The De-sexualisation of Life is Strange
Representation done right
Life is Strange is an episodic, story-driven game series that has been around since 2015. Though each game in the series had its own focus, there is one aspect that has been present in each – representation. Beginning with Dontnod Entertainment's first instalment, there has always been a very clear system for the player to decide which sexuality, if any, their character has. And I think the inclusion of 'if any' is as important as the other choices.
Over the years, the gaming industry has come a long way with its attitudes. It still has a long way to go, as does society as a whole. But for now, at least, there is more push-back against games that are blatantly over-sexualised and pandering to an audience that is no longer considered to be male-centric. Life is Strange's contribution, to that cause, can't be understated.
The first game follows Max Caulfield and Chloe Price, two childhood friends who had spent years separated. Reunited years later by a traumatic event, their friendship serves as the fulcrum on which the story revolves. Whilst the over-arching plot is both a time-travelling murder mystery and a look into some very dark subject matter, it's their relationship that ultimately pushes things forward. Over the course of the game, choices are given to the player that affects where said relationship goes. The player, as Max, can choose to engage with the male side-character towards a romantic end, explore their feelings around Chloe, or neither. These choices are certainly a deciding factor at the end of the game, where the player has to make a very difficult decision - one which could be decidedly harder depending on what they’ve done so far, and is somewhat polarising.
Similarly, the prequel to the first game, Before the Storm, focuses on a growing relationship between the two female leads. This time, the player is cast as Chloe, who comes to meet Rachel Amber (the missing girl from the first game). Rachel becomes a saving grace in Chloe's life, bringing out both the best in her, and giving her a renewed purpose after having lost so much as a child. Once again, it's the player who gets to decide at what level these two friends progress in their relationship.
The difference between Life is Strange and other games that featured same-sex relationships is that it doesn't pander. There is no fan service. What could easily have been turned into an overly sexual lesbian love story between teens is happily absent. Also absent is the feeling of railroading – forcing a player down a route to play into a specific outcome. Yes, the player decides which direction to go, but it builds naturally throughout the game, with each advance into romantic areas having that same cautious energy that the real world has.
Life is Strange 2 went a different direction with its main story, being ostensibly about two brothers and how children can be influenced down a path based on how their elders react, as well as exploring racial inequality. However, there are still moments when the player character, Sean, can engage in both romantic and sexual situations – with both male and female characters. Whilst it is one thing to have women placed into a sexual element in games, there is, sadly, still a lack of gay male representation. Life is Strange 2 allows an exploration of that if the player wishes, without making it a sticking point for the rest of the game. It simply happens - the world keeps turning and the story keeps going.
The most recent game in the series, True Colors, maintains the choice system, but instead of being vague about all the characters' sexualities, it leans into it. Not so much with the player character, but with one of her potential romantic partners, Stephanie Gingrich. Steph appeared in Before the Storm as a classmate of Chloe's. In that game, it alluded that Steph was gay, but True Colors absolutely confirms it. She is, in her own words, 'irredeemably gay'. The Wavelengths DLC has an entire side-plot about her using a dating app to find women to date in her new home. But once again, the sexual element isn't the focus - her difficulties finding a partner are, which isn't played as a gay issue, but simply one everyone faces for their own reasons. She almost single-handedly increases pride in the town, even going so far as to offer people experiencing difficulties coming out, or parents who don’t know how to deal with it, advice via her radio show.
Life is Strange has changed developers over the years, but it hasn’t changed the message or the core. It has never been about using gay and queer relationships for views or to spark controversy. Indeed, their efforts to normalise what is somehow still not normal in many parts of the world are commendable. They have shown that you don’t need to add a sexual element for these relationships to have weight - they have it by sheer virtue of their existence. Regardless of what else is going on in the world around them, they develop naturally, and no one questions it based on gender. They simply are. That’s just how it is.
Take note, gaming industry, this is how you do representation properly.
