I want to start off by saying that this is an AMAZING piece that really expresses how I felt watching my partner playing this game - I can’t play these games myself because I suck at anything not turn-based (also because I get scared so easily) #LastOfUsPartll #LastOfUsPart2https://twitter.com/carolynmichelle/status/1277730092160962560 …
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First, this game is centered on two queer women: Ellie (white) and Dina (Jewish-American I believe), as well as a white woman with a muscular build, Abby. Lev, an Asian trans boy, is a huge part of Abby’s side of the story.
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The first Last of Us game really shook up the AAA scene, as Left Behind showed us that Ellie liked girls, one being her best friend Riley. Not only was it a same-sex relationship, but Riley was also Black. It was and is still very rare to see QTPOC, let alone QTBIPOC, in games.
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Riley dies however, and in this newly released second game, Dina is Ellie’s new love interest. I remember being surprised when they opened up E3 with Ellie and Dina’s kiss in 2018. In an industry full of toxicity towards women, queer/transness, and PoC, it was shocking to see.
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Unsurprising however is the fact that this series’ inclusion of (and in Part II, centering of) queer/trans people has been met with a lot of backlash from gamers. GamerGate is still alive and well, but cishet dudebros weren’t the only ones mad.
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LGBTQ gamers/players were also outraged, as info came out about the queer/trans characters in the game. I remember on Part II’s launch day having my feed full of angry queer/trans people, talking about a “trans sex scene reveal” and “trans character being crucified and deadnamed”
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I was instantly interested in finding out more, because I had seen in my research that so much of transness in video games is suffering, being the butt of a joke, and being treated like a freak. My partner bought the game and I quietly watched to see if what I had heard was true.
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First off, there is no trans sex scene reveal. And by “trans sex scene reveal,” I mean a scene in which a character’s transness is revealed during sex. Usually this is accompanied by shock or disgust. Some examples of this include:
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Shablee from Leisure Suit Larry 6. She’s a Black trans woman who is revealed to have a penis when Larry is about to have sex with her. The moment after implies that Larry was r*ped by her. She’s misgendered from that point on.pic.twitter.com/XLVD7CBDbo
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Naoto Shirogane from Persona 4. While not explicitly trans and never shown having sex, their inner self attempts to perform a gender reaffirmation surgery on them to “become a man”. This shocks the rest of the cast and they fight to stop Naoto’s “Shadow” from doing this.pic.twitter.com/GJwTsjJc7f
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There are other examples as well, & Naoto isn’t the perfect example, but their portrayal still echoes trans narratives. Anyways, Abby was thought to be trans but she’s just a very muscular woman. I saw both cishet dudebros & trans gamers think this (purposefully or accidentally).
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It’s problematic because it assumes women can’t be of Abby’s build. If she’s muscular, she’s not feminine, and thus, lesser and ugly. Whatever your opinion of Abby as a character, she is refreshing representation for an industry that rarely shows body diversity in women.
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Then the second thing: a trans character crucified and deadnamed. When I heard this, I immediately wanted to tell my partner to not buy the game. A trans character not only being murdered, but CRUCIFIED? It really made me angry.
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However, this is partially false. Lev, the character in question, is tied to a pole near the end of the game, but this is because him and Abby are kidnapped by the Rattlers, a group who catch humans to force them into slavery. Nothing to do with his transness, BUT
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I will say that my heart hurts to see another trans character face violence when so many trans people (especially trans PoC) face violence in real life. However, violence is central to this game, but its violence overall is another discussion to be had.
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Trans characters in all media face so much violence. Trans people really can’t get away from this violence that they already face in real life. Just look to
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Now onto the deadnaming, Lev is only ever deadnamed and misgendered by the religious group he comes from, the Seraphites. He’s hunted after shaving his head to match the men of the group. And I’ve seen critiques say, “deadnaming no matter who does it is still bad” and to that I-
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agree, but it is really astounding how NO ONE outside of the Seraphites ever misgenders him. Everyone, even the Rattlers who kidnap him, refer to him as a boy. While I’m sad trans characters still have to face harm to be seen, I take this as some progress.
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Now, is this groundbreaking representation? It depends what you’re considering groundbreaking. Has there ever been such a mainstream game that centers queer women and a trans man of color? Not that I know of. However, as
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and divisive game would imagine a reality in which this violence doesn’t have to be all there is. It’s a limit that AAA games have - if the shooting stops, it’s no longer of worth. As she said as well, I really want Lev, Ellie, and Dina to be happy.
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I want queer/trans people to be represented in not only their suffering, but joy as well. There’s not enough queer/trans joy in video games currently.
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Idk if that was as helpful or as insightful as I wanted it to be, but I hope it helped or informed at least some people. Also,
#BlackLivesMatter
and #DefundThePolice.Show this thread
End of conversation
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