I recently found myself finishing up the last few missions in Grand Theft Auto IV and the character of Bernie-gay liaison to Liberty City's deputy mayor-got me thinking about homosexual personalities in games.
For those who haven't played Rockstar's latest interactive crime saga, Bernie pops up late in the game. We're told he served alongside the game's hero, Niko Bellic, during the Bosnian War. When the conflict ended he moved to America to get a fresh start and let loose his flamboyant side.
Personally, I was a little offended by Rockstar's depiction of his homosexuality. He is ostentatious, cowardly, and obsessed with his appearance. What's more, his apartment is covered in paintings of muscle-bound men wearing nothing but bulging codpieces. He's perhaps the most prominent gay character ever to appear in a blockbuster game, and these stereotypes could set an unfortunate precedent.
That said, Niko, who originally tracks down Bernie with intent to kill him over events that took place in the old world, ends up befriending him. Indeed, Niko is nothing but respectful of Bernie's lifestyle-which is surprising, given his background and the company he keeps-and even exacts revenge when gay bashers try to attack him in Middle Park. In the end, I was satisfied with how Rockstar dealt with the subject of homosexuality in its game, if not the character of Bernie.
While gay characters have become much more prominent in television and film over the last couple of decades, they still aren't common in the world of games. That's why, for better or worse, I find myself scrutinizing them when they appear.
To be sure, plenty of role-playing games in recent years have allowed players to engage in virtual homosexual relationships. Games like Mass Effect and Fable II allow players to create an avatar of either gender and then pursue romantic relationships with their choice of male and female non-player characters. But a game that offers the ability to customize its sexual themes isn't the same as a game that actually puts forth an openly gay character for all players to see.
Other than Bernie, I can only think of a couple of undeniably and unalterably gay game characters.
The Japanese role-playing game Enchanted Arms features an openly gay supporting character called Makoto who has a crush on a straight character named Toyo. Much like Bernie, everything about him-clothes, animations, dialogue-speaks to his sexuality. His friends tolerate him happily enough, though jokes are made at his expense, and, in the end, it seems the only reason for his presence is comic relief.
Then there's Guilty Gear XX's Bridget. He's a young man who was raised as a girl-and still seems to identify as one-because his parents had twin sons and thought it bad luck. He wears a sexed up nun's habit and sports long, gold locks of hair. However, as is the case with most characters in fighting games, few details have ever been provided about his personality. His shtick, as it were, is simply that he is a sexually confused boy.
What strikes me as particularly unfortunate is that all of the gay game characters I can think of are defined solely by their sexuality. I've never run across a lead or supporting game personality whose homosexuality is obvious yet not the focus of his or her character-something we've long since grown accustomed to in other forms of media. I've yet to find an Oscar (The Office's quiet accountant), a Kima (The Wire's hard-as-nails lesbian detective), or a Dr. Hahn (Grey's Anatomy's brilliant cardiovascular surgeon).
Coming back to GTAIV's Bernie, I suppose he is, at the very least, a step forward for the medium. Some 14 million copies of the game have been sold worldwide, which means there are potentially millions of gamers out there who are now that much more comfortable with the idea of seeing gays in their games.
It's just too bad that the thing they're being groomed to feel comfortable with is a stereotype.