Why I Think Dragon Age 4 Is Already Failing Aspec Fans
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| Image description: A promotional image for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy roleplay video game series, Dragon Age. Although the game isn't out until fall of 2024, we're starting to get marketing and promotional material for the game, and some of what I've seen has been worrying - especially as an aspec fan. Today, I'm looking at some of what has been revealed through that particular lens, speculating on and discussing the ways I feel the game is already doing aspec players a disservice and why. |
However, this isn’t always what it could be. Dragon Age
as a franchise has been around since 2009, so of course the idea of
representation has evolved over the years and the developers have done their
best to learn from past mistakes. For instance, the character of Krem in Dragon
Age: Inquisition is an excellent and lovingly crafted transgender
character, created at least in part to redo past mistakes where characters who,
while not trans, were nevertheless steeped in transphobic and often homophobic
off-color jokes. This likewise applies to the way women have been portrayed,
and although still not perfect, you can see the attempts to improve the way
female characters fit into the world of Thedas. But for as much as the team has
actively tried to learn from past portrayals and represent as many people as
possible, I feel they’ve consistently dropped the ball on representing the
asexual spectrum.
Unfortunately, this does not appear to be changing anytime
soon. With the recent announcement of Dragon Age: The Veilguard –
the fourth game in the series after a decade-long wait – details have emerged
about the story, the companions, and the choices players can make for their
main characters. And, while there are many elements that only add to
the diverse tapestry of the series, the asexual spectrum once again seems to be
left out. As I’ve mentioned before, it is never my expectation that media will
or even should include aspec representation. However, when a piece of media is
otherwise diverse and proud of that fact, lauding its representation, then I do
hold it to a slightly higher standard. Dragon Age is one of those pieces
of media, not just because of their past representation for other groups, but
because of their own belief system.
In a previous post, I mentioned that the games’ studio BioWare celebrates its LGBTQIAP+ employees and that these employees are honored to feel
represented by the games they make and play. Furthermore, the studio has
discussed their dedication to representing all of the identities that fall
under this umbrella, which makes their lack of commitment to aspec identities
even more of a grievous oversight. If BioWare was unaware of these identities,
I could understand it. And yet, they have demonstrated on multiple occasions
that they do know of these identities and instead have made the conscious
choice to not represent them, something that seems like it will continue into Dragon
Age: The Veilguard.
Admittedly, we still don’t have much to go on when it comes
to this game. While we do have multiple trailers, several articles, and even
various developer Q&As, the game will not be released until autumn of 2024,
and so I debated the merits of discussing this topic now when I still don’t
know what the game actually delivers. However, the announcements have left me
feeling a lot of raw emotions, and so even though much of what I’ll be
discussing is still speculative, I want to discuss my thoughts and feelings
about the topic as it presents itself to me right now. Furthermore, as Pride Month comes to a close, the news we’ve received for The Veilguard leaves
me feeling even more frustrated, and so I think it makes sense to talk about my
impressions so far, even if I can’t root these impressions in as much fact as I
usually like to do.
So today, I’d like to explore the current game as we know it
and dive deep into my feelings of disappointment and frustration over what I
perceive as its early missed opportunities. While this might be a bit more emotional
than I tend to be, I think it’s important to explore these things now so they
can potentially be revisited and revised in the future, or be added to further
exploration of Dragon Age as a franchise and the worrying pattern it’s
created for aspec representation – or lack thereof.
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Roleplaying
while aspec
For those not familiar, Dragon Age as a whole is a
fantasy roleplay series spanning three games so far: Dragon Age: Origins,
Dragon Age II, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. In each of these games,
you take on the role of a specific protagonist, customizing their look and
their choices, with some games allowing you to customize more of your character
than others. From there, you move through the story, and while certain plot
beats and character elements are set in stone, you watch how your decisions affect
various elements around you, including but not limited to how other characters
react to you and how things play out in your environment and personal story. In
short, your actions have consequences.
For that reason, it’s very easy to say that players who want
to play the game as aspec can simply do that. While every game includes romance
as an option, it’s exactly that – an option – and as such, it can be avoided if
you choose. I’ve joked several times that if BioWare won’t give me an aspec
character, I’ll just make one myself, and if I play the game, I have every
intention of crafting my character(s) in The Veilguard as being AroAce
like me. However, the issues I have with Dragon Age as a franchise go
far beyond this supposedly simple solution.
For these types of games (BioWare games like Dragon Age
especially) the romantic stories and romanceable characters are a cornerstone.
As an aspec person who nevertheless enjoys certain types of romantic stories, I am
These romances are baked into the game and so, while not technically essential to the experience or the story, are certainly treated
as a valuable and important part of it. But many of these romances are also “confirmed”
through sex scenes, which means that if aspec players want to play through these romance paths, they also are required to
accept the sex scenes. While many people who identify as asexual may still have
sex for any number of valid reasons and thus may still be able to perfectly
identify themselves within these scenes, many asexual people do not have sex
and they are not given that option for their character. If they want to play as
asexual, therefore, they either have to skip the romance path entirely or just pretend
the scene never happened.
Admittedly, some of these sex scenes are very tastefully
done – for example, one of the only reasons I as a sex-repulsed AroAce can
still enjoy and cherish the Cullen romance is because the sex scene between
Cullen and the Inquisitor is a “fade to black” scene that shows nothing
explicit. Other romances throughout the series don’t show anything, but may
include nudity; other romances don’t demonstrate a sex scene at all, such as
the romance for Josephine, considered by some fans to be an aspec character. However,
that type of ambiguity is where we run into some problems, since many fans don’t
interpret these moments or characters as aspec at all.
The primary reason this seems to happen is because the game
never specifically tells us that these characters are aspec and thus people are able to ignore these headcanons. Therefore, it becomes even more unfortunate that The
Veilguard seems unwilling to commit to aspec representation, since having
it actually confirmed within game seems to be the only way it may potentially
ever be accepted by fans. While even that is not guaranteed, it would certainly
give a basis at the very least, and one that the previous games have been
sorely lacking. For these reasons, even just choosing to play the game as an
aspec fan or exist within the fandom is not easy, and
unfortunately the very fabric of the games sometimes makes this harder, as we’ve
seen with the previous three games, and very well may see again with the fourth
one.
The
Veilguard’s reveal
It’s been a long road to get to where the nebulous concept
of Dragon Age 4 actually became Dragon Age: The Veilguard. It’s
been a decade since the release of Inquisition (nine years if you count
the 2015 release of its last downloadable content, Trespasser) and in
that time the game has faced numerous real-world setbacks, such as trying to
keep up production during COVID, as well as various internal ones. Among these
internal setbacks were things such as a complete overhaul of the game, which
was originally conceived of as an ill-advised multiplayer live-service game.
During that time, even the title changed, with the game originally called Dragon
Age: Dreadwolf before receiving its current title.
Admittedly, my interest in the game has waned significantly
over the years due to various factors, to the point where I had my doubts that
a fourth game would even be made. Thus, aspec characters in such a game didn’t
really cross my mind. Even after it became obvious that the game was indeed
real and would be coming soon, I didn’t need it to have aspec characters,
nor did I assume there would be. Overall, I actually have extremely mixed
feelings about what I’ve seen revealed so far as both a fan and an aspec player,
but my concerns as an aspec fan are a little more complicated.
Chiefly, these concerns began with the announcement that all
the companions in the game would be romancable, a decision I knew all but
guaranteed a lack of aspec representation and which was confirmed in a Q&A
with the developers done on Discord in early June. During the session, one fan
asked about the potential for aspec representation among the companions. The
game’s director Corrinne Busche responded, saying she herself identifies as
grey-ace, before giving the following answer: “I will say, though, that none of
our companions this time around are explicitly ace. When we look at the
characters, their motivations, who they are, we always assess ‘is this the
right time?’ This time it wasn’t.”
Just to be clear, I certainly don’t begrudge the writers and
developers making this choice. I myself am an advocate that aspec
representation should happen organically and in ways that make sense, rather
than being forced or shoehorned in. But I have significant problems with this
answer even so, primarily because the attitude of “wait a bit” feels insulting.
In her answer, Busche went on to say that she would “love to represent an ace
relationship, some time in the future when it feels like the most authentic fit
for a companion, when we can do it best.” To me, this answer raises more
questions than it does actual answers, such as when exactly “the future” is,
what exactly “doing it best” means to the team, and what constitutes an “authentic
fit” for the characters.
In multiple interviews and discussions about the companions
and their romances, it has been confirmed that all of the companions are
pansexual, and that this will be an important part of their experiences,
backstories, motivations, etc. While I love hearing that and am excited for
what narrative opportunities this could lead to for all the characters, I do
wonder how the devs were able to craft meaningful stories about identities when
it came to representing pansexuality, but couldn’t stop and consider making
even one of these companions aspec – potentially even keeping their pan
identity in the process.
Furthermore, the devs are clearly very proud of these
characters and have said multiple times how real and authentic they feel, how
they’re the “heart of the experience,” and how they all feel like real people;
therefore, to know that none of these people could be aspec feels a little
bit like being left out in the cold. Again, while I support each character
being portrayed as the writers and developers see fit, I want to know what in
these characters’ personalities and stories didn’t fit with them being aspec.
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| Image description: A leaked promo image of the game's seven companions. It has likewise been confirmed that if the player character doesn't romance specific characters, some of them will romance each other. |
My annoyance with this answer was compounded the more I listened to the interview and the descriptions of the companions in question. For instance, mage companion Emmrich specializes in magic related to death rites in Nevarra, a country that reveres death and its trappings; thus, he is unique in that he himself has a companion, a skeleton named Manfred. In the same Q&A, the devs were asked if players can romance or kiss Manfred, to which they said “not that skeleton, but we’re not saying no skeletons.” I will admit that I’m not sure if that refers to actual skeletons the players might encounter in Nevarra or if it’s a troll response (potentially even referring to Emmrich himself, who has a gaunt appearance). However, if we take the answer at face value and assume that the player can kiss skeletons, the idea that this was considered above aspec representation is extremely frustrating.
However, on the one hand, I am at least grateful that the
developers admitted all of this upfront. As I stated in the previous section –
and in previous posts – it can be frustrating to be stuck in limbo with these
types of decisions, with aspec fans perceiving something as aspec only to have
other fans shout them down. Vague representation often leads to these types of
disagreements in ways that are not only anti-representation, but can end up
being intolerant. Knowing that none of the companions were written with aspec
representation in mind may help curb some of these bad feelings and unpleasant
encounters. However, despite the issues I often have with vague representation,
directly confirming that none of these characters are “explicitly ace” takes
away even that ability in a way that feels somewhat unfair.
I will give the developers the benefit of the doubt and
point out that they only said the companions aren’t “ace,” thus allowing other
identities on the spectrum to be possible. Like I said in my intro, I’m writing
this post very early in The Veilguard’s marketing cycle, and thus we
know next to nothing about these companions. While all of them are romancable –
thus making it seem unlikely that any of them offer much in the way of
aromantic representation – maybe a few of them could potentially be seen as
demisexual and/or demiromantic, and even if they’re not portrayed that way,
their stories might allow for players to have that headcanon.
But even if some of the companions do have that grey area
(no pun intended) that allows for players to see vague representation within
them, this issue goes far deeper for me. To be honest, I don’t really mind that
none of the companions are explicitly on the asexual spectrum; again, I really
wasn’t expecting this going into the game, and pretty much put it out of my
head the minute I heard all the companions were romancable, since I know how Dragon
Age romances tend to work. What bothers me the most is actually the
underlying attitude that I think can be found in the priorities of the game and
its character development, something that I view as a long-standing problem
that no one at BioWare seems in any great rush to correct.
Is Aspec Representation
Too Hard?
As I said in the previous section, I can’t help but wonder
how exactly to quantify the “just wait a bit” mentality the developers seem to
be bringing to the matter. While I’d like to think they really are as committed
to the idea of representation as they say they are, the more doubtful part of
me feels like “wait a bit” is code for “it’s never going to happen.” As my best
friend said when we were discussing the Q&A, it seems like the developers
knew they could have created aspec representation and knew it would mean a lot
to people, but also made the active choice not to do it. Again, although not required,
I am bothered by the idea that aspec representation in such a diverse game has
to wait until it “feels authentic.”
While I’m sure that type of attitude isn’t just leveled at
aspec people, it really does feel like aspec representation is constantly
deprioritized, even in pieces of media that otherwise carefully craft their
representation and stories to be as inclusive as possible. In terms of honoring
diversity, The Veilguard already seems to be doing a terrific job in so
many other facets – from body sliders allowing more body diversity, to hair
options allowing people to get more authentic styles and textures to their
hair, to the ability to select pronouns that are different from your
character’s gender or even select non-binary options. And yet, even just a
single canonically aspec character still has to wait.
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| Image description: Two of your companions, as well as a player character (center) made by BioWare to highlight the character creator options. This example player character was likewise used in a 20-minute gameplay teaser in the June 2024 marketing. |
While I love the diversity these options encourage, it’s honestly very depressing to see that all of these decisions were made while aspec identities were actively decided against. At this point in time, the franchise has canon lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and pansexual characters, while completely ignoring asexuality, aromanticism, and their related identities in anything other than vague and oft-disrespected representation. This leads me to the other question, one I often find myself asking when I analyze media: is aspec representation just too hard for creators to want to bother with?
As I’ve said before on the blog, the asexual and aromantic
spectrums are diverse and complex, to the point that even if one aspec
character would be a victory, they would hardly be able to fully encapsulate and
represent even just one identity on these spectrums. For that reason, I don’t
envy the position content creators are placed in when they try to create aspec
representation. But I don’t think one character necessarily has to do all that
work or represent every aspect of the spectrums, and even just one would at
least be a step in the right direction.
Furthermore, while I know a game like Dragon Age
would never have a full roster of aspec characters the way they currently have
a group of pansexual companions, surely a game studio known for making iconic
characters could figure out a way to include two or more who nicely fit into
the spectrum. Even something as simple as allowing you to pick your character’s
sexual and romantic identity the way you can pick their pronouns might be a
good thing. I obviously have no way of knowing yet how the companions will
react to the player or what their dynamic will be like – we have at least been
promised deep friendship arcs, so that’s somewhat encouraging – but if it’s
not included, having the ability to let your companions react to your
preferences in that way might have been really rewarding.
While I’m somewhat willing to cut the game some slack
because of its troubled development, my tolerance here is very slight. The devs
are very proud of how deep the character creator is for the player character
and have discussed the deliberate choices they made for the characters, so if
they could take time to work on those things, I believe they could have
included even a small amount of aspec representation or throw a bone of some
kind to us aspec players. Of course, I don’t have any idea how the game is
actually going to be or what we can actually do with our characters, their
romances, their friendships, and their choices; as such, I don’t want to
misrepresent the developers and writers, nor do I want to just automatically
assume that they did nothing for aspec people. But the fact that nothing was
mentioned in the Q&A does not instill me with a lot of hope, since I
believe that if they had aspec-friendly features built into the game, they
likely would have been excited to brag about them, or at the very least may
have told aspec fans to look forward to accessible features in the game.
Is it still possible? Of course. But I’m not holding my
breath, and I think that’s what truly bothers me the most. When you hear about
the love and dedication the developers have shown in every other aspect of the
game except this one, it’s hard not to ask “what exactly do we as aspec fans
have to do for it to be our turn?” So many other people have been given the
consideration of either explicit representation or built-in game mechanics to
make this game feel accessible for them, but it truly feels like that same
consideration is not being given to aspec fans; worse, we’re being expressly
told that we have to wait, and it’s hard not to interpret that as “wait your
turn.” But when is that turn coming? If now supposedly isn’t the time for us,
will there ever be a time?
As stated, this goes far beyond what may or may not be
included in The Veilguard; rather, this is a repeated pattern that Dragon
Age games have struggled with since the beginning. Regular readers of the
blog may know how frequently I discuss Inquisition’s botched handling of
Cole’s human path, for instance, or the exception I take with how the chaste marriage option in Dragon Age II’s Sebastian romance is portrayed.
These and many other elements that may be aspec or aspec adjacent are routinely
handled poorly and are even more poorly received by the fandom, and
I believe all of these create a worrying picture, one which doesn’t seem like
it will be handled any time soon.
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| Image description: An image from the official trailer for The Veilguard released in June 2024 |
Overall, me exploring the problematic elements of Dragon Age
is nothing new, and any regular reader knows I’ve explored these instances many
times before. However, I fully intend to do a post in future where I dive even
deeper into the history of where Dragon Age has squandered its chances
for aspec representation. Depending on what the final product looks like, The
Veilguard may continue that unfortunate tradition, leading to a world
which, while incredible, is much harder to find representation
While the idea behind fantasy roleplay games is often
escapism, many of us also want to feel like we’d have a place in our favorite
worlds. For almost a decade of my life, I have been deeply immersed and
invested in the world of Thedas, and while I didn’t need explicit aspec
representation in order to do that, it would be wonderful to see. In every
game, there are characters I fall in love with because of their stories and I
love being able to identify with characters whose lives are very different from
mine but in whose struggles I can identify. To me, that’s the true appeal of Dragon
Age and it always will be, whether or not there’s canon aspec
representation; but I also don’t want to feel disrespected by the franchise I
love either.
While I will save my final judgments until I see the
finished product, I can’t help but feel that Dragon Age: The Veilguard
had a golden opportunity to bring everyone into the fold and let everyone be
the hero of their own story, and yet they’re already in danger of failing. I’d
like to believe that, despite what’s been confirmed, we may see game mechanics
that allow aspec people to feel represented or make the game a more accessible
experience, or that other meaningful aspec-friendly things will turn up in the
world. But whatever the case, you can bet I’ll be here, analyzing the good, the
bad, and the ugly in the world of Thedas just as I always have been.
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