The first game where I explored the possibility of romancing the same gender was Fallout 2, you can get married and explore the wasteland with your boyfriend. To be honest, it’s not particularly useful and was never the companion I chose for replays. But back then, as an impressionable teenager, it was overwhelming, right? However, to be honest, I didn’t make much of it at the time. It was more like, oh, this seems like good nonsense, let’s see where it takes me, let’s see how long I can even keep her alive. It wasn’t calculated.
It didn’t last until Dragon Age, which I played as an adult, that the romantic choices in games started to mean something different to me. Morrigan, the mysterious witch who joins your party early on, almost feels like a fake romantic choice. Designed to grab your attention, there is a recent (unfortunate) quote from one of them AND Authors who really make it clear how much she is intended as a sex appeal option. Actually there is one in every game. Mass effect had Miranda. But the way Morrigan was written, the shyness at her core, made me feel like I was getting away with something. Playing as a man probably contributed to that feeling, because in real life what I was doing was gay as hell, but in the game it was extremely straight. I’m sure it helped that the game forces you to choose between love interests as you lead both, which only adds to the drama.
What I appreciate most is that Morrigan is written in such a way that it’s clear that she knows you’re looking, and as it turns out in the end, it turns out she’s been paying attention all along. When the betrayal came, it was strangely satisfying: yes, I didn’t get what I wanted, but the way Morrigan wanted it was in keeping with her character. And what really is happier than longing and tragedy? — Patricia Hernandez, former editor-in-chief
