Consalvo's Hot Dates

In Mia Consalvo's essay Hot dates and Fairytale Romances, the sexuality presented in games is explored. Typically a male heterosexual character is the protagonist of the game, because heterosexuality seems to be what is deemed "normal" in society. They usually appear very masculine and rulers of the worlds, whereas girls are given more of a vulnerable position, waiting to be rescued by the brave men. Both characterizations interact throughout the games while expressing these characteristics of masculine men out on some sort of adventure, trying to win the heart of the female character. This is exemplified in Final Fantasy IX. The main character Zidane is out to save the princess Garnet. On the surface it is a game involving a heterosexual romance that "naturalizes male-female sexual relations and punishes woman who attempt to deviate from this system." A second approach of looking at this is that it is an interactive game, where the player has control over the actions and decisions the characters in the game make. Therefore the players' own view of sexuality, whether they be heterosexual or gay, may affect the actions he or she chooses and the path the character follows.
This second approach is exactly how the Sims is played. The gamer can create and control actions of characters. The characters can be manipulated in every way imaginable, from the way they look and dress to when they go to the bathroom. Their sexuality, in effect, is also controlled. The player chooses the gender of the character they want to create first and foremost. This decision comes from the player's own views. For instance, if the player is female, they might want to create a female like themselves and play the game choosing things to do they might do in real life. In the game there is also the option of having a family. However, only males may be married to females and vice versa, but marriages between males and males or females with females are not allowed, despite having the option while in the game to kiss and sleep with sims of the same gender. They may even be given the option of adopting a baby together, but marriage is not an option allowed between them. These options in the game allows us to study the sexuality in games and what is and isn't allowed in games, reflecting the same ideals present in society.
Both examples of games and their sexuality show how games should be looked at more than just on the surface. It also shows that though many games contain heterosexual ideals, they can be interpreted in many different ways by the person playing. They are interactive games that require controllers to move the game along in whichever direction the player chooses.

Aoife Parkin