Sexual Content in A Summer's End

A central theme in A Summer's End is desire and the expression of same-sex desire. We wanted to represent this in A Summer's End frankly and unabashed. Sexual expression shouldn't be something censored out when talking about lesbianism. One of our motivations to create A Summer's End was because we felt media that positively depicts the full spectrum of lesbian love is few and far between. We wanted the intimate scenes to be sensual and erotic. The authenticity of love — this is who you are and this is how you want to love — the motions of falling in love, the actions of love, the yielding to love, and the memory of love, this was all something we wanted to depict in full. Sexuality, that is both passionate and vulnerable, is just another part of the love we wanted to portray in this romance story. The question of gaze was something we asked ourselves when writing and creating the game. Playing a narrative game is part participation and part projection. The story of A Summer’s End is mainly told through Michelle’s point of view. We want our viewers to be participants of Michelle’s emotional journey rather than voyeurs. The imagery we chose for the game was intended to heighten the emotions of the characters and convey the mood and feeling we wanted to show in the story.

Desert Hearts, Portrait of A Lady on Fire, and Saving Face are examples of movies that depict lesbian sexuality in a manner that we felt was inspirational for us. Positive depictions of LGBTQ sexuality has an importance in media. They can provide affirmations of identity when general society and media is so prevalently heteronormative.

Desert Hearts (1985) is a landmark film in lesbian cinema as it was the first film to depict a lesbian relationship positively. It was also the first lesbian feature film to be written and directed by a lesbian woman, Donna Deitch. Set in 1959 Reno, it is a timeless love story between a New York English professor, Vivian Bell, and a free-spirited sculpture artist and change girl, Cay Rivvers.

Directed by out lesbian director and writer, Céline Sciamma, she calls Portrait of A Lady on Fire (2019) a “manifesto of the female gaze.” Set in 18th century France, Portrait of a Lady on Fire tells of a story of a painter, Marianne, and an aristocratic woman, Héloïse. A forbidden love story at heart, it is beautiful and hauntingly poignant film that talks about sisterhood, love in equality, and the poetic memory of love.

Saving Face (2004) is an American romantic comedy-drama set around the Chinese-American community in New York. The story follows a surgeon, Wil, and her relationship with Vivian, a dancer, and also Wil’s relationship with her mother. Saving Face addresses the topic of intergenerational and cultural conflict in a refreshingly lighthearted and humorous manner. Feature length debut of out lesbian writer and director Alice Wu, it is a wonderful film for those looking to see more Asian and lesbian representation in film.

We made a conscious decision to create A Summer's End with adult content. It will be released separately as a free optional patch that enables access to mature content when applied to the main game. The adult content is an addition to the main story. The main game and story will not be interrupted or affected in anyway with or without the patch, though the patch content may reveal additional scenes, dialogue, and characterization. We would like our viewers to play the game in its entirety for the full experience, but we understand that such content may not be appropriate, accessible, or desired for all viewers, so we have separated mature content into an optional patch. The love scenes were a challenge for us to create, but we hope it will be an enjoyable addition to the overall game experience.

Oracle and BoneApril 13, 2020