Late for the Party: Gay Romances in Dragon Age 2

The train has left the station on much of the debate from a post on the Bioware forums regarding relationship options in Dragon Age 2, but I have a blog and an opinion, regardless to the fact that I haven't shelled out the $60 the game would cost so I could refine said opinion.  I did play the demo, and I've read a lot from both all sides of this controversy.

TL;DR: On one hand is this dude's assertation that DA2 didn't cater to the "straight male gamer," and a response from one of the writers that it wasn't supposed to, and some petition that's upset that gay characters were oversexualized.  The internet is serious business! 

Games like Dragon Age 2 are role-playing games that use a blend of open-ended interactive fiction and focused, structured narrative to communicate a story.  The open-ended interactive fiction is what has created the problem for DA2 writers, apparently.  With same-sex options intermingled with opposite-sex options for the romance of the hero (Hawke) as a component of that interactive fiction.  But, as interactive as it is, it's still fiction, and it is not an open-ended storytelling experience.  There are only so many paths available.

Compare a situation like that to one of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, or even a MMORPG.  Herein, the player is able to fully define the character and his or her interactions with all other characters and the environment.  In interactive fiction, the player can choose which path to take, but cannot forge one of his or her own free will. 

When I played through Dragon Age: Origins, I delighted at the opportunity to experience Fereldan as a female elf on my second playthrough.  The way in which characters interacted with me changed, and I enjoyed seeing that perspective.  It does not mean that I in any way want to be a woman, or an elf for that matter.  This rings true, since a majority of gamers (straight male, or otherwise) will play characters of an opposite sex.  Was Tomb Raider designed with the "straight male gamer" in mind?  Was Super Mario Bros.?  How about Ms. Pac Man?

In short, I think the entirety of the debate boils down to someone who self identifies homosexuality as "disgusting" being upset that a male character hit on him while he should have been more concerned about the influx of dragons about to eat him (seriously, think about your priorites, dude).  Fiction tells us a story, and interactive fiction lets us direct some of the ways in which that story is communicated.  The presence of sexuality is not guaranteed to match your own, in fact it would be astounding if it did.  Instead, indulge the opportunity to experience character, which is what role-playing games are all about.