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Help us brainstorm the gay icons of video games
One of the notable aspects of gay culture is the individuals we turn into our icons. Thanks to a big personality, big talent and a unique sense of style, gay icons have managed to succeed despite having the odds against them, whether that be Judy Garland's personal tragedies or Bette Midler's rule-breaking career path. And, of course, it helps that they're usually very supportive of their gay fans. In the latest edition of "Ask the Flying Monkey" Brent asked readers if there are potential gay icons in video games. As a long time gamer, that's certainly a question that allows for some fun speculation. To get the conversation going here are a few suggestions.
Bella Goth As a constant presence (along with her husband Mortimer) in The Sims franchise, Bella Goth personifies a world where gay gamers feel welcomed and even the game's fandom is notably gay-friendly. However, that's not all Bella has to offer. Beyond her beauty and commanding presence, Bella is at the center of most of the storylines in the second Sims game. Hers is a soapy life (perfect for gay-iconhood) having mysteriously disappeared from her home, only to reappear in Strangetown (a Roswell-inspired setting) with no memories. It probably helps that The Sims 3 revealed that a teenaged Mortimer looked a lot like Jake Silbermann.
Princess Toadstool (aka Princess Peach) She may have first appeared as one of several princesses who waits for Mario to rescue her in Super Mario Brothers, but by the time Super Mario Brothers 2 came out she was fighting along with Mario and Luigi. Video games are still dominated by guys with an easily-threatened sense of masculinity, Princess Toadstool has shown she can be pretty tough and still dress in her iconic, frilly pink gown. That incredibly girly style combined with her kick ass attitude makes PT stand out.
Jimmy Hopkins While a cursory glance at the Grand Theft Auto series would have you expecting otherwise, Rockstar Games has a pretty gay-friendly history with Bully being one of the company's highlights. This game about a boy who fights back against abusive upperclassmen, apathetic school officials and neglectful parents, lets gay gamers further identify with Jimmy Hopkins' rebellion when it turned out he could regain health by kissing female or male students. You might notice that Jimmy is the only character on this list whose history doesn't span across a long-lived franchise. Jimmy definitely owes some of his iconic nature to conservative anti-video game crusader Jack Thompson, who tried to use the game's gay content to further his arguments that the game should be taken off Florida store shelves and helped make Jimmy's potential homosexuality even more widely known.
The Women of Fighting Games In general, the women in fighting games have at least a few qualities in common with other gay icons. They hold their own in a field dominated by men; they all find their own unique strengths; and with a few exceptions, they know how to stay stylish while fighting. Sure, their good looks are primarily meant for straight male players to enjoy but it also means these women mix grace, attitude and toughness into a potent mix even their gay fans can enjoy. Whether that means Kitana's deadly fans in Mortal Kombat, Aoi's flowing kimono sleeves in Virtua Fighter or BB Hood's mix of cuteness and heavy weaponry in Darkstalkers, the majority of video game women definitely have their own distinctive sense of style. And, let's not forget that when Street Fighter became a movie, producers turned to gay icon Kylie Minogue to bring Cammy to life.
Samus Arran Samus Arran is probably video games' best example of a woman finding her own success in a field dominated by men. Throughout the original Metroid game, Arran battles space pirates in a gender-neutral battle suit that left most gamers presuming she was a man until the game's end. At the time of Metroid's 1986 debut, video game women were usually left to giving quests or waiting for a man to rescue them. Much like Sigourney Weaver would in Aliens (which also came out in 1986), Arran showed the gaming world that blasting down bad guys with a variety of guns wasn't just for the boys' club.
The Cho Aniki Brothers The homoerotic tendencies of the Cho Aniki games are so hard to miss it has made the game infamous in the U.S. despite not getting a major release here. Full of imagery of barely-dressed, muscular guys and a campy, absurd sensibility, Cho Aniki's gay tendencies has earned it a following — even if the games aren't reportedly very good.
Team Rocket Including Team Rocket on this list may be a bit of a cheat since their queer sensibility comes out strongest in the animated Pokemon series instead of the video game. Still, when you consider how Jesse lists her occupation as "diva", James' schemes often involve him dressing in drag and Meowth's origin involves a journey of self-discovery and transition that invokes empathy in transgender fans, it's hard to skip them over. Lara Croft While Lara Croft started out with straight male gamers primarily in mind, Croft's ability to navigate a dangerous underground passage made it easy to overlook her, uhm, exaggerated proportions in favor for her abilities as an adventurous archeologist who looks flawless no matter what trouble she faces. Plus, when the franchise graduated to the big screen, the movie made sure Angelina Jolie wasn't the only overwhelmingly sexy presence on the screen, thanks to Daniel Craig. Honorable mentions There are also a number of characters who have earned their share of gay fans even if their games have failed to make a long term impact on gaming that lend their characters iconic status. Rhythm games featuring dance music often include songs from actual gay icons and whle gay gamers may fondly remember characters like Space Channel 5's Ulala (whose sense of style owed some credit to Lady Miss Kier) or Bust a Groove's disco diva Pinky Diamond. Too bad the one major dancing game, Dance Dance Revolution didn't include any recurring characters.
Space Channel 5's Ulala and Bust a Groove's Pinky Similarly, plenty of characters from the Final Fantasy and Resident Evil games have gained their share of gay fans but since neither series sticks with a protagonist for long, none have had a chance to build a long term following. Meanwhile, as the woman who leads the main character through an over-the-top world of gimmicky assassins and themed battle arenas, Sylvia Christel commands an understated power that could make her a more important character if No More Heroes ever finds the audience that critics say it deserves.
No More Heroes's Sylvia Christel and Final Fantasy's Yuna And there are a few gay characters who could become iconic if given the chance though further exposure, such as Street Fighter's Freddie Mercury-inspired Eagle, King of Fighters' Benmairu, the various gay characters from Metal Gear Solid or Fallout 3's arm dealers Flak and Shrapnel. But what do you think? Who would you see as a potential gay icon amongst video game characters? Submitted by on Tue, 2009-08-25 07:59. |
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If an icon inspires imitation...
Actually Benimaru is a womanizer.
I'm a King of Fighters fan and a Gaymer and you should really consider Ash Crimson to be the iconic gay character. He is the Main guy of the game for three years (the new saga of the game named after him "The Tales of Ash")
You might think he's just a flamboyant sidekick but like I said he's the center of the saga, and strongest one at the moment. He's not officially out yet and it's not clear he's the badguy or goodguy yet. Also he's a hit among a lot of hetero gamers.
Yes, he's not out (yet), but look at this.
Its either a Ho-yay or they're really couple.
Also the game had Ho-yay previously, too;
Finally, not only that the game's 3D version KOF: Maximum Impact 2 has a Boss where his alternate outfit is a woman: Jivatma.
Earthbound!
There's a character in the SNES game "Earthbound" that the creator has confirmed to be gay. Although the character (one of the four heroes' best friend) is a minor one I still think it's pretty outstanding!
This is from http://earthboundcentral.com/2008/06/yes-tony-is-gay-and-mr-saturn-is-innocent/
"Itoi: Well, for example, there’s a gay person in MOTHER 2. A really passionate friend who lives in an England-like place. I designed him to be a gay child. In a normal, real-life society, there are gay children, and I have many gay friends as well. So I thought it would be nice to add one in the game, too."
EDIT: I should also mention that the game is referenced as "MOTHER 2" due to it being the Japanese successor of "MOTHER 1". Here in North America it's just known as "Earthbound". Terrific game.
Guilty Gear
No mention of Bridget from Guilty gear? A young boy in drag should get some kind of mention. (In drag as a nun no less...)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_in_Guilty_Gear#Bridget
digital iconography
one comment, one question:
1) all elves are gay icons.
2) wasn't there a gay(ish) character in the later incarnations of the Street Fighter series?
I Miss Tidus
Cammy
I've always loved Cammy.
Lets not forget about Final Fight and Street Fighter's transgender character Poison.
Gay Icons from Video Games
Kratos (above) from God of War. He spends his life fighting and defeating the gods to determine and direct his own destiny (talk about a metaphor for gay life in the modern world).
Altair from Assassins Creed. Handsome and agile, he pulls off the hooded tunic ensemble with masculine appeal while kicking ass.
Dante, from Devil May Cry, is avenging the death of his mom (what self-respecting gay guy wouldn't do the same) and he does it stylishly and with masculine flare.
The Prince from Prince of Persia because Middle East gay icons are rare and he rescues his proverbial "hag" from danger and what gay/bi male wouldn't do the same.
Marcus Fenix from Gears of War because no matter what life throws at him he still maintains his dignity and sense of purpose with unyielding resolve.
I would also list...
Venom from Guilty Gear X, who is in love with his male boss.
Eagle from the streatfighter games who is a Freddie Mercury homage that is gay in game.
Ryu from Streetfighter...sure he's not gay...he just dedicated to his art...and hot.
Sander Cohen
I'd like to nominate Sander Cohen, from BIOSHOCK. Artist, composer, playwright, and certifiably insane, he lords over the fallen underwater city of Rapture's center of entertainment, Fort Frolic. He enlists the player in helping him complete his "masterpiece" by killing former artistic disciples of his. His homosexuality is strongly implied through dialogue, though that's now what makes him so fascinating. He's neither an antagonist (unless you tick him off) nor or a friend, and is rather beloved by those who play the game. His level is one of the highlights of BIOSHOCK.
Sander Cohen is slightly campy, slightly terrifying, and extremely adept. Who says artists are sissies? Cross Cohen and you'd end up one of his masterpieces strewn around Fort Frolic.
These are all just GAME icons
Not Gayme icons.
Being an actual Gaymer I can say for one, NOBODY who plays The sims actually reads those backstorys of the pre-existing characters, I had no idea who Bella goth was until I read this article, the fun of the Sims is making your own household, otherwise it's just micromanaging.
I'll list some good gay game icons, Although most gay gamer characters are the ones from games where you customize and make your own characters.
Birdo, The first ever Transexual video game characte, from SMB2.
Any Sim(All Sim's are Bisexual)
Fable and Fable 2 main character(Once again, has no name) You can have same-sex relationships in these games.
Jimmy Hoptins was already mentioned.
Samus was already mentioned.
The team rocket characters mentioned aren't actually in the pokemon games, they don't count, they are purely anime characters.
The Cho Aniki brothers were already mentioned.
Ike from Fire Emblem was heavily hinted at being gay.
But really, all the Gay icons evolved as such by simply becoming popular among gay people, there was no commitie of people deciding who should be a Gay icon.
The same should go with Gayme Icons.
The Mother of them all...
Chun Li from the Street Fighter series. She really paved to way for many of our fave fighting game divas. She was my character of choice when I played the game first hit arcades in the earlyh 90's. She still is one of my faves in the series. Cammy is close to my heart as well. Rose pictured from the Alpha series was my character of choice simply because she's fighting in a wrap dress, heels and has a magical scarf. What gay boy doesn't love that?
From the RE series I think Jill Valentine would qualify as a gay icon as well. She's been featured as a protaganist in two of the games and referenced in a few others. She's right up their with Chris Refield in popularity.
Once upon a time I died. And like my namesake I got better.
Fable II
Final Fantasy
Most of the male protagonists from the Final Fantasy series have been a little sexually ambiguous. None more so than FF 12's Vaan. Check out his OFFICIAL portrait from Square Enix:
I dont think Dante and Nero counts but
Yuna is far from being a gay
Yuna is far from being a gay icon (Yuna is my common nickname after I twice crossplayed as her). If we only take FFX into consideration, then she's kinda an interesting character. Not a gay icon, but a character the LGBT community may emphatize with (or just in general).
If we're gonna take FFX-2 into consideration, then that all flies out the window. FFX-2 is literally all about Yuna doing anything and everything to find Tidus. All of a sudden, she's a ditzy queen whose entirely life now revolves around her lost love... because he died and then she saw someone who resembled him in a Sphere.
She's not an underdog. She's not a woman's right champion, she's just yet another girl looking for her (lost) love. I'm not saying we should hate her for it, but it hardly makes her gay icon material. A better gay icon from the same game would be Paine.
Not outright STATED as gay but
What about Akihiko Sanada from Persona 3? Maybe too obscure, I dunno, but the relationship he has with Shinijiro is intense enough that after Shinjiro dies Akihiko is shattered for the rest of the game, and his goodbye speech is some of the most heartfelt and heartbreaking writing and voice acting in any video game I've ever played. He pretty much states "you were the most important thing in my life".
Also in the same game you have the camp "Bebe" who has an incredibly obvious crush on the main character and who you can take out to eat and to the candy shop and other not-date-dates. In Persona 4 there's Kanji, whose storyline is about how he's confused about his sexuality, dating Naoto, who could have been an amazing transexual icon if she hadn't decided "Oops, nevermind, I'll be a girl for no reason, thus invalidating my own storyline as well as my boyfriend's."
I can only hope in Persona 5 they'll stop chickening out and give us the ability to just date guys.