198: Love Triangle

[Samantha Xu]

Love Triangle

There are plenty of internet communities dedicated to videogame characters, but few are as discomforting as Silent Hill's Pyramid Head. Samantha Xu speaks with Pyramid Head fangirls and academics about what it means to fantasize about a fictional murderer and serial rapist.

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[Aptspire]

I've always been a big fan of SH2. I hope the female gamers also noticed that he kills Maria, one of the few 'normal-looking' females three times (though that's James punishment-and a different subject)

 

[Random Argument Man]

Woa....My jaw just dropped after reading this article.

 

[neuromasser]

^seconded

 

[ShadowKirby]

Yeah, that's also why girls like Twilight.......... at least SH2 is way better.

 

[Labyrinth]

In a way an attraction to this darker portrayal might have something to do with the fact that the "Darker side" is repressed, somehow deeper within a person and much more intimate. Once you read Pyramid Head as a part of James' psyche it could display an empathy and desire that these women have for the main character himself.

Making games to appeal to "what men want" is assumed to be easy. Breasts and violence feature most prominently in that (or in this case gore and Nurses). It could be seen as more difficult for developers to find such an effective formulae when writing to a female audience which helps neither gender stereotype really. We're not as confusing as we're made out to be, I swear!

 

[Saevus]

I love these articles that draw upon field and scholarly research.

 

[Same River New Water]

I don't mean this as a contradiction of the main thrust (no pun intended) of the article, just a sidenote: many of those 736 members of the "Pyramid Head <3" group are probably kidding. I have a hard time believing people who leave comments like "He's so sexy, how he kills everything he sees" were writing that with a straight face.

But you never know...

 

[Boaal]

Wow.. it's basically some pathetic "I could make him fluffy!" scenario...

 

[Fightgarr]

Uhh... This is mildly hilarious, in a kind of messed up way. That is certainly a strange attraction to have. He has the ultimate S&M headgear I guess.
I'm dressing as Pyramid Head for sure if I go a convention like that.

 

[irishdelinquent]

This article scared me slightly. What the hell is wrong with women these days?!

 

[Xvito]

What... The... Fuck!?

Well, to each their own...

 

[Liverandbacon]

This article scared me slightly. What the hell is wrong with women these days?!

its simple, put a Pyramid Head costume on, get girls to like you.

You forgot the killing. You need to kill everything you see.



To each their own I suppose, but ugh.

 

[Saevus]

This article scared me slightly. What the hell is wrong with women these days?!

I'm sorry, is that supposed to be a joke? Aside from the sweeping implication that this sort of sexuality is 'wrong', there have been plenty of unusual manifestations of sexuality in both men and women since ancient times. Go read Story of O if a little rape/BDSM fantasy scared you.

 

[irishdelinquent]

This article scared me slightly. What the hell is wrong with women these days?!

I'm sorry, is that supposed to be a joke? Aside from the sweeping implication that this sort of sexuality is 'wrong', there have been plenty of unusual manifestations of sexuality in both men and women since ancient times. Go read Story of O if a little rape/BDSM fantasy scared you.

Yes, I meant this as a joke/sarcastically. I fully support anyone's sexual preferences (aside from pedophelia).

 

[NotAPie]

well...its better then twilight.

 

[Valiance]

I find it amazed at how people in this thread didn't already know this.

I figured this out a while ago. And yeah, it really hurt, and it warped my mind, and I had to completely change myself which, in retrospect, wasn't worth it. In order to get a girl, even a girl you love, you have to pretend you have some dark side, some wild beast, some personal problems - it makes them obligated to care about you because they want to fix you.

And because they think sex with a wild animal would be a lot more exciting, so...

I don't know, many people have a fetish like that. And I don't wanna get into that kind of discussion, but I just mean that this shouldn't surprise you when plenty of men are into certain things like that, plenty of women are into certain "sick*" things too.

* = "judged immoral by modern society but I'm sure it will be even more acceptable in about 20 years"

 

[smiley92]

This article scared me slightly. What the hell is wrong with women these days?!

its simple, put a Pyramid Head costume on, get girls to like you.

i dont know why but he does seem to be the bad-ass of Silent Hill, even the enemies after SH2 seem wimpy compared to the hulking, giant pwn-sword/knife wielding, monstrosity that we only know by his signature helmet. seeing him for the first time nearly made me quit playing the game in a rare "screw this" moment...

LOLL! The first time you him is like..."Oh my God... why am I playing this game?" Knowing, at that moment, that he would become the source of sexual desire for some women would probably have made him way less scary.

 

[Microraptor]

The New York Times Magazine ran a very interesting article a few months ago about female sexuality and the current research being done.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/magazine/25desire-t.html?_r=1