Man hopes gay-bunny video game sparks talks

OLYMPIA – An Olympia man is designing a video game that uses same-sex bunnies to spread a message of love.

Web developer Hans Oksendahl is making his first foray into video game production with “Twitterpated,” a term that refers to a state of romantic infatuation.

In the game, the player controls Cupid and flings arrows at bunnies that populate the world down below.

When Cupid hits a bunny with an arrow, the bunny becomes twitterpated. If opposite-gender bunnies are shot with an arrow, then a new bunny appears. However, each time two bunnies of the same gender are hit with Cupid’s arrows, a rainbow appears. New bunnies start appearing in different colors as more rainbows are generated.

Players can then combine yellow and blue bunnies to make green bunnies – but as the game moves forward, more rainbows equal more points.

The goal of “Twitterpated” is to encourage conversations about same-sex relationships in a disarming way, said Oksendahl, adding that he chose bunnies for the game because “they are known for being very active as far as their reproductive strategy.” The game contains no sex, and instead, the bunnies rub their noses and hearts when paired together, he said.

“I came up with some game mechanics that I thought would be kid-friendly, but at the same time expose kids to the idea that there’s more than one way to be,” he said. “I grew up as a youth with a lot of questions myself. I think there are a lot of people that would probably benefit from having these kinds of conversations with their parents.”