Transgender Merc?

(ChinChill) #1

I can’t say how happy I am that we have a lesbian merc in the game! And I love the lore behind each character. I know most people jump in and play, and backstories don’t really have an impact on that but I just really like finding out more about the world and the mercs.

So while we have Nader, is it possible to have a transgender merc too? It probably sounds silly but it’d mean a lot to see another merc in the GLBTA+ spectrum (especially one who’s like me) and given how non-invasive each character’s background is to gameplay, it wouldn’t effect the game itself. I hope this isn’t too controversial to ask for and I apologise if it is.

Regardless, I’m still amazed we got to have Nader in the game with her lore and I honestly thank Nexon for putting that little touch in c:

(Indefinite) #2

Technically speaking, Nexon didn’t put Nader in, Splash Damage did. Publisher vs Developer (Creator) thing. Chances are very likely that Nexon had absolutely nothing to do with it.

A transgender character would be interesting! I’d certainly like to see it, and even if it turned out to be a blasphemous controversy, it’d still end up increasing DB’s playerbase and revenue.

Fundamentally, it shouldn’t be that big a deal. After all, the gaming community had Poison and Bridget for decades without issue. If it’s a fully converted FTM, though, Raptor knows rabid internet feminists would probably attack Nexon and SD developers until the character got removed, citing “the Patriarchy” or some other batsh** insane non-logic.

Somewhat related (but not, imo), an androgynous Merc or two would be fantastic, imo.

(Roldoi) #3

Truthfully Doesn’t really matter if they are transgender. In the face of getting shot in the face and dying horribly in a fire fight for blood money, everyone is equal.

… wow that just turned dark for me.

(ChinChill) #4

[quote=“raspberryBlender;51687”]Technically speaking, Nexon didn’t put Nader in, Splash Damage did. Publisher vs Developer (Creator) thing. Chances are very likely that Nexon had absolutely nothing to do with it.

A transgender character would be interesting! I’d certainly like to see it, and even if it turned out to be a blasphemous controversy, it’d still end up increasing DB’s playerbase and revenue.

Fundamentally, it shouldn’t be that big a deal. After all, the gaming community had Poison and Bridget for decades without issue. If it’s a fully converted FTM, though, Raptor knows rabid internet feminists would probably attack Nexon and SD developers until the character got removed, citing “the Patriarchy” or some other batsh** insane non-logic.

Somewhat related (but not, imo), an androgynous Merc or two would be fantastic, imo.[/quote]

Woops my bad! Credit and love to Splash Damage :x

I don’t see why feminists would have a problem with a FtM character. Only rad-fems would and I’ve been lucky to not come across many so far in my life. Must be hanging out with the right crowds I guess!

And ooh, an androgynous merc would be incredible too! I’d be happy with an andro or trans merc overall. The fun thing is that it could easily be any merc without really changing anything about them. Once a person transitions (especially ftm due to how the hormones work), more often than not they simply pass as the gender they want to be.

(Hadouken) #5

We already have aura.

(Indefinite) #6

I never considered Aura to be transgender or androgynous - if anything, she seemed like a rather lightly stereotypical depiction of her sex/race, as are most of the Mercs.

(fantasticAsteroid) #7

A trans* merc would be interesting, but remember we don’t want something cheap and put in simply for the sake of it. The character would really need to fit within the type of the game. It would actually be awesome if people in the community could submit some fan designs of a potential trans* merc.

(Koyotea) #8

haha i don’t care what the background story says about Nader, she’s straight to me and always has been. thats the great thing about this game, their “backgrounds” don’t actually mean anything. Nader is my favorite character so i’ll make her how i see fit, if i’m playing her she’s straight. besides, Sparks seems way more lesbian than any of them, so when i’m playing Sparks i think of her as lesbian, and i love playing Sparks. so “backgrounds” are pointless really.

(fantasticAsteroid) #9

I think backgrounds are actually really important! I mean, sure players can change them around their own ideas, but it’s still important for the game to have some kind of depth to it regarding the story and the characters who participate in it. The ‘canon’ story has Nader a married homosexual woman, but fans are free to express their own fandom as they please (acknowledging that their different versions aren’t considered ‘canon’).

I personally find it important since the content creators have control over who is represented, what is represented, and how these things are represented. LGBT representation in video games has never been that strong in mainstream games… and if it was represented it is either another exhausting stereotype or they are misrepresented in order to cater for a non-LGBT audience.

(ChinChill) #10

@fantasticAsteroid Yeah, it is important. There’s so few LGBT characters presented in video games and it’s why I was so happy to find out Nader is a lesbian. It’s amazing how important it is to see people like yourself in media and until you don’t see anyone like yourself around, it’s hard to really explain or show just how powerful or comforting it can be.

It’s why I suggested a transgender character - sure, the backgrounds don’t mean much in terms of gameplay but it’s a reassuring thing and it’s hard to find trans characters in video games who are treated respectfully.

(Shinywindow) #11

Oooh this sounds really really cool! And it’d make a lot more sense to put more minority classes in the game since Dirty Bomb does take place in 2020+. I already know a lot of people who were willing to try Dirty Bomb out just because of Nader.

As a little side note, I always had a suspicion that there was something more to Sparks as a character. Her background does say one of her other identities is a guy named Jeff. Or maybe she just has a Drag King persona :open_mouth: (which would also be really cool!)

(Koyotea) #12

I think backgrounds are actually really important! I mean, sure players can change them around their own ideas, but it’s still important for the game to have some kind of depth to it regarding the story and the characters who participate in it. The ‘canon’ story has Nader a married homosexual woman, but fans are free to express their own fandom as they please (acknowledging that their different versions aren’t considered ‘canon’).

I personally find it important since the content creators have control over who is represented, what is represented, and how these things are represented. LGBT representation in video games has never been that strong in mainstream games… and if it was represented it is either another exhausting stereotype or they are misrepresented in order to cater for a non-LGBT audience.

[/quote]

i didn’t even read the bios until yesterday that’s how solid the characters are by themselves, i didn’t even know there was a backstory, so i just made up my own stories about the them. they even make it so you have to visit the website to even see the bios, which is out of the way for most players to care. i actually prefer it that way because it makes the mercs more ambiguous and mysterious, like, knowing Rhino was almost a business exec kind of ruins his character for me, the story i made up was way better. thats why Nader will always be heterosexual to me and Spark homosexual, my backstories for them seem way better. to each their own though.

([Deleted User]) #13

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(fantasticAsteroid) #14

The problem with that thinking is that it’s automatically assumed that every character is heterosexual. It’s really difficult to understand if you aren’t from a group that has been historically discriminated/shamed/abused, which may explain why are trying to minimise the important of diverse representation.

It’s interesting that you only picked Nader - what you have implied is that you are okay with characters living in heteronormative situations, and you only have an issue with non-heteronormative aspects (e.g Nader having a wife) because it doesn’t fulfil a purpose that you deem relevant or important.

Maybe you need to ask yourself the question, why does it need to be more? Why does Nader’s relationship not matter? What kind of ideas do you hold that may influence you to think this way?

You might learn why you feel this way from your observations about your own views, and perhaps you may be able to pick out the flaws and come to a different conclusion.

[quote=“CausticSodaPop;55557”]
it would just be forced in order to seem politically correct.[/quote]

That’s something I brought up earlier - but it’s important for every character to have a great backstory. It’s not ‘PC’ by having non-binary/non-stereotypical characters. A bit of diversity wouldn’t hurt in video games, especially when almost every male lead is the same in their looks, personality, etc.

([Deleted User]) #15

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(fantasticAsteroid) #16

[quote=“CausticSodaPop;55665”]
I don’t know where to begin with this. The second time you quoted me answered your question. Nader was forced because her wife had no significance to the backstory. If they made it so that way she was killed by the bombs and that compelled Nader to fight, that would be a different story, but it’s not like that, she’s just there to be politically correct.
I never said having characters that were not stereotypical were politically correct. I don’t know where you came up with that, but it seems like you’re projecting. Also, what video games do you play where all the characters are the same? Because those video games are not the ones I play. This thing is not about diversity, it’s about pushing an agenda.[/quote]

What agenda are they pushing…? Your criticism was because she was a lesbian, not because she didn’t get a good backstory or that it wasn’t at the quality you wanted. If you don’t have an issue with her being a lesbian, then you shouldn’t be acting like it’s an undesirable thing?

Projecting? Oh please. Don’t come for me when I know what I’m talking about - especially since I am apart of the LGBTQ community. Unless you are Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Trans*/Queer/Intersex it’s not really up to you to decide what is desirable and undesirable in how our community is represented.

(ChinChill) #17

It’s forced just because it mentions offhand that she has a wife? It’s hardly like she brings it up ingame all the time or flirts with other female characters. It’s slipped in, subtle and that’s why I think it’s a positive thing. None of the other characters run around announcing their sexuality so why would Nader? (Plus the dead spouse trope is a bit overdone nowadays. It might end up being someone else’s backstory). Being a lesbian, gay or trans doesn’t completely overtake someone’s life; we have hobbies, romantic partners, jobs and so on just like everyone else.

You said yourself it doesn’t do anything to gameplay and as others have stated, they’re free to ignore it if they like. So why kick up about a merc being gay or the suggestion of a trans merc?

([Deleted User]) #18

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(WafflesOfWrath) #19

If you’re spending more than a millisecond focusing on the merc’s backstories, you’re wasting your time. I don’t know a single person on my comp team who has brought it up ever, because, you know, we’re going for headshots? Because this is a shooter, not Buzzfeed or Jezebel?

(Ardez1) #20

These types of little touches do a lot to humanize the characters. There is more to them then just the weapons they use or the abilities they have. Every character is certainly unique in their lore. I hope that Splash Damage releases more lore, as I would love to read it.

While the exact decisions are up to Splash Damage, please take this thread as what it is, a suggestion.

I cannot and will not try and force everybody to agree with each others opinions, but keep it civil. If you disagree with a suggestion you are free to say that you disagree, but arguing and insulting doesn’t get us anywhere.

And more importantly, don’t make mountains out of molehills.