The Sexuality in "Dragon Age: Origins" includes a gay option

This week saw the arrival of Grand Theft Auto IV's second expansion The Ballad of Gay Tony, but it looks like next week will see one more gay-inclusive game hitting store shelves when Dragon Age: Origins goes on sale.

I've been hearing that Dragon Age would include the possibility of a gay relationship and an article about the imminent controversy confirms that gay male sexuality is a part of the game, including a (mild, from the sounds of it) love scene similar to what players will see if they pursue an opposite-sex romance. That just may break new ground for video games.

However, if you want to know more watch out for SPOILERS and mildly-NSFW images below.

The potential gay relationship happens with Zevran, an elf who was born in a brothel and rose to prominence as a thief/assassin. While the love scene sounds like something that could air on broadcast TV, I can't think of a role-playing game that has depicted gay male sexuality to this degree — Jade Empire panned away from its gay kiss, Bully's Jimmy Hopkins wasn't interested in much more than kissing and while Fable let gay couples marry, any sex to happen in that marriage was blacked out.

Unfortunately, Zevran hits a number of stereotypes as well. For one thing, Zevran isn't interested in anything more than casual sex while heterosexual romantic interests are direct about wanting a monogamous, long-term relationship. Meanwhile, isn't a gay elf the fantasy equivalent of a gay hairdresser?

Dragon Age comes from BioWare, the developer that put out Mass Effect, which allowed for a potential lesbian relationship (that also included a love scene), in 2007. While the love scenes in Mass Effect were also considered to be tame, that didn't stop it from facing controversy from conservatives outraged at options that weren't a part of the game. It'll be interesting to see if Dragon Age faces a similar controversy.

Sexuality and gay-inclusiveness is probably one of video games' biggest taboos. While a game like Fallout 3 included very graphic violence, slavery and drug use, sex was toned down to characters sleeping clothed in the same bed and gay characters like Flak and Shrapnel were written vaguely. I'm impressed with BioWare for including a gay love scene in Dragon Age and risk the homophobic reaction of gamers, even if I have some reservations.

What do you think? Does it look like Dragon Age's treatment of gay sexuality will go further than previous gay-inclusive games? Does that make up for the fact that a committed relationship isn't an option? Have there been enough solid gay relationships in earlier RPGs that Zevran's desire for only casual sex reflects a diversity in how queer men are depicted in video games, as opposed to an interest in only casual sex?