DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS Smashes Boundaries with Gay Lovemaking Scene

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Tags : Dragon Age: Origins, Gay, RPGs, Video Games

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS Smashes Boundaries with Gay Lovemaking Scene

Posted on 08 December 2009 by Tim O'Leary, Associate Editor

Ever since the days of Mortal Kombat, conservative types have been horrified by what their kids can witness while playing video games, an action that’s often undertaken while not under a parent’s supervision.

Recently, games have been getting into trouble for their sexual content, a notorious example being the Grand Theft Auto series. But as we all know, nothing in the universe gets conservatives more riled up than the possibility that their kids might see something … shudder … gay.

But it’s almost 2010, and the world of video games is finally catching up with what most game-playing youth already know: gay people exist, and guess what? They’re just like everybody else. So it shouldn’t really be so surprising that slowly but surely, gay characters are popping up in video games.
What is surprising to some, however, is the following scene from BioWare’s hit Dragon Age: Origins …

This clip is groundbreaking for two reasons: 1) it probably goes further than any other video game in actually showing images of physical intimacy between men, and 2) it is fully in the genre of high fantasy, and one of those men is actually an elf. (And the fact that he is so clearly modeled after Orlando Bloom’s Legolas should amuse most Lord of the Rings fans. Of course, the less said about the bad Antonio Banderas accent, the better.)

Predictably, conservative groups are crying foul and claiming that this is damaging to children. But let’s put that to bed right now — for one thing, this game is labeled M (for Mature), meaning no minors are allowed to purchase the game themselves, and furthermore, it takes a lot of trying to get your character to this part of the game. You won’t ever stumble across a set of circumstances that accidentally make your character gay. You have to want to do it.

What’s more, isn’t it amazing that you can have a game in which fighting and killing are considered acceptable for youngsters, but two people expressing physical affection will be their undoing? But I digress.

So what does this mean? Little more than just another example of how video games are joining the rest of the world by growing evermore inclusive of people of all walks of life. Good for you, BioWare.

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