...And Now For Something Completely Different

On 03/13/2013 at 10:51 PM by Kayshire Cat

I know yesterday I said I didn't want to blog, or talk or whatever, and I still feel that way. It's just that for the past I don't even know how long people have been talking everything that games do wrong regarding gender/social issues. No one seems to give a fuck about what they do right. So I'm going to add some positivity into all this negativity and you're going to like it dammit! (This blog contains minor spoilers for Atelier Ayesha, btw)

Atelier Ayesha has a character named Regina (pictured above), and the game makes it pretty obvious from the time you meet her that she's attracted to women. One of the first conversations she has with Ayesha revolves almost soley around how cute she thinks Ayesha is.

Now I'm not here to debate or discuss whether or not her portrayal as an LGBT character is done correctly I want to talk about how the other characters in the game treat her. They treat her like a normal person. No one gawks, no one tells her she's weird or immoral they accept and support her choices.

A scene after one of her quests has her boss suggest she find a husband to which she protests saying she would rather marry Ayesha. His response is that they'd make a good couple. No one laughs no one protests against they all go along and support the idea.

This might not seem like too much but seeing this in a game actually made me really happy. It's nice seeing my lifestyle treated like it's normal in any setting. I don't care if the characters are just goofy overexageratted anime stereotypes or whatever this geniunely made me smile and perhaps giggle a little since I like Regina and she's saying she wants to marry my in game avatar so you know.

Like I said its probably not much, but I think people need to stop looking at so many negatives in games and see the positives. Games CAN do things right they don't ALWAYS do things wrong. If no ones going to post articles about it I guess I'll just have to myself.

~Fin

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/14/2013 at 01:13 AM

Good on you for posting the positives. I don't know that I've ever played a game with an LGBT character (although Tingle makes me wonder), but I'm glad you connected with the character, or at least the way she was portrayed.

Kayshire Cat

03/14/2013 at 01:31 PM

Well its more the way she's treated than the way she's represented. The game world treats her same as everyone else and I like this a lot

Patrick Kijek Contributing Writer

03/14/2013 at 02:28 AM

Dare to be optimistic.

03/14/2013 at 01:32 PM

Haha or at least try

Cary Woodham

03/14/2013 at 05:52 AM

I have to review that Atelier Ayesha game.

I might have a review up myself. I'll keep an eye out for yours :)

leeradical42

03/14/2013 at 06:27 AM

I try to be positive with my posting but for the most part all my blogs are reveiws or opinions on games I enjoy and want to share with all of you, I agree there is a lot of negativety on publishers, developers, etc so its good to hear good things,and one good thing about pixlbit I have learned that everyone is a tight nit family here most of us being former 1uppers you included I do remember you from 1up but dont let things get ya down, your opinion matters here, and if some jerks try to bring ya down just think of all of us who will bring you back up, and dont stop blogging cause of jerks I like your blogs and many others here do to so keep em coming :b

03/14/2013 at 01:34 PM

Heh well I wanted to take a break for a bit in any case

AkaiNeko4

03/14/2013 at 11:28 AM

Oooo. Positivity. That's a refreshing scent.

I'd totally like to buy Ayesha, but I don't know if I'll be able to, between my speeding ticket and textbooks....

03/14/2013 at 01:35 PM

Well if you do get the money for it I'd reccomend it. The best game in the Atelier series imo

Angelo Grant Staff Writer

03/14/2013 at 02:52 PM

That sounds pretty refreshing.

I mean look, no matter who you are or what you do there's going to be someone, somewhere who will find something disagreeable about the way you live your life. That's just how it is. I mean, we're not all the same, so we're gonna be different. It seems like whoever wrote this game out is embracing the idea that just because we're different doesn't mean we need to treat each other differently.

Taking that idea to your overall discussion, guess who makes games: People. Different people with different ideas, backgrounds, lifestyles and concepts. This naturally bleeds into their art. I never expect to find women, men, nerds, soldiers, homosexuals, or any other "thing" represented perfectly in games because we're talking about people here, not things and we're talking about people making the representations of these things.

Furthermore, and I don't know about anybody else, but in my opinion, people don't generally do perfect well.

So yeah, that's that. Be accepting of people. Be accepting of others. Be accepting of their successes and their mistakes. I mean man, was I the only person brought up being told "If you can't say something nice don't say anything?" I know sometimes you have to speak out against evil but you know what, not everything wrong is evil. Sometimes it's just people being people and doing what they do, so yeah.

Sorry about the rant, but that's my take.

03/14/2013 at 03:43 PM

haha rants fine I completely agree with it. This part of the game did feel really refreshing it's nice to see them treat someone who's different with that kind of respect. More games should do this kind of thing rather than trying to create perfect characters.

Coolsetzer

03/14/2013 at 03:58 PM

Gamers like to complain. A Lot! It's been that way for awhile now. It's been the worst ever since video games went mainstream. I try not to pay attention to it anymore. Just not worth the frustration.

03/14/2013 at 04:14 PM

People on the internet like to complain

jcal94

03/21/2013 at 12:39 AM

It's good to see a game showing LGBT as everyday people. I use to be a huge homophobe and am still afraid of being hit on by gay guys, but thanks to college have pretty much done a 180 degree turn. Heck, now one of my gay friends and I always make people awkward jokingly by just... being awkward, haha. It's all in good fun, and it has changed my views greatly. You too also helped changed my views, and I am thankful for that.

One thing I am worried about being a prospective game developer is how the gender flak I'll get with games I make. I am going to have the main characters have straight relationships, but not out of prejudice, but out of the simplicity of pairing, and I know how to write straight relationship interactions, and don't want to risk doing something wrong to the LGBT community. I will have hot girls (17, or 18, depending on stupid ESRB...) with nice boobs and curves, and at the same time, will have what I assume will be hot guys with nice muscles that make the characters toned, but aren't pieces of meat like Gears of War. But I still fear what people will call out... A girl going psycho over a guy she loves (actually obsessive love) not wanting her and being the catalyst for a bad end just seems like something that will bring grief, when it's not the gender, it's the mental state of the girl... People just focus too much on the outside layer.

PixlBit