If you didn't already know, we really loved The Last of Us here at Push Square. In fact, we loved it so much that we threw as many Game Of The Year awards at it as we possibly could. One of our favourite things about Naughty Dog's universally praised opus is the subtly of its writing – it's rare to see a game so confident in its ability to effectively use subtext. And it seems that GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) is a pretty big fan of the survival horror too, as the group singled out insufferable loner Bill as one of the most interesting new LGBT characters in 2013.
"One of the characters that the player encounters over the course of the game is Bill, an unstable loner in the town of Lincoln with a talent for fixing things," the organisation stated in a blog post. "Through dialogue and backstory, the player learns that Bill once had a partner named Frank who he loved, but the plague drove them apart and led Frank to a bitter end. Both helpful and contentious, Bill is as deeply flawed but wholly unique a gay character found in any storytelling medium this year."
Are you happy to see Naughty Dog's masterpiece receive even more acclaim? Sing its praises in the comments section below.
[source glaad.org]
Comments 12
He was gay? Didn't really notice that at all.
@RyoHazuki @Bliquid They were admirably subtle about it, which is what makes it so good in my opinion. The clues are there, though.
Haha I didn't think he was either. Ah well
Haha, I noticed it the very first time Bill used the word, "partner" when referring to Frank.
No one thought it was weird that Ellie stole a gay porn magazine from him? Then there was something Frank wrote in his suicide letter that should have made his and Bill's relationship clear as day.
He was gay?? Are we reading too much into the whole partner thing? Either way it doesn't matter. Nice to see the game get more recognition.
@get2sammyb I just immediately assumed they were former cops or something. There was quite a lot of vagueness throughout tlou, too much for my liking really
@BornOfEvil funny, I didn't realise it was gay porn, I was kinda rushing through the game and didn't pay too much attention to the suicide note either
This is why I can't stand the word "partner." Significant other, boyfriend, "better half" are all better words since "partner" can clearly be used for many things.
@PMasterTy9 Without diving into specifics, I believe Ellie takes an "erotic" magazine from Bill and then ponders why the pages are stuck together. It sounds pretty juvenile on paper, but I think they handled it brilliantly.
@get2sammyb Yeah caught I that but I didn't notice if it was a gay or straight "erotic" magazine. It does sound juvenile but it is realistic. Either way it's those small little details that I loved about the game.
It was pretty subtle but on the second play through I realised.
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