{"id":933173,"date":"2025-04-06T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glaad.org\/?p=933173"},"modified":"2025-04-06T13:52:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-06T17:52:18","slug":"asexuality-and-the-limits-of-player-expression-in-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glaad.org\/asexuality-and-the-limits-of-player-expression-in-video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Asexuality and the Limits of Player Expression in Video Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

Role-playing video games (RPGs) have long been popular with people who want to craft their own stories. Not only do RPGs allow players to customize their playstyle, but each decision comes with the expectation that the player’s choices will influence the main narrative, the player character\u2019s reputation, or even who lives and who dies. Unsurprisingly, a prominent feature in many RPGs is the inclusion of romance, where players can establish romantic relationships with characters that evolve and grow based on in-game choices and dialogue. These romances, however, often come with an assumption that physical intimacy is an essential part of every relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo Credits: CD Projekt Red<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For players who are asexual and don\u2019t wish to be forced into a sexual relationship while pursuing a romance, RPGs still have a long way to go. <\/span>Cyberpunk 2077<\/span><\/i>, a sci-fi RPG released in 2020, is just one of many examples of this phenomenon. Despite giving players autonomy over how their character navigates the game\u2019s story, the four main romances are less flexible. In order to successfully romance a character, players must select the correct dialogue options for the character of interest and complete related side quests, eventually resulting in a sex scene that acts as confirmation that the two characters are now in a relationship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Games that offer romance options without sexual intimacy do exist, but they are often a reflection of the limited focus placed on romance by the development team rather than an intentional choice to represent asexuality. <\/span>The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim<\/span><\/i>, for example, allows players to marry other characters in the game by equipping a specific amulet. However, this feature feels like an afterthought, as the romantic relationships are purely transactional and lack unique dialogue or character development. This impersonal, one-size-fits-all approach to romance is not meant to meaningfully explore different romantic experiences, and its lack of sexual content is a mere byproduct of the game\u2019s simplistic relationship mechanics. In these games, the romance storylines don’t usually offer the same depth as the games which inevitably link romance and sex together.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are some games that offer more gratifying romances without a sexual component, but they too stop short of deliberate asexual representation. Josephine, a romanceable character in <\/span>Dragon Age: Inquisition<\/span><\/i>, is one example. In contrast to the majority of the game\u2019s other romances, her specific relationship arc does not show anything further than a kiss between her and the player character. Due to this noticeable absence of on-screen sexual content, some players have interpreted her as being asexual. This interpretation has never been confirmed by the developers, and it remains ambiguous whether the relationship is canonically non-sexual or if the game simply chooses not to show those elements.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Today I learned that Dragon Age Inquisition has an asexual romance option, as in there is no sex scene. I can’t express how happy that makes me. I hope we get more options like this in the future.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Malisity (@MalisityGames) May 21, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n