I confess, I'm sort of "phoning in" this month's post. The crud laid me out for a few days and writing wasn't really possible - well, not writing coherently any way. So, I'm borrowing a post from my personal blog.
In addition to being both an avid reader and an author, I am also a gamer. I have a soft spot for romance in all of its forms and, hands down, some of the best romantic story lines I have encountered have been in video games. My favorite games are role-playing games, or RPGs. An RPG is like an
interactive story in which you get to talk to the other characters,
develop relationships with them, and yes, even romance them. My favorite
games are made by Bioware. Per their
website,
Bioware’s mission is to “create, deliver and evolve the most
emotionally engaging games in the world.” In this gamer’s opinion, they
deliver in spades. This post looks at how Bioware has evolved the world
of virtual romance over the course of their
Dragon Age franchise.
In the first installment,
Dragon Age Origins, there were
four characters who could be romanced: Morrigan (female human) and
Alistair (male human) would only participate in heterosexual
relationships; Zevran (male elf) and Leliana (female human) were
bisexual and able to be romanced by players of either gender. (I
adore
Zevran; find out where he ranks in my hierarchy of virtual men in body
armor
here.)
While the romances definitely added a certain something to the games,
the one area where Bioware fell short was in their depiction of the sex
act itself. Let’s just say that there are some things that shouldn’t be
virtualized and Bioware’s attempt, while well intended, was awkward at
best. Don’t believe me? Check it out
here. You have been warned. :-)
The second game in the series named, appropriately enough,
Dragon Age II,
was rushed to market. The designers took a lot of shortcuts to meet a
shortened production schedule and Bioware justifiably caught flak from
fans. That said, there are five possible romantic companions, all but
one are bisexual. However, Bioware learned from the first entry and did
not attempt to actually show virtual sex. Instead, they opted for a
fade-to-black cut scene, leaving the details to the imagination of the
viewer. (Fan fiction writers such as myself are more than happy to fill
in the blanks.) The key cut scene of the romance with Anders, a male
human mage, can be seen
here. In my opinion, it is a
huge improvement.
Dragon Age Inquisition, the final installment in the series
released in November 2014. I have to say, this time Bioware got it
right. Rather than just make all of the characters bisexual, they
actually included LGBT characters. (Dorian, a human male, is gay while
Cera, a female elf, is a lesbian. The one transgender character is not a
romance option.) In addition to sexuality, some romance options are
limited by race. For example, Solas, a male elf mage, will only romance a
female elf. I researched the romance options extensively before the
release of the game so I knew what to expect. Or so I thought. In spite
of my research, there was one more twist that I was completely unaware
of until I stumbled across it. I chose to romance Iron Bull, a one-eyed
male qunari. There was the requisite cut scene, but the next time I
talked to him there was an option that basically said “we need to talk
about what happened between us.” This peaked my curiosity. What exactly
did happen? Naturally, I chose that option in order to find out. My
female qunari’s name is Mahari and the conversation went something like
this:
Mahari: We need to talk about what happened between us.
Iron Bull: Oh, that. Sure. What’s on your mind?
Mahari: Nobody has ever done that to me before. I… enjoyed it.
Iron Bull: Of course you did. Ben-Hassrath training, remember? Grew up learning to manipulate people.
(
Note: I
still didn’t get it. I know, I can be dense sometimes. But, the conversation continued.)
Iron Bull: When it’s a hostile target, you give them what they want. But, when it’s someone you care about, you give them what they
need.
Mahari: Oh, I have a need.
Iron Bull: And I can meet that need. But first,
ground rules, just so everyone’s clear. I will never hurt you without
your permission. You will always be safe. If you’re ever uncomfortable,
if you ever want me to stop, you say “Katoh,” and it’s over. No
questions asked.
There are a few variations depending on the dialogue options picked
but, yeah. I finally got it. O.M.G! He gave her a safe word.
Iron Bull is a Dom. As in BDSM. I
totally did not see that coming. At that point, I dissolved into helpless giggles and clicked the “continue romance” option.
As for the romance cut scenes, Bioware finally got that right too. Sex isn’t always serious and they have come up with the
greatest scene EVER. It gets funnier every time I watch. (Note: This clip is not of a graphic nature but does contain one f-bomb.)
Usually, when I finish a new game, I turn right around and play it
again as a slightly different character. However, I doubt that will
happen this time. Why? Because I have already invested 91 hours in
Dragon Age Inquisition
and I’m not finished yet. It’s a shame, because based on what I see
online, I’m apparently missing a lot by not romancing Solas. (Update: Since my original post, I have played Inquisition three times. And, I will
never romance Solas. I'm not going to set myself up for a broken heart.)
As a storyteller myself, I have the utmost respect for Bioware; they
always put the story first, learn from their mistakes and continue to
grow and stretch. Ultimately, isn’t that what we all should do?
How do you like your romances? Sweet or spicy? Or somewhere in between?
