Mass Effect allows lesbian alien sex, men remain vanilla

by Alexander Sliwinski on Sep 18th 2007 5:53PM

A British Board of Film Classification description page reveals some potential sexual prejudice in Mass Effect, although it's not the type you might expect. According to the description, players using a female character can initiate a sex scene "between her and male human or a female humanoid alien." Male characters, on the other hand, can only initiate sex "between him and a human woman or a humanoid female alien." If we're reading that right, it means the game allows for alien lesbian sex, but not any type of male-on-male sex. Furthermore, all non-alien sex has to be heterosexual.

The same-sex love issue is by now well-tread territory for BioWare -- most fans know by now that Juhani from Knights of the Old Republic is a lesbian and Jade Empire allowed same-sex romance for both genders. So why should it be different in Mass Effect? Does BioWare think that their audience will clamor for girl-on-alien-girl action while recoiling from man-on-man love? And why is lesbian sex only OK if it involves another species? Is this some sort of compromise to avoid a Bully-style controversy?

We'll have to wait until the final version of Mass Effect to see if the BBFC description is accurate, but as it stands now this odd double standard makes us wonder if the game will be a step forward or back for sexual politics.

[Via ProG, GayGamer]

Source

Tags: gender, masseffect, sex, Masseffect,Sex, sexuality, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (139)

.......

hot.

I know I'm turned on.

That's Just G@Y!!! lol

That's so gay.

I'm sorry, that title's hilarious.

This article's getting really riled up for something you don't know the whole story about. It sounds like there's probably either some specific character instance or some alien species mating or societatal difference in the their made up Universe to account for the option. Why didn't they make an entire backstory to have the option of male on male sex as well? They didn't have to. It's a game. They designed what they felt like. It's Bioware, it's going to be deep. Deal with it.

Or, and this is a total shot in the dark here, it could be because of a finite -- even small -- amount of relationships available to your character? We can't expect them to write some gay guy into the story just to "even things up".

Excuse me...

Shakes my "...lightsaber up and down really fast!"

Looks like I'm buying Mass Effect, indefinitely... and playing as a female.

I think this will be as inconsequential as the whole Bully thing

of course, inconsequential for different reasons, Bully just didn't do all that well, people won't be playing Mass Effect for this, and thus it will probably go by relatively unnoticed

"...if girls act like guys it's a turn-on."

Speak for yourself, girly man.

I applaud Bioware for sticking to their beliefs. Just because other companies are showing homosexual sex/kissing doesn't mean that they have to as well. That's part of the freedom you get when making a game: choose what you want to include. Even though I'm not a huge RPG fan, this game looks pretty good.

champ, lesbianism is homosexuality.
unless i'm misunderstanding you - then your entire post makes zero sense.

Look I agree homosexuality is wrong...

but there choice not to have male-on-male yet female-on-female completely disproves whatever point you are trying to make.

They are supporting one gender over the other based on this story, but we don't know the WHOLE story so no real assumptions should be made until then.

I think, as mentioned above, it probably has to do with the story. They're not purposely working in the lesbianism, but its just there because it was too inconvenient to remove, or maybe it didn't make sense in the context of a male lead role. It's not like Bioware hasn't had male homosexuals in there games as mentioned in the article.

"I applaud Bioware for sticking to their beliefs."

Hey, moron, do you read? There was hot man-on-man sex in Jade Empire.

I'm guessing reading and literacy isn't exactly stressed in your neighborhood, and the sexual deviance there is getting your siblings pregnant - or your goat.

You know what I think is the reason?

I think it's precisely because of shitstains like Rami Selim and CGamble20 that it was excluded from the game. I bet their publisher is just too worried about losing money from any stirs caused by bigot retards like them.

That's what I think.

Girls have boobs, so anything they do is ok, even if it's gross gay stuff that people hate. Double standards. If guys act like girls (the untrue gay stereotype) they are ridiculed, but if girls act like guys it's a turn-on.

Whoa, I got downvoted? Lots of homophobe rednecks in the audience today, huh?

I think ill live...

Wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that the female aliens in mass effect possess big fat boners.

"...but as it stands now this odd double standard makes us wonder if the game will be a step forward or back for sexual politics."

Are you kidding me?
This is a video game...
..with a set story.

Who cares if they don't want to allow gay males? It's their damn game, let em make it how they want. There is no reason to be shocked. It's like being upset that in some teen movie a girl kisses another girl but there is no guy-guy action, noone complains about that. Once again, their game, their choice.

OUT-RAGE-OUS! NO WAY NO NEVER. MORATORIUM ON THIS GAME BY THE PARADE.

That's too bad. Variety is the spice of life.

I prefer hot sauce. But then again I'm Cajun...

Why hasn't anyone figured this out yet.

They are only talking about nudity. There isn't any nudity involved in two men in a M rated game, so they wouldn't mention it.

You guys who are really craving that can still do it I'm sure.

oops, wrong reply button.

awwww... come on!! no male to male action!! i'm so seriously outraged...lol

The "female" alien you can romance is asari, a race that is non-gendered. That just happen to look like hot blue ladies.

Still too bad they didn't have a gay/bi romanceble male crew member. It makes sense in the game world, but plays into the "lesbians=hott/gay men=gross" dynamic so much media is stuck in. Ah well. Hopefully in the sequels.

Media isn't "stuck" on it. Most men don't find man on man action attractive or something they even want to watch. The reasoning isn't even important if most of the audience doesn't want to see it why put it in the game unless it somehow must be in there.

Who said anything about "action"? You're not going to see hetero sex either, or the game would get an AO rating.

So if a game doesn't have gay sex in it then it is a step back for "Sexual Politics?" So all the Halo games are a step back and God of War and EVERY OTHER GAME THAT LACKS GAY SEX? The absence of gay sex in a video game hardly means that it is taking a step back for "Sexual Politics."

you sir miss the point

The only reason this is an issue is because the game is a simulation RPG. You are supposed to create someone that reflects you and play the game by your own choices. If you happen to be gay, you would naturally choose the relationship with the man. Since that doesn't exist, you have to wonder why they excluded it, since you would imagine the developers would want the game to be as immersive as possible. Gay people do play video games...

Having read the "Revelation" Mass Effect novel, I give my 2¢:

The Asari race (the blue aliens with flesh-locks) are all female in appearance. Therefore, whether your character is male or female, they could both possibly have sexy-time with a "female alien".

Controversy = put to rest.

Pssst. They're not the only alien race that you can have an affair with.

I just don't want to see Shepard having hot, steamy alien sex with a Krogan of any gender. That would be just wrong.

This almost certainly isn't a double standard. It just means there is one particular female alien character that is a romantic interest, and guessing from history, you can "win" her as a male or female.

Actually, I guess maybe it is a double standard, because a female player can get a guy who won't get with a male player.

Well, then, explain it by further characterization. The female love interest is bisexual and the male isn't. Simple!

i live for gay sex

Dude, nobody cares.

I care and I'd like to see pictures.

Oh God, cant wait until Jack Thompson hears about this.

fat kid on the loose

I want my hot, sweaty man sex and I WANT IT NOW!

Pull out your credit card and visit certain websites, then.

Another nail in PS3's coffin.

If there is one thing we can all agree on is that two sweaty hot women going at it looks a hell of alot better then two sweaty dudes.

Um, in YOUR opinion. Some guys are disgusted by the sight of two flabby women getting it on, and prefer watching two hard, sweaty male bodies entwined.

Your sexual preference isn't everybody's.

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Mass Effect allows lesbian alien sex, men remain vanilla

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