GAY MARRIAGE COMES TO VIDEO GAMES

[ 30 June 2004 ]

Video games have long allowed players to experiment with new and often taboo identities. In online games such as Everquest, almost half of the women characters are actually men - guys who prefer to cross-dress when they play. In the '90s, Tomb Raider and its imitators were so popular that, for several years, American teenage boys played almost exclusively as buxom, wasp-waisted women. But for young men, the bulk of these games' audience, experiencing life as an ass-kicking action chick is probably less threatening than adopting the role of a homosexual man.

The new generation of gay-positive games presents an interesting test of how far role-playing can stretch. Will straight gamers want to play at being gay? Read Clive Thompson's illuminating article care of Metroactive News by following the below referenced hyperlink.