Skyrim - I've been wondering about "same gender" characters...

[SoarinApple]

Why has there been no actual LGBT characters? I know you can marry the same gender without hesitation, but why are there no actual "gay" NPC's...

[Oubliette]

Generally because it's a pita to implement but you're always welcome to go ahead and try.

[WursWaldo]

Why has there been no actual LGBT characters? I know you can marry the same gender without hesitation, but why are there no actual "gay" NPC's...

There are mods (on a site that cannot be linked here) that add sexual preference. You can assign your character's preference, and that of playable race npc are done randomly. NPC preference can also be assigned via MCM if an npc doesn't have the preference you want them to. Faulk Fire-beard, Ulfric, Camilla in Riverwood; you can make them gay/lesbian/bi.

That site (the one that can't be linked here) is also very tolerant and accepting of people with diverse 'interests'. The ignorant trolling that happens here for anything involving a penis doesn't happen there.

[HeyYou]

Why does it matter? You can marry either gender, and it just doesn't matter.

[Lisnpuppy]

Why has there been no actual LGBT characters? I know you can marry the same gender without hesitation, but why are there no actual "gay" NPC's...

 

 

Maybe some of them are gay? Do gay people act differently? Do they swing a sword different? Fus ro different. No one goes around (well not really) and talks about their sexual preferences in the game. Is it you think there should be some married NPCs that are homosexual? How exactly do you think this would flesh out in the game?

 

And as was said there are mods out there for some of these needs. Simply google and you will find.

[Vagrant0]

 

Why has there been no actual LGBT characters? I know you can marry the same gender without hesitation, but why are there no actual "gay" NPC's...

 

 

Maybe some of them are gay? Do gay people act differently? Do they swing a sword different? Fus ro different. No one goes around (well not really) and talks about their sexual preferences in the game. Is it you think there should be some married NPCs that are homosexual? How exactly do you think this would flesh out in the game?

 

And as was said there are mods out there for some of these needs. Simply google and you will find.

 

I believe the OP was getting at the whole matter of representation. Which has been a thing that has been happening in many games lately. Personally I find it silly that people are looking for a token LGBT character in their games, or why the sexuality of game characters even matters when they aren't engaging in anything sexual. But people want to be represented, their lifestyle validated, have positive or neutral characters they can associate with, and so on. And it isn't good enough that there are mods out there... They want it to be cannon and perfectly acceptable in those fantasy worlds.

 

Nevermind important matters such as birthright, having enough children to ensure that a few survive to maturity, and most the world falling under an oppressive rule that would make the whole premise of maintaining a non-heterosexual lifestyle extremely dangerous to ones livelihood. Personal happiness, identity, pleasure was never taken into consideration. Under a feudal system, the lord of the land owned the people living on it, and had absolute say in how they conducted their lives, both public and private since this related back to how many children would be born and raised from good stock to continue working their land. Going against this because you were not attracted to the person you were being married (even if they were just ugly or horrible people) to was seen as trying to undermine the lord's authority. A fair and just ruler would certainly allow people who were unwed and showed good promise (were attracted to eachother and showed willingness to copulate) to marry, if only because it was a good match and helped keep morale among the peasants by allowing them some liberty. But a cruel ruler could very well see you married off to a horse, have you castrated, or worse just because you tried to decide something without their permission.

 

Even in the cities, among free people, this sort of thing was under the control of your family, and primarily focused on preserving or advancing the family business. The first born son would inherit everything. The second born was usually forced into military service, to die young and foster no heir. The third son was pressed into religious service, to remain celibate and make the family look pious in the eyes of the community. For the first son, you were forced to marry whomever your parents decided upon, or who they could find willing. It was always a person of the other sex because... that's kinda how nature works if you want to see a next generation. That said, where it was allowed by the culture, people (mostly males) still participated in sexual activities within the same gender, because it was permitted, felt good, and did not lead to unwanted heirs. But if they were not making efforts to give birth to a new generation social and familial pressures often led to repercussions.

 

Modern notions of identity (of all kinds) are just that, modern notions. In older times, your identity was not something you owned or defined yourself, but rather was something you were given and was defined either by family or owner.

 

 

We don't need to retcon every world to allow for LGBT characters to be accepted. In most cases those kinds of characters just simply don't make practical sense given the cultures presented in these worlds. More over, it quickly falls into the situation of a token minority character when companies just toss one in for sake of appeasement. It's bad enough that companies are removing content or severely limiting it because activities mentioned don't agree with modern sentiments. The value in these worlds is because they have OTHER ways of thinking than the world which we live in. That they have characters who have trials and hardships which may be familiar, but are also due to circumstances which don't exist in our world. I'm sorry, but forced inclusion is still a form of censorship, and carries exactly the same problems, even when it does validate your world view.

[HeyYou]

Very good points.

 

Also, I suspect not wanting to stir the pot, so to speak, of those that would object to such a character being in-game, and causing some trouble...... Although, that seems to be a lot less of an issue today, than it has been in the past.

[Vagrant0]

Also, I suspect not wanting to stir the pot, so to speak, of those that would object to such a character being in-game, and causing some trouble...... Although, that seems to be a lot less of an issue today, than it has been in the past.

That's part of it, but it lately it's been swinging the other direction where there is outcry unless these characters are put into the game.

 

FO:NV was given praise for having realistic and relateable characters who were homosexual. Because such effort was put into making them more fully fleshed characters. A few other games have followed... But many more just seem to toss it in as a half-hearted attempt at appeasement by means of not so subtly hinting of relationships for very minor characters which are never spoken of afterward, or even clarified as to why the information was even thrown out there. It's just kinda half-assed, sloppy, and only makes sexuality the defining trait of characters rather than just being a component of a greater whole... but having to throw them in there just so people don't get upset that your game or movie is biased.

[WursWaldo]

No one needs a sermon about contemporary liberal morality while playing a game or watching a movie. It's off-putting when that happens; think 'Elysium'. People want to be entertained, not clobbered over the head with that Hollywood types and politically correct game developers think. Make a good product and rely on that. I always feel like 'Don't try to teach me a lesson. It's not your place and not what I'm after when I hand you ny hard-earned money.'

 

Realistically, if having a gay or lesbian character in a game (like Witcher2 and 3) is actually part of the story then that's fine. But just dropping them in so people can feel validated is pointless. The gay npcs in NewVegas served no story-driven purpose. There was no reason for Gannon or Veronica to be gay. That was simply pointless window dressing and a few of the gay npcs were clichés.

 

When I play a game it doesn't matter what sex npcs prefer. They still get shot full of holes or chopped apart and they still hand out leveled gold as quest rewards. Who cares what their sexual orientation is? If that matters to some people, there are mods that allow for it.

 

As an aside, the OP has one post and this thread is it. Smells like someone is fanning the fires and trying to stir up some controversy.

[HeyYou]

Not like threads discussing the LBGT issues are known for their even-tempered, rational discourse. :D