I recently found myself finishing up the last few missions in RockStar's critically-acclaimed yet highly controversial Grand Theft Auto IV and the character of Bernie -- gay liaison to Liberty City's deputy mayor -- got me thinking about homosexual personalities in games.

For those who haven't played Rockstar's latest interactive crime saga, Bernie pops up late in the game. We're told he served alongside the game's hero, Niko Bellic, during the Bosnian War. When the conflict ended he moved to America to get a fresh start and let loose his flamboyant side.

Personally, I was a little offended by Rockstar's depiction of his homosexuality. He is ostentatious, cowardly, and obsessed with his appearance. What's more, his apartment is covered in paintings of muscle-bound men wearing nothing but bulging codpieces. He's perhaps the most prominent gay character ever to appear in a blockbuster game, and these stereotypes could set an unfortunate precedent.

That said, Niko, who originally tracks down Bernie with intent to kill him over events that took place in the old world, ends up befriending him. Indeed, Niko is nothing but respectful of Bernie's sexuality -- which is surprising, given his background and the company he keeps -- and even exacts revenge when gay bashers try to attack him in Middle Park. In the end, I was satisfied with how Rockstar dealt with the subject of homosexuality in general, if not the character of Bernie in particular.

While gay characters have become much more prominent in television and film over the last couple of decades, they still aren't common in the world of games. That's why, for better or worse, I find myself scrutinizing them when they appear.

To be sure, plenty of role-playing games in recent years have allowed players to engage in virtual homosexual relationships. Games like Mass Effect and Fable II allow players to create an avatar (or customized, user controlled character) of either gender and then pursue romantic relationships with their choice of computer-controlled male and female characters. However, a game that offers the ability to customize its sexual themes isn't the same as a game that actually puts forth an openly gay character for all players to see.

And Bernie isn't the only recent game character to be undeniably and unalterably gay.




Then there's Guilty Gear XX's Bridget. He's a young man who was raised as a girl -- and still seems to identify as one -- because his parents had twin sons and thought it bad luck. He wears a sexed up nun's habit and sports long, gold locks of hair. However, as is the case with most characters in fighting games, few details have ever been provided about his personality. His shtick, as it were, is simply that he is a sexually confused boy (albeit one who likes stuffed animals, yo-yos, and his parents, according to his biography).

What strikes me as particularly unfortunate is that all of these gay game characters are defined solely by their sexuality. I've never run across a lead or supporting game personality whose homosexuality is obvious yet not the focus of his or her character -- something we've long since grown accustomed to in other forms of media. I've yet to find an Oscar (The Office's quiet accountant), a Kima (The Wire's hard-as-nails lesbian detective), or a Dr. Hahn (Grey's Anatomy's brilliant cardiovascular surgeon).

Coming back to GTAIV's Bernie, I suppose he is, at the very least, a step forward for the medium. Some 14 million copies of the game have been sold worldwide, which means there are potentially millions of gamers out there who are now that much more comfortable with the idea of seeing gays in their games.

It's just too bad that the thing they're being groomed to feel comfortable with is a stereotype.