With the holiday season upon us, shoppers are kicking their spending into high gear, and these consumers

often consult gift guides for advice on what to buy. A popular choice? Creating lists that advise parents on

what to NOT buy their kids. In the video game industry, we've all

gotten used to seeing such lists surface around this time of the year; this week, we were treated to such an item by The Timothy Plan, a group that manages money based on Judeo-Christian principles. While profanity and violence were on the list, the group's attitudes toward homosexuality are what raised the most attention.

The Plan's core business strategy is based on some very narrow principles; it makes a point of only investing with companies that abide by certain moral codes. Companies that do things like recognizing domestic partnerships are actively shunned. Even though Microsoft is one of the favorite stocks to own in many mutual funds, The Plan won't touch the software giant because it officially recognizes GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Transexual) groups. Other surprises that are listed on the firm's "Hall of Shame" list include Electronic Arts, the Walt Disney Company, and Vivendi for similar reasons; recognizing GLBT groups helps "destroy children and families" according to the group. The list's authors ended up determining that Zero Punctuation's review of Army of Two was spot on, as "somewhat homo-erotic undertones between the two main characters are present." Looking through the rest of the detailed games reveals that, yes, The Timothy Plan also bashes other games like Bully, Mass Effect, and Fable II for allowing players to become romantically involved with members of the same gender.

Visitors to the organization's web site can determine if their mutual fund investments have any holdings with companies that produce these games. By filling out a form and listing your mutual funds, the company will "send you a complimentary moral audit on your mutual funds which may own these as well as other objectionable companies." Listing the Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund on the "Moral Audit Request Form" brought a speedy e-mail to my inbox, with the subject line reading "Violation Report." Within was a PDF form that displayed the moral violations of the companies my supposed nest egg was tied up with. The top five objectionable companies, according to the document, all endorse "Non-Marriage Lifestyles."



From the cover of The Timothy Plan's report on offensive games

Ars contacted the Human Rights Campaign about the report. "I think that the software industry reflects the diversity of the country," said director of the HRC Workplace Project Daryl Herrschaft. "Efforts like these don't really have an impact on [game] sales or bottom lines... I don't think most people's purchasing decisions will be affected by [the report card]."

The report demonstrates just how prevalent GLBT content has become in video games. Much of this content made it into video games without actually generating much news: while having a gay/lesbian marriage in Fable II was talked about, collecting male erotica to get weapon upgrades in Shadow Hearts: Covenant didn't raise any protests. Neither did Raikov's frisky moves in Metal Gear Solid 3, nor the revelation that Fear Effect 2's protagonists were lesbian lovers. In fact, quite a number of popular game characters aren't straight, but society has yet to fall apart.

Gaming has become more progressive in the past ten years, and showing gay and lesbian characters in games as a normal part of life will go a long way to making sure being homosexual becomes even less newsworthy. Buying stocks based on an opposition to how a group lives their life? It may be offensive, but it's proving to be profitable. A Financial Times article in January revealed that the investment group had roughly $500 million under its control, and it was seriously outperforming other firms that practice "moral investing."