Only a handful of scripted role playing games offers players the option to experience a same-sex romance if they so choose, the Dragon Age series from BioWare is one of them. Set in a mythical land ravaged by war, the recently released Dragon Age 2 follows a young hero trying to escort their family to safety, only to find themselves caught up in the political intrigues and dangers of the city they seek refuge in.  Over the course of the story, the player acquires a handful of travel companions, each with their own personalities and back stories, four of whom (two female, two male) are also potential romantic companions if you play your cards right.

As in the previous game, the player has the option of choosing the main character’s gender. Though in Dragon Age 2, it no longer has any bearing on who you can start a relationship with.  In a true gesture of equality, the game’s developers have tweaked the script so that any of the four companions in question can be romanced regardless of whom you choose to play as.  You can watch a scene from one of these scripted encounters here.

There is a male character in Dragon Age 2 who will make advances towards your own male character. If you spurn those advances, you will receive rivalry points. This makes sense; after all, who likes being rejected? But this also means that people who dislike gay characters in games are upset because of his existence, and a group of gay gamers are upset over how the character is portrayed.

This debate continues to be played out across the Internet, and the biggest takeaway appears to be that it remains incredibly difficult to portray characters that seem both real and human. It’s doubly so when they belong to a group that inspires so many strong feelings

Ars Technica has more about the debates going on.

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