Unit 12 – Issues In Modern Journalism – Jacobs Level Three Year Two Journalism

Part One – Issues In Modern Journalism

Digitalisation:

A form of journalism where editorial pieces are distributed across through internet, via official news sites or social media. Digitalisation can help journalist find sources for their story and promote them, as well as being able to interact with their audiences. However, there is a risk that sources carry misinformation therefore further spreading this and losing trust with readers. In addition to this, digitalisation creates an easier access for journalist to be harassed and bullied online which can deter readers from interacting with their stories and cause personal safety issues for journalists. Digitalisation has allowed journalists to gather a range of sources with ease but more protections against harassment and bullying need to be implemented.

Technology:

Technology covers a variety areas of news and analysis covering a wide range of topics including IT, social media, science, robotics and law & policy regarding the digital world. It has allowed people to access journalism 24/7 from anywhere, a lot of journalists add links to their news stories on Twitter which allows readers to access and discuss the stories. However, there is fake news sites now lurking on the internet which spread misinformation at ease and leads to readers learning incorrect misinformation. Technology has made it easier to access information but requires more regulation of fake news sites.

Citizen Journalism:

An evolution of journalism, as a result of social media and technology, citizen journalism allows members of society to share their personal experience of events and provide new views of stories. It helps to provide a wider view that mainstream media and governments don’t represent. During Iranian elections in 2009, the world saw Iran as a extremist country but when the youth displayed their discontent a new view was formed. However, in some cases there is not an accountability of sources which can twist a viewpoint or spread misinformation. I think citizen journalism creates a wider pool of information that allows for crucial facts of stories to be revealed, hopefully with a number of people discussing an event misinformation is minimised and limited to a few citizens.

Marketing & Promotion:

Journalists understand what works when writing a story to engage readers and draw attention. So when a new business or product launches, the company creates content that covers their business and promotes it. It allows for smarter marketing rather than quality marketing, such as Heineken who didnt look at making great content but rather quality content. Although they published an 80 page sustainabily report, they got a rapper to sum it up in a two minute video. Marketing & promotion allows companies to think more about what engages rather readers, as apposed to using their budget up on a high skilled piece.

Representation:

Representation is how the media, from television to books, portray different unrepresented groups of people. It is important in modern journalism as it helps to break down stereotypes that limit individuals in society. Through positive representation, it can help others understand minority groups in society as well as members of that minority group seeing people to look up to, which can build confidence in minority people. In 2016 the Hollywood Diversity Report from the Raplh J.Bunche Centre for African American Studies at UCLA, found that films with more diverse cast had the highest median global box office receipts. I feel like diversity makes tv and stories more diverse as the range of views makes more interesting stories for all viewers.

Audience:

In the digital age, income from print advertisements have decreased leaving greater need for revenue from online subscriptions and digital interaction. This had led to organisations having to understand their digital audiences better, with the help from looking at what they interact with closely. There is still a risk of misunderstanding audiences soley based on interactions as feedback is crucial. The Conversation has reported that it attracts a monthly online auience of 5.2 million users (2017). It is vital for organisations to learn their audiences through other means than interactions and reader numbers, as it allows them to learn what stories interest regular viewers.

Legal Considerations:

Reflects on impartiality, objectivity, balance, bias, privacy and the public interest when producing news coverage. Fox News can be criticsed for creating impartial news coverage in favour of right wing politics, this can create legal issues such as defamation when sterotyping take place to make an individual or group look bad by not covering all sides of a story. All though freedom of speech exists, I think it is important for organisation to create stories that cover both sides but it is important that there is legal protections to help try and deter this.

Regulation:

Media regulation is the rules enforced by law to guide media across the world, it sets standards to esnure that the positive and negative sides of media is balanced in the name of public interest. IPSO is the independent regulator for the newspaper and magazine industry within the UK, they hold organisations to account for their actions in order to uphold standards and mantain freedom of expression for the press. I think it is important to have regulation as it means readership and viewers can have trust that the news they are absorbing is to a quality standard that does not mislead them.

Part Two – Choosing Your Issue

Issue:

I will be looking at LGBTQ+ representation within Bioware with a brief overview of their history and look further into, with a main focus of, their game Star Wars The Old Republic. From looking at the representation and attitudes towards sexuality within the early release of the game and how this has developed over time to where the game stands today.

Title:

Changing representation of LGBTQ+ within game developer BioWare, with reference to Star Wars: The Old Republic

Abstract:

The representation of LGBTQ+ characters in video games has become an increasingly important topic in recent years, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is a clear example of developing representation. As a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, it offers players a vast and immersive universe to explore, filled with diverse characters and stories that are constantly being developed through expansions. Bioware is a massive game developer, and no stranger to creating these immersive stories. This research project aims to investigate the representation of LGBTQ+ characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic, with a particular focus on how these characters are portrayed and how players respond to them. BioWare has a range of games that they have developed over the years, despite looking at Star Wars: The Old Republic, I will also be looking at the other games they have developed to help provide further insight. To help do this I want to see if there is any published articles or comments from the writers of the game themselves, as this will provide powerful insight on the development process. Through a range of research methods, including looking at community forums, this essay will look at the level of LGBTQ+ representation in video games and its wider impact in the gaming community. As a player of the game myself, I am aware of the lack of representation and its slow development over the years since its release in 2011. An essential part of research that I am hoping is going to help, will be YouTube videos created by players that are more involved with the game. In addition to this, it will also allow me to gauge the opinions of players from the YouTube creator and through the comments interacting with the video. Forums produced by the developers of the game, discuss changes to the game through updates and expansion to understand what changes have happened and what they are planning on changing. I am hoping that Google Scholar Articles will have mentions of Star Wars The Old Republic as an article by itself or within articles discussing representation in video games to help guide the aims of my article and point me in the direction of any further research that needs to be conducted. I want to gain a better understanding of how players respond to the LGBTQ+ representation in the game and the broader equality issues within other games. By looking at opinion articles I am hoping to understand what development in representation the players are calling for and how they think it can happen. Through a thorough examination of LGBTQ+ representation in Star Wars: The Old Republic, this study aims to provide valuable insights into how games can be designed and developed to promote greater representation and acceptance of marginalised communities, both within the gaming community and beyond. By looking at BioWare’s LGBTQ+ representation history in their games, it will allow me to see the direction that they’ve been heading in and hopefully demonstrate what the future of this representation will look like.

Part Three – Research & Explore Your Focus Area

Research Log:

Name Of Source	Information/Quotes/Dates gained from sources	Reference Information
Gaymingmag.com	This article covers the development of LGBTQ+ representation from the lack of representation in the early release of the game to the range of representation now	Gayming (2021) LGBTQ+ representation Star Wars: The Old Republic is complicated but rewarding. Available at: https://gaymingmag.com/2021/09/lgbtq-representation-star-wars-the-old-republic-is-complicated-but-rewarding/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Engadget.com	Discusses the crucial role of the representation system within community forums	Engadget (2014) Hyperspace Beacon: Fixing SWTOR’s community representation problem. Available at: https://www.engadget.com/2014-06-24-hyperspace-beacon-fixing-swtors-community-representation-probl.html (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Gizmodo.com	Refers to representation within the whole Star Wars Universe	Gizmodo (2020) Star Wars’ Not-So-Brief History of Fleeting LGBTQ+ Representation. Available at: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/06/star-wars-not-so-brief-history-of-fleeting-lgbtq-representation/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Reddit.com	Greg Bahm, BioWare writer, revealed lack of representation was due to a contractual agreement	Reddit (2022) The truth behind no gay romances in vanilla, BioWare’s “Secret Willow MMO,” and more!. Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/swtor/comments/vqz7it/the_truth_behind_no_gay_romances_in_vanilla/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Swtor.com	Players in community forums discuss the changes made to dialogue to include same sex relationships	SWTOR (2016) SWAP CHARACTER SEX 5.0. Available at: https://forums.swtor.com/topic/817303-swap-character-sex-50/page/8/#comment-8779609 (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Swtor.com	This community thread discusses the lack of representation and others not wanting special treatment in turn for developers to focus on gameplay	SWTOR (2018) ROMANCE/COMPANIONS AND LGBTQ+. Available at: https://forums.swtor.com/topic/874572-romancecompanions-and-lgbtq-127752/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
YouTube.com	This video shows same sex romance options, comments discuss the blandness and limitations of the dialogue	XLetalis (2015) SWTOR ♥ GAY ROMANCE ♥ 2 Guys Kiss 3 Times – Theron Shan. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTqtj_V4Bek (Accessed: 1 March 2023).
YouTube.com	Interview with a guild leader on how to make in game communities more inclusive and safer for LGBTQ+ members	Swtorista (2020) How can guilds support their LGBTQ members in gaming? 🏳️‍🌈. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYY4AQV9v64 (Accessed: 1 March 2023).
Twitter.com	An interview with Samantha Wallschlaeger, BioWare writer, on her decisions when creating LGBTQ+ storylines in SWTOR	Twitter (2020) Hello all to celebrate #Pride 🏳️‍🌈 month I’d like to share some great content from LGBTQ+ #SWTOR players and allies. I’m so happy with how #SWTOR has grown over the years especially in adding more lesbian/gay/bi romances to the game. #RepresentationMatters!. Available at: https://twitter.com/swtorista/status/1277708691093860353/photo/1 (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Swtorista.com	Romance guide detailing the depth and story growth of a same sex relationship with one of the characters	Swtorista (2020) Theron Shan Romance Guide. Available at: https://swtorista.com/articles/theron-shan-romance-guide/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Medium.com	History of LGBTQ+ representation in BioWare games – “gay” “lesbian” and “homosexual’ censored from community forums	Medium (2017) A Brief History of BioWare’s LGBTQ Inclusion. Available at: https://medium.com/brinkbit/a-brief-history-of-biowares-lgbtq-inclusion-138811b53a2b (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Blog.Bioware.com	Interviews with LGBTQ+ staff members on how the representation helped them and its importance and development	Bioware (2022) Developer Story: Pride Edition. Available at: https://blog.bioware.com/2022/07/15/bioware-developer-story-pride-edition/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Hyperbae.com	Interviews with members from the gaming community, Patrick Weekes lead writer on Dragon Age and Veronica Ripley a Trans Female gamer	Hypebae (2020) LGBTQ+ GAMERS ON THE NEED FOR PROPER REPRESENTATION IN TODAY’S GAMING WORLD. Available at: https://hypebae.com/2020/8/lgbtq-representation-in-video-games-gaming-diversity-inclusivity-ea-the-sims-bioware-dragon-age-veronica-nikatine-ripley-interview (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Publicbooks.org	Outrage in response to two female characters kissing in the Last of Us Part II trailer	publicbooks (2022) QUEER LIVES ARE NOT SIDE QUESTS. Available at: https://www.publicbooks.org/queer-representation-videogames/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)
Uppercrit.com	Discusses a BioWare game that lacks representation of anyone to create a universal gaming experience where players can try to find themselves in the character	Uppercutcrit (2019) Anthem: A Bioware Game That Represents No One. Available at: https://uppercutcrit.com/anthem-a-bioware-game-that-represents-no-one/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Annotated Catalogue:

Source One:

LGBTQ+ representation Star Wars: The Old Republic is complicated but rewarding – Gaymingmag.co.uk

This source is very helpful in my research as it covers the development of LGBTQ+ representation in Star Wars: The Old Republic, looking at the little to no representation in the early stages up to their range of representation across the game now. Even discussing the challenges and controversies when the representation was developing. Key points that were mentioned included the point of the only representation being a bisexual female companion that only male characters could romance and that the added representation was included in paid for expansions, making people feel like they had to pay to get content that represented them. This source is trustworthy as it was written by a bisexual person who played the game and their shared point of view throughout helped provide wider insight

Gayming (2021) LGBTQ+ representation Star Wars: The Old Republic is complicated but rewarding. Available at: https://gaymingmag.com/2021/09/lgbtq-representation-star-wars-the-old-republic-is-complicated-but-rewarding/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Two:

Hyperspace Beacon: Fixing SWTOR’s community representation problem – Engadget.com

I found this source very useful as it discusses representation within the community forums themselves, providing a wider image of representation in the game as a whole. It discusses the representative system within the community forums, highlighting that players don’t engage with their representatives enough so they can’t feed back all the players thoughts to the developers. I find this source to be reliable as it comes from one of the representatives themselves, and has provided a deeper insight to representation as a whole

Engadget (2014) Hyperspace Beacon: Fixing SWTOR’s community representation problem. Available at: https://www.engadget.com/2014-06-24-hyperspace-beacon-fixing-swtors-community-representation-probl.html (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Three:

Star Wars’ Not-So-Brief History of Fleeting LGBTQ+ Representation – Gizmodod.com.au

Despite this source being useful and providing a bit more insight into the development of LGBTQ+ representation in Star Wars: The Old Republic over time, it continuously links this into the wider Star Wars Universe which is not the focus of this essay. Although a trustworthy source, it does not provide me with any further relevant research that can be used to accurately discuss the changing representation within Star Wars: The Old Republic

Gizmodo (2020) Star Wars’ Not-So-Brief History of Fleeting LGBTQ+ Representation. Available at: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/06/star-wars-not-so-brief-history-of-fleeting-lgbtq-representation/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Four:

The truth behind no gay romances in vanilla, BioWare’s “Secret Willow MMO,” and more! – Reddit.com

This post published by a Reddit user, reveals why there is no gay romances in the initial version of Star Wars: The Old Republic. It notes that a former Bioware employee, Greg Bahm, revealed that there was no LGBTQ+ representation in the early game due to a contractual agreement and not Biowares decision. Lucasarts, the creators of Star Wars, was worried that same-sex relationships would create issues with a Christian fanbase. Despite Reddit not being a reliable website itself, I do agree with the writer that the information is accurate as the comments were made by the former employee through his own identity. It certainly has helped me to understand the lack of representation when the game launched

Reddit (2022) The truth behind no gay romances in vanilla, BioWare’s “Secret Willow MMO,” and more!. Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/swtor/comments/vqz7it/the_truth_behind_no_gay_romances_in_vanilla/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Five

SWAP CHARACTER SEX 5.0 – Swtor.com

This source is from the community forums on Star Wars: The Old Republic’s website. Looking at a comment user “DarthEnrique” made, he shares his opinion that despite the games update to allow same- sex romances are all still straight. Although this can be labelled as bi erasure, he makes an excellent point that the characters were designed as straight. Only some minor changes to dialogue were made when it came to same-sex relationships, therefore he concludes that their mannerisms still align with heteronormativity

SWTOR (2016) SWAP CHARACTER SEX 5.0. Available at: https://forums.swtor.com/topic/817303-swap-character-sex-50/page/8/#comment-8779609 (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Six:

ROMANCE/COMPANIONS AND LGBTQ+ – Swtor.com

This thread, also from the community forums, expresses how some people want same sex relationship options within the game. A number of players express how they feel underrepresented, whilst a few state that they don’t want special treatment from the developers. It provides another viewpoint that the developers should be more focused on creating a quality gaming experience, without the need of any relationships altogether. Although some people are against the romances within the game, players don’t have to initiate a romance with any other characters at all

SWTOR (2018) ROMANCE/COMPANIONS AND LGBTQ+. Available at: https://forums.swtor.com/topic/874572-romancecompanions-and-lgbtq-127752/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Seven:

SWTOR ♥ GAY ROMANCE ♥ 2 Guys Kiss 3 Times – Theron Shan – YouTube

This video shows gameplay footage where a player is able to select dialogue options which triggers a male romance with another character. The comments show that players find the dialogue to be a bit bland and suggests that the story development is limited as it doesn’t add to the main story or the personal story, therefore adding no value to the story. Other comments suggested that it was wrong, as there is no such thing as LGBTQ+ within the Star Wars universe

XLetalis (2015) SWTOR ♥ GAY ROMANCE ♥ 2 Guys Kiss 3 Times – Theron Shan. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTqtj_V4Bek (Accessed: 1 March 2023).

Source Eight:

How can guilds support their LGBTQ members in gaming? 🏳️‍🌈 – YouTube

Within the game characters have the option to join a guild, an in game community where players can complete tasks in order to get benefits like useable rewards which enhance gameplay. This visual interview is with a guild leader who details how their guild has an out of game application form that asks players things such as the gender identity and sexuality, which helps demonstrates to players that it is a safe supportive place. Most guilds also set out a code of conduct that players must follow, which usually includes things such as respecting other players. Although this doesn’t reflect the represent within the gameplay itself, it shows that there are some specific LGBTQ+ guilds where players are able to represent their personal selves

Swtorista (2020) How can guilds support their LGBTQ members in gaming? 🏳️‍🌈. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYY4AQV9v64 (Accessed: 1 March 2023).

Source Nine:

Hello all to celebrate #Pride month I’d like to share some great content from LGBTQ+ #SWTOR players and allies. I’m so happy with how #SWTOR has grown over the years especially in adding more lesbian/gay/bi romances to the game. #RepresentationMatters! – Twitter (@swtorista)

This Twitter thread, created by Swtorista, details the different LGBTQ+ content within the game. The user was also able to interview Samantha Wallschlaeger, former Bioware writer, who wrote the character romances for Lana, Theron, Arcann, Scourge and Kira. She details how being a member of the community herself made it important for her to be able to write these stories, and that the LGBTQ+ relationship within BioWare games is what attracted her to work there. To her, it was important not to bring traditional gender roles into the writing and instead focused on the existing mannerisms of each character. This source was incredibly useful at is changes a previous source to feedback on how they perceive the writing of the stories

Twitter (2020) Hello all to celebrate #Pride 🏳️‍🌈 month I’d like to share some great content from LGBTQ+ #SWTOR players and allies. I’m so happy with how #SWTOR has grown over the years especially in adding more lesbian/gay/bi romances to the game. #RepresentationMatters!. Available at: https://twitter.com/swtorista/status/1277708691093860353/photo/1 (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Ten:

Theron Shan Romance Guide – Swtorista.com

This player guide details how to romance another character and the different effects this has on the story, which also counters older sources. The player has the option romance Theron to the point where you can marry him after major events in the main storyline. This shows that romancing a character does have an effect of the personal storyline of the character. It also details that if a player reinitiates a romance with a previous companion in the expansions, then Theron will end the relationship. This source clearly represents the development of representation, due to a personal story being developed over numerous game expansions

Swtorista (2020) Theron Shan Romance Guide. Available at: https://swtorista.com/articles/theron-shan-romance-guide/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Eleven:

A Brief History of BioWare’s LGBTQ Inclusion – Medium.com

A lot of LGBTQ+ representation within games has come from the game developer giant Bioware. In 2003, they made huge advancements by including a lesbian character in their game Knights of the Old Republic, a prequel game to Star Wars: The Old Republic. Their openly gay writer, David Gaider, starts to explore homosexual themes in his writing with the release of Dragon Age: Origins which included lesbian dwarves and two bisexual romance options. The article also states that the words “gay”, “lesbian” and “homosexual” were censored in Star Wars: The Old Republic as “These terms do not exist in Star Wars”. Sean Dahlberg apologised for his comments within the same day and the filters were removed. Their game Dragon Age: Inquisition. released in 2014, featured an openly gay playable character. The studio sought advice from transgender and non-binary consultants outside of the development team, which aided in the successful gay character and transgender representation

Medium (2017) A Brief History of BioWare’s LGBTQ Inclusion. Available at: https://medium.com/brinkbit/a-brief-history-of-biowares-lgbtq-inclusion-138811b53a2b (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Twelve:

Developer Story: Pride Edition – blog.bioware.com

The Bioware blog post shares answers from LGBTQ+ members of staff and how the games have helped them personally, as well as how they think the representation resonates with queer players. They share that the representation within the games helped them find their identities and become more comfortable in themselves, also detailing that the inclusivity within the office helps create meaningful LGBTQ+ stories and de-stigmatises queer relationships. They share that Bioware is making progress in its development of creating LGBTQ+ characters that players grow with through the stories, and not just characters you bump into along the journey

Bioware (2022) Developer Story: Pride Edition. Available at: https://blog.bioware.com/2022/07/15/bioware-developer-story-pride-edition/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Thirteen:

LGBTQ+ GAMERS ON THE NEED FOR PROPER REPRESENTATION IN TODAY’S GAMING WORLD – Hyperbae.com

The article asks a range of people within the gaming community, from lead writers to LGBTQ+ people, their thoughts on the representation and what progress they still think need to be made. Patrick Weekes, lead writer of Dragon Age, stated that he believes there is a lack of queer characters because developing these characters take more time and effort to be developed correctly. However, trans women Veronica Ripley, noted that LGBTQ+ characters are often too shallow and more LGBTQ+ writers need to be hired to translate queer experiences into a story

Hypebae (2020) LGBTQ+ GAMERS ON THE NEED FOR PROPER REPRESENTATION IN TODAY’S GAMING WORLD. Available at: https://hypebae.com/2020/8/lgbtq-representation-in-video-games-gaming-diversity-inclusivity-ea-the-sims-bioware-dragon-age-veronica-nikatine-ripley-interview (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Fourteen:

QUEER LIVES ARE NOT SIDE QUESTS – publicbooks.org

This article depicts how outrage was caused when two female characters kissed in the trailer for The Last of Us Part II. Although it highlights the outrage and harassment caused from this, it already depicts my same findings from Bioware based games. Despite it being supported by evidence, it does not add or takeaway from my prior research. Therefore, I will not be including this source within my essay.

publicbooks (2022) QUEER LIVES ARE NOT SIDE QUESTS. Available at: https://www.publicbooks.org/queer-representation-videogames/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Source Fifteen:

Anthem: A Bioware Game That Represents No One – Uppercutcrit.com

This article was really surprising to me because Bioware, a leader in creating LGBTQ+ stories, opted to create a game where the lead character represented no one through limited cosmetic changes and lack of in game relationships with other characters. The detachment from identity extends to dialogue options, which are merely to push the conversation along. The goal was to design a character that was seen as a universal experience where players could try to find themselves in the character, adjacent from romantic relationships with anyone of the same gender, sexuality, colour and individual morality. The different view on representation definitely leaves the question on how else representation could change in the future

Uppercutcrit (2019) Anthem: A Bioware Game That Represents No One. Available at: https://uppercutcrit.com/anthem-a-bioware-game-that-represents-no-one/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023)

Part Four – Essay

Changing representation of LGBTQ+ within game developer Bioware, with reference to Star Wars: The Old Republic

BioWare are a leading game development company, based in Canada, known for its developments in creating diverse and immersive stories. The representation of LGBTQ+ players has become increasingly important over the years, due to the changing positive attitudes in society towards LGBTQ+ people. BioWare has made significant LGBTQ+ representation since 2003 [11], with the introduction of a lesbian character in Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic, the prequel game to Star Wars: The Old Republic. I believe real advancements started when their openly gay male writer, David Gaider, explored homosexual themes in Dragon Age: Inquisition. LGBTQ+ characters being written by a member of the community, was a crucial starting point to ensure that the portrayal was accurate and fair. This essay will look into the advancement in LGBTQ+ representation by looking at their history and the representation seen in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

When Star Wars: The Old Republic was first released, in late 2011, the only LGBTQ+ representation that existed was a bisexual character [1] that would later become a companion of the main character. However, despite this character being bisexual, players could only choose to romance this character if they were playing as a male. In addition to this, the game’s community forums [11] censored the words “Lesbian”, “Gay” and “Homosexual”, which left players feeling like their not represented across all aspects of the game. A Reddit thread did reveal that a former BioWare employee [4], Greg Bahm, noted that there was no LGBTQ+ representation in the vanilla game due to a contractual agreement. There were fears that representation would upset Christian players, most likely showing that at the time BioWare had to decide what would cause less impact on the game. As more and more players joined the game, BioWare was working on an expansion for the game to increase its content. Rise of The Hutt Cartel was a paid-for expansion, released in 2013, that added new story missions and characters for players to interact with. This expansion included new LGBTQ+ characters that players could interact with, [1] which led to this new location being referred to as “the gay planet. Many people were frustrated with this expansion as they felt like they had to pay in order to get content that represented them. A year later, in 2014, the game released another paid-for expansion called Shadow of Revan. This expansion introduced two more bisexual players, however, just like the previous expansion, you needed to pay in order to see representation which felt like the game’s standard.

Despite the lack of in-game representation, many felt that was also a lack of representation within the community forums themselves [2]. The forums allow players to discuss the game and elect a representative that communicates feedback and thoughts to the developers of the game. Despite many people feeling underrepresented within the game itself, the elected representatives on the forums noted that players don’t interact with them. Hence, they are unable to feedback specifics to developers. Unfortunately, I could find no further answers as to why players don’t interact with the representatives but do leave open the question of whether they are scared that they won’t be taken seriously or are just unaware of the representatives in the forums. However, as the game developed a lot of changes were made to the vanilla game, such as male and female players being able to romance their companions, even if they were the same gender. A user in the forums noted that despite these changes being made [5], there is still the point that the characters were designed as straight. Despite the bi-erasure conclusions that can be drawn from that comment, the dialogue changes implemented in these options are still very limited. In the comment section under a video showing a player triggering a same-sex romance [7], viewers suggest that the dialogue is too bland and does not add value to the existing storyline. This shows that even in the early release of expansions, players did not perceive the added representation well and felt as though it was added in to check a box. Although it is hard to change existing characters to provide LGBTQ+ representation, it is essential to add more LGBTQ+ companions that are designed to interact with players with those mannerisms. Another thread within the forums [6] calls for further representation within the game, but other players state that they don’t want special treatment from developers. They believe that developers should focus on creating a quality gaming experience without the need for relationships. Players do not have to seek a romantic storyline with anyone, which although it doesn’t answer the calls for representation, it does leave some choice up to the players to stay neutral.

BioWare clearly learned that characters need to initially be written as LGBTQ+ to create realistic and authentic stories, which is reflected when Samantha Wallschlaeger [9], a former BioWare writer, Was involved in the writing for the two bisexual characters, Lana and Theron. It was important to her to write these characters, as a member of the community herself, to create a meaningful and authentic story. She disregarded existing gender roles and focused on the existing mannerisms of each character as it was important for stories to grow with who they are. A romance guide [10] indicates that if a player continuously chooses romance options in dialogue, they can get married to Theron. This represents a continuous relationship that represents the community well, it portrays a meaningful relationship that develops into something more serious. It is clear that this story was thought through well, due to Theron being introduced into an expansion of the game, the romance options do take into account any previous romance stories with prior companions. The storyline does not feel just placed to include representation, its careful consideration to create a valued storyline option shows that BioWare cares about portraying the right representation for its LGBTQ+ players.

It is clear that BioWare has made significant advancements towards creating meaningful and accurate LGBTQ+ representation within the gameplay of Star Wars: The Old Republic, but players have also been finding their own ways to represent themselves and create safe spaces. A known player of the game and YouTube content creator of the game [8], Swtorista, held a virtual interview with an in-game guild leader to discuss how guild leaders can support LGBTQ+ players. Guilds are an important game feature that brings players together in a community, in order to play group activities together and complete achievements to gain rewards. Sayuri, the guild leader, described how she has chosen to have an out-game application form that asks players about their gameplay habits and gets them to agree on a code of conduct that states players must be respectful and kind to each other. It also includes questions asking players about their sexual orientation and gender identity, to show that a guild is a safe place and for others to know who they are playing with. By players creating safe places within the game, it shows LGBTQ+ players that they are welcome and shows the developers that the community in the game is growing.

A crucial part of BioWare’s success in its representation of LGBTQ+ characters is its LGBTQ+ staff [12], who have played crucial roles in the development of the games and storylines. They shared that the added representation within the games helped them become more comfortable and confident within themselves which they believe resonates with queer players. They believe that the inclusivity within the office helps them to create meaningful LGBTQ+ storylines, that grow as the story develops, as they can have open discussions to create these diverse stories and destigmatise queer relationships. However, an article from Hyperbae interviewed a range of people within the gaming community regarding representation in games. Patrick Weekes [13], the lead writer of Dragon Age, stated that it is hard to develop LGBTQ+ characters because it takes more time to make sure the characters are portrayed correctly. However, Veronica Ripley, a trans female player, stated that more LGBTQ+ people need to be involved in creating these characters as they add valuable insight and would help develop these characters at a quicker rate.

In 2019 BioWare released a game called Anthem [15], where the main character was void of any identity. Their limited character creation and lack of in-game relationships were designed with the purpose of players choosing how they related to the character. This was certainly an interesting move for BioWare, due to them being a leader in creating LGBTQ+ storylines. I think it demonstrates that there is a huge question on how to portray representation fairly, it does take thoughtful story writing to ensure that LGBTQ+ persons are portrayed fairly in a way that keeps up with trending changes in society. It is clear that more members of the community need to be involved in the creative process to make sure that their voices are heard and understood. Star Wars: The Old Republic is a clear example of how BioWare has developed queer storylines with thought and consideration that are meaningful to the story and its players. There are still a lot of gaps in the portrayal of LGBTQ+ persons within video games. but there has definitely been a positive change over the years.

Bibliography

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Part Three: