IGN interview with Vincke and lead writersI was banned from Steam forums for posting the below 'reaction', and I still do not understand what is the offending piece. I’m keen to get to the bottom of it from the POV of others. The replies on Steam were also civil: no derailing, no bait, no anger.
I’ve changed some of the language to be more ‘neutral’, but there are limits before we veer into the realm of self-censorship and absurdity.
I’ve also added TLDRs to each section.
Topic: Lot of talk, little to to sayTLDR: Seems to be Vincke and Smith doing 98% of the talking, with zero-to-no input from the other lead writer.
Original Post:Very long interview about the BG3 writing process.
What did I learn?
Zilch. But it is interesting that ‘Chrystal’ stays quiet for about 98% of it, and lets the two boys yabber away.
Topic: LGBT metaphors in BG3TLDR: The Emperor’s romance scene is a metaphor for gay ‘otherness’, but is poorly handled by Larian, in that it arrives out of the blue and is tackily presented (has his top off from the start)
Original Post: The interviewer admits to being gay, but only brings it up re: The Emperor, which I previously stated as a fantasy metaphor for gay ‘otherness’: ‘can you accept me, despite my octopus sideshow form?’
The ‘sideshow’ joke is obviously directed at the creature. There is nothing abnormal about gayness. I refer to the fact that he is ‘othered’ by his appearance, and appears male in tone, yet seeks a romantic connection with a MC – male in my case – who is neither attracted to males, nor can see anything non-traditionally feminine as physically appealing.
The problem with the metaphor is the Larian-delivery, in that it’s as cack-handed as it gets. No build up (it’s never suggested The Emperor is sexually repressed), then suddenly out of the blue he has his top off and is trying to ‘game’ you.
This is the issue with these writers. Romance isn’t what it is for the rest of us: strategic and subtle and occasionally a battle of attrition that can be dragged out for months, even years. For Larian, it’s bare flesh. Simples.
Topic: The complexity of real romance versus the shallowness of Larian romanceTLDR: Larian’s emphasis on physical characteristics cheapens the romance writing, and makes the companions seem sexually immature, unsubtle and uncomplicated.
Original Post: Show me a straight girl who’ll immediately have sex with a ripped Adonis when he pulls his top off. They don’t exist. And I’ve had this conversation with two girls before: what if Colin Farrell walked into the room now and demanded they have sex with him. They said they’d reject the advance. Now what if Scarlett Johnson walked into the room and demanded I have sex with her?
You know the answer.
With straights, one is literally from Venus and the other from Mars: alien species. For gays, both are from the same planet.
My own experience with gay men hitting on me is that they’re very forward about the physical side of it: body parts will be grabbed, and the ‘flirting’ is openly directed at eroticising physical traits perceived to be ‘attractive’.
Admittedly, I’m no expert – but this has been my experience, and my point is that I would not get away with this form of flirtation with a woman. It would have ruinous consequences, and at a minimum she would be completely repelled.
Topic: Playersexual toggle that creates pre-defined sexualitiesTLDR: I advocate an on/off switch for playersexual. Off locks characters to one sexual orientation: either straight or gay. This is to restore narrative integrity to the characters, so that their biggest plot points are driven by their pre-defined orientation, as they are for all humans in reality.
Original Post:Playersexual, to me, warps any fictional authenticity of the characters. Just think how much of your life’s narrative revolves around finding ‘the one’, no matter your intelligence. This in turn writes the biggest dramas you experience – the conflicts, the risks, the thrills and the spills – because yeah, it can get bloody. I’ve been there with a girl whose ‘secret bf’ banged on the window during a ‘compromising moment’!!
And the scramble to recover, heart slamming against chest, then – yes – the big showdown. Icily cordial, as it happens. I even shook his hand. ‘How’s it going mate? Well, anyway, last tram home is in 15min, would you believe.’
People will cheat because of their sexual orientation. They will avoid certain people because of it. They will be careful with certain people because of it.
It’s the primary driver of the biggest plots in every human story you can think of. The writers must be able to return to pre-defined sexualities, and write drama specific to those stories, otherwise the fiction is plastic and unnatural and mere wish fulfillment.
ConclusionI hope the big writerly discussion on IGN is a sign that the ‘big thing’ they’re working on for BG3 is narrative-related, and goes at least some ways towards giving everyone a balanced ‘take’, tailored to their sexuality and playstyle.
Meaning the playersexual option for those who want this. But the ‘playersexual off’ for those who want to experience the dramas of the characters as fuelled by their specific, locked sexual orientations.
