Sexual Themes in games

[Kira]

You can have violent sexual relations :P

[Death-Destiny]

alexz721 said:

Personally, I'm tired of people being afraid of sex, putting it on some sacred pedestal, being ashamed of their bodies, calling it immoral. Sex is way better than violence. Don't get me wrong, I have a strange fascination with gore, especially when letting off some steam, but when it comes to sex vs. violence, sex wins hands-down. And act of pure pleasure against an act designed to injure or take somebody's life? Which would you choose? I don't particularly desire it in my games, since there are better avenues for it (say, a real woman for example), but I just think we as a culture need to seriously reevaluate ourselves when we reach the point where violence is more acceptable than sex.

On this thought I agree completely. I don't understand at all why people are afraid of sex. Almost everyone has sex at some point, enjoy it, and sex drive and everything are all part of nature. What's so wrong about sex? It's something that human beings are designed to do, right? Isn't it a good thing to have? On the flip side, isn't violence a bad thing IRL? Why is something that is natural like sexuality shunned while something so terrible and destructive like violence put in the spotlight.

I just don't get it. The world is a stange place sometimes. =\

[Hellbent]

Death-Destiny said:

On this thought I agree completely. I don't understand at all why people are afraid of sex. Almost everyone has sex at some point, enjoy it, and sex drive and everything are all part of nature. What's so wrong about sex? It's something that human beings are designed to do, right? Isn't it a good thing to have? On the flip side, isn't violence a bad thing IRL? Why is something that is natural like sexuality shunned while something so terrible and destructive like violence put in the spotlight.

I just don't get it. The world is a stange place sometimes. =\

That's a darn good point you make there DD... it'd make a good paper topic for a psych or philosophy class.

[leileilol]

Sex doesn't always sell if you're running a free game though. Since OpenArena 0.7.0 (which introduced a topless dark elf drider, a japanese schoolgirl and a busty borderline-to-nothing sling clad valkyrie) got complaints about the content and had less people playing, and less download count than what 0.6.0 got (which consisted of a chinese jiang-shi, and hardened marine)

[40oz]

I think some of you guys are redirecting my argument, I'm not arguing that all media should hide sex. It's the combination of sex in games that I bought for the violence. I'm just saying that violence and sex are two totally different topic and when molded together the result is pretty awkward.

[Haloless0320]

Richo Rosai said:

Thus the ellipses. If I were making a comprehensive list it might take all day.

That said, I've only played any of those games on Neo Geos (Neos Geo?), which I never owned, and I wasn't going to whip it out at the arcade...

I didnt even really play KOF on the arcade,I just have it for mame.And it's not like I get all hot and bothered every time I see a nice set of pixels.

JohnnyRancid said:

I think some of you guys are redirecting my argument, I'm not arguing that all media should hide sex. It's the combination of sex in games that I bought for the violence. I'm just saying that violence and sex are two totally different topic and when molded together the result is pretty awkward.

I get what youre saying though.I really don't like the GTA series,I never really have.I was all for the Getaway though but I don't think I played it long enough to see any of the sexual themes that were in it.The way I see it is that games like GTA,The Getaway,Max Payne,etc put both sexual themes and violence into the game to make it seem more like a movie.I maybe wrong though.

[Richo Rosai]

Danarchy said:

I'm very serious. I hate violence. Violent movies make me physically ill and I don't like overly gory games either. It sickens me the amount that they even play on TV. On the other hand, sex is an act of love. So really when people try banning sex, I see it as some kind of hate against love. Then again, I'm probably never going to have sex, so my opinion may just be fucked up.

Bah???

And how far is Doom on your spectrum of goriness? Or do you not like Doom either? Or maybe you just avoid the rocket launcher to keep it at an acceptable level?

Sex is not an act of love. To make that statement you have to explain prostitution, rape, masturbation, and as an example, me, because I've never loved anyone I've had sex with more than I love a pizza but I've obeyed my compulsion to indulge in both plenty of times. Love is just an emotion that many humans connect to it, which may be a good thing in our case, but of course that connection isn't shared by 99% of the other sexual animals alive. Sex is a drive which, just like violence, is a large part of the human experience, and that's why it's a prevalently represented in art.

The tradition of anti-sexuality in people who want to impose restrictive and controlling moral codes on others isn't because they "hate love". If anything, it would have more to do with them thinking like you, i.e. that sex is sacred and pure because it's for someone you love. But I'd say it probably stems from the very fact that people are really, really interested in indulging in sex. If your rules said things like, "do what you want, but try not to mess it up for everyone else while you're at it", you wouldn't get much of a power trip from enforcing them because it's what most people would be doing anyway. I think it's a combination of this and their jealousy of people who get more sex.

As for the idea of this perceived "merger" of sex and violence, it's silly. Sex and violence have always coexisted in art (see like, every fucking movie ever), and it's only natural for this to extend to games as they evolve from their status as "toys". For obvious reasons, most games involve fighting enemies, which is intrinsically violent. And sex has always been used by the media to appeal to consumers. As the games become more realistic, the average age of game players increases, and arbitrary conservative morality slowly declines, the depiction of violence and sex should of course become more explicit and the marketing appeal of sex should become even greater.

You can claim all you want that nobody buys a game because of the Ninja's tits or whatever, but games aren't just being sold to kids and discerning hobbyists anymore. They'll likely be slowly more and more geared toward the idiots who are most susceptible to that kind of marketing (i.e. most people). And at the same time, very few of those discerning hobbyists would refuse to buy a game because of the sexual pandering as long as the game was good, so adding sex to most games (many or most of which are to varying degrees violent) is really a win-win situation for the companies.

Now I'm gonna post this before I re-read it and realize what how stupid I sound/am and delete it, 'cause that would make having typed it too great a waste of time.

[Sharessa]

Richo Rosai said:

Bah???

And how far is Doom on your spectrum of goriness? Or do you not like Doom either? Or maybe you just avoid the rocket launcher to keep it at an acceptable level?

Well my aversion to violence is something that has just increased as I've got older. I used to be able to handle it okay. I haven't played Doom in at least two years, but I think I'm so used to the original games that I wouldn't even see it as violence anymore. I know those pixels too well. :P

As for the rest of yout post, I can't really argue due to my lack of experience with either love or sex.

[Enjay]

I find it interesting that, in the past, politicians who have been outspoken about "morality", "family values" and things like "inappropriate depictions of sex in the media" are the same people who end up getting caught out having affairs, kiddy fiddling or found dead from an auto-erotic experience that went wrong, hanging from the rafters wearing pantyhose and with an orange stuffed up their anus.

As an outsider, it seems to me that America is more prudish about depictions of sex than many other countries, yet quite accepting (even promoting) of gung-ho violence and gun fetishism.

The whole "hot coffee" thing was a classic. The game was full of violence and "adult"* themes, IMO, it should always have had a mature rating but it wasn't until some modders unlocked a pixelated sex scene that it got one.

Question: In real life, would you rather be shot or have someone wave their jiggly bits at you?

*for adult, read things that kids think are grown up and cool and which they get a kick out of participating in yet which most adults view as a bit trite and immature. Like my friend's kid who swears all the time to show how cool and grown up he is and, by the way he does it, he ably demonstrates how ungrown-up he is every time he opens his mouth.

[myk]

JohnnyRancid said:
I'm just saying that violence and sex are two totally different topic and when molded together the result is pretty awkward.

Not really. While overly stereotypical mixes that lack originality and character may turn out campy and stupid, violence and sex can pair off just as well as life and death. Having a strong and stable character (having "balls") enhances sexiness, for example, and a violent and sexy character can be a hyperbole of this trait (which becomes evident in a portrayal).

Besides, you're too late if you're concerned about themes of sex and violence. The Marquis de Sade pretty much went all the way, and is here to stay.

[Sharessa]

Enjay said:

I find it interesting that, in the past, politicians who have been outspoken about "morality", "family values" and things like "inappropriate depictions of sex in the media" are the same people who end up getting caught out having affairs, kiddy fiddling or found dead from an auto-erotic experience that went wrong, hanging from the rafters wearing pantyhose and with an orange stuffed up their anus.

I think that when people have some aspect of themselves that they consider bad, they tend to lash out as others who have the same attribute as a way of lashing out as themselves. A gay man raised in a very fundie family might begin to hate himself and then all homosexuals. So much that he might become and anti-gay preacher. It just makes for twisted people who deny who they are.

[40oz]

I'm mulling over what Richo Rosai said, and I guess I'm just different than the rest of the population of gamers out there. I'm more of a "less story, more gameplay" kinda guy. I probably should have realized this sooner, because while everyone I made fun of was playing Final Fantasy, I was at home playing Contra. Final Fantasy is practically a book and Contra was a senseless shootfest.

I think that's the same reason I like doom. It doesn't really have a storyline to pay attention to, but i sure as hell know what to do once I start playing. Maybe that's what dissuades me from buying most modern FPSs. And whenever I do get a new FPS I go straight for the multiplayer.

[GreyGhost]

Sexual themes in games are nothing new - it's just the way they're handled that's changed.

[pilottobombadier]

I personally dislike sexual themes in games, mostly because of how childish they really are. Women who look like Barbie dolls is at the top of the list.

Virtual vixens aren't a turn-on for me because I know it's not real. However, I don't have a moral or ethical issue with the depiction of sex in games. It really is harmless.

Furthermore, it's the parent's job to parent. They ultimately determine what their kids are allowed to bring into the home and it's their job to enforce the rules.

This stir-up of sex and violence in games seems more like a smoke-and-mirror display by politicians to divert attention from genuinely important issues than sincere concern for the well-being of the youth.

[scorpion]

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/39040/FunCom-Confirms-Awesome-Boobage-Nerf

[40oz]

pilottobombadier said:

Furthermore, it's the parent's job to parent. They ultimately determine what their kids are allowed to bring into the home and it's their job to enforce the rules.

It kinda bothers me when people bring this into the subject. I don't think parent's are to blame. I had been a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series from the start, and I had purchased each game by myself, but I still feel awkward with me playing it in the presence of my little brother when there are sluts sucking on lollipops with their shirt falling off. Is it my parent's duty to prevent me from buying the game?

[Death-Destiny]

JohnnyRancid said:

It kinda bothers me when people bring this into the subject. I don't think parent's are to blame. I had been a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series from the start, and I had purchased each game by myself, but I still feel awkward with me playing it in the presence of my little brother when there are sluts sucking on lollipops with their shirt falling off. Is it my parent's duty to prevent me from buying the game?

The effects of games with "questionable" content on young minds in undocumented. A lot of Doomers around here have been playing the game since they were kids, and if there was a correlation between the subject matter of games and real life, all would be mindless killing machines by now. The same is true for sexuality. It's probable that kids too young wouldn't even understand GTA, and otherwise, it's their choice whether to be involved in it or not. It's not like they won't learn about sexuality on their own anyway and they can decide for themselves what they like to see in their games. It is not bad parenting to allow young children to play games like these, IMHO. (Those of us who played Doom when we were young turned out all right, didn't we?)

[leileilol]

scorpion said:

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/39040/FunCom-Confirms-Awesome-Boobage-Nerf

coincidentally OpenArena is getting a similar boobage nerf

[Captain Red]

Oh! that reminds me; Hey leileilol I showed my sister some of your openarena models and she launched into this massive rant about the way women are presented in video games, impractical female combat attire and you being the scum of the earth, and when I giggled she hid all my Frank Miller comics. Thanks arsehole!

[leileilol]

Well the character was actually intended to be a satirical parody of how women were represented in games. I wanted to push it to the limit I could go for borderline nudity for that, and the 'less armor is more' rule.

[40oz]

I don't think that my little brother is going to be brainwashed by playing Grand Theft Auto, or any other game that has sexual themes in it. It's not like I really care anyway. If he get's laid before he's 18 that's no skin off my nose.

That still doesn't defeat the fact that I have no comment when the both of us are exposed to exploited women. The thing is, the relathionship I have with my brother is pretty close, but not exactly like 'sitting at a bar and pointing out which girls you'd like to bang' close. The huge age difference between us makes it even worse.

Sex is just a subject matter that I prefer not to be in my video games. Whether it corrupts the minds of minors or not (which I'm positive it doesn't) It rarely serves any purpose in making the game better, I never feel the need to have to simulate it when the real thing is much more rewarding, and it has to be really weird to play in the presence of other girls. (Maybe this is a correlated stereotype that gamers never are in the presence of girls?) I really just want it out of the way.

It being in movies and literature are fine, but video games, and even TV i'd prefer it to be away from.

[deathbringer]

Captain Red said:

Oh! that reminds me; Hey leileilol I showed my sister some of your openarena models and she launched into this massive rant about the way women are presented in video games, impractical female combat attire and you being the scum of the earth, and when I giggled she hid all my Frank Miller comics. Thanks arsehole!

Heh, remember that mega-feminist who came on here for a short while and started calling us all "shovenist"?

[TheAdmantArchvile]

Hers something odd I found. Remember that old fighting game Mugen? Heres a fighter that gives a new meaning to the phrase "Fighting Dirty"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F9A191wT1g&feature=related

His name is slime. Watch out

[Captain Red]

TheAdmantArchvile said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F9A191wT1g&feature=related

WHAT THE FUCK

[TheAdmantArchvile]

Captain Red said:

WHAT THE FUCK

Oh but it gets worse. If slime is fighting a Male character, then he turns into a girl and forces the character to rape himself/herself.

[Sharessa]

TheAdmantArchvile said:

Hers something odd I found. Remember that old fighting game Mugen? Heres a fighter that gives a new meaning to the phrase "Fighting Dirty"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F9A191wT1g&feature=related

His name is slime. Watch out

Welcome to MUGEN, AKA Pervert Fighter.

[Death-Destiny]

TheAdmantArchvile said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F9A191wT1g&feature=related

...

...

...

O_o WTF?

Captain Red said:

Oh! that reminds me; Hey leileilol I showed my sister some of your openarena models and she launched into this massive rant about the way women are presented in video games, impractical female combat attire and you being the scum of the earth, and when I giggled she hid all my Frank Miller comics. Thanks arsehole!

I'd have to agree with Captain Red's sister. Of course that's an overgeneralization since not all video games portay women in a negative light, but Slime's just a tad bit degrading IMO. I'd bet money that Slime's developer was a male and that he was single at the time, as I can't think of many other demographics that would get much satisfaction from it. I'd also bet women would not play with or against that character (at least I wouldn't...) For those of you who are male, don't you think you'd find stuff like that at least the slightest bit irksome if you were a woman? >=(

Just on a side note, single males aren't the only ones who play video games. While increasing sexual content arguably gains more money from that crowd, wouldn't making a game that appeals to a wider audience make even more money? Girls and women play video games too, you know. =/

[40oz]

Holy shit. I don't play mugen, but that was fucked up. I thought it was pretty funny that when slime wins a fight, it busts all over the dead opponent. I noticed that in the last fight, when it turns into a giant mouth and slowly vacuums the girl in, she got spit out undressed, is that was it was intended for?

Death-Destiny said:

Just on a side note, single males aren't the only ones who play video games. While increasing sexual content arguably gains more money from that crowd, wouldn't making a game that appeals to a wider audience make even more money? Girls and women play video games too, you know. =/

I think that's what Nintendo Wii is aimed for. But I know the Tony Hawk Series is played almost equally by both men and women, and their doing a great job, working on their 9th sequel.

[40oz]

EDIT: Double post

[Kira]

Haha this Slime is just hilarious **