[Menchi]

I want to bring this up as an aside more than a direct critique. As a gay gamer, I find that it is a rough life finding satisfying computer games with romances in them. A lot of developers don't seem to grasp how media can affect the way people perceive themselves.

When you create a sandbox game with customisability - particularly a game like Mass Effect which wants you to out yourself in the shoes of the character and tell your own story through your actions and choices - there is a certain message being sent to gamers with the choices allowed.

By denying players the opportunity to romance a male character, there is a sense of disconnect for a gay gamer. It sends the message that it is not okay to want to romance a male character.

This negative message is further reinforced by allowing a lesbian love affair. Claiming "she's an alien who is asexual" loses its validity when said asexual alien is rendered as a beautiful woman with clear female traits, and refers to herself as female.

I don't think Bioware did this maliciously, but it is a serious concern. Jade Empire had a gay romance, and there was very little hoo-hah from the "moral" crowd against it. The precedent has been set. To not include a gay romance in a supposedly mature game is a step backwards, in my opinion.

Bioware is limiting players and is implying (even in unintentionally) that it does not approve of male-male relationships.

Some would argue that market forces dictate. But given that the gay market is a multi-billion dollar a year industry - and that there are a marked number of "gaymers" out there - it seems bad business sense to not try and tap into that market.

To argue that conservative gamers would boycott the game loses effectiveness when one looks at The Sims. It is a huge money spinner that not only has gay relationships, but gay marriage and simulated gay sex! And it isn't even R-rated. The PS2, PSP, PC and Mac versions allow for gay relationships. Only the DS version is non-gay friendly. But then it also doesn't have any sexual connotations at all.

So I feel the need to express my disappointment in Bioware's failure to show support for a market that they initially won over with games like Jade Empire - which allowed gay relationships.

For me, this was a big let down that genuinely spoiled my enjoyment of the game. It is not sufficient to argue "that's the way the world is." As a producer of media, and making the claim that I can make the story I want, Bioware has failed me.

To that end, Mass Effect is not supportive of gay gamers - and that is a shame.

This didn't effect the overall score - it's not so big an issue as to deserve that - but it is a disappointment that after the remarkable addition in Jade Empire, that in Mass Effect (which touts to be bigger and more mature) it is removed and the remaining romance subplots seriously dumbed down.

Conan