Earlier this year I wrote a post for this blog about how gays aren’t often featured in games, and how the few homosexual characters that have appeared have been shallow stereotypes. I discussed Grand Theft Auto IV’s flamboyantly homosexual Bernie in particular, noting that while I was satisfied with how the game dealt with the subject of homosexuality in general, I was disappointed with Bernie, who is ostentatious, cowardly, and adorns his walls with paintings of muscle-y men wearing bulging codpieces.
Given the titular character in Rockstar’s second downloadable episode for the game, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (recently released for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live), I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to readdress this subject.
While players don’t take on the role of Tony—they control Luis Lopez, an ex-con with a shady past who is Tony’s friend and loyal partner in running Liberty City’s two most popular night clubs (one gay, one straight)—it’s fair to say that Tony is the subject the game’s story, as most of the primary missions either involve him or are a direct consequence of something he’s done (Tony makes a number of bad business decisions that require the sort of help that a man like Luis is distinctively qualified to provide).
To put it simply, Tony is the sort of gay character I’ve been itching to see in a mainstream game. He’s brash and a bit rude, but can be suave and likeable when he wants to. He’s also powerful (at least at the start of the game), well-dressed, and not overly possessed of stereotypically effeminate mannerisms. His homosexuality is simply a facet of his character, not the focus.
To be sure, he has plenty of flaws, including a bad drug habit, a tendency to blame Luis for things that aren’t his fault, and a propensity for criminal behavior, but this is almost to be expected. Virtually every character in the Grand Theft Auto universe is a villain to one degree or another; it would be irregular if Tony wasn’t.
And, significantly, he’s treated as an equal by other characters. They interact and do business with him as they would anyone else. There are a few who treat him boorishly and call him a “fag,” but these are dimwitted lowlifes—such as a couple of thugs from Luis’ past—the opinions of which players are not meant to respect.
All of this makes Tony kind of special. By my reckoning he’s the first realistically gay character to be made the subject of such a high profile game. He may not be a role model, but nor is he a stereotype that we need roll our eyes over.
As anyone who has ever spent any amount of time playing games online knows, there is clearly a vocal minority of gay-bashing players out there who could do with seeing a homosexual character who has earned the respect of a tough guy like Luis Lopez. It’s doubtful that Gay Tony will change the minds of these bigoted players all on his own, but he represents the biggest step yet in that direction in the world of mainstream games.
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