Think back to 2020. Many of us jumped into Stardew Valley or The Sims 4 in our quest to escape the gritty reality of life at the time. Slice-of-life games, where you can cosy up and fully control your character’s actions.
In these games, everyone is bisexual. In Stardew Valley, for example, you can romance Leah as a woman-sapphics rejoice! She has an ex-girlfriend, who interrupts you on your lovely picnic date. If I play as a man, then of course, as we’re all bi here, she still has an ex-girlfr-wait. An ex-boyfriend?!
What does this mean in the context of bisexuality in video games overall? Is including sexuality an attempt at genuine representation, with the aim of making everyone feel seen when they roleplay in their favourite games? Or is it tokenism, be that malicious or simply lacking in self-awareness, that encourages developers and writers to include bisexuals in their stories?
Let’s talk about it.