Dragon Age Inquistion to feature first gay male character in BioWare game
By Nick Tylwalk
While some video game companies still have trouble even finding strong roles for women in their games, BioWare has been at the leading edge of progressive gender roles and character relationships in its titles for some time. The sexuality and romance options in its role-playing games have long been somewhat fluid; for instance, the Mass Effect games allowed players to choose either opposite sex or same-sex companions as romantic partners at various times.
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Even so, the subject of a gay male character is something that not even BioWare has broached so far, but that’s going to change in the upcoming Dragon Age Inquisition. He arrives in the form of Dorian, a smart yet rebellious Tevinter mage whose sexuality is confirmed by writer David Gaiter:
"Dorian is gay—he is, in fact, the first fully gay character I’ve had the opportunity to write. It added an interesting dimension to his back story, considering he comes from a place where “perfection” is the face that every mage puts on and anything that smacks of deviancy is shameful and meant to be hidden. Dorian’s refusal to play along with that façade is seen as stubborn and pointless by his family, which has contributed to his status as a pariah."
Gaiter goes on to say that he knows this facet of Dorian “will make him controversial in some corners, but I was glad to include it.” Yet one wonders if this development, while certainly a big step in terms of major AAA console gaming, will even make that much of a ripple within the industry once the game is released. To most gamers, good characters are good characters — period.
Dragon Age Inquisition is set for release on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 7, 2014.
(via Kotaku)