Discussing Queer Representation at PAX Aus 2015
Queer representation is a subject close to my heart. Increased positive, relatable representation of queer identities in literature is my chosen research area for my masters-possibly-turned-doctorate, and I have also spent time researching existing and ongoing queer representation in videogames. I’ve even made a videogame exploring queer themes, and am in the process of designing another. Because of all of this, I was ecstatic when I heard that queer representation was going to be a topic discussed at PAX Aus 2015 during the Queer Geeks of Oz panel.
The panel, held next door to PAX’s Diversity Lounge, featured the voices of host Sonja Hammer and panellists Liam Esler, Lauren Halstead (better known as Lauren Stardust), Dylan Adler, Rachel Humphries, and Jake-Derek Franklin. Overall, these wonderful people did a good job of introducing an incredibly important topic to the PAX dialogue and I am very supportive of what they attempted, but sadly, after much anticipation and excitement for this panel, I left the Galah Theatre somewhat disappointed.
Most of my gripes with the panel can be summarised quite succinctly: there was a lot left unsaid. I have faith that issues, identities, discussion points, and existing representations weren’t silenced or erased purposefully, but that does not make the result less frustrating.
There seemed to be an expectation that everybody in the room already knew about the games and characters that the panellists deemed worthy of discussing, which led to characters being introduced by their photo or first name and rarely with any contextualising information. As a result, anybody who attended the panel hoping to find out about games and representations they hadn’t heard of before was unintentionally excluded from several discussions. When our goal is to educate others about queer representation in the most inclusive way possible, we need to always make a effort to ensure a shared understanding is established.
While quite a few existing representations of queer characters were discussed, many were missing. At the beginning of the panel, a comment was made about how queer characters are generally featured in videogames as side characters, villains, or comic relief, but the panel seemed to focus primarily on a handful of queer protagonists and side characters, some represented positively and others negatively, without reflecting on the impact that queer villains and comedic characters have had. In addition to this, very little time was given to a necessary and constructive discussion around what positive representation looks like and how we—as developers, gamers, and advocates for change—can help increase the diverse presence of positive queer characters.
In addition to this, there were a handful of misinformed comments that I feel negatively impacted on the overall tone of the panel. When discussion turned towards the representation of mental illness in videogames, an honourable mention was given to Lara Croft, of Tomb Raider fame, because of the PTSD she is supposedly suffering in the upcoming release, Rise of the Tomb Raider. Anyone who follows the Tomb Raider comics could be forgiven for their faith that the videogame series will be including this important character development, and the June 2015 trailer for the game certainly hinted at it; however, director Brian Horton publicly stated in July that Lara Croft does not have PTSD. Horton wrote on the official Tomb Raider blog that Lara was ‘uncomfortable with the idea of being questioned by someone’ and that her actions in the trailer—which seemed symptomatic of PTSD—were actually due to her ‘anticipation to get out of the situation and just go on her adventures.’ It’s important that the representation of Lara Croft in Rise of the Tomb Raider isn’t given false praise; Horton’s dismissive official comments are incredibly disappointing.
Similarly, when the question of asexuality and representation of asexual characters was raised during the discussion at the end of the panel, the panellists seemed optimistic that the videogame companies that have been helping to increase queer representation would be carrying the torch for asexuality as soon as next year. One particular company—Bioware—was mentioned as being one to watch. This discussion was enthusiastic and positive, but failed to recognise that many asexual gamers have already put their faith in Bioware, thinking they were finally being represented, but were publicly dismissed by writer Patrick Weekes. Weekes wrote the character ‘Cole’, a non-human who openly expressed that he was not attracted to anyone during Dragon Age: Inquisition. His dialogue was enough for many fans of the series to assume Cole identified as ace (short for asexual) or aro (short for aromantic). Unfortunately, the Trespasser DLC included a questline for Cole where the player could help him become human; after being made human, Cole is asked if he has a ‘lady friend’ and he replies, ‘Well, I am human now.’
This exchange does not simply progress the narrative of a potentially-ace or -aro character into a place of having sexual or romantic attraction; this exchange conflates being interested in relationships with being human while making heteronormative assumptions about Cole dating a woman. For a studio who prides themselves on their diverse characters and representation, this feels like a significant step backwards. To make matters worse, when questioned by the community about this dialogue, Weekes responded with the following tweets:
When FemHype writer Kyra S responded to these tweets by asking directly whether we could expect a canonically asexual character in the future, he responded:
She was disappointed by this response, and rightly so. It’s important that exchanges like this one are brought into the spotlight so we, as gamers and critical thinkers, do more than simply hope for asexual (or any) representation in future. We need to ask for it, demand it, and refuse to have directors and writers ignore mental illness and varied queer identities (including asexuality) because they think diverse representation is too hard.
There were so many discussions that needed to be had, but that did not fit into the timeframe. I want to know what each of the panellists still had to say, as I noticed that not one of them had a chance to finish speaking about all of the topics on their PowerPoint slides. There is so much to talk about on the topic of queer representation, and I came away from the panel feeling like it simply hadn’t been explored enough.
Perhaps if less time was spent talking about the representation of women and mental illness in games, more time could have been spent doing the topic of queer representation justice. Representation of women and mental illness are also very important and definitely worth discussing—in fact, I presented on a panel about the representation of mental illness and chronic conditions during this PAX Aus—but each of these issues is too broad to touch on in one panel without missing crucial points. There are clear links between the representation of women and other genders, and also between queer representation and mental illness as so many members of the queer community struggle to maintain their mental health, but briefly touching on each of these topics rather than giving any one of them the time it requires and deserves made the panel feel rushed.
I am incredibly pleased that the issue of queer representation in videogames, and in media more widely, was discussed at PAX Aus 2015. It’s important that we start a dialogue about what positive and negative representation looks like, and I am appreciative of the people who stood up and started talking. However, I think it’s important that we do more than start the conversation: we need to talk about more examples of existing representation, we need to talk about what good representation looks like and scaffold this for game developers, we need to ensure we are giving the topic of queer representation the time it deserves to be explored in a deep and meaningful way, and we need to remember not to let our hope for the future erase the ongoing issues and challenges of representation that are being faced by the queer community right now.
I’m happy that this conversation has been started, but I look forward to seeing how this dialogue is continued at PAX Aus 2016, and in the twelve months between now and then at conventions like GX Australia.