The unofficial Los Santos Pride mod for Grand Theft Auto V. Stockholm Pride
Whenever we discuss the representation of the LGBT population in popular media, what comes to mind is often the names and faces we see on TV. We fail to look a little further to the nearby screen of our computer, especially into video games that people can spend countless hours on. The lack of diversity, while a shocker, is something to be expected. White male protagonists are leading the pack. And if women find it hard to see themselves being represented in the gaming world, the LGBT community has seen much worse.
Recently, however, there have been increasing attempts by the gaming industry to be more inclusive towards gender diversity. This development notably came last month when the life-simulation game The Sims 4 released an update to free up its gender settings for customisation. Players are now able to alter previously fixed gender-specific details like the Sims’ physical frame, vocal tone, walking style, clothing preference, ability to either get pregnant or to make others pregnant, and whether the Sims can use the toilet standing up or sitting down.
The best part? None of them has to match the social standard or conform to one another at all. For example, a Sim can now be a male, but is also able to have a high-pitched voice, a masculine frame, an ability to get pregnant and still use the toilet standing up. This Sim — who can rock anything from skirts to tuxedos and high heels — is able to engage in a relationship with essentially anyone. Sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and physical appearance need not be either all masculine or all feminine. Everyone has the right to be different, and that is why we call it “diversity”. It was very commendable how the game developers chose to demonstrate this concept in a life-simulation game.
Pink News — a major gay news service in Britain — now calls The Sims 4 “the most LGBT-friendly game of all time”, which is a much-deserved title. The game has always been progressive and open in terms of gender ever since the series’ launch in 2000. Same-sex relationships and marriage are normal. Adoption is also allowed, so long as the Sims are good and responsible parents; their gender is irrelevant. The game has already portrayed how easy, happy and hassle-free life can be for so many people when we throw out prejudice and discrimination. It’s a shame a portion of our society insists to remain otherwise.
While the Sims series remains one of the few games with official recognition towards gender diversity, another game has now made an unofficial nod towards the LGBT communities. Earlier this month, a mod was released for Grand Theft Auto V by Stockholm-based advertising agency Garbergs and fellow GTA enthusiasts to include an LGBT pride parade in the game.
It sounded like the worst idea ever, at first. The GTA series is infamous for its violence. Massive destructions and killings that can be committed in the game have been a point of controversy for years. Especially after the attack in Orlando, inserting a gay-pride parade into a game with raging gunfire seems an insensitive decision.
It wasn’t until later that we learned this mod — dubbed “Los Santos Pride” after the game’s city name — was released by Stockholm Pride Festival, the largest LGBT celebration in Scandinavia, to coincide with its annual parade in Sweden.
“The message of love and equality is always needed and we are happy that players get to host their own Los Santos Pride Parade,” said Christian Valtersson, president at Stockholm Pride. The festival hopes to honour the victims at Pulse nightclub through its Los Santos Pride project.
“We’ve made the parade indestructible. Not to moralise, but rather to show that love will always triumph over hate,” Valtersson further stated. The parade floats and those donning rainbow flags will be safe from all the melee on their path. This mod can be downloaded for free on Los Santos Pride website for PC gamers.
It’s great to see the LGBT community gaining more space in the gaming world, even though it’s just a fan-made mod and not an official release endorsed and developed by the GTA’s studio Rockstar Games. And greater still is Stockholm Pride’s decision to reach into a new audience base with their message.
The Los Santos Pride project made quite a bold move — and an utterly creative one — in choosing to send a message through one of the best-selling video games of all time. A risqué decision, perhaps, taking into consideration the violent nature of the game.
Still, this is what we need — a new way of reaching the people. Pamphlets and pins have done their jobs for decades to help spread the information. It’s now the 21st century, and time to rethink and improve how campaigns are being done conducted the world to create a stronger impact on society.
Games, for example, are one medium that people tend to take for granted. If we could embrace that a game is not just child’s play, but a tool for spreading messages and getting people to engage certain issues, there are so many things that can be done. The possibilities, with the ever evolving technology, are limitless. And diversity in characterisation, of course, is something we all need that will hopefully be improved upon in the future.
New character creations for The Sims 4. Melalin Mahavongtrakul
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.