A few months ago, I was watching the then latest episode of Game Theory, and it said that LGBT representation in gaming is, well...crap. It seems that for every game with a positive representation of LGBT people, there are 10 games with negative representation, and for every 1 game with any LGBT representation (good or bad), there's 55 games without it. For example, Poison from Final Fight has to be the most well known transsexual in video games (though FAR from being the only one) and not only is she a villain, she's just one of many, many mooks for you to beat up. Another example is "Shemale Bop" in Grand Theft Auto V, which, like most media, makes transsexuals and transvestites into little more than a joke. Anyway, my point is, we need better representation of LGBT's in gaming, and today, I am here to propose we make a game that does just that.
Here's my idea. We make an RPG, because this genre is the one that allows for the best storytelling, and that just happens to be my specialty. Anyway, here's the short synopsis: You have two characters, the hero and his boyfriend. The boyfriend happens to be a martial arts expert and is teaching the hero all about some skills. The boyfriend gets called by the mayor of their city to go to the local cave and deal with a monster, so he takes the hero along to test his skills. This is the tutorial dungeon, and the boss is a monster with about 300 health.
Once the tutorial is finished, the mayor calls the boyfriend to a meeting. It turns out, the nation is at war with a neighbor country, and the boyfriend has to serve as a field commander. The boyfriend and the hero spend a night together (no, nothing is shown. We don't want this RPG to be slapped with an M, or worse, an AO rating. We're aiming for a T rating here. We can, however, imply it heavily.) The next day, the boyfriend leaves. The hero takes a look at himself, and decides that he needs to join the Army too, not just for his boyfriend, but for himself too, to surpass his weaknesses. What follows is an epic adventure, one of personal growth, discovery, identity, and love. The hero will be joined by a party of 8 playable characters, and 5 temporary characters.
Let's talk characters. There should be 8 playable characters, and 5 temporary characters that join you for a dungeon or two, at most.
The main hero of the game, we'll call him Jim. A normal, every day name for a normal, everyman kind of guy. Jim's an average 16 year old boy, he's still in school and he's a member of the Fighting Arts team, though only a bench warmer. He's a little shy, a quiet kind of guy, but inside beats the heart of a true hero. He's the kind of guy who raises his hands in class whenever he wants to speak, but rushes into a fight whenever he sees someone get beaten down. He once fought three different guys by himself because they were beating up a cross dressing woman. He would have been beaten to an inch of his life if Troy, a martial arts prodigy, hadn't stepped in to help him. That's how they met, and fell in love. His main weapons are the sword, the dagger, and the club. He wears heavy armor and uses shields. His stats are well rounded, he neither exceeds nor lacks in any stat department, making him an all round fighter.
Troy is Jim's boyfriend. A 21 year old man with years of martial arts experience, Troy graduated seventh place on a class of 171 graduates. Troy was captain of his Fighting Arts team, and upon graduation was enlisted in the army, where he quickly rose through the ranks and became a colonel. Troy met Jim when he saved the boy from a trio of thugs. Troy asked Jim for his phone number, and called him that very night. Troy intends to marry Jim as soon as he's back from the war, but that's IF he comes back...Troy joins Jim's part for the tutorial dungeon, and leaves as soon as the war starts. He wields a katana and uses leather armor.
Karen is the first person to join Jim's entourage permanently. She is a 31 year old warrior, a mountain of a woman at 7 feet four inches tall. Big and beefy, Karen is a professional soldier that has fought in two wars, and ninety battles total. She is also a proud, dedicated mother and wife, with three kids and a devoted husband eagerly waiting for her return. Karen joins Jim mostly because he reminds her of her own kids, and thus feels the need to protect him. Karen wields two handed swords and axes, and wears heavy armor. She has the highest health and physical power stats in the game.
Lisa is Troy's old school mate. Brash and loud, Lisa has been crushing on Troy since the two were on school together. Lisa joined the army to be with Troy, and advanced just as quickly as he did. Lisa hates Jim, for obvious reasons, but Jim doesn't hate her back. It is Lisa, however, who goes to Jim, tears in her eyes, to tell him of Troy's disappearance. Jim and Lisa form an unlikely alliance to find Troy and rescue him. Lisa wields katanas, khukris, and dao swords. She mixes a strong agility with good strength for lightning fast attacks.
Pua is a cat-man, a man with cat ears, tail, and feet. Pua is free spirited, and to him every day is an adventure. Pua loves the world and everything in it, and acts like every day is his last. Pansexual and polyamorous, he is currently married to three people: a man, a woman, and someone of indeterminate gender. Pua forgoes all armor, and wields twin daggers and axes. Pua's fighting style lays on dealing several consecutive hits and combos.
Clive is all business. A bounty hunter, Clive is, at first, Jim's enemy. However, a certain event will change his view, and he will join Jim's journey. Clive is stern and serious, and in time acts like Jim's mentor. beneath that scowl, however, lays the broken heart of a man who had to deal with the loss of his infant son and the betrayal of his wife. He wields crossbows, longbows, and wears leather armor. Clive's attacks focus on using poison coated arrows to inflict status effects on his enemies, and is a good "anti-boss" character.
Salma is a woman from a far off country who is currently working for a diplomatic war between Pidjet (Jim's country) and Kalana. Well, that's her story, at least. An asexual woman, Salma is wise, patient, and caring. But, she is also very secretive. What is it she's hiding? Salma uses claws and knuckles, and wears cloth armor. Salma's fighting style relies on scoring critical hits, and has the highest evade stat in the game.
Francine is a nun who was once part of the powerful von Dove family of Kalana, when she was still known as Francis. Though born a boy, Francis always thought of himself as a girl. After finally getting the surgery he needed, Francis was disowned by his family and violently kicked out of the house. Having changed her name, Francine still carries with her the newspaper that contains her obituary, and at times can be heard crying to herself. She is a healer, wields maces and wears cloth armor.
Roy is a mage, and currently serves as Kalana's magic instructor. The circumstances where he joins Jim are a secret. Roy wields wands and staves, uses black magic, and forgoes all armor. Roy is unique in that his weapons determine the style of his magic: wands make his magic attacks deal strong damage to a single target, but staves make him deal medium damage to multiple targets.
Let's talk villains.
The Black Knight is a mysterious figure who quickly gained notoriety among the Pidjet army for seemingly being invincible. No one knows where he came from, but one thing is for certain: facing him is a guaranteed death.
Prince Wilhelm of Kalana. A very pragmatic man, Wilhelm is held in high esteem by the people, but the nobles hate him. Wilhelm is currently directing the war effort against Pidjet, and there are those who say he aims to unite the two countries under his rule. That might not be a good thing, though...
Queen Sienna of Pidjet is a woman who married her husband for power. She is hated by her people for raising taxes on bread. Queen Sienna has rejected all peace treaties with Kalana, and will accept nothing less than their unconditional surrender.
Princess Glinda is Sienna's daughter, and the woman who discovered and recruited the Black Knight. She is a vicious, cunning woman who aims to take the throne for herself, even if she has to kill for it...
Rex and Janna are a pair of bounty hunters, and Clive's rivals. Even though their are technically antagonists, the two are jovial, kind, and fun to be around with. In their off time, Rex and Janna entertain crowds of hundreds with their music. (Rex plays guitar, Janna sings) Rex and Janna, however, have set their eyes on Jim's bounty, and won't rest until they get it. After all, a bounty that large could very well pay for the new house Rex has his eye on.
The Mage is a mysterious figure who, currently, serves as Wilhelm's adviser. NOTHING is known about this man, not even what he looks like. What's his agenda?
So what kind of game will this be? Well, I'm thinking it should be an RPG, with some heavy influence mainly from the Tales and Lunar series. I'm thinking 2D sprites in high definition (if possible) on a 2D, overhead map. I'm thinking it should be a game that takes 25 hours to complete if you try to just blow through the main storyline, and 60 if you want EVERYTHING.
Battles should be on a pair of 4x4 grids, the one on the left is where enemies are placed and the one on the right is where the player characters go. You should have up to 4 characters in battle at a time, and place them wherever you want on the grid. Where you put them, however, determines the effectiveness of their attacks. Kind of like in Cross Edge.
I think that skills should be dependent on the weapons the characters use, like in Disgaea: the more you use a weapon, the more skilled you get at that weapon, and therefore the more techniques you unlock. I'm thinking also something like Grandia, where every time you use a weapon it gains a few points of experience, and at the end of the battle, those points add up and you gain a weapon level. I also think every weapon unlocks a different ability for each character, and certain abilities can only be used by a certain type of weapon. Let's take, for example, Clive. Clive has a longbow weapon level of 9, so he has learned 3 skills: one at level 1, one at level 3, and one at level 6. If he equips a crossbow, he doesn't lose his weapon level, but he DOES lose access to the longbow skills. If he re-equips that longbow, he'll start gaining weapon experience for it.
You might be saying to yourself: "so far I don't see ANYTHING here that ties to the protagonist being gay! In fact, his homosexuality seems downright token!" Well, I'm also thinking that there should be some side quests that help explore each character more. Here's an example: I mentioned that Francine is transsexual. One of her side quests starts one night, when you take her to the Inn with you and spend the night. Jim will wake up in the middle of the night, and find her bed empty. He'll go outside and he'll find Francine, crying. He'll go to her and ask her what's wrong. She'll panic, dry her tears, and say it's nothing, while rushing past you to her bed. She'll drop something: a newspaper clipping. Jim will read it, and remain in concerned silence. Jim will give the clipping back to Francine, who'll eventually open up to Jim (You'll be made to pick several choices of dialogue, which will help lead to this next part). Francine and Jim will go to her old home (you'll have to travel there yourself, this will not be automatic) and Francine will visit her parents, taking Jim with her for support. Her parents will act cold to her, pretend they don't know her. Her father will say, in a cold, almost menacing tone "I don't know you, girl. My SON died years ago." Heartbroken, Francine will cry onto Jim's chest, who promises her he'll be her friend forever. She'll then learn a new skill. Every character will have at least three side quests similar to that one.
I propose this RPG, not just for fun, but as an authentic call for better visibility of those who, until now, have been practically invisible in not just video games, but all of media. Because gays deserve to be the hero every once in a while, because sexuality isn't binary (not just gay or straight), because transsexuals and transvestites deserve better treatment than to be simple punchlines, because asexuality and pansexuality deserve to be recognized. But most of all, because everyone deserves to be seen. I want this game to be made, and I want it aimed at teens. If just one LGBT teen, just ONE, could play this game and see him or herself in it, be touched by the story, and become inspired, or if just one non-LGBT person could play this game and come out with more respect, better understanding of LGBT issues, then we will have created something worth our while.
Here's my idea. We make an RPG, because this genre is the one that allows for the best storytelling, and that just happens to be my specialty. Anyway, here's the short synopsis: You have two characters, the hero and his boyfriend. The boyfriend happens to be a martial arts expert and is teaching the hero all about some skills. The boyfriend gets called by the mayor of their city to go to the local cave and deal with a monster, so he takes the hero along to test his skills. This is the tutorial dungeon, and the boss is a monster with about 300 health.
Once the tutorial is finished, the mayor calls the boyfriend to a meeting. It turns out, the nation is at war with a neighbor country, and the boyfriend has to serve as a field commander. The boyfriend and the hero spend a night together (no, nothing is shown. We don't want this RPG to be slapped with an M, or worse, an AO rating. We're aiming for a T rating here. We can, however, imply it heavily.) The next day, the boyfriend leaves. The hero takes a look at himself, and decides that he needs to join the Army too, not just for his boyfriend, but for himself too, to surpass his weaknesses. What follows is an epic adventure, one of personal growth, discovery, identity, and love. The hero will be joined by a party of 8 playable characters, and 5 temporary characters.
Let's talk characters. There should be 8 playable characters, and 5 temporary characters that join you for a dungeon or two, at most.
The main hero of the game, we'll call him Jim. A normal, every day name for a normal, everyman kind of guy. Jim's an average 16 year old boy, he's still in school and he's a member of the Fighting Arts team, though only a bench warmer. He's a little shy, a quiet kind of guy, but inside beats the heart of a true hero. He's the kind of guy who raises his hands in class whenever he wants to speak, but rushes into a fight whenever he sees someone get beaten down. He once fought three different guys by himself because they were beating up a cross dressing woman. He would have been beaten to an inch of his life if Troy, a martial arts prodigy, hadn't stepped in to help him. That's how they met, and fell in love. His main weapons are the sword, the dagger, and the club. He wears heavy armor and uses shields. His stats are well rounded, he neither exceeds nor lacks in any stat department, making him an all round fighter.
Troy is Jim's boyfriend. A 21 year old man with years of martial arts experience, Troy graduated seventh place on a class of 171 graduates. Troy was captain of his Fighting Arts team, and upon graduation was enlisted in the army, where he quickly rose through the ranks and became a colonel. Troy met Jim when he saved the boy from a trio of thugs. Troy asked Jim for his phone number, and called him that very night. Troy intends to marry Jim as soon as he's back from the war, but that's IF he comes back...Troy joins Jim's part for the tutorial dungeon, and leaves as soon as the war starts. He wields a katana and uses leather armor.
Karen is the first person to join Jim's entourage permanently. She is a 31 year old warrior, a mountain of a woman at 7 feet four inches tall. Big and beefy, Karen is a professional soldier that has fought in two wars, and ninety battles total. She is also a proud, dedicated mother and wife, with three kids and a devoted husband eagerly waiting for her return. Karen joins Jim mostly because he reminds her of her own kids, and thus feels the need to protect him. Karen wields two handed swords and axes, and wears heavy armor. She has the highest health and physical power stats in the game.
Lisa is Troy's old school mate. Brash and loud, Lisa has been crushing on Troy since the two were on school together. Lisa joined the army to be with Troy, and advanced just as quickly as he did. Lisa hates Jim, for obvious reasons, but Jim doesn't hate her back. It is Lisa, however, who goes to Jim, tears in her eyes, to tell him of Troy's disappearance. Jim and Lisa form an unlikely alliance to find Troy and rescue him. Lisa wields katanas, khukris, and dao swords. She mixes a strong agility with good strength for lightning fast attacks.
Pua is a cat-man, a man with cat ears, tail, and feet. Pua is free spirited, and to him every day is an adventure. Pua loves the world and everything in it, and acts like every day is his last. Pansexual and polyamorous, he is currently married to three people: a man, a woman, and someone of indeterminate gender. Pua forgoes all armor, and wields twin daggers and axes. Pua's fighting style lays on dealing several consecutive hits and combos.
Clive is all business. A bounty hunter, Clive is, at first, Jim's enemy. However, a certain event will change his view, and he will join Jim's journey. Clive is stern and serious, and in time acts like Jim's mentor. beneath that scowl, however, lays the broken heart of a man who had to deal with the loss of his infant son and the betrayal of his wife. He wields crossbows, longbows, and wears leather armor. Clive's attacks focus on using poison coated arrows to inflict status effects on his enemies, and is a good "anti-boss" character.
Salma is a woman from a far off country who is currently working for a diplomatic war between Pidjet (Jim's country) and Kalana. Well, that's her story, at least. An asexual woman, Salma is wise, patient, and caring. But, she is also very secretive. What is it she's hiding? Salma uses claws and knuckles, and wears cloth armor. Salma's fighting style relies on scoring critical hits, and has the highest evade stat in the game.
Francine is a nun who was once part of the powerful von Dove family of Kalana, when she was still known as Francis. Though born a boy, Francis always thought of himself as a girl. After finally getting the surgery he needed, Francis was disowned by his family and violently kicked out of the house. Having changed her name, Francine still carries with her the newspaper that contains her obituary, and at times can be heard crying to herself. She is a healer, wields maces and wears cloth armor.
Roy is a mage, and currently serves as Kalana's magic instructor. The circumstances where he joins Jim are a secret. Roy wields wands and staves, uses black magic, and forgoes all armor. Roy is unique in that his weapons determine the style of his magic: wands make his magic attacks deal strong damage to a single target, but staves make him deal medium damage to multiple targets.
Let's talk villains.
The Black Knight is a mysterious figure who quickly gained notoriety among the Pidjet army for seemingly being invincible. No one knows where he came from, but one thing is for certain: facing him is a guaranteed death.
Prince Wilhelm of Kalana. A very pragmatic man, Wilhelm is held in high esteem by the people, but the nobles hate him. Wilhelm is currently directing the war effort against Pidjet, and there are those who say he aims to unite the two countries under his rule. That might not be a good thing, though...
Queen Sienna of Pidjet is a woman who married her husband for power. She is hated by her people for raising taxes on bread. Queen Sienna has rejected all peace treaties with Kalana, and will accept nothing less than their unconditional surrender.
Princess Glinda is Sienna's daughter, and the woman who discovered and recruited the Black Knight. She is a vicious, cunning woman who aims to take the throne for herself, even if she has to kill for it...
Rex and Janna are a pair of bounty hunters, and Clive's rivals. Even though their are technically antagonists, the two are jovial, kind, and fun to be around with. In their off time, Rex and Janna entertain crowds of hundreds with their music. (Rex plays guitar, Janna sings) Rex and Janna, however, have set their eyes on Jim's bounty, and won't rest until they get it. After all, a bounty that large could very well pay for the new house Rex has his eye on.
The Mage is a mysterious figure who, currently, serves as Wilhelm's adviser. NOTHING is known about this man, not even what he looks like. What's his agenda?
So what kind of game will this be? Well, I'm thinking it should be an RPG, with some heavy influence mainly from the Tales and Lunar series. I'm thinking 2D sprites in high definition (if possible) on a 2D, overhead map. I'm thinking it should be a game that takes 25 hours to complete if you try to just blow through the main storyline, and 60 if you want EVERYTHING.
Battles should be on a pair of 4x4 grids, the one on the left is where enemies are placed and the one on the right is where the player characters go. You should have up to 4 characters in battle at a time, and place them wherever you want on the grid. Where you put them, however, determines the effectiveness of their attacks. Kind of like in Cross Edge.
I think that skills should be dependent on the weapons the characters use, like in Disgaea: the more you use a weapon, the more skilled you get at that weapon, and therefore the more techniques you unlock. I'm thinking also something like Grandia, where every time you use a weapon it gains a few points of experience, and at the end of the battle, those points add up and you gain a weapon level. I also think every weapon unlocks a different ability for each character, and certain abilities can only be used by a certain type of weapon. Let's take, for example, Clive. Clive has a longbow weapon level of 9, so he has learned 3 skills: one at level 1, one at level 3, and one at level 6. If he equips a crossbow, he doesn't lose his weapon level, but he DOES lose access to the longbow skills. If he re-equips that longbow, he'll start gaining weapon experience for it.
You might be saying to yourself: "so far I don't see ANYTHING here that ties to the protagonist being gay! In fact, his homosexuality seems downright token!" Well, I'm also thinking that there should be some side quests that help explore each character more. Here's an example: I mentioned that Francine is transsexual. One of her side quests starts one night, when you take her to the Inn with you and spend the night. Jim will wake up in the middle of the night, and find her bed empty. He'll go outside and he'll find Francine, crying. He'll go to her and ask her what's wrong. She'll panic, dry her tears, and say it's nothing, while rushing past you to her bed. She'll drop something: a newspaper clipping. Jim will read it, and remain in concerned silence. Jim will give the clipping back to Francine, who'll eventually open up to Jim (You'll be made to pick several choices of dialogue, which will help lead to this next part). Francine and Jim will go to her old home (you'll have to travel there yourself, this will not be automatic) and Francine will visit her parents, taking Jim with her for support. Her parents will act cold to her, pretend they don't know her. Her father will say, in a cold, almost menacing tone "I don't know you, girl. My SON died years ago." Heartbroken, Francine will cry onto Jim's chest, who promises her he'll be her friend forever. She'll then learn a new skill. Every character will have at least three side quests similar to that one.
I propose this RPG, not just for fun, but as an authentic call for better visibility of those who, until now, have been practically invisible in not just video games, but all of media. Because gays deserve to be the hero every once in a while, because sexuality isn't binary (not just gay or straight), because transsexuals and transvestites deserve better treatment than to be simple punchlines, because asexuality and pansexuality deserve to be recognized. But most of all, because everyone deserves to be seen. I want this game to be made, and I want it aimed at teens. If just one LGBT teen, just ONE, could play this game and see him or herself in it, be touched by the story, and become inspired, or if just one non-LGBT person could play this game and come out with more respect, better understanding of LGBT issues, then we will have created something worth our while.
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