Everman noted that Cortez's arc is about his shared journey with Shepard and the building friendship between both characters, which he hope would lead players to a genuine appreciation for him as an attractive romantic interest towards the end of the arc. As a result, Everman wanted to keep Cortez grounded as a character, and designed Cortez's dialogue tree to allow players to get to know him regardless of the player character's presumed sexual orientation. Speaking about his writing work in a post uploaded to the BioWare blog, Everman conceded that he could not write from personal experience and that some players had concerns about a relationship with a non-player character unintentionally shifting from friendly to romantic to the player’s apparent surprise, which in his view seemed greater for same-sex romances. By contrast, his goal for a romance centered around Cortez was to write about a "meaningful human relationship that just happens to be between two men", and at the same time supporting the game's theme of total interstellar war and the consequent widespread loss of life. Prior to Mass Effect 3, Everman had the opportunity to write for several supporting characters onboard the Normandy in Mass Effect 2, including Yeoman Kelly Chambers who the player character Commander Shepard could have a "light, flirty romance" with. Steve Cortez was written by Dusty Everman, who worked primarily as a level designer early in his career at BioWare. Dusty Everman, "Same-Sex Relationships in Mass Effect 3" Instead, the time is spent bonding over past losses and future hopes.” When Cortez says “I lost my husband”, every player knows his sexuality, so precious word budgets aren’t spent to establish that fact. "Normally, I don’t like stories about prior lost loves, but here it makes sense. Some commentators drew attention to his identity as a military serviceman who is an openly gay man and person of color, and the implications such characteristics would have from a real world perspective. The approach he took in response was to frame the majority of the relationship to be about the progression of a friendship, and that romantic feelings only surface by the end of the arc once the character's backstory is shared with Shepard in greater detail.Ĭortez's story arc in Mass Effect 3 drew a varied response from critics and players, and become part of a wider discussion about the media portrayal of LGBT characters, particularly with its themes of heartbreak and loss. Everman was mindful of concerns raised by players where a relationship between Shepard and a non-player character in previous games may inexplicably shift from a friendship into a romance to their surprise. The staff writer responsible for Cortez, Dusty Everman, wanted to approach the subject matter of same-sex romantic relationships with an eye for respect and authenticity, as Mass Effect 3 marked the first instance BioWare staff have written full romances that are exclusively for same-sex characters. Cortez was designed as a potential love interest for the male version of the game's player character, Commander Shepard. He appears in the 2012 video game Mass Effect 3 as a crew member of the SSV Normandy SR-2 and pilot of the starship's auxiliary shuttlecraft vehicle, the UT-47A Kodiak. Steve Cortez is a character from BioWare's Mass Effect franchise. Steve Cortez as he appears in Mass Effect 3
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |