Starfield: Bisexual Paradise or heterophobic Nightmare

[Hatchet Jack]

I suspect because of Microsoft, this game features “romance” based on one sexual preference…bisexual. So, if you consider yourself heterosexual, you may feel offended, left out, or at the very least, feel awkward and it may not be the game for you. Males dress and sound like females, females dress, looks, and sound like males. Clearly there’s a bisexual agenda with this game as evident when talking to the many NPCs or following the missions, which makes it incredibly difficult to get interested in the story when you’re not interested in such things.

In this game, bisexual romances IS the standard and initiated by your companions flirting regardless of your sexual preference, so if you plan on having a companion sidekick to help with fighting enemies, be prepared to be continuously pestered by them flirting, complaining, or telling you their “feelings” regularly (although not that often).

I assumed romance (something I’m not interested in at all) would be a choice. It should be. I’m all for choices, but it currently seems more harassment by the companion than by your choice, so for me, this is a big turn off.

If Bethesda thinks that it is important to include a pronoun choice, maybe they can include a sexual preference choice to which one of them removes the bisexual advances or at least an option for you to say, “Sorry, I want to explore and shoot these bad guys right now, not initiate a bisexual relationship, btw, I am heterosexual”, to which they can reply, “oh no, how terrifying” and that would be it. No more advances. Carry on with the rest of the story. You do however have a choice of not having them as companions if you don’t want to follow the stories, but then what’s the point of playing the game.

Your thoughts?

[Leader of the Zakonistians]

I can see why that might bother some folks. For me, it's welcomed. Not harassment, I meant the flirting

[Mephitic]

I like the romance too. There should be more. A wider variety of potential partners and more intimate interactions.

[Goldfish]

Playersexual is a wholly separate thing. I'm sorry there's no room in your bubble for it, but it's becoming more commonplace in gaming with every new release. While I agree that an option to turn off romances in general would be welcome, I wonder how 'harassed' many complainants would feel if it were only their preferred type pursuing them.

[Octavus]

It's annoying either way. Getting in a relationship is not why I play this type of game so, every time a companion "needs to talk," I cringe.

[giftedfox]

I am bisexual but I also understand that people may still feel uncomfortable with certain things if it feels forced on them. I play Baldurs Gate 3 and it does have bisexual relationships but there is a choice you can give to your allies that will make them stop flirting with you.

If this game doesn't have that option and it is nonstop in your face over and over then yes this game may not be for those people that are not as comfortable or used to the idea. That is fine because this game, I am sure, wasn't made for players to live in an open bisexual world but as a SCIFI shooter game where you zip around in space dealing with space like issues that can cause the end of *insert large idea here*.

[Ankua]

Originally posted by Mephitic:

I like the romance too. There should be more. A wider variety of potential partners and more intimate interactions.

I fully agree where is my Mr Data for that machine fix?
Terrormorphs need love too.

Miss she didn't come from that is missing as well.

[4kBuddz]

Playersexual is a joke. Nothing but a cheap way to give a selfish end user everything they want.

As I said in my review of BG3, imagine if, in the Game of Thrones series, EVERYBODY and their mother wanted to ♥♥♥♥ Jon Snow the moment they saw him, and made advances on him every, damn, time they saw him? Yeah, series would suck, especially if they threw a...."Super Troopers" scene in there.

Playersexual is a joke.

[EricHVela]

Meh. If it were all agenda-pushing, there wouldn't be any hetero couples in the game at all. There are plenty, just not romanceable.

The playersexual stuff is supposed to be for orientation accessibility rather than representation or pushing agendas.

(I find playersexual to be a cheap move. I prefer party members to have more orientation than "everyone's bixesual" and party members to keep their hands to themselves... which Starfield does the latter so it's not all that big of a deal in the end. If they constantly hit on the player's character, then I would give it consideration to possibly being an issue.)

[Dollop of Mayo]

Oh boy another one of these topics

- Big wall of rambling text about how back in MY day we know who the womens were and we knew who the mens were but NOWADAYS etc etc

- Total fabrications about how the game works

- Bethesda are woke

Can't wait to see how this one unfolds identically to all the other topics like it!

[Ankua]

My Lego ship I made. I would like to marry it.

[Mephitic]

The [Flirt] dialog options are always accompanied by at least two other dialog responses and the [Flirt] option is never at the top of the list. How that is intrusive or harassing escapes me.

The Activity entry to "Talk to XXXX" is also optional.

[Hatchet Jack]

Originally posted by giftedfox:

I am bisexual but I also understand that people may still feel uncomfortable with certain things if it feels forced on them. I play Baldurs Gate 3 and it does have bisexual relationships but there is a choice you can give to your allies that will make them stop flirting with you.

If this game doesn't have that option and it is nonstop in your face over and over then yes this game may not be for those people that are not as comfortable or used to the idea. That is fine because this game, I am sure, wasn't made for players to live in an open bisexual world but as a SCIFI shooter game where you zip around in space dealing with space like issues that can cause the end of *insert large idea here*.

A choice like in Baldurs Gate 3 sounds like a great solution to those who aren't interested in romance. Maybe they can be more inclusive and offer other sexual preferences also.

[Hatchet Jack]

Originally posted by Ankua:

Originally posted by Mephitic:

I like the romance too. There should be more. A wider variety of potential partners and more intimate interactions.

I fully agree where is my Mr Data for that machine fix?
Terrormorphs need love too.

Miss she didn't come from that is missing as well.

+10

[EricHVela]

Originally posted by Mephitic:

The [Flirt] dialog options are always accompanied by at least two other dialog responses and the [Flirt] option is never at the top of the list. How that is intrusive or harassing escapes me.

The Activity entry to "Talk to XXXX" is also optional.

sarcastic joking
Everyone knows that the option for the player to flirt with the NPC is the same as the NPC flirting with the player. The mere presence of the option is a temptation for different orientations to suddenly become another orientation! It's brainwashing!
None of that is true.

[Powerferret]

I am outraged at the whole follower romance/friendship mechanic. After all that work and you don't even get a perk like in FO4? Gamebreaking oversight. 0/10 will never play again. Well...maybe ill play again tomorrow, im only on NG+4.......