Star Wars The Old Republic adds Same Sex Relationships

Started by LongBlade, January 15, 2013, 09:37:20 AM

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LongBlade

January 15, 2013, 09:37:20 AM
Star Wars the Old Republic has added same-sex relationships to the game and that has apparently sparked a big controversy. The relationships are restricted to a single planet, so they aren't game-wide, and that has created charges of segregation.

I haven't kept up with the game, but apparently there are protests from many gamers about the inclusion, too.

I guess I'm most surprised that there is controversy around this change. I'm probably naive, but it seems like a Star Wars game should be more about lightsabers and blasters and less about relationships - regardless of sexual orientation.

Anyone playing this? Anyone have a sense as to what's going on?

QuoteDespite vocal opposition from thousands of angry gamers, a software developer has added support for homosexual relationships to the game "Star Wars: The Old Republic" -- albeit just on a single planet.

"As we have said in the past, allowing same gender romance is something we are very supportive of," wrote BioWare's Jeff Hickman, executive producer of "Star Wars: The Old Republic," in a blog post last week. He revealed that same-gender romances (or SGR) would be allowed on the planet Makeb, and the company is "pursuing more SGR options in the future."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/01/14/star-wars-game-segregates-gay-characters-on-gay-planet/
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

Martok

#1
January 15, 2013, 09:45:16 AM
I don't see the point of any of this:  Why bother to introduce such a(n almost entirely cosmetic) feature in the first place?  And why are so many apparently freaking out over it?  People are strange. 

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Zulu1966

#2
January 15, 2013, 09:45:47 AM
Quote from: LongBlade on January 15, 2013, 09:37:20 AM
Star Wars the Old Republic has added same-sex relationships to the game and that has apparently sparked a big controversy. The relationships are restricted to a single planet, so they aren't game-wide, and that has created charges of segregation.

I haven't kept up with the game, but apparently there are protests from many gamers about the inclusion, too.

I guess I'm most surprised that there is controversy around this change. I'm probably naive, but it seems like a Star Wars game should be more about lightsabers and blasters and less about relationships - regardless of sexual orientation.

Anyone playing this? Anyone have a sense as to what's going on?

QuoteDespite vocal opposition from thousands of angry gamers, a software developer has added support for homosexual relationships to the game "Star Wars: The Old Republic" -- albeit just on a single planet.

"As we have said in the past, allowing same gender romance is something we are very supportive of," wrote BioWare's Jeff Hickman, executive producer of "Star Wars: The Old Republic," in a blog post last week. He revealed that same-gender romances (or SGR) would be allowed on the planet Makeb, and the company is "pursuing more SGR options in the future."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/01/14/star-wars-game-segregates-gay-characters-on-gay-planet/

Not meaning to be cynical about anything - but what is it they say about any publicity ?
"you are the rule maker, the dictator, the mini- Stalin, Mao, Hitler, the emperor, generalissimo, the MAN. You may talk the talk and appear to be quite easy going to foster popularity, but to the MAN I say F*CK YOU." And Steve G is F******g rude ? Just another day on the BF forum ... one demented idiots reaction to BF disagreeing about the thickness of the armour on a Tiger II turret mantlet.

bayonetbrant

#3
January 15, 2013, 09:49:55 AM
Odd that Fox News' outrage seems to be aimed at the 'segregation' and not at the Aquaman-ness of the characters
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PanzersEast

#4
January 15, 2013, 09:52:18 AM
Star Sims 3 ..... "Honey where did I leave my light saber I am late for a battle".......   :o

Not sure that is really Star Wars anymore...... can we all just keep it light sabers, Jedi, Sith, saving the galaxy and stuff etc... do you really want drama.


PE

mirth

#5
January 15, 2013, 10:00:44 AM
Bioware has always been big on allowing players to develop relationships in their RPGs, including same sex relationships. Any of the relationship stuff is completely optional and doesn't impact the core game. You can usually quash any relationship early on with a dialogue option or two. Even if you pursue a relationship, it's all PG-13 stuff- a cutscene of characters kissing and rolling around in their skivvies.
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mirth

#6
January 15, 2013, 10:02:51 AM
Quote from: PanzersEast on January 15, 2013, 09:52:18 AM
Star Sims 3 ..... "Honey where did I leave my light saber I am late for a battle".......   :o

Not sure that is really Star Wars anymore...... can we all just keep it light sabers, Jedi, Sith, saving the galaxy and stuff etc... do you really want drama.


PE

Well the original trilogy did have an incestuous relationship between two of the lead characters. Plus there was all that sexual tension between R2 and 3PO.
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

PanzersEast

#7
January 15, 2013, 10:49:22 AM
Quote from: mirth on January 15, 2013, 10:02:51 AM
Well the original trilogy did have an incestuous relationship between two of the lead characters. Plus there was all that sexual tension between R2 and 3PO.

Well in a game I just want to kill, build, conquer, and blow stuff up ala my avatar, I am already married.  :P


PE

LongBlade

#8
January 15, 2013, 11:20:40 AM
Quote from: mirth on January 15, 2013, 10:02:51 AM
Well the original trilogy did have an incestuous relationship between two of the lead characters. Plus there was all that sexual tension between R2 and 3PO.

<chuckle>
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

Longdan

#9
January 15, 2013, 12:28:55 PM
It wasn't incestuous anymore than me wanting to kill my sister makes me a murderer.
Of course I would rather off my sister than boff her.
digni enim sunt interdicunt

son_of_montfort

#10
January 15, 2013, 01:02:55 PM
Quote from: bayonetbrant on January 15, 2013, 09:49:55 AM
Odd that Fox News' outrage seems to be aimed at the 'segregation' and not at the Aquaman-ness of the characters

Actually, upon reading this that was the first thing that caused me to shake my head. If you are going to add same-sex characters, just do it. Forcing them to be on one planet makes it very weird and basically outcasts the characters, in a sense.

Let me put it this way, if the headline had read "SWTOR adds [insert minority or religious affiliation] characters, but only on one planet," the negative aspect of that seems much clearer.

By why do it at all? Don't people ROLEPLAY in a ROLEPLAYING game? If two characters want to claim to be married, they can do so without some official game mechanic.
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Longdan

#11
January 15, 2013, 03:23:33 PM
There are an awful lot of boys pretending to be girls anyway and there always has been.
Doesn't take much to get the reactionaries howling at the moon.  People do it for fun.
Maybe they should have a planet where pretend girls can marry pretend boys and pretend to be Jedi
in a pretend Universe.  That's a fart in a stockyard if there ever was one.
digni enim sunt interdicunt

LongBlade

#12
January 15, 2013, 03:24:29 PM
Quote from: bayonetbrant on January 15, 2013, 09:49:55 AM
Odd that Fox News' outrage seems to be aimed at the 'segregation' and not at the Aquaman-ness of the characters

Get with the times, Bubba.

It's the New 52, and Aquaman has a smokin' hot girlfriend.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

LongBlade

#13
January 15, 2013, 03:27:50 PM
Quote from: Longdan on January 15, 2013, 03:23:33 PM
There are an awful lot of boys pretending to be girls anyway and there always has been.

I have had a number of female characters but I have never pretended to be female.

One of the strangest moments I ever had was in Dark Age of Camelot where some dude kept pushing his toon up to me and hitting on me. Bizarre doesn't quite capture the absurdity - and the humor - of the experience, because I kept telling him I was a dude. And yet, he was more interested in my blonde.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

Tpek

#14
January 15, 2013, 03:31:43 PM
Quote from: LongBlade on January 15, 2013, 03:24:29 PM
Quote from: bayonetbrant on January 15, 2013, 09:49:55 AM
Odd that Fox News' outrage seems to be aimed at the 'segregation' and not at the Aquaman-ness of the characters

Get with the times, Bubba.

It's the New 52, and Aquaman has a smokin' hot girlfriend.

He's had Mera long before the New 52.
And even on TV (like Smallville).
And yeah, she's boiling hot sexy redhead. :D

As for the relationship, don't they mean they have an NPC for the PCs to have a same-sex relationship with?
Players RPing together as a married couple was not the bothersome point after all.
Also, they've already had same sex sex in previous games, and this one doesn't even have sex at all! :P
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