EA has received thousands of letters concerning their portrayal of gay and lesbian characters in games. These letters call for the removal of this content, and insinuate that EA was pressured by outside groups to include this content. EA has decided to release a statement on the matter.
"EA has not been pressured by any groups to include LGBT characters in our games. However, we have met with LBGT groups and sponsored industry forums to discuss content and harassment of players in online forums. In short, we do put options for same-sex relationships in our games; we don't tolerate hate speech on our forums." - Jeff Brown, VP of corporate communications
Always a hot-button issue, I'm glad to see EA sticking up for their decisions.
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"EA has not been pressured by any groups to include LGBT characters in our games. However, we have met with LBGT groups and sponsored industry forums to discuss content and harassment of players in online forums. In short, we do put options for same-sex relationships in our games; we don't tolerate hate speech on our forums." - Jeff Brown, VP of corporate communications
Always a hot-button issue, I'm glad to see EA sticking up for their decisions.
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Nobody's forcing you to be gay in Mass Effect, and really, you should be playing femshep anyway. The option is just there so that people who actually are gay can enjoy it, too - because unlike the opposite for you, generally, we are forced to be straight.
@Alleyway
Your choice of wording is truly shameful.
The problem is Bioware doesn't have any gay characters, it has hetero "romance" options with the pronouns changed.
What would you call Traynor and Cortez?
I feel weird.. applauding EA.
But good on them. Damn good.
That awkward moment when you realize that by NOT tolerating hate speech(attacks) on your forums, you attack the freedom of the other people, even though you talk about freedom!
EAception!
What's it like being 12 years old?
It's so sad how bigotted some people are. It's so sad that in this day an age people still attack LGBT people. I didn't chose to be gay and it sucks that I have to be treated as a 2nd class citizen. Which is probably why I'll never come out in real life.
FYI, Bioware has a history of including gay romance options in their games.
Now if only Dragon Age's Morrigan was romanceable by females... Why do I have to go for the thief-truned-goody-two-shoes? I want my gothy girls.
So it's totally unnecessary to have gays in a game unless they're not, you know, regular gays, but are instead caricatures of gay people. That's healthy reasoning right thur. Anywhos ME3 was chock full of gayness that kinda felt jarring, like they forced it in, but hey, that's probably just my reaction to the first game I've ever played that actually considered this sort of thing as much.
Don't like it? Don't play the game, if devs want gays in their games then they shall have gays into their games, homophobia aint cool dude.
I'm kind of confused right now because If you told me this morning that by the end of the day I will post a message on gonintendo.com saying "Bravo EA!" I will probably laughed... but I have to say "Bravo EA!!".
I have to talk about the comments regarding "freedom of speech" on EA forums. Yes, everyone is entitled to his opinion but there is a difference between freedom of speech and harassment. I come from a really conservative background so I know what is having strong opinions and pressure regarding certain subjects. You can express your opinion in a educated manner nobody is going to censorship for it. When you registered your EA account to post messages on their forum you agreed (whether you read it or not is not important because you did click on accept) in keeping your language under control (avoiding racist, antisemitic and homophobic comments among others). When you insult me or my family, when you do comments regarding sexual behavior that you believe I'm engaged in a everyday basis, when you express your intention of harming me physically in the EA forums (or any other forum) you are not expressing your opinion about a subject. You are Harassing someone, harassment is considered by law "violent in nature". Your quality of life is not going to improve because you insulted me, because you punched me or because you sent me menacing messages saying you were going to kill me, and that's what EA is trying to avoid.
Mass Effect is a personal experience with a similar intention than Dragon Age. They main idea of your decisions count is attractive. Not everyone is a 5,10 male or female model, not everyone is white and not everyone is heterosexual; that's why you have these options in these titles because it is your adventure not somebody else's. If they forced players to be something specific they will going against their own ideas.
P.S. For those not really informed of what homosexual means: "female with female" counts as a homosexual... I'm saying this because female Shepard could have relationships with other females (ast least on the PC version of ME) and nobody seemed to be offended. Oh let me guess "is just offensive when they are not good looking girls!" Also which Mass Effect these people are playing?! the sex scenes are really light, you can't even see breast! What is this the 16th Century?
P.S. 2 Sorry for the grammar, I probably made some errors here and there but English is not my first language ^_^
Way to go EA, it's about time some serious actors in the industry actually take part in this debate.
@Alleyway
Sorry you feel that way dude.
Not every homosexual is like the stereotype you might have on your mind. I guess you would freak out if you knew how many straightlooking dudes are actually gay.
I like being who I am and I don't "act like a gay person" as you would probably expect all of us to act like, reading your comment.
Kinda feel sad people still feel that way about gays. Besides you don't have to play that way. Isn't it wonderful some developers let you choose which way you want to play their game? I'm not flipping out about having to be straight in most other games. We're all equals, we're human after all!
@ILikeBacon16 : You're missing out my friend!
*edit/sidenote: Not trying to hate! English is not my native language. :/ I just feel sad people still feel this way.
@Alleyway@Alleyway
uncool man. This site is a hats free zone.
Ot being lgbt I cant really comment but homoaexual characters weren't in my face or anything. I guess it helps playing the first too games. But yeah when it was mentioned it was done tastefully.
Good for them.
Options....In Bioware games these are NOT options! They are forced... You'll need much "effort" in ME to build a relationship with people of the opposite sex but in ME3, the gayness is all over the place...Some dialogs have it forced in because it is in the parts where Shepard replies automatically...They force it to people...As if someone needs us to accept it...
That's the problem, it is not an option!
"Gayness" is never forced/in your face in ME3.
If you investigate enough, two of two characters will say they are gay, but they never "come on" to you if you don't further pursue a romance with them.
And you don't even have to talk them ever in the first place, so....
Are you serious? By "gayness" I'm guessing you mean homosexuality (which that already gives me the clue of what's your personal opinion about the subject). And before you jump to answer me saying: "gayness" is not offensive, asnwer me this question first: Could you say "blackness", "jewishness" or "fatness" as negative term and say that's not offensive?
There is one member on the Normandy that is homosexual. He doesn't throw his sexual identity on your face, he explains you details about his partner when YOU ASKED HIM. The game is set in the future, as you can see if you play female Shepard nobody mentions the fact that she is a woman, in the future of Mass Effect, Misogyny or racism is not a problem. that's why Shepard has no problem talking with member of his team. If you have another example about "the gayness is all over the place" and "they force it to people" please quote your example since I finished the 3 ME and I didn't see any other example.
Apparently the fact that there is ONE member in the Normandy that is homosexual offends you in some kind of obscure way. Well let me give you another example:
I AM HOMOSEXUAL, WHAT PART OF MY EXISTENCE OFFENDS YOU? I NEVER INSULTED YOU, I NEVER TRIED TO HURT YOU OR YOUR FAMILY... HOW IS POSSIBLE THE FACT THAT HOMOSEXUALITY IS AN OPTION IN A GAME OFFENDS YOU PERSONALLY. IF SOMEONE IS JEWISH FOR EXAMPLE AND YOU ARE NOT, IS THAT OFFENSIVE FOR YOU TOO?
This is such a shovel argument I don't even know where to begin. Basically you're pissed because you view the homosexuality as forced rather than an option... but you aren't forced as the player to do anything gay. No, you're complaining simply because you're exposed to it, and really despite how much I want to offer up a better response than this, the only one that comes to mind is this
grow up or shut up
[/quote]
This is such a shovel argument I don't even know where to begin. Basically you're pissed because you view the homosexuality as forced rather than an option... but you aren't forced as the player to do anything gay. No, you're complaining simply because you're exposed to it, and really despite how much I want to offer up a better response than this, the only one that comes to mind is this
grow up or shut up[/quote]
Your point is excellent... if people are offended by having more options in a game I should be offended because there is inverse axis option and I don't use it?
I am openly against all forms of homosexuality (including bisexuality), and I certainly do not believe that a person is "born that way," however I do respect people's life choices and I applaud EA for standing by their decision to include homosexual pursuits in their game and I'm sure that this one them some points with the LGBT community.
As much as I dislike EA for the way they have handled The Sims 3, I am very proud of them for the stance they have taken here - Ignoring those who continue to want to make an issue out of an non-issue. I'm so tired of this nonsense. Homosexuality exists. It is natural. And there isn't actually anything wrong with it.
So, actually I think this is something far more important than the quality of EA's video games, and regardless of their intentions in bringing this forth right now, it garners a lot of respect from me.
Replace homosexuality with heterosexuality in your comment and tell me that what you said isn't completely ridiculous.
Yeah,OK... I don't mind it as an option, hell I don't even mind homosexual people... I just believe this is marketed by EA/ Bioware every single time...
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