Maybe it isn't my place as a white guy to argue this point, maybe I should just keep my mouth shut, but with the anonymity of the internet I sometime have the urge to express my opinions. I feel like more often than not when I sit down to play a new video game I'm always met with the same stoic white guy protagonist. His 5 O' clock shadow, his gelled messy hair, his gravely yet uber manly voice starting the narrative of the game. This is absolutely not a problem that would ruin the experience of any game for me, but as someone who consumes quite a bit of gaming media, I often times find myself wanting a drastic change in my hero. What if the game's hero was a lady. Not an overly sexed up woman with a big bottom, but a strong defiant heroin who could give the Ezio's and Marcus Fenix's of the gaming world a run for their money. What if the main character was a Saudi soldier or an African doctor. The beauty in gaming is that by being gamers we live many lives, from a soldier on a battlefield to the quiet assassin, and even a German farmer in some cases. Gaming has come a long way in recent years, changing up our protagonists and making them feel more human.

I want more though, I want to see characters of all races, genders, and sexes. What if in one of your modern war games the hero wasn't fighting to get home to his wife, but to his husband. Instead of flashing his sexuality to the player with a big controversial sign that says "Hey look we have a gay hero!" the game just lets the player figure it out on their own. I mean, what if the hero in a your RPG didn't have a choice in the matter. The character would be a strong fighter, a skilled diplomat, and a romantic and his lover would be the same. I want to play these roles, since I love the ladies but totally see the other side of the argument as well. For example I played the entirety of Mass Effect with a gay male Shepard, and found the experience just as rewarding as my friend who played it straight. I cared for Kaiden the same way I cared for my own girlfriend in real life, because in the eyes of my Shepard I knew this was the person I wanted to be with. (Although I tried in vain with Garrus lol)

I love that we live in a time where these are possibilities, but I'm still waiting for a game to really take that next step and say, "Hey we have a lesbian protagonist, she's strong, assertive, and not afraid to kick ass." However I don't want this to be the game's selling point, as the idea could just as easily be exploited as used skillfully. Many games are trying to branch out and include these kind of things, and I really appreciate it. A lot of my friends would be opposed to this idea however, thinking that a white straight male protagonist is just what they want to be. One even watched in horror as I considered marrying a male follower in Skyrim over Lydia. I know that not everyone will agree with this sentiment, and while I understand their feelings, I also want them to understand that what makes the gaming community so awesome is that for the most part we are an extremely diverse community. Unlike any other group we all share a burning passion around the same thing, and when we get together to play games it doesn't matter whose black or white or gay or straight, but that we all share a love for this new art form. (Yes I said ART.)

I hope this post isn't to long, or to much of a ramble. I don't claim to be a skilled blogger, but sometimes I just need to vent into this keyboard. I also hope I kept my wording appropriate and polite, as I really don't want anyone to be offended, and if something I said did offend you or if I missed a misspelling I want you to know I truly apologize. Please feel free to list an awesome gaming experience that differed from the norm as I for one love to hear about games I haven't played.