You will remember that some time ago, some SWTOR players complained that the game did not give the option for same sex companion relationships. BioWare first defended this decision by explaining that homosexual relationships did not exist in the original Star Wars worlds, at least not that were known to us from the storyline.
However, it seems they have changed their tone to meet the demands of the fans as they have announced that they will be launching a same-sex romance component to the game in a future patch. This is completely optional and players will choose whether or not they want to romance companions of the same sex or not. Many gay fans are celebrating the news but of course the voices of those against it are just as loud (maybe louder?).
The Family Research Council (FRC) is speaking out against the gay relationships in SWTOR and had this announcement recently:
Rebel Fleet Surrenders to Gay Empire
In a new Star Wars game, the biggest threat to the empire may be homosexual activists! Hello, I’m Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. In a galaxy not so far far away, Star Wars gamers have already gone to the dark side. The new video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, has added a special feature: gay relationships. Bioware, the company that developed the game, said it’s launching a same-sex romance component to satisfy some complaints. That surprised a lot of gamers, since Bioware had made it clear in 2009 that “gay” and “lesbian” don’t exist in the Star Wars universe. Since the announcement, homosexuals have been celebrating the news, but parents sure aren’t. On the game’s website, there are more than 300 pages of comments–a lot of them expressing anger that their kids will be exposed to this Star Warped way of thinking. You can join them by logging on and speaking up. It’s time to show companies who the Force is really with!
So what do you think? Are you happy about the addition to the game or are you with the FRC? Do you really care either way? Personally, I don’t like to play romance in the game and I do not choose romantic relationships with my companions. It’s just not fun for me. But what do I care if someone else wants to? And on another note, not every person who wants to do a same-sex romance in the game may be homosexual in real life. Maybe they are just wanting to role play or goof around.
Are we making too much out of what is essentially just a game?
