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Mortal Kombat X has done something extraordinary that no fighting game has ever done before. It’s introduced its first gay character, and made him a part of Kung Lao’s lineage. Kung Jin isn’t a gay character, he’s simply a character that is gay. What makes this even more prevalent is that his homosexuality is only alluded to twice in-game.

The first time, thunder-god Raiden briefly tells Kung Jin, “Self-loathing has always been an unfortunate part of your make-up.” Later, when Kung Jin says that he can’t join the Shaolin monks because “they won’t accept” him, Raiden answers, “They care about only what is in your heart; not whom your heart desires.”

The good thing about this reveal is that it’s not an obscure play to introduce a gay character to make the something to look at, rather a force for good that knows the struggles and pain of the world already.

It makes them more parallel to many of us, and in the same sense unified under the same banner. The world is ever-changing, and its high time we received a gay lead in gaming—especially with new RPG’s and action games coming up so quickly.

If Mortal Kombat, and the team at NetherRealm Studio’s can do what EA did with Dragon Age: Inquisition, we can see bright change happening very fast for games. And that’s what the world should be about and for: equality in all forms.

Let us know your thoughts on the new Mortal Kombat X in the comments!