKai]

Most of the time it ends up being a shitty low-blow like in Conker's High Rule Tail.

 

[OldGamesAreNice]

First time I saw a lgbt situation in a videogame has been in "The Longest Journey", a pc game, the owner of April's house is lesbian and explicity talks about it.

 

[Yousef]

There's a pair of French PC games for the Apple II that are both contenders for the first game to feature an LGBT+ character and they both were released in 1985. First we have Le crime du parking which is a murder mystery about a couple of detective who found a woman dead in a shopping cart in a parking lot. A tailor you meat in the game named Paco is gay but unfortunately he's also the killer. The second is Le mur de Berlin va sauter which is an adventure game you have to stop The antagonist, Carlos, from blowing up the Berlin Wall. Carlos is gay and spends a lot of time in gay nightclubs and public baths.

Sure, they're not good representation but you have to remember, this was the mid 80s. It's a miracle that at this time an LGBT+ character got into a video game at all.

But now we have much better LGBT+ representation like Ellie from The Last of Us, Vivian fron the Paper Mario series, and Kanji Tatsumi from Persona 4.

I love this topic idea! I believe TLOU2 has great trans representation too.

 

[thanonyx]

Most of the time it ends up being a shitty low-blow like in Conker's High Rule Tail.

I don't believe I am familiar with that game?

 

[Yousef]

Also, while I’m not a fan of the series itself, Life is Strange does have respectable LGBTQ+ reps. The few lesbians I’m aware are just normal gals going through life. It’s kinda all I need, really.
Just wish there was more trans representation. :/