The Sims started gaywalking long before a lot of others

In terms of inclusivity, EA isn’t the worst, I guess. I have?? my doubts that a corporation has any interest in what??’s between my legs and who I invite to the bedroom beyond how they can profit from it, but baby steps here. They try. Maybe.

However, long before Mass Effect let you be gay if you were a girl, and Mass Effect 3 still said you couldn’t flirt with Garrus if you were a dude, The Sims were just letting same-sex couples exist. In 2000, no less. So, let’s have a golf clap for EA and Maxis. Oh, wait. It was done by mistake? Okay, let’s slow down here.

Video games haven't been the quickest at acknowledging people of the LGBTQ+ persuasion. It’s a bit hard to track the early history of it, but the first known game with an LGBTQ+ basis is Caper in the Castro from 1989. After that, things get a bit spotty with some same-sex possibilities in Great Greed (1992), Fallout 2 (1998), and Persona 2: Innocent Sin (1999).

These days, it’s become more common to have a game with gay content, but that's mostly in the indie sphere. It’s still somewhat rare in mainstream titles. To be fair, however, romance in general doesn’t seem to get much representation since most significant others are just there to die in the first chapter and give the protagonist a reason to become a killing machine in the name of justice. When same-sex romance does pop up, it can often feel like there’s this gated off area for people with different sexual preferences. It’s like, “here’s your token gay character. Please deliver us praise.�/p>

The Sims was different. Dudes could kiss dudes, ladies could kiss ladies, dudes could kiss dudes and later kiss ladies (as long as the first dude wasn’t in sight). Same-sex romance has just been a thing with The Sims. It’s part of its DNA.

But it almost didn’t happen. The Sims, in general, was something of a surprise hit. The developers at Maxis plugged away at it, feeling that the executives had absolutely no faith in the final product. Therefore, EA’s executives were cagey about adding same-sex romance at all, thinking it wasn’t the right game to make such a controversial statement. It was in Maxis' vision for their social ?system, but the executives asked for same-sex romance to be scrapped. Maxis was willing to acquiesce.

Luckily, no one told that to Patrick J. Barrett III, who was handed an outdated design document and went to work writing the code for social interactions whil?e his boss was on vacatio?n. Upon seeing his progress, Will Wright praised the social interactions and the inclusion of same-sex romance, so no one on the Maxis team questioned its inclusion.

Then E3 rolled around, and during a scripted demo, two female sims went off script and started making out, which brought a lot of unintentional attention to the game. Everyone on the team still expected EA to ask for that feature to be canned, but they never did. They just sort of backed off and put their faith in Maxis. Barrett even went back into the code to alter the social interactions so sims would lean straight, gay, or even bisexual if that’s what you preferred. Your Sim could have whatever sexuality you wanted, The Sims doesn’t judge.

Sorry, that’s not exactly ?true. You could have monogamous romance between two gay sims, but they could never marry. If they lived together, they’d just be defined as “roommates,�which is kind of funny, because that’s exactly what you’d tell your parents if you were still in the closet and wanted to live with your partner. Again, to be fair to Maxis and EA, same-sex marriage was still illegal in most countries, so it wasn’t too divergent from the reality at the time. You could still adopt children, so it wasn't entirely? discriminatory.

The point is, however, that same-sex romance did land in The Sims. There was no getting that golden egg back into the goose; EA had to live with the fact that its breakout hit had a case of the gays. The Sims exploded in popularity, probably not due to its inclusivity, but definitely because it was addicting and let you electrocute children. Same-sex romance was stitched into the fabric of their 10-million selling mega-hit, and what were they going to do now? As most doctors will tell you, you can't surgically r??emove the gay.

Surprisingly, despite its popularity, there wasn’t much backlash. I scoured the internet for some perturbed lawyer or religious group decrying the corruption of their youth, but I came up with bupkis. Just some stuff about re??cent titles being banned in ?certain backwards countries. There’s a chance that some people didn’t even notice. If they were afraid they'd get aroused by seeing two guys kissing, they didn't have to see it.

Instead of trying to backtrack, the developers ended up doubling down. Same-sex romance returned in The Sims 2, but now you could actually tie the knot. Sort of. It was called a "joined union" rath??er than a marriage, but the difference was just in the nomenclature. You could still adopt kids and they could also be gay. Or not. Your Sims would be proud of them however they turned out.

And this continued throughout the series, especially as it became more sex positive. “Woohoo,�The Sims nomenclature for sexual intercourse, began as something that you could only do in the appropriate bed, but from where we are in The Sims 4, you can get dirty in a bush or a changing stall for all it cares?. New ways to lock thighs are added with practically every expansion pack, and it never cares about logistics. Or they'd be fed to the cow plant, you're calling the shots here.

Not only that, but The Sims 4 added the ability to set, regardless of gender, whether your sim pees standing up or sitting down, if they could become pregnant or get other sims pregnant, and whether their body type and clothing preference leaned feminine or masculine. Sims could be transgender, which means they could also be pansexual.

It's unfortunate that this sort of thing should even be commended. When you’re playing with your virtual dolls, the game shouldn’t be judging you for who you bump their pelvis against. For that matter, I’ll go as far as saying the sexual preference of every romance option in every game, no matter the genre, should be complete??ly up to the player, regardless of what your avatar has between their legs. Why the hell not? If you’re straight, you can just? continue being straight, but those who prefer otherwise aren’t getting roped off. Why do gay men get thrown boring human du jour? Let them make out with Garrus if they want to.

However, it’s worthwhile mentioning that Maxis and EA have a rather unique place in the tapestry of LGBTQ+ games. The Sims was an incredibly early example of an inclusive game, and it helps demonstrate how far we??'ve come. A cynic would say that they’re only appealing to that market for their money. That's likely at least partially true. However, given how it started, when it started, and how it continues today, it fe??els less like checking the gay box and more like staying true to a small facet of the series�design.

Again, EA shouldn’t be commended for not stomping out a perfectly wholesome facet of the??ir dollhouse game. It shouldn??’t have been an issue to begin with. But, props where they’re due, I guess.

The post A history of The Sims’ rampant bisexuality appeared first on Destructoid.

The sudden surge of rainbow Twitter icons can only mean one thing: corporate America is ready to co-opt Pride Month. As we continue the stupid fight over kink at parades, the LGBTQ+ community can expect a full month of pandering and rainbow products, starting today with some goodies from Xbox. The brand announced it's added some Pride-ified items to the Xbox Gear Shop, and for the entire month of June, it's giving away the adventure game Tell Me Why free for Pride.

Developed by DontNod Entertainment, Tell Me Why tells the story of Tyler and Alyson Ronan, who travel to their hometown in Alaska to investigate the death of their mother. The game garnered signi??ficant attention when it was announced that Tyler is a transgender man. DontNod worked with organizations like GLAAD to ensure an authentic portrayal of his character.

Pride is also invading a few Xbox games. A pride flag livery is available in Forza Motorsport 7 and Forza Horizon 4 and a Pride-themed nameplate can be yours in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. There is a new Pride t??heme you can download as well and new Pride gamerpics. Microsoft is also donating $150,??000 to LGBTQ+ non-profits.

Finally, Xbox also created a new Pride-themed Xbox Wireless Controller you can see pictured below. Unfortunately, you won't find that on store shelves. The controller was only made available to key influencers and certain members of the gaming media. I'll certainly download Tell Me Why if it's free for Pride, but hot damn, I would pay good mon??ey for that controller.

Cel?ebrate Pride and LGBTQIA+ Players and Creators with Xbox [Xbox]

The post Tell Me Why is free for Pride appeared first on Destructoid.

Remind me of this: that night we kissed, that I really meant it

My interest in romantic fiction really only blossomed after I was married. That may sound a bit backwards, but I always found romance while you’re alone and single to be a bit like eating a big bag of pizza rolls. Your brain may tell you it’s exactly what you want, but it will leave you with a horrible feeling in? your stomach and the emptiness will doubtlessly return before long. Now that I have a husband, that emptiness is gone and I can cram as many pizza rolls into my face as I want without feeling the awful side-effects. I can delve into the drama of fictional romance and then escape to my stable real-life one.

I find a lot of romantic fiction to be trite, structurally similar, and mired in common themes and tropes. I still enjoy a good love triangle, fish out of water, or the old “will they, won’t they?�tale, but I understand that’s just brain candy. A truly great romance is taking two characters and telling you why these two imperfect people need each other. Or three or more characters, as the case may be. I’m not judging. But in Perfect Gold’s case, it’s two characters.

Perfect Gold (PC)
Developer: Yangyang Mobile
Publisher: Yangyang Mobile
Released: April 19th, 2021
MSRP: $7.99

Starting with a prologue that tells the story of two girls admitting their feelings for each other for the first time, Perfect Gold then transi??tions to a year later after everything has long since fallen to pieces. Audrey Clary and Marion LaRue have somehow gone from a blossoming young couple to spiteful enemies. The story then hops between the two characters, demonstrating the past they shared together, the present where they have a chance for reconciliation, and all the hurt in between. Meanwhile, the narra??tive coyly withholds what happened a year ago that poisoned the waters.

The pair are mages in school to hone their respective crafts. Their fighting has led to detention on the day of the Sunflower Festival. Having missed it the previous year because of withheld reasons, ??the two decide to sneak out of detention to attend. You’re then given bits and pieces about what drew these gir?ls together and what tore them apart.

It’s an effective structure, one that provides bits and pieces to keep you interested throughout. You’re left to w??onder how such a promising romance hit the rocks so fast. Who was responsible? How has it taken a year for them to even attempt reconciliation again? What’s left betwee??n them? Sit down and listen.

There are a lot of flavors of visual novel out there; some of them are heavily choice driven choose-your-own adventures, while others are not. Perfect Gold is not. You’re generally give??n one choice to make every few chapters, and usually they just relate to how much of a bitch you want to be??. They’re not particularly meaningful choices, and it’s usually pretty obvious which one is the wrong one. There’s more than one ending, however, so maybe don’t be petty if you want some actual romance in your life.

Just be mindful; you’re here for the story. It’s also not sexually charged, so if you like your romance with a little bit of filth, you’re not going to find it here. It’s two young characters working through t?heir problems together. It’s cute, so you’ll have to go elsewhere for stimulation.

Speaking of which, everyone has different standards for romance, so it’s not going to hit everyone the same way. As I’ve already mentioned, it manages to eschew typical depictions of relationship issues and tells a very human story. There are no harems or dark pasts to be found here, just the mistakes and missteps of youthful love. It doesn’t spin its wheels too hard on sentiment??ality either. There is a lot of warm-hearted nuance here, but it rarely descends into platitudes.

The art is appealing as well. The romantic CG scenes alwa?ys feel like they’re worth a closer look (‘H�to hide your UI), featuring subtleties that bring out their sincerity. The characters are expressive, and while the backgrounds are unvaried, they do show the doctor recommended amount of detail.

As is typical, there’s not a lot of movement to be had and the game is dialogue only, meaning that action is uncommon and unsa??tisfying when it does happen. If you’re familiar with the visual novel genre, you probably already know how disposable the soundtracks usually are, and this does nothing to break the mold.

The developers estimate the game’s playtime at about two hours, but I don’t know how you can listen to the dialogue and still make that time. Even with that in mind, it’s fa??irly short, but it’s priced accordingly. It’s a tight story, placing you in the pre?sence of a small handful of other characters, allowing it to be concise as possible. "Short and sweet" would be the cliche descriptor here, and it proves to be accurate in this case.

I find it difficult to make a recommendation on a visual novel in the first place, let alone a romantic one. These things just mean different things to different people. Some will have nothing but apathy for the ge??nre as a whole, some are jaded towards sentimentality, and others can’t get through an in-game relationship without the promise of some nipple. Then there’s the saps like me who traverse minefields in search of t??he stories that can drill into our hearts.

Perfect Gold is one such game that did manage to hit paydirt. It’s absolutely solid, and finding a narrative, even in the VN genre, that deserves to be called that can be difficult. The characters are flawed without being annoying, interesting without being archetypal, and the storytelling doe??s a great job of focusing on them. It’s worthwhile if you’re into watching two people in love while figuring themselves out.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Perfect Gold appeared first on Destructoid.

I see your true colors shining through

My, my, where did the time go? I've spent so much of this never-ending cesspoo??l of garbage monster discharge we call June being disgusted with what I see online that I completely forgot I'm supposed to be proud for Pride. Ugh...looks like it's another June where I've let the gays down.

One person who is not letting the gays down is Square Enix artist Toshiyuki Itahana. Best known as the lead character designer for the Crystal Chronicles and Chocobo spin-off franchi?ses, Itahana has sp?ent his June creating a new company mascot for Pride. And here they are:

This #PrideMonth, ??we wanted to do something special to show ?our support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Join us in welcoming our new #Pride Mascot, created by legendary artist Toshiyuki Itahana, representing diversity and freedom: //t.co/bpT9TPljNk pic.twitter.com/7OfWockETI

— Square Enix (@SquareEnix) June 25, 2020

I give this design two snaps and a twist. Seriously, I want this character in a game, on a t-shirt, and as their own amiibo. ??According to Itahana, this new, currently unnamed character has a greater meanin?g than just being cute:

The c??haracter represents diversity and freedom, with its multitude of colours being the diversity aspect and the trainers and wings that allow it to travel anywhere symbolizing freedom. I designed this character hoping that the world can become even more f??ree and diverse in the future.

Ball's in your court, other game artists. 

Square Enix introduces #Pride Mascot [Square Enix]

The post Square Enix creates a Pride mascot and oh crap it’s still Pride month appeared first on Destructoid.

What can I say?

Torch sen?t this to me. He said, "Feel like this is a Wes Tacos game."

He knows me better than I know myself. I??'m putting this on my mom's?? fridge.

All's I know is this is a game where naked men run around like in Splatoon and throw soup at one another. They can sprint and jump and everything, but they're also naked. And throw soup. And also?? I don't care about much else, because so far everything I wrote ?describes every single thing I want in a video game.

Think about i?t. You can spend 100 hours as an assassin or mercenary or free??dom fighter army man or whatever, and that's cool. No judgment here. OR.

OR. ORRRRRR. Or.

You can spend 100 hours as a naked man throwing soup at other naked men until eventually you're covered in so much soup that you'll have to succumb to the sheer amount of hot, viscous liquid that blankets every part of your person, lea?ving you hot, sticky, and spent from the vast amount of potent potables that coat your mentionables and unmentionables like so many dirty undergarments.

...is it hot in here, or is it just me?

Check this game out, y'all. It's in Early Access now. If you don't we can't be friends anymore.

Rawmen is a? Splatoon-like PC multiplayer shooter where naked men fight each other with soup. [Kotaku] Thanks Torch!

The post Rawmen, where naked men throw soup at one another a la Splatoon, is ‘a Wes type of game’ appeared first on Destructoid.

One notable omission

GLAAD, one of the most prominent organizations for LGBTQ persons in the world, has hosted its annual GLAAD Media Awards since 1990. It was started to recognize the efforts made by LGBTQ people in various forms of media, including film, television, art, theater, music, and writing. Last fall, it announced video games would be recognized by the organization for the very first time, creating the Outstanding Video Game Award category. Today, those nominations were announced -- along with its television and film categories sans Bohemian Rhapsody -- and there was a certain title missing from the bunc??h.

Here are the nominees:

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (Ubisoft)
• The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset (Bethesda Softworks)
• Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire (ArenaNet)
• Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (Versus Evil)
• The Sims Mobile (Electronic Arts)

All wonderful titles, but do you notice any sort of omission? I sure do. It’s a little game called The Missing: J.J. MacField and the Island of Memories. Chris Moyse gave it a 7.0. We nominated it for Best PC game of 2018, and it almost won. It was nomi?nated for the Games for Impact award at The Game Awards, and it’s the exact type of experience that should absolutely be honored by GLAAD.

I apologize for the spoilers, but talking about them is the only way to fully illustrate how baffling this snub is. In The Missing, you play as the titular J.J. looking for her lost friend Emily. After she's struck by lightning, J.J. gains the ability to inflict self-harm that she's almost always able to recover from. The central gamep?lay mechanic is J.J. figuring out how to destroy her body in ways that allow her to solve the various puz?zles the island holds.

What you?? find out through the story is that the bleak nature of the game has a p?oint. J.J. is, or at least feels she is through flashbacks, a gay trans woman and her family isn't exactly accepting of it. After ridicule from kids at school and pressure to "be normal" at home, J.J. attempts to kill herself and the Island of Memories turns out to be the manifestation of all the shit she's gone through trying to figure out -- and accept -- who she is.

Japan is not exactly known for making video games that paint trans people in a positive light, so to get this captivating gore-core puzzle-platf?ormer from Swery last year was unexpected, and undoubtedly deserving of a GLAAD nomination. Hell, it deserves to win the inaugural award for the way it portrays difficult issues within the LGBTQ community with respect and care. Games like this don't come around that often for us LGBTQ gamers, and to see it go unrecognized by this organization is leaving a rotten taste in my mouth.

The post The GLAAD Media Awards royally? screwed up its first video game award appeared first on Destructoid.

A queer convention that blurred the line between creators and fans

During my weekend at Flame Con, everyone around me was creative and intelligent—not to mention, queer. Organized by Geeks OUT, the "largest queer comic con" gathered artists, writers, creatives, fans, and gamers to ne??twork, share their art, and discuss queer-related issues in the media that we love to wat?ch and read.

I'm somewhat of a convention novice—my experience includes going to TooManyGames in high school, and some sort of Walking Dead convention two years ago, where I couldn't even muster up the moxie to talk to Grand Theft Auto's Steven Ogg at his table. Flame Con 2018 was by far the largest convention I have been to yet, my first as a member of the press, and my first with a?? new sen??????????????????????????se of self-confidence.

And boy, was it exhausting and overwhelming.

Art by Gay Breakfast

The Artist's Alley was the main point of attraction for Flame Con. Queer artists near an?d far peddled their wares, including prints, pins, books, and more. It was near-impossible to navigate through the sea of people and even harder to emerge without an empty wallet after buying from what felt like an infinite number of talented artists.

A litany of fandoms was represented here: Steven Universe, Pokémon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Splatoon, just to name a handful. Whenever my eye caught a piece of artwork? that resonated with me, it eventually led to an extended conversati?on with the artist at the table about the fandom—and usually with a business transaction and exchange of business cards. Not just a prime place for networking, but for geeking out with your fellow fans in the queer community.

Whenever I found myself to be overwhelmed by the frantic-ness of the Artist's Alley, I retreated to the cleverly-named Gaymer Lounge. A line of televisions had PS4, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch set-ups, but most of the space was devoted to tabletop gaming. Also, on the floor was the first live game of DropMix that I'd ever seen with my own eyes. 

The Gaymer Lounge ran on a schedule—every couple of hours, there would be a lesson on how to play a new up-and-coming tabletop game, or perhaps an organized video game tournament. I myself got all the way to the semi-finals of a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bracket until?? I ultimately crashed and burned—metaphorically, of course. At least I got a ton of StreetPass action on my 3DS throughout the weekend.

("Reclaiming my OoT: How Gaming Sav?ed Me from Compassion ?Fatigue")

But the heart and soul of the convention, at least from my own experience, were the panels that I attended—I extrapolated much more than I thought I would. You can imagine what some of the panel topics were: many involved examining queer issues in mainstream media such as Doctor Who, a panel where I caused a ruckus when I raised my hand and asked the panel's opinion on Ianto Jones dying in Torchwood: Children of Earth. Never in my life had I ever caused that many exasperated gro??ans and ??everyone in the room gave me a look as though I had killed the poor boy myself.

Other panels focused on social issues: a panel called "Square Enix and Beyond: A Study of Social Justice Issues in Final Fantasy and Other RPGs" discussed how many Final Fantasy games focus on finding justice in an unjust world. Themes like xenophobia in XIV, gentrification in XII, and large-scale gaslighting in X are prevalent ??throughout the franchise. Other panels looked at more inward issues, some ?focusing on the topic of mental health, and where video games fit in with that. This was at an early point in my experience at the convention, where I was under the impression that it was mostly fans running these panels.

I soon realized that it was more complicated than that. On the convention's second and last day, I made it to a panel called "The LGBTQ History of Fanfiction," which I initially attended out of morbid curiosity—fanfics aren't really my jive. The panel went through the influence of Xena in the 90s for femmeslash fiction, and the use of ancient technology such as Geocities and Livejournal. But I was most fascinated listening to panelist and Marvel comics writer Leah Williams speak abo?ut how she considered her work ?with mainstream publications such as Marvel to be "professional fanfiction." It's a funny phrase at first, but Williams discussed how she was able to stay active in the fandom while still being at a professional level.

"No one knows the canon bette??r than the fandom," was a declaration that would likely stir up some argument, but one that I'm sometimes inclined to agree with.

At a panel titled "I Have Tons of Friends on the Internet: Finding Queer and Trans Communities Online," I got to listen to figures such as Couple-ish creator and actor Kaitlyn Alexander discuss transitioning from being a fan to a creator. Being on the other side of t??he fandom, they described quite simply, was weird. But Alexander ended the panel with a message of inclusivity and solidarity: in this large world of creativity from players with diverse identities, we have to support all aspects of the community.

Art by Pegushi (Twitter | Store)

To a layman, this sounds like a pretty standard convention experience—and in a way, it was. But ha??ving a convention unapologetically dominated by queerness added a unique color to the entire experience. Looking at everyone's vibrant art, the smiles and excitement on everyone's face, and engaging in engross??ing conversations about fandom, I felt an affection, comfort, and friendliness that I can't imagine is inherent in many other fandom conventions. It's certainly a benefit from building a large, physical space for queer nerds, gender-neutral bathrooms and all.

I won't harp on in this piece too much about my own personal identity, as there are several details that I prefer to keep private for the time being—but what I will share is that the queer online community, primarily on Twitter in my particular experience, is one that I've only recently immersed myself in. There's a certain barrier from only experiencing this community online that made it feel intangible. Being at Flame Con was a profound ?experience for me—putting faces to all of this made me feel not only happy but safe.

Plus, I bought a lot of cool shit.

The post The Flame Con Adventures of Flixist Chris appeared first on Destructoid.

Hey, listen!

[Have you ever played a game and thought to yourself, "Man, this is a fantastic allegory for budding sexuality and what it means to be true to yourself?" Me neither, but that's why we have fantastic blogs from Adzuken, who gives us scrumptious food for thought on how Ocarina of Time could be more than just another adventure for The Hero of Time. Get your work on Destructoid's Front Page by rockin' the suburbs in our Community Blogs! - Wes]

In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, puberty hits Link in much the same way it hits many of us fleshy humans: suddenly, at an inopportune time, and with the force of a freight train. He pulls the Master Sword, and the next thing he knows it's seven years later, he's swimming in hormones, covered in hair, and alone with a strange old man... and someone must have changed his clothes while he slept. That sucks, guy, but look on the bright side, at least you don't have to deal ??with menstrual cycles.

That's not the last curveball that Hyrule has to throw at him, either. Throughout his quest to save the world, he's surrounded by the ladies - his childhood friend, a woman from a tribe exclusive to women, fairies who thrust their angular cleavage at him whenever he beckons, and even a fish princess. A fish princess! Yet, despite this, he keeps it in?? his? pants like a champ.

Maybe it's because Link is just too focused on his quest, or maybe he's a gentleman and doe??sn't treat every woman he bumps into a??s a potential conquest. That's cute, but we're talking about a teenager who has just discovered his body. His magical coma has deprived him of the humbling, awkward phase of his adolescence, so concepts like respect and self-control are foreign to him. The only thing he knows is he's got pork steak to peddle and the meat market is open for business.

Instead, for a large portion of the game, Link's attention is held by another mysterious stranger: Sheik. While Link rarely seems too broken up when his lady friends become forcibly martyrized into an eternity as a magical conduit, he finds himself constantly searching the lingering smoke after Sheik pulls a disappearing act. The most intimate moments that Link spends with another character throughout the course of his adventur??e are with this stranger.

Now, remember that as far as Link knows, for most of??????????????????????????? the game, Sheik is a man.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="896"] A sexy man![/caption]

WHAT ARE THESE FEELINGS?

It isn't until near the end of the adventure that he learns, spoiler alert, Sheik was Princess Zelda in drag all along. Well, that explains why Link's heart went aflutter every time his best bro plucked his h??arp. Now that all the confusion is cleared up, Link can get back to all that manly heterosexual stuff he likes to do, like fishing and drinking milk.

The closest Link ever gets to romance in Ocarina of Time is during one of the end cutscenes where he shares a tender ??moment with Zelda before she sends him screaming back to his childhood with only the vicious sting of rejection to show for it. That at least proves that Link is straight, right?

Not necessarily.

When you're a hormone-filled teen, h?omosexuality can be a pretty confusing situation. Despite where your body's sexual compass is pointing, you're pressured from all sides to conform to heteronormativity. Your parents often impress upon you that your goal in life should be to meet a nice member of the opposite sex to start a family with, your peers often ridicule those with tastes that don't conform with the norms, and it can be difficult to find others who will openly admit to having alternative preferences. How many young people do you think find themselves in heterosexual relationships despite their raging gayness? Anecdotally, it seems like a lot. Some people figure this out quickly and get with the gay, others find themselves spending a lifetime trying to force a square peg into a circular hole.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="380"] If you know what I mean.[/caption]

THE HERO OF HORMONES

Feelin??gs that you've built up for a person can't easily be switched off. Link's discovery of Sheik's true gender would probably not have initially changed much, aside from what he sees between the legs of the person he fantasizes about. If anything, it would have left him relieved that he didn't need to address the issue of his sexual identity. He could sweep Zelda off her feet, carry her into the sunset, and start their "happily ever after". As far as he'd have known, that's the way it's supposed to be.

As anyone who has played through the game knows, that's not how it went. Instead, he was returned to his own time period to live out puberty in the emotionally traumatizing way that nature intended. Perhaps this way, he would have the chance to discover his sexuality, instead of finding h??imself in an unfulfilling marriage and the yawning emptiness within. He'd just be going through the paces, maybe even having a few children, all the while wondering what ?Ganon's up to.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] "I just wonder what Ganon's up to!"[/caption]

THAT'S LINK. HE'S CONFUSED

Do I honestly think that Nintendo intentionally inserted this subtext into Ocarina of Time? Absolutely not, nor do I believe that Link needs to be an explicitly gay character?. But, I mean, if he wants to be, I'm cool wi??th that. I'll love him all that same.

Romance has always been downplayed in the Zelda series; it's frequently hinted at, but overt depiction is rare. I respect that direction for more than one reason. Link is a blank slate character -- his thoughts should be your own, and any actions that he takes that you yourself wouldn't under the same circumstances is a betrayal. I'd personally be really disappointed if he went for the blandest woman in all Hyrul??e instead of swimming upstream to spawn with the fish princess.

There are lots of characters that can be used to tell a story in video games, but when dealing with blank slate characters the ability to project your own sexuality onto them can be more important than even their gender or general appearance, and the inclusion of compulsory scenes of romance can ruin that illusion. I mean, if you're straight, try to imagine Link sharing a passionate kiss with Darunia. Maybe you wouldn't be completely repulsed if you're open-minded, but you probably wouldn't consider it your optimal Zelda romance. If your sexuality doesn't align with what your c??haracter is expressing, it can make things uncomfortable, regardless of how accepting you are of it.

Gay people, especially those who are still trying to figure out which hole their peg fits into, are often taught to be ashamed of their sexuality. Like Link's secret longing for cream in his coffee, it can lead to those feelings being repressed and unaddressed, which then can lead to psychological issues later in life. That's why we have Pride Month in the first place: In hopes that one day we can all be comfortable with who we are. Maybe? one day, Link will realize that he doesn't have to keep chasing princesses, address those feelings he kept buried, and find himself wrapped in the loving arms of a friendly moblin.

The post Is Ocarina of Time a gay coming-of-age story? appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm sure a straight pride theme is right around the corner

It's June 1 and all across Twitter, corporations are shoehorning the rainbow flag into their company logos in celebration of Pride. This month-long parade of everything fabulous and fierce is the one time a year when gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, and all the other letters of the alphabet soup that is the LGBTTQQIAAP com?munity stop body shaming each other and instead express love and pride without fear -- so long as they do it in a major metropolitan area that's cool with the gays. Sorry Arlington queers.

But the pandering isn't li??mited to redesigned Twitter handles. This year we're also getting Pride Apple Watch faces, Pride H&M clothing made by woefully underpaid foreigners, and a free Pride "For All the Players" theme for your PlayStation 4.

I'm more of a bear pride flag man myself, but even the?? breeders on staff were gushing about how good this looks. Even if it wasn't for Pride, that classic rainbow design invokes memories of the old Ljn and Atari logos. It's endlessly classic, like the Pride flag itself, and when I get my? ass home after work tonight it'll be my new PS4 theme.

For All the Players [PlayStation Store]

The post This free PlayStation 4 theme is super gay appeared first on Destructoid.

It helped me find my Soul Miiate

Tomodachi Life is one of the strangest games to come out of Nintendo and, when it launched, it became a lightning rod for stupid controversy over the supposed removal of same-sex relationships from the game. A misunderstanding as to what was actually happening led to plenty of misinformed commentators, this thing from Ellen, this thing from John Oliver, and a truly heartfelt petition from one fan simply asking for equal??ity.

Nintendo's response to the petition was well received, and the company said if it were to create another entry in the Tomodachi Life franchise, it would "strive to design a game-play experience from the ground up that is more inclusive, and better represents all players." Last year, we got our first big Nintendo game to include gay characters and gay relationship options in Fire Emblem Fates, though it was limited in who you could fall in love with and which version of the game they would be avail??able in. Also, Niles sucked.

Going through Miitopia over the last three weeks, I had this controversy in mind. If you've played the demo, you know ?it has a relationship aspect where you can level up bonds between Miis. It all starts out innocent enough, with relationship labels like "acquai??nted" and "likes a little bit," but as they grow closer, the wording becomes more intimate. I wondered how far and how deep these relationships would get, finding my answer on YouTube.

If you watch that ad, halfway through you'll see that totally awesome teenager coveting his brother's girlfriend. As his way of getting back at his big brother for pro?bably doing the awful crap big brothers do, he's put her in the game and as you can see, the two are total soul mates with a relationship level of 50. "Huh," I said out loud to myself like the mentally ill person I am, "I wonder if it's the same if it's two dudes."

Now, when I saw that ad, I had two male characters in my game with a relationship level of 35. At this point, the two had hearts in their eyes for each other but the game still referred to them as friends. I must commend the localization team for pulling every word from the thesaurus and any idiom available to keep from calling these two a couple. As I leveled up their relationship, they became "thick as thieves," "two peas in a pod," "kindred spirits," "committed," "friendsplosion," "together forever," and "joined at the hip," which could actually be pretty gay dependin??g on what part of the hip ?we're talking about.

As I inched closer to that level 50 goalpost, the game threw obstacles my way. One of the guys would get sick, which prohibits relationship growth. After he got better, the two got in a fight that just seemed to ge??t worse as I tried to make it better.

I pressed forward and right before I was about to turn in for the night, I caught a ??break. In a mini-game available at the various inns you come across, I won three straight trips to an island getaway for two. This is one of the most powerful ways to build a bond so I sent my boys out to finally hit that level 50 mark.

JJ and CJ sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n -- okay, so there is no actual kissing in this game and nobody gets married and shares a bed or anything like that. Relationships are quite entertaining to watch but less involved than in Tomodachi Life.

Nonetheless, this is pretty much exactly what Nintendo said it would do. This isn't officially a Tomodachi ??game, but it is one that, as they promised, is more inclusive and better represents all players. If they're choosing not to include a marriage option, that's their prerogative. But this game is built around forming deep and meaningful relationships, and no matter if it's same-sex or opposite sex, every rel??ationship is treated equally. And isn't that what the whole kerfuffle three years ago was about?

The post Nintendo kinda, sorta kept its big gay promise appeared first on Destructoid.

Austin Texas is the place for Furries, Folks and Fun

When I was growing up, to openly love ?video games was to be a n?onconformist. There? was no getting around that, and in a small cliquey town where social status determined much of your experience in life, being a nonconformist meant being avoided and/or disliked by most. As such,only about ten of us ended up going public with our love of video games. Some of us were outed by mean spirited ex-friends, others just blabbed, having no idea that the social consequences of being a teenage gamer would be so dire, and the rest just couldn't help it. Eventually, by senior year, some of us had found a way towards something resembling peer acceptance, but it was no small feat to get there. 

Over 25 years later, gaming isn't the same. I'm told by younger, more interesting people than myself that some kids today actually pretend to like video games more than they do in order to fit in. While that's definitely a sign of progress, the fact that people still have to ask if their gaming habits will lead to being socially accepted or rejected either way is still bad news. No one should feel bad about what games they like, because liking a game is entirely harmless. No harm m??eans no guilt, at le??ast by my standards. 

Thankfully, I'm not alone on that standard. The folks at Haven Con feel the same way, which is why they created the event. It's been an annual thing for the past three years, and the fourth is tentatively scheduled for next Spring, but only if they can get the funding beforehand. Guest speakers include Karin Weekes from Bioware and Wolfpup TK, famed Furry and fundraiser for various char?ities. 

Some of you may remember that when PAX first started, it was just a hole in the wall event with a few thousand attendees, so there's no way of knowing how big these sorts of shows may get. One thing is for sure though, anything that works to decrease division among video game lovers is something I want to support. Back in high school, you can bet that the ten of us "outed gamers" knew how to stick together. It was far fr??om easy, but at least we had each other. These days, I'm not always so sure that's the case. 

The post Come out of all your closets at Haven Con 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Twitch police

The Tearoom is based on a hidden surveillance camera sting carried out in 1962 by th??e police in Mansfield, Ohio (a city I've frequently been in my entire life). The polic??e set up a two-way mirror and filmed local gay men having sexual contact with each other, then used said footage to put them behind bars for a year or more under the now-defunct sodomy laws the state had at the time. The game's name comes from the slang term used to designate bathrooms used for cruising (hooking up with strangers in public), tearooms.

Yang is actually one of the most-banned developers on Twitch, and The Tearoom serves as a message not only to those in power at Twitch bu??t to the video game industry as a whole:

"Today in 2017, police still target men who have sex with men -- and in video game land, I still have to deal with Twitch banning my gay games by secret trial as if they're the fucking game police. So to appease this oppressive conservative gamer-surveillance complex, I have swapped out any pesky penises in my game for the only thing that the game industry will never moderate?? nor ban -- guns. Now, there's nothing wrong with guys appreci??ating other guys' guns, right?"

In The Tearoom, your goal is to peek at men as they use the urinal until they do the same to you, at which point they whip out their fle??shy gun-shaped penises for you to lick in the first-person till they swell and colorize into realistic guns which then shoot hot loads of bullets loudly onto your face. You also have to avoid the cops while doing so, so you're forced to constantly look out a nearby window to make sure a cruiser isn't pulling up to arrest you for licking another man's gun. Each gun you lick to completion is presented as a trophy in a nearby stall as if hung from a glory hole, but if you're busted by the cops your progress is erased, so look before you lick!

If you'd like to know more about the historical events The Tearoom is based on (and even see footage from the police sting), you can check out Yang's lengthy blog which also details his reasoning behind making the game and the design process. Be warned, there are spoilers for those who plan on playing the game, so maybe read it after giving it a go. One fact Yang doesn't point out is that during the 1960s, anal intercourse was considered taboo among gay men to the point that they had a slu?r for those who did it: brownies, thus why you're only performin?g oral here.

The post This histor??ical public gay sex simulator replaces penises with guns appeared first on Destructoid.

She's on the border noooooooowwwwwwwwww

_{[Art bu Aulsa]}

As all good fans of PaRappa Headcanons already know, it's fun to think about ChopChop Master Onion making car noises when he's alone or when he's having a break, but did you know it's also fun to think about PaRappa characters havi??ng deep emo??tional relationships, or even falling in love? I've never done it myself, but given the popularity of this whole "shipping" fad that's so hot with the kids right now, I have to imagine that it's a real treat. 

Sometimes, these "ships" lead to actual changes to the official story in question. For instance, the relationship between Marceline and Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time is widely thought to have started with the fans, before bleeding into the show itself. If this email from PaRappa series character designer Rodney Alan Greenblat is anything to go by, it looks like something similar may be cooking for Lammy and Katy, two of the franchise's lead c??haracters. Statement of intention isn't the same as making it happen though. We'll just have to wait and see if we ever get a new game in the series, and if so, how much say the character designer will have in determini?ng the storyline. 

Side note ~ one of the first things I did wh?en I joined Destructoid in 2007 was email Rodney Alan Greenblat and ask him for an interview. The full interview never happened, but he was very gracious, answering a few off the cuff questions I had for him at the time. I've looked many t??imes for the email he wrote me all those years ago, but I think I accidentally deleted it, which makes me feel very, very sad. 

I remember asking him why the caterpillar boss from stage 3 of UmJammer Lammy vomits pink candy glop then re-ingests it mid-conversation. I remember him saying someth??ing like "Your guess is a good as mine. That wasn't my idea, but I was thrilled?? to be a part of it."

Will my grief over this los??t email ever go away? Probably not!

The post What if UmJammer Lammy and Katy Kat were… closer appeared first on Destructoid.

No gay old time for our comrades

I have actually yet to play Overwatch, so I didn't have any? expectations in regards to certain characters' backgrounds. Tracer being gay doesn't make me angry or feel cheated, I'm just happy that we can finally have an openly gay character not be defined by their sexual orientation. It doesn't make a lot ??of sense to shoehorn that into the actual game, so having it explained in a piece of external lore was tasteful, in my opinion. I guess not everyone would be happy with Tracer coming out of the closet, though.

According to a post over on Eurogamer (and confirmed by Blizzard), the Overwatch comic "Reflections" will not be releasing in Russia in accordance with their anti-LGBT laws. Anything that is seen as "gay propaganda" is deemed illegal and it doesn't seem like Blizzard is willing to fight with the Russian government over this. What should be noted, though, is that the comic wasn't banned, just that Blizzard decided to skip relea??sing it in the country.

Some of you may notice that this sounds awfully similar to a situation with FIFA 17 earlier this month and you would be correct. With that title, post-release DLC was made to promote the Rainbow Laces campaign and the Russian government took issue with it promoting a gay agenda. The game may even ultimately be banned, which is just insane. How is this happening in the modern er?a?

While I'm almost certain the comic would ultimately get banned if released, I'm mostly surprised that Blizzar??d didn't stick to its guns and push for a release anyway. I know i?t obviously cares a great deal about its IPs, but this almost seems as if it doesn't believe the battle is worth the effort. I suppose we can't change the laws of a government overnight, but staying quiet on the situation isn't how change takes hold.

Overwatch webcomic not release?d in Russia over gay character [Eurogamer]

The post Overwatch’s latest comic isn’t being released in Russia appeared first on Destructoid.

Such a cute couple

It's the holidays, a time for family, friends, presents, Santa, credit card debt, arguing when people say something other than "Merry Christmas" to you for some goddamn reason, and for being with the ones you love. For me, that means being with the body pillow I won't tell my parents is my fiancé. For the booty-tastic Tracer of Overwatch, t?hat means being at home with the woman in her life.

Yes, it appears Tracer has a girlfriend and in 2016, some people still consider this news (or at least, people who write for obnoxious entertainment websites still consider this news). In a yuletide-themed issue of the Overwatch digital comic, Tracer hunts down a?? gift for Winston, but it's mistakenly opened by the freckled, red-headed Emily. Oh, holiday antics!

During my time with Overwatch,?? I didn't play as Tracer that much because her style didn't gel with my abilities. Now that I know she may be a big old 'L' of the LGBTQIAPK community... I'm still not going to play as her because her style doesn't gel with my abilities. #Pharah4Life

Overwatch Tracer Reflections #10 [Blizzard]

The post Tracer’s lesbianism turns my Overwatch fan fiction into reality appeared first on Destructoid.

'Against the standards of decency'

It’s hard being a Vita owner in Australia. Not only has the console been all-but-abandoned by Sony, but for the second time this year, a new release for the oft-neglected handhel??d has been banned.

Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni, the new brawler by Senran Kagura creator Kenichiro Takaki that features weaponised lesbians, has been Refused Classification by the Australian Classification Board. This is to say that the game has been banned, as a title that has been Refused Classification “…cannot be sold?, hired, advertised or legally imported in Australia.”

As mentioned previously, this is the second PlayStation Vita game to be banned in Australia this year, with the Idea Factory-published dungeon-crawler MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death being the first. The reason stated for the Australian Government’s banning of Valkyrie Drive was that the game depicts sex or sexuality in a way that may “… offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accep?ted by reasonable adults to the exten?t that they should not be classified.”

Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni is slated for a Western release by PQube Games on September 16. There's a trailer? below that's well worth checking out.

I’m somewhat saddened by thi??s turn of events, as I was actually lo??oking forward to this one.

The post No weaponised lesbians for ??Australia: Valkyrie Drive refused classification appeared first on Destructoid.

LGBT city building

Atari has released its free-to-play city management and Pride parade simulator, Pridefest, on Android and iOS devices. You're tasked with being the mayor of a city that has lost all its color and fun, so you ha??ve to pizzazz up the town with gay parades and LGBT-friendly businesses and homes. 

I downloaded Pridefest to give it a spin and my feeli??ngs are mixed. On one hand I'm not big on ci??ty building and management simulators or free-to-play titles with microtransactions, but on the other it is, at least, nice to have something marketed towards LGBT people. That said it doesn't seem to do much to further the cause, instead opting to have tons of rainbows everywhere with no mention of what "Pride" stands for.   

Yo?u're able to customize your mayor's look, gender identity, and clothing but the options are minimal. I was able to make a character that looked kind of similarly to myself, but no beards were on offer. #BeardsExist. I gav?e myself a purse just for some pizzazz, though.

I only skimmed the surface of the game briefly and didn't bother testing out the integrated Facebook features, or social features with other players that include some form of chat. I'll stick to Daddyhunt for chatting with other gays, thank you ?very much.

The post Be the mayor of the gayest town ever in Pridefest appeared first on Destructoid.

Guys are gross

Ask any gay guy you know with a smartphone if he knows what Grindr is and he will tell you all about the popular hookup app for men that have sex with men; from the unsolicited dick pics, to the creepy married men trying to pay for sex. Even knowing the kind of garbage I'll be sent on Grindr, I find myself opening it a few times a day. Maybe I'm a masochist or maybe I just enjoy looking into the voi?d of dicks. I'm not sure. 

Shaun Kitchener decided to do a little experiment on Grindr by quoting the one-liners from trainers in Pokémon Fire Red instead of engaging in real conversations. He has chronicled his adventures, including many censored face and cock pictures. As you'd expect, the results are both di?sgusting, hilari??ous, and even informative if you aren't familiar with gay sex. Like, how many of you know what a "?rim stool" is? ??I wish I didn't.

I joined Grindr and only used trainer quotes from Pokémon Red [Shaun Kitchener]

The post Apparently you can get la??id via gay hookup apps by? using Pokemon quotes appeared first on Destructoid.

Sup Holmes every Sunday at 4pm EST!

_{[Sup Holmes is a weekly talk show for people that make great videogames. It ai?rs live every Sunday at 4pm EST on YouTube, and can be found in Podcast form on Libsyn and iTunes.]}

Good news, everyone! We've got some outstanding Sup Holmes reruns for you to enjoy on this fine Sunday afternoon. First up is our talk with Robert Yang, the creator of Succulent, Stick Shift, Cobra Club, and many more. We talked about Robert's motivations, the popularity of his "spank a man" simulator Hurt Me Plenty in Japan, his dreams of completing a game that's a cross between Porco Rosso and Animal Crossing, the ERS??B's harsh judgements on erect penises, and a lot more. Robert also made fun of me occasio?nally for talking about how straight I am (about 9/10 on the straight-o-meter) and I deserved it. 

We also have an episode with Ditto, the creator of hets (available on Curve Digital's Indie Mixtape) and a variety of other explosive, colorful delights. Our conversation happened just as Ditto was finishing up Kryp, his new one-button multi-player shooter. He concocted that the game while in the warm embrace of Stugan (Sweden's premiere scholarship-based video game incubator program), a summer event that sounds like literal heaven on Earth. We talked about why he's reluctant to charge for his work, the idea of doing a Splatoon fan-game, and a lot more. 

Thanks so much to Robert and Ditto for being on the show, and feel free to tune in today at 4pm EST when we welcome Nicholas McDonnell (Screencheat) to the program. W?e're giving out codes for some Wii U and 3DS games too, s?o that's neat. 

The post Chatting about the ESRB’s penis problems and Sweden’s free game dev camp appeared first on Destructoid.

#LoveWins

History was made today when the Supreme Court struck?? down bans against same-sex marriage, ruling that the Constitution guarantees a right to marriage for same-sex couples nationwide. Social media was immediately set abla??ze with rainbows and cries of joy. The hashtag #LoveWins quickly spread across Twitter, and many gaming companies were eager to jump in and voice their support for the Supreme Court's ruling.

It's always great to know the companies that you love support good causes. Some ??changed their logos,?? others posted some fan art, and many more spread the hashtag. Here are a few companies who tweeted their support today.

The post Gaming companies voice their support for the same-sex marriag??e ruling in the US appeared first on Destructoid.

The fates have spoken!

Nintendo has confirmed in a statement to Polygon that same-sex marriage is an option available to players in the upcoming Fire Emblem Fates for 3DS:

We can confirm that Fire Emblem Fates for Nintendo 3DS,?? wh?ich launches in Japan on June 25, 2015, and is coming to the U.S. and Europe in 2016, includes the possibility for a same-sex marriage to take place between the main character created by the gam?er and another character in the game.

Hurray for diversity and?? options! Oddly, the option of who you can marry is split between the three different versions of the game.

To keep things simple I've made this handy list:

• Gay Edition = Conquest Edition - Players encounter a male character they can marry as either gender.
• Lesbian Edition = Birthright Edition - Players encounter a female character they can marry as either gender.
• Bisexual Edition = Downloadable Third Story Edition - Players can encounter and marry either of the characters from the Birthright and Conquest editions.

Nintendo previously took heat over not including the option for same-sex marriage in Tomodachi Life and for fixing a glitch that allowed it to occur. "Nin?tendo never intended to make any form of social commentary with the launch of&nb??sp;Tomodachi Life," Nintendo stated at the time, but ??now it seems like it has changed its tune:

We believe that our gameplay experiences should reflect the diversity of the communities in which ??we operate and, at the same time, we will always design the game specifica??tions of each title by considering a variety of factors, such as the game's scenario and the nature of the game play. In the end of course, the game should be fun to play. We feel that ;Fire Emblem Fates is indeed enjoyable to play and we hope fans like the game??.

I've never really gotten into the Fire Emblem series, but this move could very well make me just so I can finally have that loving lesbian marriage I've always wanted. Fire Emblem Fates released in J??apan on June 25, 2015 and hits North America and Europe in 201??6.

The post Same-sex marriage confirmed for?? Fire Emblem Fates! appeared first on Destructoid.

Totally worth the money

[Update: The developer has since updated the listing, the mousepad is now in the $125 tier! Fuzzy ogre chest for cheaper is always a good thing.]

I wrote about gay dating sim Fantastic Boyfriends a little while back, and decided to try and rein in my enthusiasm. I tried to keep my excited prose more composed and collected. This time? Fuck it, we’ve got cushioned pec mousepads.

Lifewonders, the developer of Fantastic Boyfriends, has unveiled the?? tapestries and mousepad you’ll receive if you pledge a whopping $999 to the Indiegogo campaign. For the price of two PlayStation 4s, you could wrest your tired, achy wrist on the pillowy bosoms of Orgus the ogre. The chest stubble can gently massage your arm, a tender warmness shared between both of you that could slowly be??come something else.

He may be gruff and distant at first, but after long sessions of you rubbing his rippling chest while playing Team Fortress 2, he will learn?? to love the sensation. As shall you. As sh?all we all.

Of course, there are many other uses for a soft pec mousepad, such as using it as a small cushion or propping up wonky furniture legs with it. The possibilities are literally endless when you have a hairy, ??scarred ogre&??rsquo;s chest as a mousepad.

Oh and the tapestries are cool too I guess. Bit less tactile, but still pretty neat. They’ve also shown us a new video of the prologue of the game, showing how it’ll actually play: part dating ?sim, part JRPG.

Fantastic Boyfriends has roughly 18 days remaining, and is still looking for $12,000 out of $20,000 of its funding. But honestly, th??e Indiegogo isn’t why we’r??e here. It’s that mousepad.

Disclosure: I have not backed this p??roject, I simply think hot virtual ogres are co?ol.

The post Fantastic Boyfriends $999 reward has Ogre chest mousepa??ds appeared first on Destructoid.

Wow, fantastic hunks

Oh my lord. Oh my stars and garters. Okay Joe, this? is a simple news post, you’ve done this countless times before. A whole group of hot men or not, you don't even know if this game is any good, so pull yourself together and don’t get sidetracked.

Damn it, I can do this.

This is Fantastic Boyfriends, or Shoukan Yuusha to F-kei Kareshi in Japan, a gay fantasy dating sim and RPG for iOS and Android. Until now it’s only been available in Japanese, but the developer Lifewonders has launched an Indiegogo campaign. They're aiming to raise $20,000 to release an English translation, however the developers have stated that t?he project will continue if funding fails, albeit at a slower pace.

Fantastic Boyfriends frames itself as a fairly standard JRPG where you must face a g??reat evil in a fantasy land and so on and so forth. The  twist is that you're also able to date a wide variety of men, ogres, and dragon-dudes who can help on your journey when you're not too busy holding hands, smooching or whatever it is people in love do.

At the time of writing, they've raised $803 in 1?5 hours, so who knows whether or not it will hit its target? But you know what they say: it ain't ogre 'til it's ogre.

The post F??antastic Boyfriends wa??nts to hook you up with cute ogres appeared first on Destructoid.

Developer is "glad [they] have observant fans!"

A tweet from Mortal Kombat X's cinematic director, Dominic Cianciolo, suggests that Kung Jin?? is the fighting franchise's first ??(canonically) gay character. ;

"I see people are picking up on the subtle exposition contained in Kung Jin's flashback," he said in a tweet picked up by Gay Star News. "Glad we have observant fans!"

Players learn about franchise newbie Kung Jin via a series of flashbacks. Nothing new there, I hear you cry. But it gets interesting at the beginning of chapter four, when Raiden (no, not that one) suggests that Kung Jin joins the warrior Sha??olin monks. 

'I can't," says Kung Jin. "They won't accept."

To which Raiden replies: "They car?e only of what is in your heart, not whom your heart desires."

Okay - that's pretty subtle stuff. But with Ciancialo's commendation of "observant" fans,? it certainly looks like Kung Jin might have one of the game's richest and most interesting backstories.

The post Here’s Mortal Kombat’s first canonically gay character appeared first on Destructoid.

Sorry bigots, you can't have this one

If you've been following the news over the past few years, then you are keenly aware of the debate and divide that gay rights has caused. Unfortunately, there is a segment?? of our population that wants ??to deny others their right to life and love, simply because they think a fictional book written by men tells them that butt sex is wrong.

Yes, in 2015 there are still people that blindly follow a book that was scribed when most of the population had no idea the earth was round or that? evolution was even a thing. And now, those same people want to enforce their archaic beliefs on others.

Such is the case in Indiana. Homophobic and hate-filled members of Indiana's legislature sent a bill to Gov. Mik?e Pence that will essentially allow business owners?? the "freedom" to deny services for same-sex couples.

Because of this, longtime gaming convention Gen Con is considering leaving the state -- and taking their money with them. Gen Con sent this letter to the governor, urging him not to sign.

Good on Ge?n Con. Hate and ignorance should never be tolerated. Diversity in gaming and the surrounding culture is something to be celebrated, not overshadowed by spiteful men who seek to harm others.

Gen Con Heroes To Indiana: Sign The Anti?-Gay? Bill And We’re Outta Here [Badass Digest]

The post Gen Con may leave?? Indiana if anti-gay bill gets final approval appeared first on Destructoid.

Organizers successfully raise over $80,000 via Kickstarter

GX3: Everyone Games has eclipsed its $80,000 Kickstarter goal with more than two days to spare. The convention will return to San Francisco in late 2015, where the organizers endeavor to provide a safe space for "everyone who feels l?ike they've been left out of mainstream gamer culture."

Supporters now turn their attention to unlocking stretch goals, wh??ich include a developer-focused event and series of panels, as the campaign winds down in its final hours.

GX3: Everyone Games [Kickstarter]

The post GaymerX secures funding for a third convention appeared first on Destructoid.

And the organizers are looking to raise funds via Kickstarter

GaymerX aims to ?return in 2015 as GX3: Everyone Games. The convention, focused on building a safe space for everyo?ne, is rebranding itself to be more inclusive toward marginalized folks and allies that may not necessarily identify as part of the LGBTQ community.

Earlier this year, the organization behind the event announced GaymerX2 would likely be the last. However??, due to an outpouring of support from those that would like to see GaymerX continue, it loo??ks like the convention may survive after all. 

The event is penciled in for next November or December in the San Francisco Bay Area pending a Kickstarter campaign. The organizers are asking for $80,000 -- about half of the event's anticipated operating cost.  As for the rest, well, several developers and publishers have pledged to support GX3 as sponsors, including the likes of Blizzard, Thomas Was Alone creator Mike Bithell, and Devolver Digital.

GX: Everyone Games [Kickstarter]

The post GaymerX returns as GX3: Everyone Games appeared first on Destructoid.

Slash fan art burns up the charts

It was fun to see how the internet reacted to speculation that Link in the next Zelda for Wii U might be a woman. The response was very similar to how I imagined the world might respond to a Blasian Link. When it was revealed that Link was definitely a dude, many were disappointed, while others breathed a sigh of ??rel?ief. Either way, the feelings were intense. 

One thing is for sure: the new Link is darn pretty, perhaps the prettiest Link in the history of pretty Links. That prettiness is bound to inspire some feelings. There is a rea?son why gender-swap fan art or cosplay of Link is so popular. A lot of self identified heterosexual males clearly have some repressed attraction to our lovely green-clad hero. Making him a "girl" gives them permission to feel that lust and while maintaining a hetero self image. 

Likewise, making Link and Ganondorf more than friends allows for some highly lusty permissions. This fan art from @mmimmzel has a lot of men and women of any and every sexual preference feeling hot under the collar. Mmimmzel's fantasies of a Link/Ghirahim pairing got nowhere near as much attention. Neither did @Cocacolllllllla's handsome Linebeck or Link-on-Link pairing. 

How would you feel if the next Zelda game had a PG-13 Ganondor?f/Link/Zelda love triangle?

The post What if Ganondorf and Link were… closer? appeared first on Destructoid.

Sometimes dudes just want to kiss dudes

The most recent character announced for Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian, is BioWare's first totally gay party member character. Only male pla??yer characters will be able to engage Dorian romantically. As well, Dorian's sexuality will play a part in his backstory and personal motivations. This can be considered a step forward for BioWare, as its previous attempts to incorporate an array o?f sexuality into its characters have been half-measures at best.

The post Video: BioWare creates its first fully gay character for Dragon Age: In?quisition appeared first on Destructoid.