What Do You Think About Gay Characters in a GxB?

[Skyrius]

See, the ironic thing there is replace lesbian friend with normal guy friend and it still completely makes sense. XD Actually, you could replace lesbian with normal girl friend and switch around the genders and it'd still make sense. Although I guess you could do the same for gay guys too.

Quite frankly, and this is just personal experience, there are some guys who I think, after hearing them talk and watching them interact, are gay but turn out to be 100% straight (and in one case homophobic >_>) and then guys where I had to do spend five minutes coughing up the water I just choked on when they just decide to casually mention that, yeah, they're gay. There's no way I would've noticed beforehand @_@

It's weird, cause you get complaints from either end, sometimes the same end. If you make someone too "normal" you've got people complaining that you're hiding your gays under some thinly cloaked heteronormative crusade. Then if you make them too gay, you get complaints about stereotypes. I don't honestly think there's a way to please both sides. Personally, I'd just write the romance the same way you'd deal with a normal romance. After all, where's that old corny saying about all love being equal or something.

Actually, before I get even more off tangent, I might as well clear up that I mean, specifically in visual novels, it seems having a well developed gay guy turn up in a otome game is more common than vice versa. Maybe that says more about the players of the game. Girls are more accepting than guys? XD; My roommate would punch me if he were reading this.

Wait, wait. Now that I think about it, all the lesbians that show up in het games are in otome games too. Like, Daria from Gekka Ryoran and Hikari from Sumire no Tsubomi are both capturable characters. I don't think I can think of a single instance in an eroge where one of the capturable characters was a guy. (ok, granted on some level I suppose that would be feel slightly weirder since guys are apparently supposed to shun all affronts to their manliness...or something. I don't pay attention to social norms when it comes to things like that much)

[Aleema]

I don't think I can think of a single instance in an eroge where one of the capturable characters was a guy. (ok, granted on some level I suppose that would be feel slightly weirder since guys are apparently supposed to shun all affronts to their manliness...or something. I don't pay attention to social norms when it comes to things like that much)

I believe there was a BxB route in "True Love", and that's 18+. I don't know if ended in sex or whatever, but I just know that the best friend character was gay. Or was I misinformed? I remember it because I thought it was cool that a hentai game had a BxB option.

[pleasethinkofme]

I think they sort of bring life to the game... XD haha they're usually pretty fun and upbeat! But yeah, honestly it doesn't really bother me at all ^.^

[LateWhiteRabbit]

It just comes to mind that in a girly clique, there's usually always at least one "best gay friend" in the group, although it may vary quite drastically depending on your area.

Well, in my experience a girly clique often thinks they have a gay best friend, but a lot of times they aren't really gay, they just gave up on getting the girl romantically and have taken best friend as a consolation prize. Not that the friend can't sometimes actually be gay, but I've met several guys before that were depressed because, in their words, a certain girl thinks they are gay, but its okay, because "at least I get to be around her this way". Pretty sad, though that might make an interesting twist in a visual novel. (Pro tip, if you never actually see them date other guys, they probably aren't really gay. Not seeing them ever date any girls isn't proof of them being gay.)

I don't mind gay characters in a game. In the game I'm currently working on the player (the main character is a girl) actually has 4 romance-able boy options, and 3 romance-able girls options. The focus is largely on the boy options, but if the player chooses to pursue the girls, those paths open up. One girl is openly gay herself, another becomes quite upset and has a personal crisis over realizing she has romantic feelings for another girl, etc.

The important thing is to make all the characters real and with depth, and as Papillon warned, don't imply that a gay character has been "cured" by the main character's love, or conversely, that they have been "turned gay" by the same.

[pleasethinkofme]

but I've met several guys before that were depressed because, in their words, a certain girl thinks they are gay, but its okay, because "at least I get to be around her this way". Pretty sad, though that might make an interesting twist in a visual novel.

That could be a neat idea!

[J. Datie]

Pro tip, if you never actually see them date other guys, they probably aren't really gay. Not seeing them ever date any girls isn't proof of them being gay.

These two sentences seem to be at odds with each other, especially considering the ratio of straight women to gay men. I've removed them from the parentheses so that they don't start fighting.

I think they sort of bring life to the game... XD haha they're usually pretty fun and upbeat!

I have a sudden desire to create a gay guy who's completely unenthusiastic about everything and despises being around any of the main characters.

I don't think I can think of a single instance in an eroge where one of the capturable characters was a guy.

I seem to recall one (whose name I can't recall) where the friend character had an ending. No CGs, but it was neat that it existed.