Homophobic homebrew on the DS

by Eric Caoili { Aug 16th 2007 at 2:50PM }

In our coverage of adult homebrew titles several months ago, we lamented the lack of projects that target or make an effort to include gay and lesbian gamers. Though there are a few releases that don't necessarily limit the player's gender or sexual orientation, they don't ever imply anything outside of a heterosexual hook-up. We've kept a close watch on the niche scene since, hoping to one day catch a hint of same-sex experimentation on the DS.

Instead, we've come across what we believe to be the first Nintendo DS game to openly embrace bigotry. Huntercool's RanAway 1.0 immediately states its agenda with its intro message: "Avoid the gay people! Hit stylus to continue ..." It's a simple avoidance game, no doubt one whose mechanics you're already familiar with through dozens of equally flat Flash diversions, so RanAway doesn't delay too long before yelling out, "Ready, Steady, Go!!!!" and dropping you into its first level.

RanAway is an obviously amateur release, punctuated by its FirstDS.nds filename, implying that the game is Huntercool's first programming effort with the Nintendo DS. The bare background, simple graphics, and MS-Paint-drawn "GO!" button are far from the high production values we've been treated to by the homebrew scene's more talented developers.

Here is the "protagonist," a jaundiced, wavy-mouthed boy trapped in a teal box. His genitals, to which we've applied a mosaic filter for the benefit of our younger readers, are exposed for reasons unexplained. A school of blocks swims around the screen, typifying the legions of square-shaped gay men that roam the streets. All of them, assumedly, are mesmerized by his five-pixel-long organ, unable to resist its draw.

To advance, you must avoid the predatory boxes and keep your heterosexuality intact. Mere contact with the enemy, even for just a second, could suddenly condemn you to a life of effeminacy and corrupted morality. If you can outlast the timer, the game congratulates your agility: "You safely avoided the gay mob. Good job." Failing the task, however, brings up an image of two male characters from popular anime/manga Naruto, kissing, embarrassment on their faces. The bottom screen reads, "You got hit by a gay person. Game Over."

RanAway represents the opinions of only its programmer and not by any means the entire homebrew development community; we very much doubt that themes celebrating intolerance will become the norm with homemade games. For all we know, Huntercool could be an 11-year-old boy who meant no harm with his immature view of same-sex relationships. Still, we hate to see any sort of prejudice go unnoticed, so we couldn't just ignore the shoddy game. Type in some stuff in our comment box and let us know what you think.

Tags: homophobia, joystiqfeatures, naruto, ranaway

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

whymog @ Aug 16th 2007 3:00PM

I'm glad you chose to write about homophobia in games. Many gaming communities are rife with hate speech - although that's not to say the majority of gamers believe in it - but it seems that, for some reason, the gaming environment breeds ignorance in some unfortunate people.

It's clear that a game like RanAway isn't going to be a hit by any stretch of the imagination, but all the same it's important to address these topics when they come up in gaming. It's something very few websites are doing, and I'm glad to see DS Fanboy is willing to approach such a controversial topic.

Cory Anotado @ Aug 16th 2007 3:01PM

This game is disgusting, is what it is. What is so scary about gay people that makes people hate them so much? If someone can make their case for why they hate gay people in a reasonable, objective argument, then more power to them. But, as someone who's bi (and male, which leads to equally as much revile), this sickens me that someone hates gay people with such vigor.

And even if he's 12, it's a slippery slope.

onepointfivevolt @ Aug 16th 2007 3:18PM

I think if I were gay, I'd just find this hilarious. As it stands, I do, anyway. Come on, how can you not find a game that congratulates you for AVOIDING THE GAY MOB hilarious? IT IS. Really, is sexuality still taken so seriously that we can't laugh at this?

Ellianth @ Aug 16th 2007 3:25PM

I agree with onepointfivevolt. And for the record I'm a boy who only likes boys :D. I was laughed a couple times while I read the article, but that probably had more to do with Eric's writing than anything else.

Everyone should come over to my house with their DSs and we can all play multiplayer: Avoid the homophobe's shitty game. It came out a couple minutes after the game mentioned in the article came out. It also has great reviews.

P.S. I don't think I could resist that 5px penis either. I had to stop myself from giving the screen a stroke like 3 times, while looking at the photo.

Ellianth @ Aug 16th 2007 3:26PM

Should have scrolled up and re-read all of what i wrote. lol. I laughed a couple times*

troy @ Aug 16th 2007 3:37PM

I think its annoying that anyone would even WANT to make a game like that, but the really disturbing part is how they shamelessly dropped the game into the community as though there was nothing weird or shitty about having a game like that. I saw a quick review of this game on ds-scene.net, and it just said it was a basic avoidance game. it failed to mention that the whole premise is based on thinking gay people are 'enemies,' and that touching them is 'losing.' I mean, I have a good sense of humor but would a game about 'avoid black people' or 'avoid AIDS patients' be funny? No. I did some fundraising for a college that in the 80s and before had a quote=unquote Native American for a sports mascot, and they changed it. their team name was like some tribe name. And old alumni would argue and be mad that they changed the name. Why couldn't they see it was inappropriate? Would the 'Fighting Jews' be a name that that guy would think was acceptable? Who knows. thanks for bringing this to our attention.

k @ Aug 16th 2007 4:20PM

So ah, what's this hapless hetero character doing with his pants down, surrounded by such a large concentration of TEH GEY, anyway?

Reminds me of a certain Florida Republican I recently read about.

n00b @ Aug 16th 2007 4:41PM

"And with a man you shall not lie with as a man lies with a woman; it is an abomination."

Leviticus 18:22

Barb Dybwad @ Aug 16th 2007 4:42PM

Huntercool... *so* a closet queer, clearly.

Jackson @ Aug 16th 2007 4:58PM

n00b...

Leviticus says a lot of dumb shit. It says you can't eat shellfish, wear mixed fibers (I'll bet you're wearing a cotton/polyester blend right now!), touch the skin of a pig (ever played football?), and should stone your neighbor if she gets a divorce.

Grow up a little. Homophobia (and other types of prejudice involving race, ethnicity, gender, and the like) has no place in society, whether it be in games or anywhere else.

amiga_tone @ Aug 16th 2007 5:10PM

n00b if you have to quote a 2000 year old script then it's time you stopped living in the past and caught up with the rest of the world.

It's the 21st Century you n00b!

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 16th 2007 5:17PM

Leviticus is old Testament so the script would be over 2400 years old.

n00b @ Aug 16th 2007 5:28PM

James @ Aug 16th 2007 5:29PM

Just so you know, "sexual preference" is no longer an acceptable term. It implies a choice, and being gay is not a choice. The correct phrase is "sexual orientation."

Thanks.

Leonidas @ Aug 16th 2007 5:44PM

Being gay is a choice, just like eye color and height.

Jared @ Aug 16th 2007 6:41PM

And then the all mighty, magical Spaghetti Monster said onto thee. "Spread not the marinara sauce of your loins into manicotti shells of sin, but allways between the folds of lasagna I have prepared to receive it. For the manicotti is meant to be stuffed with ricotta, not the sauce."

~Ragu Backlabel

Middlemoor @ Aug 16th 2007 7:01PM

I work in a bar and I have to avoid gay people all the time. One regular actually molested me. Hey, if it offends you don't play it! I know I'm not gonna play it.

Jackson Pritt @ Aug 16th 2007 7:17PM

This seems more tongue-in-cheek stupid than offensive or homophobic, particularly because of the use of the Naruto screenshot and how awful it seems.

This strikes me as something that would have come from Something Awful or 4chan, not from any hardcore homophobic source.

Covarr @ Aug 16th 2007 8:17PM

Games shouldn't focus on orientation at all. Including a gay couple or a straight couple is one thing, but I'm sick of the idea that the focal point needs to be orientation.

The movie Miss Congeniality 2 included a gay character, but the fact that he was gay wasn't the point of the story at all. I liked this, as it meant that orientation was a SINGLE ASPECT of the whole story. Brokeback Mountain, on the other hand, was crap, because it was specifically about orientation.

I feel that the same holds true for games; a game that includes either a gay couple or a straight couple can still be good, but as soon as a character's orientation becomes the focal point of the story the game becomes difficult to enjoy.

Shogan @ Aug 17th 2007 12:48AM

I'm gay, and this game just seems like harmless parody rather than some kind of hate.

wintersweet @ Aug 17th 2007 12:50AM

a) Bleh, that's just stupid.
b) I love DSFanboy. I can't imagine how many other sites are all "huhhh hurrr cooool!"

and Covarr, movies, books, etc. will focus on orientation as long as governments and mainstream society FORCE it to be an issue--for example, by banning same-sex marriage, staring at same-sex couples who dare hold hands, etc. When those things become normal, stories that focus on orientation, coming out, and repression will naturally vanish. Till then, the problems that people endure can't be ignored. (And problems are always good storytelling fodder, eh?)

wintersweet @ Aug 17th 2007 12:53AM

P. S. There is something vaguely off or parody-like about it (though I'd say that if so, they failed to make it very interesting). For example, I find it hard to imagine someone with serious anti-gay intent actually using the phrase "gay person" instead of some kind of icky preteen slur. No?

JC Fletcher @ Aug 17th 2007 3:06AM

to the Bible quoter, etc.

Even if you don't agree with the lifestyle or whatever, you must agree that making a juvenile DS game vilifying it really isn't a good way to address the issue, right?

BPM @ Aug 17th 2007 3:54AM

No offense, James, but I don't see anything wrong with the term "sexual preference." But then again, I see it as having a different meaning.
And... I don't give a damn about being politically correct. :P I just don't care if someone's "feelings" are "hurt" if I use Word A instead of Word B.

I feel its like if someone asks you if you prefer men or women, you might say "I prefer [insert choice here]"

I don't think preference/orientation/whatever is a choice, either. I like women, and there's nothing that'll change that. Don't find men sexually attractive. Never did, never will.
As such, I think you are born that way. And if so, and we are created in how God wanted us. Then He made people to be hetero-, homo-, bi-, or even asexual (hey, there are people who are attracted to neither males nor females!). And if that were the case, then why would He create his children, only to be eternally damned? Doesn't make sense, since He loves all His children.
Therefore, I conclude that these quoted passages in the Holy Bible to be man's perversion of His word, and that God does not hate gay people.
(That's right; I used religion to prove being gay is a-okay!)

The Wolfkin @ Aug 17th 2007 8:05AM

I haven't played the game. It probably sucks, but I find the idea hilarious. This is homebrew. Who cares? not like any real development went into this. The whole thing is probably a joke. Not an attempt to enforce anti-gay ideas.

G Lampa @ Aug 17th 2007 8:33AM

"Because of this [idolatry], God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error."

I like how people think that posting a passage from the bible should automatically be the last word in any discussion / debate, and nothing further needs to be said in order to support an opinion!

In Buddhist theory, any piece of scripture that is determined to be obsolete is simply discarded! In short, if it's out-dated.... drop it!

Gabriel @ Aug 17th 2007 9:30AM

Get over it people if your gay and this bothers you, then you have to grow a spine,balls or just plainly grow up. compared to all other true race and creeds that you can't simply hide by acting regular instead of queer eye. Your group has not sustained lynchings (blacks) 6million dead (jews) or destiny manifest thats thinned out your race (american indians). stop crying you haven't an clue of what true suffering / bigotry is.

Nukie @ Aug 17th 2007 12:21PM

Gabriel,

Clearly your education in history leave something to be desired.

Tehran, Iran, Nov. 14 - A gay Iranian man was hanged in public on Tuesday in the western city of Kermanshah on the charge of sodomy.

The number of gay men killed in concentration camps during the Holocaust range from 5000 to 15000.

The AIDS virus has killed 25 million people and infected 40 million more.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 17th 2007 12:34PM

You're using the HIV virus AIDS syndrome to say gay people died. You're saying gay people got AIDS. It's not the only way you can get AIDS. It can involve any sexual fluids. And improperly cleaned needles or other injections.

BPM @ Aug 17th 2007 1:00PM

Homosexuals have been victimized in the past. They were one of the targets of the Nazis (Jews, of course, being their primary target; But they also sought out gypsies, crippled people, and pretty much anyone that didn't agree with them).
And while the KKK's bigotry mostly focuses on black people, they dislike homosexuals as well.

And the current issue with same-sex marriage bans? Yeah, that's not oppression at all...

Humanity has a long way to go before equality amongst all (regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) is achieved.

onepointfivevolt @ Aug 17th 2007 4:20PM

"29. You're using the HIV virus AIDS syndrome to say gay people died. You're saying gay people got AIDS. It's not the only way you can get AIDS. It can involve any sexual fluids. And improperly cleaned needles or other injections.

Posted at 12:34PM on Aug 17th 2007 by hvnlysoldr"

Thank you for pointing out that him pointing out that AIDS is killing gay people is in itself a stereotype, and thus invalidating his own argument.

Dan @ Aug 17th 2007 4:46PM

@16

Thanks, Jared. It's really important that we give equal time to all religious perspectives. Especially the hilarious ones.

And n00b, thanks for sharing yet again from the book of "judge and hate thy neighbor."

That was Jesus' main message, right?

I'm guessing Jesus would've loved this quality video game.

feczor @ Aug 17th 2007 8:26PM

to james actually being gay isnt 100% from birth nor is it 100% choice. some people that are gay are doing by choice. like i know a guy thats gay because women treated him like shit so he decided to go that way.

and no im not gay but what i like is different. i like fat girls.

Vaginas for all @ Aug 18th 2007 12:21PM

I hope i never see the day when "Fagquest online" is released on stores. Just stay with your fashion shows and celebrity gossips as usual please.

driven2sin @ Aug 18th 2007 9:34PM

instead of bitchin, why don't one of you make a sequel that lets you play as the gay mob and if you catch the dude you get a "congratulations, you got sprayed by a 5 pixel penis... go on to next level of gay"

Abscissa @ Aug 20th 2007 3:04AM

"And all the bible-quoters shall be stoned in the streets like the trolls they are. There shall be much rejoicing."
- The Almighty Abscissa 3:03

Abscissa @ Aug 20th 2007 3:44AM

"14. Just so you know, "sexual preference" is no longer an acceptable term. It implies a choice, and being gay is not a choice. The correct phrase is "sexual orientation."" - James

Umm, "preference" just implies "preference". And as with any other preferences (pizza toppings, music genre, favorite color) it's determined by a combination of different types of factors including varying proportions of the controllable, the non-controllable, intrinsic predispositions, and environmental factors. ALL of the above.

In other words, a preference is neither a choice nor a fixed trait. It's somewhere in between. That's where most of the debate stems from: People see the world in black and white and keep trying shove 0.5 into a binary 0 or 1 bit. "0.5 is 0!" "no, 0.5 is 1!" No, it's the grey in between, dumbasses. "It's true OR it's false!" No, it depends. Unlike a computer, the real world isn't so damn binary.

In the 90's, I hated the song "I would walk 500 miles" (or whatever it was called). Then I found out it was recorded in the 80's and suddenly started liking it. Rational? Not remotely. Human nature? You betcha. Was liking/hating it my "choice"? Yes and no. Point? The nature of preferences isn't so clear-cut like most people think.

But I'm not saying we should use "sexual preference" instead of "sexual orientation", or vise versa. I'm just explaining why it's so stupid to nitpick over "preference" vs. "orientation" (And that's coming from a notorious nitpicker). So to drive that point home, I'll leave with this observation: Saying "sexual orientation" just makes it sound like you're waving your dick in different directions. It's "oriented" different ways, har har har.

Li @ Aug 20th 2007 5:09AM

I wonder how many times he lovingly re-drew the main character's dick?

Li @ Aug 20th 2007 5:15AM

I don't think people "choose" to be gay, and I tend to think it's a physiological thing for the most part, but I knew a girl who had boyfriends up until being raped brutally, and from then on, she only dated other girls.

Not so much her choice, but the result of a particular situation. I don't think sexuality is so clearly cut and dry, except for people who really don't want to be or are terrified of being a certain way (such as homophobes).

RyanD @ Aug 20th 2007 1:02PM

That's nothing compared to the homophobia in online games. Counter-strike comes to mind...

jovin6 @ Aug 21st 2007 2:01AM

Come on. He's obviously a troll, and you guys are eating it up.

troy donahue @ Aug 21st 2007 8:06AM

regardless of ultimate correctness, in this day and age it is wrong to be queer, according to the majority

if you are queer by choice, then you better be prepared to accept universal condemnation

if you are a natural-born queer then none of this is fair to you, but i doubt that the scriptural quotations were for you... the bible was accusing normal people who turned queer

humanity has too many huge problems right now to be worried about the relative acceptance of homosexuality in the world!