| Rants/Analysis |
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Final Fantasy VII, and what it did for gays in gaming. *spoilers* Although it is totally worthy of the title. Too bad it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. I can think of no game that has done this much to make homosexuality an acceptable item in gaming while using biblical references to drive home its point. Cloud is constantly surrounded by two beautiful blogs that resemble women. One of them is even big-breasted. As noted by respected reviewers, Tifa stands for the apple that must not be eaten in the garden of Eden. Aeris stands for Clouds heterosexuality, or rather, the heterosexuality that was forced on him by the pressure of society. Cloud (Who's phallus shaped hair should have tipped most off) spends more then half of the game chasing Sephiroth around. Sephiroth, portrayed as the attractive, popular male homosexual figure (Symbolised by the length of the Masamune as well as the respect the 'soldiers' have for him), acts aloof and plays hard to get. After Cloud has proven himself to be able to resist the temptation (Symbolized by the enormous jugs) his society-pressured heterosexuality is finally crushed by his lusting for Sephiroth. In a grand display of insightful metaphors, Sephiroth comes down out of the sky and uses his elongated object of lust to quelch it. After he accepts himself for who he is, Cloud is confused. His urge wants to continue the chase, but this new world is frightening and there is no one to guide him. He does everything Sephiroth asks of him, he cannot resist. Cloud is clearly the new and inexperienced, and Sephiroth the object so many like him crave. Its only natural that the balance shifts his way. The final battle stands for the consummation of the relationship. In the end, love conquers all, and Cloud's effort finally bear fruit. Now, many of the 13-year olds that have played the game view it as a heroic battle between good and evil, refuse to look beyond the surface, and miss out on one of the most touching themes in gaming. Much like Ben Hur was for film, it was groundbreaking with its latent theme of homosexuality, although in both cases, few have noticed. Its sad that such an educational game is only liked for the least important portion of its content. It is a milestone in gaming, and for me, it will always be the game that brought me to confront my inner spirit and face who I am. Back |