Dragon Age: Origins’ Bold (and Flawed) Attempt at Sex in Gaming

Dragon Age Origins celebrates its 15-year anniversary today, November 3, 2024. This article examines the game’s daring, if awkward, attempt to use sex as a central theme and mechanic. Sex and video games have always had a fraught relationship, with even mainstream games struggling with how to portray it. Dragon Age: Origins, however, took a bold swing at it 20 years ago.

A Dark-Fantasy Approach to Sex

While the basic plot of Dragon Age: Origins is Tolkien-esque, the game takes most of its dramatic cues from A Song of Ice and Fire. This dark-fantasy bent extends to its treatment of sex and romance, which is largely heterosexual and focused on bloodlines, parentage, and impregnation.

Transactional Sex and Shallow Narrative

Dragon Age: Origins treats sex as transactional, serving a purpose but not necessarily about romance or love. This is particularly evident in the character of Morrigan, who propositions the player to impregnate her with the spirit of the archdemon, leader of the blight. The game’s romance system is also shallow, allowing players to win a character’s affection with a set of gifts, even those they antagonize.

Grounded Characters and Sexual Ethics

Despite the game’s shortcomings, Dragon Age: Origins grounds its characters in politics and culture. Morrigan’s use of sex to gain power comes from her background as a mage forced to hide from an oppressive church. The game’s queer romances, Leliana and Zevran, are foreigners from places where sexual culture is freer. Each character has a sexual history or lack thereof that informs their characterization and how they treat the player.

Immaturity and Visual Shortcomings

Dragon Age: Origins is immature in its use of sex and violence for cheap shock value. The game also struggles with visuals, with sex scenes being stilted and awkward. However, despite these flaws, Dragon Age: Origins engages with sex in a way that is rare for games of its size and budget.