I'm probably the only lesbian on this message board if that counts for anything in terms of credibility on this matter, and I'd just like to point out a few things real quick because, honestly, the OP was extremely hurtful to read. I barely made it through. I'm not going to debate the merits of ResetEra's board policies because that seems like a place I would probably get banned from too, albeit for much different reasons. What's more, I'm sure the author of the OP doesn't think of himself as a hateful person and believes that he means well; that he's only concerned about the artistic quality of games and whatnot. But I just want to point out how that's not really being honest with one's self here. Let me pose a couple challenges real quick:
-How many straight-people kisses in games have you seen described as part of "an agenda" before?
-How many other proper AAA video games out there center a lesbian protagonist? (Spoiler: It's none. TLOU2 will be the first in history.)
You see what I'm getting at here? The fact that TLOU2 validates my orientation is something that increases the appeal of TLOU2 for me. Life doesn't always have to be about you and what you find appealing. Don't want it? Don't buy it! Nobody's making you, you know?
Yes, technically there are a small, small number of other games that allow for say romance arcs between female avatars, but invariably they are either small, independently-developed games (like Butterfly Soup or Gone Home) or games where it doesn't really matter narratively anyway and they give you a blank slate protagonist who's sex and orientation you can choose and who is just supposed to be a stand-in for the player with no personality and a title instead of a name (like in the Dragon Age games) anyway. TLOU2 will be the only exception that I'm aware of. Considering the sheer volume of games I've played through over the decades that have compelled me to imagine myself as not only straight, but also male, I think you can live with one whole exception to the aforementioned rules existing. And yeah, I'm more than fine with the developers taking a moment to celebrate that because it IS actually revolutionary in mainstream game development as yet! What's wrong with that? It's not like it's something that's exactly done all the time in games now is it? It's not a trope or a cliche that needs breaking away from for the sake of creativity now is it?
Something else I appreciated about the way the scene we're talking about was portrayed was that they actually had the more femme of the two be the more active one. That defies lazy stereotyping on a different level as well and is actually pretty realistic in my experience. That happens all the time. And also that Ellie is the more reserved of the two clearly doesn't make her a weak character either. More butch lesbians are also marginalized in media presentations of lesbians typically because they're not the kind of females that guys are attracted to and want to masturbate to, so I think it's also nice that they have Ellie as the main character. The scene is masterfully written and genuinely touching to me anyway. I LOVE the lighting, the music (oh god, the MUSIC!), the characters, the wit, and the aforementioned honesty. It's a wonderful scene out of a wonderful trailer for a game that, frankly, has just gone from being a game that I was highly anticipating to being really maybe even the most anticipated release ever for me!
But anyway, I just don't think the OP appreciates how important a simple gesture like making Ellie lesbian and not shying away from portraying that, even celebrating it a little (heaven forbid), is to many women like me out there.
Last edited by Jaicee - on 13 June 2018