Limited Romance Options in Choice of Games

[honeymichie]

@ParrotWatcher

The problem with this attitude is that it can quite often be used to stifle LGBTQ players’ options. For example, if a game’s entire cast of ROs were straight, because that’s how the writer had written them, and making any of them bi would be “unnecessary fan service”.

I agree that ROs should have their own purpose within the story, and unique character, but I feel that this doesn’t preclude them being “player-sexual”. Sexuality and personality can be linked, but are not definitely so. For example, gay guys are more likely to act in more stereotypically feminine ways (not because we are more feminine on average, but because we’re often more open to expressing it), but this certainly doesn’t mean that a more feminine man has to be gay, or vice versa. Your character will still be the same character, no matter who they love.

That said, I’m certainly not saying you should make everyone bi- (or player-) sexual. Having gay characters is good for representation, which is a benefit to any story, and I suppose in that case it makes sense to have an equal number of straight ROs, too (). But please don’t dismiss questions about orientation as “unnecessary fanservice”.

I agree with what you’re saying, its just me saying my limitation as writer as well. I don’t want to add something that will make the reader/player uncomfortable because I used their preferred pronoun in a not correct way just to make it so that an NPC RO will become an available RO for the player character. I do not want to make it feel like I added that RO for fan service, I want to add the player sexual because it’s going to mean something to me as well, because I myself as a writer want to evolve/add to my writing style as well as evolve/add my knowledge as to what is important for me and for my readers/players.

I say its unnecessary in my view because I feel like I’m forced to add it on. Pressured to be precise to add the option which does not jive/collide with how I molded my NPCs character.

This was my answer when someone complained about my lack of adding an NB option to my game.

@honeymichie

Why not add an NB option for the MC? Why can I only choose male and female? Not my cup of tea game if you won’t add an NB option
Okay let’s get this one out of the bag. When I first wrote the game I am not that aware of non-binary pronouns and I’m still in fact learning about them. I also do not want to add something that will make the reader/player uncomfortable because I used their preferred pronoun in a not correct way. There are different ways an NB would like to be referred to. I do not want to make it feel like I added it for fan service I want to add it because it’s going to mean something to me as well. I want it to be because I have an understanding of an NB person’s perspective when they interact with a non-NB NPC or another NB NPC. I am not confident that adding it will deliver justice to an NB MC for I still think I lack understanding what it truly means to be an NB. I hope in the future I’ll feel confident with my writing to add an NB MC and I do hope that when I do add NB options it will be at par with my normal writing so it won’t feel like an afterthought thing just to please people. I’d rather burn in hell then add something I am not familiar with and get accused for adding just to give false hope to a reader. I apologies for those requesting for an NB MC.)

In that I think I’ll step out, I’ve already said my peace…meh…