Son 1 Chloe Son Professor Douglas Moody WGSS7.01 June 6, 2018 Examining Gender and Cross-Species Romance in Mass Effect 2 I
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Son 1 Chloe Son Professor Douglas Moody WGSS7.01 June 6, 2018 Examining Gender and Cross-Species Romance in Mass Effect 2 I. Introduction The title Mass Effect 2 is well-known across the gaming community. Developed by the studio Bioware in 2010, the role-playing video game has established itself as one of the most ambitious and well-executed game projects of its time. Not only was the game a commercial success, but its 9.5 rating from IGN, 94 Metascore indicating “universal acclaim”, and “overwhelming positive” mass of reviews on the gaming distribution platform Steam validate its critical acclamation, as well. The game itself is a narrative-heavy space saga, one that comfortably nestles in the intersection between science fiction and first-person action shooter. In the fictional world of Mass Effect 2, humanity has made their first contact with extraterrestrial life, a discovery that subsequently tore the remaining obscurity away from all the other hidden, intellectual lifeforms residing in deeper pockets of the universe. However, though the scope of the game spans across fictional galaxies, the true purpose of the game is revealed in how it reflects modern society. In the universe of Mass Effect 2, diversity in race is not fragmented by the conventional signifiers like skin or hair color. Instead, in the larger picture of the Son 2 universe, a black human male and a white human female are much more likely to feel mutual familiarity with each other as opposed to with a sentient, floating blob of pink membrane like the Hanar race. The visual and cultural discrepancy between races is so large that differences within one single race are easily overshadowed. Thus, this essay is interested in how Mass Effect 2 explores the concept of the alien “other” through its representation of its galactic races. By extension, the essay will then delve into the romantic relationships that may be developed across species and how such cross- species encounters stray from the heterosexual norms constructed in modern society. II. Aliens and Cross-Species Romance in Other Texts Interracial love and alien sex is not an unfamiliar topic within the realm of the science fiction genre by any means. After all, science fiction has always characteristically been “filled with ‘unfamiliar’ and ‘unknown’ bodies” (Hampton 15). A notable example is featured in science fiction author Octavia E. Butler’s short story “Bloodchild,” which focuses on the symbiotic relationship between an alien and a human boy. In “Bloodchild,” the humans receive security from the T’lic in exchange for bearing the T’lic’s offspring through the surgical procedure of cutting open stomachs, implanting the baby grubs, and sewing the human wombs back up. As the impregnation process can be a painful one, the relationship requires a high degree of trust despite insurmountable physical differences and inevitable fear of the other. Another example manifests in the award-winning television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The show includes an episode named “The Host” in which the female human Dr. Crusher is forced to come to terms with her own limitations in tolerance as her romantic relationship deepens with an alien named Odan (Roddenberry n.p.). While “Bloodchild” Son 3 ultimately ended in acceptance of the other, “The Host” results in the collapse of a couple because Dr. Crusher’s could not adapt to the drastic changes that a cross- species relationship demands. Crusher cited “humans’ essential heterosexuality” as the obstruction from what could have been a long-term relationship with Odan, admitting that this sexual norm “limits the mobility of their desire” (Heller 231). III. The Human and Alien Characters in Mass Effect 2 In the same way, fear of the alien other is not an extinguished, archaic notion in Mass Effect 2. Even with centuries of knowingly cohabitating the galaxies together, the alien races still wage war against each other and only understand the tip of the iceberg in terms of each other’s deep wells of culture and history. It is not enough to understand alien species within the constraints of the norms of one’s own species. Each race was designed by Bioware’s development team to have their own distinct set of value systems, cultural norms, and ways of life. The player plays as a human named Commander Shepard in the game. Although the race of Shepard has been pre-determined by Bioware, several other aspects of the Commander are able to be toggled with in accordance to the player’s desires. Perhaps the player wishes to experience the game as a ruthless warmonger, in which case they would choose the “ruthless” background path for Shepard as opposed to the “war hero” path. Perhaps the player desires to self-insert himself/herself into the game. Then, he/she may customize sex and outward appearance as they desire by Son 4 finding a suitable hair color and eye shape. The power in allowing players to customize their characters is that they begin to identify with Shepard, which influences the amount of investment the player may experience while playing the Shows character creation in which Shepard’s appearance can be personalized game; by personalizing Shepard, players begin personalizing their own “version of the character” by “evok[ing] very different personal narratives for who the character was and what he or she was fighting for” (Bizzocchi 397). This emotional investment can undoubtedly apply to the other characters, as well. By personally engaging with Shepard, the player also feels as though he/she is experiencing the relationships that Shepard is forming. A survey was conducted on Reddit, an online social discussion platform, which ultimately collected 5806 responses regarding players’ personal narrative choices throughout the game. Several results proved that to the players, this game mattered. For example, in Mass Effect, Shepard recruits Wrex, one of the last survivors of the Krogan species. Hundreds of years ago, the Krogan species was devastated by a lab-engineered plague which sought to chemically sterilize female Krogans, leaving the population and their hope of surviving extinction to shrink. It is an understandably tragic war crime. But, when Wrex discovers a possible cure for the plague, Shepard is forced Son 5 to become less understanding. While the cure does indeed restore fertility to the females, it also breeds a mindless army of powerful, unbridled Krogans. In the spur of the moment, the player is provided with three options: shoot him, allow one of your crewmates to shoot him, or talk him down (provided that the player has established a strong enough bond with Wrex). 92% of the respondents reported that they chose to “talk him down,” showing an unwillingness to kill a crewmate that they had spent hours of the game fighting alongside. One player expressed genuine grief for the Krogan in his first playthrough in which Wrex did not make it out alive: “I actually shouted ‘NO!’… never before had I experienced a scene so shocking that I actually yelled out loud in shock and horror. That was the power of Wrex's murder” (Burch). Indeed, Wrex’s death struck a chord with several players. But, what is more powerful is the attachment that the players developed for an alien. Wrex does not look remotely human, as depicted in the figure to the right. Yet, the players began to recognize him as an ally, as a crewmate, and as a friend. This is what makes Shepard’s crew, likely the most diverse out of all the other spaceships traveling across the galactic, unique to others. It is also what gives Mass Effect the opportunity to promote acceptance of the alien “other” and encourage diversity. Son 6 A notable character aboard is named Liara, an Asari. The Asari are a monogendered, blue-skinned race. They are “traditionally feminine in appearance, utilize female pronouns, and their life stages—maiden, matron, and matriarch—… parallel…certain aspects of the human female experience” (McDonald 69). A pronounced aspect of the Asari is their fluid sexuality; they are the only known race that can reproduce asexually with any other species and sex. Although visually coded in the appearance of traditional femininity, the tendency to mark Asari as female according to human expectations is meaningless. Human concepts such as “gender” and “sex” do not apply to a monogendered species which does not require such distinctions (Zekany 72). However, the Asari do refer to themselves by female pronouns and will often fulfill the female role in a romantic relationship. Perhaps as a direct result of their sexual fluidity, many young, rebellious Asari can often be found scantily clad in the night clubs across the galaxy, sensually dancing on tables. Another Asari introduced in the game emanates such intense sexuality that her love literally consumes her sexual partners due to a dangerous genetic mutation. Liara, on the other hand, shyly confesses to the player that she is a virgin, evoking a more innocent and pure Depicts Liara along with her blue skin, fringe, & feminine characteristics image. However, she is not averse to losing her virginity, which also “challenges the conventional human moral imperative that women must wait until marriage to have sex” (Lucas 71). As can be Son 7 seen, Mass Effect 2 showcases diversity in the Asari’s expression of sexuality throughout the game. I argue that this is because Bioware’s development team specifically designed this outwardly feminine, sexually fluid race to counter common gender stereotypes regarding female representation in video games. Another advanced and influential race in the Mass Effect series are the Turians. Stature-wise, they resemble something humanoid, but visually, they are easily one of the less human-looking species.