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Star Wars: The Old Republic: Sex & Games & Rolling Dice
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Earlier this week, a video interview with one of Bioware's developers stirred up a veritable poop storm of controversy when it was suggested that Star Wars: The Old Republic would not feature same-sex relationships between players and compantions. In his latest column, MMORPG.com Managing Editor Bill Murphy offers his opinion on the issue. Read on and then weigh in with your (calm, cool & collected) thoughts in the comments.
But in all honesty, I guess I just don’t get the hubbub. I won’t go into the reasons BioWare has for not including this option (did they give one?), but I’d like to comment on why it’s such a big deal in the first place. I’m straight, not narrow. And while there wasn’t (that I know of) any same-sex relations in either trilogy, I’m willing to bet there have been a few instances of such things in the bazillion books which have been written. Is there then precedent?
Read more of Bill Murphy's Sex & Games & Rolling Dice.
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Comments
Star Wars is for children, they decided that Gay and Lesbian relationships aren't for children. Thats ONE reason... there's so many possible and plausible reasons to go along with it. For instance... they didn't want to have to write MORE script and record MORE audio for alternate homosexual story-arcs.
And the list goes on
Take that as you wish.
(Sidenote: In the original KOTOR, Juhani was the first lesbian to make an apperance in the SW mythos, though there was no actual romance story-line with her character. It was merely a vague declaration at the end of the game, if I'm not mistaken. Exact facts may be distorted by many years of time.)
I will start off by saying that I myself am not gay, but I am fully 100% supporting the idea of having same-sex relationships in the game. As stated in the article, why are we removing the choice to play that way for all those who are? The relationships with your companions will all just be personal, and not affect other players, so why are they removing that option from a portion of their subscribers?
Bioware could go a long ways towards ending a lot of the hate after that announcement if they'd just release their reasoning behind removing that option. I doubt that the companion relationships will be a big part of the storytelling, but to just completely dismiss an entire group of people/players seems kind of unwarrented.
I say just let players make their own relationships, take the system out entirely. Take yet another page out of WoW's book, which they seem to be following cover to cover up until now, and oust any sort of relationship feature entirely. It's not needed, and if your going to be contravercial about it, it's probably best to leave it out.
Mm. How to start this?
Well, let's take a look at history a bit. I played Knights of the Old Republic. And in those games, yes, you had relationships, but they were man to woman. And there wasn't such a screaming, that I knew of back then, from the LBGT people. And Bioware gave you a choice to be involved in the relationship aspect or not.
Fast forward to today. The voices from the LBGT group are loud and proud. They make they're presence known, as they should, they are in fact a minority based on sexual orientation. Bioware, in Mass Effect and Dragon Age, put in the same sex relationships as a valid choice, and why shouldn't they? But the question begs to be asked. And you may have pointed this out, Bill. Dragon Age and Mass Effect are NOT Star Wars. Star Wars is a name that's been around since 1979 (?) if not a bit before. There may be a certain expectation there. Dragon Age and Mass Effect have only been around for 5 years. And in those 5 years (and again I should go back about 5-10 years further back but that's when ME and DA came out, about 5 years ago), LBGT relationships have become acceptable (Outside of the complete religious right wing nuts screaming foul at the top of their lungs, but that's a seperate debate for another forum) and no one said boo about that in those games.
It could be two things. One, Bioware might be keeping to Star Wars so as to not break the trend they set in THAT GAME. Or two, they are getting pressure from someone (LucasArts, government, special interest group), to keep the same sex out of the game.
There could be more. But I want to keep my thoughts open ended.
I don't see how gay or lesbian relationships would be any less suitable than straight relationships for a younger audience
I don't like hearing "I'd rather just form a relationship with someone in reality."
Firstly... SW:TOR, like Dragon Age or Mass Effect, is a role playing experience. It involves killing, sexing, living and loving. There seems to be such an insecurity behind saying... "I'd rather form relationships in reality." when you're talking about a video game.
Its a story... enjoy all aspects of role playing a character's fictional story....
"I'd rather murder people with a lightsaber in reality."
Why do we even need sex relations in a video game, that is what real life is for. Honestly some of these folks need to go get a real life and find a real partner to have relations with.
I really don't want my game play junked up with sexual relations, I been around other games where chat channels was filled with that vile filth of folks wanting to cyber.
So I would just rather they don't have any type of sexual content at all, that would fix this.
I don't either.
Why do we even need murdering people in a video game for?
That is what real life is for.
Seriously though... Do you honestly think that a pre-written and pre-determined story-line involving two characters developing a care for one another... relates to two human beings on an MMORPG typing out sexual erotica? You think those two things are the same thing?
That is severely obtuse.
There was already a post about this that got shutdown. I wont be supporting this game either way after this if they cant support me. Why would i buy there product if they are working against what type of person I am and making it harder for me to live.
I agree but there are just too many people stuck in the old way of thinking. That a gay relationship is somehow more "adult" than a straight one. But if this game is going to be around for the long haul then while they may not be present at launch maybe in a year or two people will be ready to join the rest of us in the 21st century.
I'm fine with this. I think they went with this option because game is too big? Too much voice overs to be handled now that I think about it.
Guild Wars 2's 50 minutes game play video:
http://n4g.com/news/592585/guild-wars-2-50-minutes-of-pure-gameplay
Everything We Know about GW2:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/287180/page/1
Talk about being obtuse. A lot of games involved doing things you won't do in real life, like picking up a sword and cutting up people, or even animals.
Stupid Biowares got themselves into it..while they could easily avoid it..
just by saying something like.. - Yes you could have same sex relations in swtro, because it's so democratic and tolerant..
Unfortunally, all your companions are straight.. oh well.. that's a life..what's you gonna do..
you can't blame people for being straight ?
I'm straight but not allowing same-sex relationships (let alone announcing it early) in a role playing game is a bad move. They might as well have announced: "There are no children in our game because we hate children. Jews also." Grow up EA and Bioware.
Seriously, it's bad enough I have to put up with idiots who believe that curtailing freedom in the name of religion is a great idea, in RL. Now I have to put up with their crap in a damn video game?
I guess there's a reason that I'm christian but I stopped going to church.
OMG..there are no Jews in the game ?? Bioware - are nazi antisemits..Baby Jesus cries..
You made the assumption that the companions don't have a choice. What if the companions in swtor are different than DA, or ME?
Those companions were bisexual, and were only loyal to whomever made the first sign of commitment.
While the companions are just striaght, and forcing them to be any other would be against thier sexual preference.
Isn't sexuality also about choice? So how does it make sense to have a companion that is straight and gay. It should be either, and making them bixesual, well, that's probably not the direction BW would want to go with for swtor.
I don't really see a reason for just homophobes or religoius people to chime in as to why it should not be in. As others have states there are other reasons.
Here is another.
Write bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble
Just because Mass Effect had it (so I hear), doesn't mean every Bioware game needs it. How many MMO's out there don't have it? 99%? Nobody is crying about that.
And just so people know, George Lucas makes calls of this nature, not Bioware or EA. Anyone who knows the Star Wars universe understands this.
Beyond all that, I would love for someone to point out in any of the movies where any same sex stuff happened anyways. This whole 'controversy' is just stupid.
No same sex? Ah... bummer... but it's okay... as long as I can share some intimacy with a Jawa and figure out what's underneath that robe.
Or maybe... just maybe... it would be better to leave that whole sex thing out since the nature of the Star Wars universe opens a whole lotta more cans of worms than just homosexuality. Like... kissing your sister
I'm a big ol' fluffy carewolf. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
This is getting really tiresome. Accept it, majority of people hate this stuff and don't want it in their game. If you want same sex relationships in SWTOR, roleplay it with someone.
nice i hope you have very heatly kids with jawas :O
.....
Fine we'll remove any content referring to sexuality from every fantasy/sci-fi game ever created.
Or here's a better idea, screw the people who are offended.
If a game does contain homosexuality we should instantly report it to FoxNews so that those conservatives can start whining about how immoral it is. < - - - - - Controversy like this tends to boost a game's sales.
Relationships with computer animations? Straight or homo its the same thing... scary.
Because its probably not. Thats why. No seriously.
These days its just becoming more and more socially acceptable, but by God, you're own grand parents would likely whack you upside the head for having spoken what you just said.
My own kids have been exposed to it involuntarily from time to time. They are 7 and 8 years old. One a girl, one a boy. They get highly agitated, confused, and annoyed when they see it on television or in some comercial, which these days its just nearly impossible to censore them from it. When they do see it, they always ask us what the heck is going on, and we just respond, " Well, some people are like that. Its just who they prefer dating or having a romantic relationship with is all. " My wife is especially sensitive to gay people and believes its not their choice, and have taught my kids this. But that doesnt matter. My son generally just makes a weird face when he sees it, but my daughter gets down right disgusted.
Its probably because they have two straight parents, they've seen countless romances on the Disney channel, and in movies like Tangled, and then they see two guys or girls kissing. It freaks them out.
I have seen parents who have obviously just run with the idea. On three seperate occasions Ive seen parents dress their little boy up as a girl, in a pink dresses or something similar, and walk them around in public that way. Good job parents. Just because the kid messed around with a tube of lipstick when he was five doesnt necessarily mean you ought to go out and buy him sparkly shoes and stick him in a pink tutu. Mainly because I feel this is just going to make the poor childs life harder, and at that age, Im not entirely sure they know what their sexual preference is. They're too young. So their parents are almost pushing gayness on them, which Im not sure is beneficial anymore than pushing straightness on a child. In fact its probably worse. Imagine if a kid wore a pink dress and lipstick to school when you were in second grade. Poor kid.
So no, homosexuality being pushed on little kids probably isnt a good thing. My kids see enough of it now, without throwing it into video games which yea, they do play. I feel this is a minor issue regarding why Bioware might not have included it in a game, but honestly I get a little tired of some people saying, " Whats wrong with exposing kids to homosexuality? ". I just said why. They're just kids. There's probably a world of challenges that go along with being a homosexual in todays society just like there's always been. Id rather my kids just not worry about any of that until they're older. One way or the other.