Dead By Daylight Should Just Go the Apex Legends Way
Apex Legends is easily leading the field right now, in my honest opinion, with representation done right. Upon release, they already had two confirmed LGBTQ+ characters. They didn't make that a selling point, they just simply exist and it is normal. As of now, they have 5 confirmed LGBTQ+ characters with the rest implied in some way, either bisexual, straight, pan, and etc by in-game interactions.
Apex doesn't leave a lot to just speculation, building their characters confidently and releasing them as (usually) fleshed out personalities. You wouldn't know in game at all (besides some new interactions). It is honestly impressive that before games had to start coming out publicly to announce they suddenly care, Apex was being diverse and creative as hell (and please let me know any other games that did the same, I'd love to see more examples!)
That being said, it honestly super helps to do two options: Make your characters (or a good portio) DEFINED, or leave them open to interpretation. Having defined personalities means everyone knows everyone and it helps not only with more representation, but it doesn't cause an outroar when you suddenly announce someone is LGBTQ+, because people usually find out in their lore on release. It doesn't have to be a huge deal either, again, they are a normal part of life. All Gibraltar has in his lore is "his boyfriend" and that is an easy representation if I've ever seen some.
Leaving it ambiguous is what DBD was doing for a while, meaning you can make whoever you want representation. They aren't all straight, they aren't all LGBTQ+. In fact, there are still people that consider Felix not straight, which he might not be, who knows, but by now officially revealing an identity, it is causing a backlash. Mainly through homophobic people lol but also because it wasn't organic at all. Think Blizzard with Soldier.
Ironically by revealing David was gay as a big announcement as the "first gay character in Dead By Daylight", David is in fact losing some of his character. Even if the tome it is written great and done well, by making it a big announcement, David is going to be known as the gay character, and sadly while trying to choose David to be the gay rep to avoid having a character be based around being gay, that is all that is associated with the David name.
After 6 years, it's better late than never, but I'm surprised it hasn't happened much sooner if it is something you take so seriously, seriously enough to collab to just write a character gay. Felix had lore that referenced wife and kids, it isn't a huge announcement, it is who he is. Dead by Daylight needs more of its characters actually explored if it is now something that is taken seriously. There are plenty of characters that are just ignored in terms of lore and cosmetics, and it would be a great opportunity to give those characters popularity while also giving yourself more credit.
Any representation is good representation as a friend said, just make it natural. It is always bound to be controversial but just making it natural like games like Apex has done usually leads it to be brushed off so easier.
TL;DR: DBD should have more characters explored naturally through their lore instead of keeping them as vague as they used to. Also maybe work on how you do announcements in a community noted for its toxicity lmao
Comments
Valorant*
Sure sure, but Apex is still cringe but ye
What you're describing doesn't sound to me like David losing his character so much as people choosing to pigeonhole the character for their own reasons.
Hollow Knight*
I said this in another thread David coming out as gay don't change the character when people come out they don't normally act different then they did before coming out.
David still the same guy who help a person even tho he injured.😹
Period. Daddy Octane too 💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻
How is Apex cringe? Literally the best game out rn besides Fortnite and Elden Ring
I think OPs point isnt about the point of david being gay but more about the lack of effort in bhvrs part on implementing a queer character, they just slapped the info into him, instead of doing a fully constructed new character and elaborate their lore, they just took an old character said they going for diversity and called it a day.
At least thats how I interpreted OPs post comparing it to other videogames in which they design the characters(queer or not) lore carefully first instead of adding stuff outa nowhere.
Then again I might have misunderstood OPs point.
well how it looks how they want to do it add a character with out say what sexual orientation they are at first then add it later in the story tome
at first when only know what they good at they skill more or less how they perks are sexual orientation shouldn't matter right away anyways.
also I like they did this I don't want them to just add random lgbtq character in the game for the sake
David a character a lot of us loved still do now that he gay in game(just like in real life) we need to accept him.
Cause it is.
Fortnite? Good? L.
Elden Ring tho? Mmmmm, yes.
The best way to make an LGTB character its to make that his personality is not only being part of the LGTB
David is a good example (even tho he is kinda late to be anounced) he is gay but the character has his own good personality, he being gay is not something that lose or gain points to the character and thats something I really appreciate
In conclusion just make a good character and the people will not mind if they are LGBT or not
That is what I think so too and I think that is the best way to approach it.
While I don’t like it I think we have to seriously commend epic for their constant support and updates for fortnite. Every season feels wholly unique which is impressive
Both of those are correct. I both think it was badly done in the way they went about announcing David, while I am also ok with David being chosen. David can still be his own character and be gay, sexuality has nothing to do with a character, but at the same time because of the way they announced it so big - he is now just going to be associated as the gay guy, which takes away from David's character.
Agreed, I don't even play fortnite but I am jealous to see a game get so many constant updates and new content that people ask for.
"he is now just going to be associated as the gay guy, which takes away from David's character"
I don't understand this part. Which part of David's character is being taken away?
To make this game more comprehensive and have a good performance. BHVR need a extra money from investor. If Riot Games or EA Games buying and acquisition this developer. They will be a hope on this game.
No part is being taken away, that is my point. I stated that if they just simply released his tome (in the event that the tome is actually well done) and let people enjoy his development and see the representation naturally, it would've been taken much better because it doesn't appear like a big grab for attention. By making it a large announcement, without letting people actually discover the reasoning or writing that reveals his sexuality, people are already just associating David as the gay character instead of David's actual character and personality. David is MORE than just a gay character, but because of the way BHVR went about it, he is now just seen as the gay character.
Idk, I don't see a reason to believe that anyone who now associates him as just "the gay character" wouldn't have done that anyways regardless of the circumstances or even regardless of who it ended up being.
Fortnite is one of the best games out rn whether you like it or not.
At it's third peak right now arguably. It gets updated consistently, constant map changes, fun new weapons, its goated arguably.
I main David from the start I'm gay but David will always be more then gay character to me.
and again, I don't see David just as the gay character, I still see him as David, because that hasn't changed. However, the way BHVR went about revealing it, it makes it seem like they just want him to be seen as that way. That is the way I took it, if they didn't want that, they would've just released the lore and story for him and let people discover it naturally, by making it a large announcement, their intention was most certainly attention.
Again nothing wrong with that, I just wish they wouldn't act like it is extremely important to them even though it took 6 years and they needed to collab in order to put in representation, while other games just do it without needing announcements talking about how inclusive they are
That's exactly how it should be done. No one wants a character that's only trait is being the gay guy. Little brittain comes to mind.
It might be late with David but bhvr startet to care about this stuff just know so how could it be sooner for David.
I my self Splitt all negativ reactions into two factions.
-Lgbtq people that don't like how it's done that's legit you can discuss about it and in the end you can't make it right for everyone.
- people that are mad that the manly man man is gay and how could they play a gay guy that's absurd.
I don't get tired to say the thing I like the most about this is that it's David because people used him back when trickster got released to say how a real man should be and that real man would beat up that flashy kpop boy toy
I think they did it that way because people been asking for a LGBTQ character for years they way saying here we did it finally.
now he gay I hope they don't go overboard on his cosmetics now I mean my partner think the shirt in the rift to gay tho we both like the pant and the head
tho this cosmetic should happen now
@halforcbear don't even think this person on here anymore
from Design your in-game cosmetic
https://forum.deadbydaylight.com/en/discussion/66614/lions-pride-david-king-cosmetic
still waiting on rugby cosmetic
Elden Ring i can agree with
Fortnite on the other hand is good for nothing
JUST SAY YOU DON'T LIKE FORTNITE
flop
I’ll do you one better
I ######### hate Fortnite, I hate it’s gameplay, I hate it’s community, I hate it’s monetisation, and I really ######### hate the executives of the company behind it, if the game goes offline and never comes back tomorrow, I will throw a goddamn block party
First let me say, I support Lgbtq+ it is their life and they can do whatever they want.
I agree, apex has that, like loba,valk, banga all were really fleshed out lgbtq+ characters, gibby as well and hound being non binary, all characters are really well done lore wise and explain it well through seasons like right now between loba and valk (spoiler free).
David doesn't really make sense to me lore wise feels more like forced rather than being real.
Happy that people finally got their lgbtq+ character but I think actually making a really fleshed out character would've been better.
What makes David not a fleshed out character as far as his sexual preference?
David's lore is about basically assaulting people hand to hand, some had eyes out of their sockets, had a gf (yes I know a few gay people who had gf before they came out) but his lore gives more of a straight maybe bi because of his only real friend rather than being gay. (From tome 2 iirc)
To me and many it seems like bhvr put a pic of all survivors in a dart board and whoever the dart hit became gay rather than giving real lore explaining.
If you could explain how does david's lore flesh him out as a gay character, please do I wanna know for reals.
Which part of his new lore isn't fleshed out, though? You briefly summarized it, but didn't explain what wasn't fleshed out.
Oh I may have typed it wrong then, I meant that his lore isn't fleshed out to come out out of nowhere.
Like I do understand that there isn't always a perfect time but how bhvr handled it seemed really bad.
Maybe during this tome they will explain it better.
What would need to have been a part of David's character in order to make it not seem out of nowhere?
At least some lore I guess? I will use apex as an example since this thread is about it, before any new season starts they bring a new event for X character and force you to use X character for a bit so you understand their lore, they give you some kinda like comics in game (kinda like the lore in the rift) but they do it BEFORE they announce new stuff not just out of nowhere.
Like maybe if this tome (I have no idea about the lore in this tome since I haven't reached it yet) just maybe if they added some lore then before part 2 comes out then they announce it would've been so much different rather than how they did it.
No, I mean what is missing from David's previously established lore that would make it not seem out of nowhere?
Oh my B I misunderstood your question before, I think maybe adding a subtle hint rather than "I beat people to death or almost death" or "I beat my dad and told him to be grateful" maybe give us a real change of heart of how he sees things rather than "I miss heart to heart talks" that david said
That kinda suggests to me that someone who identifies in that manner can't be seen as rough and tough. I don't think it really makes sense to pigeonhole a character like that.
The problem is that they never showed david having a change, I've never heard of someone who enjoys fighting behind bars not being straight if that makes sense.
At the end of the day, it is a virtual character I would've loved more lore on david at least 1 more chapter so they could explain.
Luckily for you, we have a new tome coming out.
And I don't see a reason to believe that the two are mutually exclusive. Fighting behind bars doesn't give any indication of sexual preferences.
It seems strange to be complaining about a lack of lore when there's brand new lore for the character in question being released right now.
It isn't really complaining it is more of a I need to know before changes, maybe we will get some lore explaining yeah but seems like bhvr did it out of order from most people's POV.
Imagine something you really like or some character ina TV show or whatever, randomly doing X thing without saying, it would be off.
But yeah I'm hoping for the answers on the lore soon.
But David isn't doing X thing without saying. He's doing it while having it being explained in the lore. This is more equivalent to a tv show announcing that next week is the big episode where X plot point happens.
The lore right now explains or are you assuming it does? I'm not caught up yet since I came back yesterday for nostalgia issues.
Since I'm not caught up to this rift lore to me this is like "oh he fights" into "I came out this season" like going from season 1 of a show to randomly going into season 10, kinda like not playing metal gear solid and complaining in metal gear solid 4 why is everything nanomachines
Both. It is a very safe assumption that a lore tome called "Devotion" about a character that the devs just announced to be gay is going to delve into that. On top of that, at least one person has allegedly looked into the datamined lore and confirmed the above to be true.
When you put it Like that it makes more sense, I haven't seen leaks or anything but yeah if it goes like that then I'm ok with it until I can read it or hear it, I just wish that for the next lgbtq+ character they do it in order so people like me don't go crazy like I just did waiting for answers.
No offense.
Also our of nowhere they announced him being gay. For foresure.