SWTOR developer says complaints are politically motivated
"No, I'm not going to break wind if you pull my finger"
Despite reportedly receiving several thousand letters from outraged fans, EA has defended the homosexual content in its games, according to an article on GamesIndustry International.
Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect all include the progressive choice of a homosexual storyline, which has caused organizations like the Florida Family Association to fire off threats of boycotts and citing EA as doing harm to the kids playing those games.
EA vice-president of corporate communications Jeff Brown told the website, “Every one of EA’s games includes ESRB content descriptors so it’s hard to believe anyone is surprised by the content. This isn’t about protecting children, it’s about political harassment.”
He continued, also elaborating on people against the inclusion being banned or having posts deleted from EA forums, “…we have met with LBGT groups and sponsored industry forums to discuss content and harassment of players in online forums. In short, we do put options for same-sex relationships in our games; we don’t tolerate hate speech on our forums.”
GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) associate director of entertainment media Matt Kane spoke on the trend of homosexuality in games as an evolution of the industries scope. ”A lot of game-makers are realizing that in order to create a believable universe it has to be a universe that is very diverse, and in some ways it sort of reflects the make-up of the culture we live in as well. I think it’s very logical that you’ll start to see more LGBT characters appearing in games.
“This is also not only a reflection of the culture, but also in part of their consumer base – at least a segment of their consumer base. Certainly Star Wars is a good example. EA listened to the people who were intending to purchase the game and saw that there was a real desire to see same-sex relationships included within the romantic options.”
Follow Kayla on Twitter: @TiltinAtWindmil