Gaming Sex in Video Games.

[Charles]

It can be said that violence has become a common, almost essential part of the gameplay experience in today's games. However, with the exception of obscure titles, such as Night Trap or Custer's Revenge (being two prime examples), strong sexual content has been traditionally discouraged and ignored in the gaming industry. As a matter of fact, even Night Trap seems tame by present day Hollywood standards.

Within the past decade however, the gaming industry has begun to adopt the concept of sexuality with open arms. Titles such as Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix, Duke Nukem, Grand Theft Auto III and Conker's Bad Fur Day, all contain bits of sexual imagery.

Although females have been exploited in the past as eye candy in games such as Tomb Raider and Dead or Alive, developers are now taking the concept to another level.

In the past, we've discussed Acclaim's new approach with the Dave Mirra BMX XXX. This title's bold new direction is due to Acclaim's belief that the demographic of today's gamer is older. Tasks such as finding a pimp's b*tch (dog), and blowing a bum (with a leaf blower) abound. Furthermore, developers are toiling over the idea of including nudity in full motion video.

DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball is another title that will be marketed with the concept of sex appeal.

Obviously, the industry as a whole is maturing. During the early nineties, Mortal Kombat sparked controversy like Wildfire. Today, games such as GTA3 and Resident Evil are released to critical acclaim. Once can infer that sex will eventually be integrated into households with less protest as time passes.

What are your opinions on sex in video games? Could the concept of sex hurt the evolution of gaming as developers sell their product with the hook of digital skin? This mature concept (while it's fairly fresh) could be used as a marketing stunt to cover up a poor product.

Insight from other gamers on the boards could be most interesting.

[James]

[color=royallbue]I don't believe that the game industry is maturing whatsoever, when it comes to sex. If anything, the depiction of sex in games is getting increasingly cheap and baseless.

Just look at Fear Effect. That game contained two lesbians as the protagonists. Now, that on its own isn't what worries me. But if you look at the ads where one woman is giving the other a massage, the entire thing appears to have been created specifically for male tastes. And I think that it's just about the lowest way to gain an audience.

That is why I am personally disgusted by Dave Mirra XXX; I'm not actually offended by the content, but I am [i]so[/i] saddened that a game developer has reached new lows, in terms of trying to reel in an audience with such cheap tactics.

If sex must be depicted in a game, I believe it should be [i]in context[/i]. It's the exact same as violence.

For example, take a look at a game like GTAIII. GTAIII's violence was, for the most part, in context -- it suited the character and the storyline. Even though the player is able to go off and do whatever he/she wants, the actual objectives incorporate violence as the "means to an end", so to speak. However, in games like State of Emergency, the violence was utterly pointless. And the objectives were hollow; they were put there [i]because[/i] of the violence...rather than having the objectives come first and the violence second. I hope that makes sense.

Sex in games should be the same. Games that plaster sex all over the screen for no good reason (DoA Volleyball and Dave Mirra XXX) are not welcomed by me at all. They serve no purpose and they demonstrate a clear lack of innovation and ideas on the part of the developer, not to mention a [i]cheap[/i] ploy to lure immature gamers who may not even have a great interest in the title without the sexual content.

However, if sex is portrayed in context (a kissing scene or a sex scene based on story...or strippers in a bar, where you actually have to go to the bar for an objective), I really don't mind.

It's all in how the developer portrays the sex...and how it is used in the game itself.[/color]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue]I can relate to it with some of the recent movies I've watched...I wouldn't mind sex in videogames that acutally had a thematic value to it...not just to sell, but to introduce an edge of realism...Silent Hill 2 just barely presents it through the creatures movements and some of the characters like Maria and Angela.[/COLOR]

[Guest cloricus]

[Color=Teal]As James says, it has to be in context.

Say in a game such as GTA3 the hookers on the sides of the road are acceptable because
1) They are used during the story line to help and be the missions and
2) They are trying to depict a dark, disturbing and low life filled city.

Just putting a violence or sex scene in with out any reason seems pointless and a waste of time [I]especially if your trying to play right though the whole game in one go.[/I]

As for selling it to immature gamers I don't believe that; if they wanted to see a sex scene they would watch sbs at night or get it off the net, not pay around $100 for a game.[/Color]

[Chaos]

I wouldn't care if a game had sexual content in it. I personally get games because I like them. But finding a pimp's ho just to get a bonus in a sports game is just plain retarded. That's where I draw the line. I don't like most sports games, however, so I really don't care.

I've been against editing and censoring my whole life. If a game is extremely 'offensive', then smack an AO on it. If someone buys it and a kid plays it, that's their fault. They shouldn't be leaving a game where you bang a whore or slit a white-collar worker's throat slowly because he tapped your car accidently out for their children to play.

I support gaming industries 'growing up' and adding new things to titles, but like stated before, add it in context. Let it be useful. Sure, I'll kill anything in a game if I can. In Red Faction, I'm particularly evil and I put a remote charge on fellow miners. But I do that because I'm evil.

Seriously, I really do hope the world grows up, though. Eventually, everyone sees everything. So why fight it. But let it be something meaningful.

Like if, say for instance, game characters have a sexual encounter in a game, let it be something to build a plot on. Not just bang 'em in a one-night stand.

But you get what I'm saying, right?

[No-Name]

i remember we had this discussion awhile ago, same topic title too.
I think as long as the game doesnt revolve around sex and the sex actually has a meaning rather than eye candy, then it's fine.

[Charles]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by No-Name [/i]
[B]i remember we had this discussion awhile ago, same topic title too.
I think as long as the game doesnt revolve around sex and the sex actually has a meaning rather than eye candy, then it's fine. [/B][/QUOTE]

Well, I don't remember this topic being discussed in the Sony forum. We had a similar chat about it in the Dave Mirra topic in the Nintendo forum, but I'm sure that that was as far as this discussion has gone. Nonetheless, more information has been revealed since that time and I feel that it would be nice to have a topic that deals with something more broad than "reviewing" or "previewing" games in this forum. :whoops:

Moving on, I mentioned that the video game industry was maturing only based on the age of consumers. These products are primarily being targeted towards males ages 18 to 34. This somewhat applies to many of us here, considering that we grew up playing not only Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, but the consoles that preceded them as well.

This demographic, within the boundaries of America at least, has propelled television shows and films featuring adult humor to tremendous success. American Pie, Jackass and Scary Movie are all three examples within the television or movie industry that enjoy similar approaches to the humor that developers are trying to achieve in their games.

It seems as if everyone agrees that context determines whether the use of sexual or violence appeal is necessary--and I agree with that. Plus, I do laugh at poor products that use gratuitous sexual imagery as a marketing ploy.

Yet, I did stumble upon one question that I had to ask myself. What makes gaming different from movies?

Upon learning of Dave Mirra's content, I was disappointed and still am somewhat. After all, why [I]should[/I] a BMX game include nudity and "mature" humor?

Yet, movies like Happy Gilmore, featuring a golfer that constantly swears and attacks others, have content that seems well out of context. Furthermore, almost anything that comes out of Hollywood, despite the subject matter, contains unnecessary nudity.

Are we setting a double standard by accepting the movie industry's open attitude towards sex or violence despite the subject matter, while criticizing the [I]exact[/I] situation within the gaming industry?

[Semjaza]

Well, at the same time there was reasoning behind what happened in Happy Gilmore... as stupid as those reasons might be.

In terms of video games... most games just put this stuff in because they know people will buy it. I look at games like Dave Mirra XXX and I don't know what to think. Sex has nothing to do with this sport. Neither does stopping a dog from crapping in the steet. Or making an apparently mentally handicapped kid crash into a wall to open a new area.

The gameplay mechanics might be fine, and the game itself might be good. But why put these things in this game? I think you'd be hard pressed to find any actually mature person really wanting this game. Yes I know what Acclaim says, and I know it will be rated M... but to me this game is totally aimed at people in their low teens. This is the actual demographic that is going to think this game is somehow "cool." Sure, most kids that age aren't like that... but enough are that it would probably really boost game sales.

I can't really think of a reason why nudity would be needed as a gameplay element. If it is somehow needed to tell a story, then fine. I have no problem with that. But why would you put a girl topless riding a bike in a game? What does that do?

Violence is another matter. And like was stated here, gamers are getting older and want more realistic and gritty games. But do they want things like Dave Mirra XXX, which are actually more [i]immature[/i] than anything? I don't know. I can definately say I'm not interested. This game sounds like a joke.

You can compare this to Conker as well... but to me that was a different situation. There was a point behind the immaturity and lewdness in that game, and it was well done. XXX just seems to use it because it can, and because they know sex sells. It's not innovating or adding to anything in any way other than that.

And as for movies... I know more people between the ages of 14 and 18 that have seen movies like Scary Movie and American Pie than anyone that is actually considered "mature." Comedy movies are an odd case, and I wouldn't generally apply them to the game world. But I still think there are right ways to do this, and wrong ways... and stuff like XXX is the wrong way.

[The Vampire: Ed]

Well, even though some, if not all, sexually explicit material in video games seem pretty tasteless. I think it's pretty much necessary with mature older audiences. It's not needed, but too many 'clean' games so to speak may make some people feel videos games are now out of their age range due to thinking it was too childish for them.

[vegeta rocker]

the day sexuality in games gets relevant i will play them without laughing my head off.

[TheGodlyME]

Well, I think that putting sex and other lude activities in video games will make the game more real, but there should be a limit to how far developers can go with it. I mean that they can't just have a whole game about sex. However, they should be allowed to show brief nudity where appropriate. And should make the games have higher ratings and warnings that such things are contained within the games.

[Chaos]

To The Gaming Godfather's point about Happy Gilmore: He was originally (trying to be) a hockey player, so that's how he would naturally act. ;) Good point though.

As for Mirra's XXX game, half of the whole game is ridicioulous. I just...I'm at a lose of words to describe my hatred for it.

Back to what I was saying (originally), I support sex in video games' context.

[Mitch]

[color=red]Most of what everyone is saying here is what I think. You're saying that you play a game because it's a [i]good[/i] game, not because of the eye candy or the content. Although this applies to most gamers (such as most here) some others think that the eye candy and the content are what make a game. That's their opinion. But to me, a good game mainy for me has to have a [i]good story[/i] for me to ever play it. If they made a game where all you see is nudity the whole time, that's what I mean by no story. The games like that that are just pointless I stay away from. Secondly a good game has to be [i]inovative and original[/i], of course it can have some Cliche's here and there, but not to many. My point is that games don't need to have sexual content unless it is [i]needed[/i] as a part of the story line (which is just what everyone is saying anyways). So no, I don't think Videogames are mature enough yet to have to much sexual material within it. Sure, a little here and there, but hasn't there always been a little sexuality in games?[/color]

[Red]

[b]I think sex in video games would be ok, to a certain extent. As long as it wasn't there for the sake of it, if it was part of the storyline.

DOA:Xtreme Beach VolleyBall is a bit of a mindless affair in my opinion, DOA sold bucketloads due to both it's sex appeal and gameplay.

I do agree that the games industry has matured, but only slightly. I think games don't just target particular age ranges any more. Even games deemed kiddy are played by adults. Look at whats happening with Super Mario Sunshine, some games magazines have been unable to complete it after 12 hour game sessions.

Games such as Resident Evil I don't think are targeted at adults, they provide a fair amount of horror to any age group. Nowadays children have seen all kinds of movies and TV shows incorperating violence and sex, (this is happening a lot in Britain, the watershed barely exists anymore) so they are used to the more "adult" games on todays market.

I doubt sex in video games will ever reach a distasteful level, games [i]only[/i] about sex have been released in the past, and have sold poorly and dismissed by critics everywhere.[/b]