Pointless Controversy

I've just finished Mass Effect 3 and felt I had to share some things I noticed about myself. I know no-one cares... but it helps me.

EA has been facing calls for a boycott. Not from disillusioned gamers or disappointed customers but from right wing religious and political groups. And the subject of their grievance? The portrayal and potential romantic story lines of gay characters within their games. One of these games is Mass Effect 3 and one of the characters in question is Steve Cortez. 

Steve Cortez... That's the one on the left btw.

I don't really want to discuss the boycott at any real length, it is ridiculous, it has been debated to death and anyone supporting such a boycott is unlikely to have their intolerance swayed by anything I say. I do however bring it up for a reason. It does highlight something I came across while playing mass effect 3. Early in the game Steve Cortez reveals that he recently lost his husband in the continuing galactic conflict. His sexuality is revealed completely without ceremony and for that reason it stood out to me.

It gives the impression that sexuality is not an issue in the Mass Effect universe, that it isn't greeted with suspicion or prejudice or intolerance in the future. I don't know whether that was Bioware's intention or whether the character was included to broaden the representation of modern society within the game or whether it was simply to give another romantic option for male characters to appeal to another demographic of gamer. Whatever the reason the result is that Bioware created a world of equality regardless of sexuality. Where a character can be openly gay in the armed forces without prejudice. A stark contrast to the real world where right wing groups believe the portrayal of gay characters in a computer game could somehow destroy traditional family values as if homosexuality is a an illness which you could catch. 

Don't look at this picture. According to the FFA
it will destroy your family values.

Whether you like EA or not is not the point. At least, in this issue, I applaud them and other publishers and developers for offering a broader representation of our society within games. It results in better, deeper and more mature story lines. Which is all I want. 

This is just my opinion and I share it simply because it relates to my experience within the game. I was aware of the boycott before playing and when I explored the storyline within that context it left me feeling sad. Apparently it seems it is more likely for our world to be invaded by hostile synthetic life forms hell bent on our destruction than us achieving global unanimous equality for all demographics.