Lack Of Nudity in Dragon Age Was Designer's Call

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
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Lack Of Nudity in Dragon Age Was Designer's Call



Apparently, Dragon Age: Origins' stilted and awkward pixelated sex was what BioWare was shooting for.

Through interactions with characters in your party, as well as prostitutes, it is currently possible to initiate animated sex scenes in Dragon Age: Origins. During these animations, however, the characters are wearing underwear. In an interview with videogamer.com, BioWare co-founder and CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka claimed that it was the design team's decision to have no nudity during the sex scenes in Dragon Age: Origins.

"It's an artistic choice by the development team," explained Muzyka, who is also the company's cofounder and producer of the classic Baldur's Gate series. "We don't constrain what they do. We don't strive for gratuitous content. But we also ask the teams to choose a direction and then run with it. That was their choice. That's how they wanted to depict the romantic liaisons in the game, so that's what we did."

It is good to know that the decision wasn't handed down from Electronic Arts HQ, and that the designers made the call on their own. In some ways, I agree with the no nudity policy in Dragon Age because it's an RPG and not a cheesy sex simulator. If I wanted that, I would play Leisure Suit Larry.

But if you are going to add the ability to have sex in your role playing game, it needs to feel real and not break immersion. By all accounts, BioWare failed at this in DA:O. I personally haven't gotten to partake in any of the fun of these scenes during my playthrough. But the videos I've seen online [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U86f5nBD_0&feature=player_embedded] do seem to hint at intimacy, with quick edits and low lighting, rather than hardcore sex, which is good. But the weird movements of the animated figures and the fact that their bodies are fully lit, with underwear clearly visible, is a bit laughable.

For my money, game designers at a prestigious company like BioWare should look towards cinema for hints on how to show sex without being too dirty. The low lighting was a good start, but it should look like the tent sex scene in Dances With Wolves [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dances_with_Wolves] between Lt. Dunbar and Stands With A Fist and not like two adults rolling around in their underwear by the fire.

Am I right?

Source: Videogamer [http://www.videogamer.com/news/bioware_no_nudity_in_dragon_age_an_artistic_choice.html]

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KeyMaster45

Gone Gonzo
Jun 16, 2008
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"It's an artistic choice by the development team,"

Translation: We didn't want to be the next Hot Coffee incident

To be honest they probably would have been better off going with Fable's way of portraying sex. A black screen and random moaning noises, least it leaves something to the imagination.
 

Teh_Doomage

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Jan 11, 2009
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I have yet to see any of the scenes nor will I watch the videos posted of them, but knowing there is a lack of nudity doesn't phase me in the least as it's just a facet of a great game.
 

Random Argument Man

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May 21, 2008
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Don't worry. Rule 34 will probably pops it head out by some user mod for the PC.

Although, it would probably be a big "no shit sherlock".
 

Loves2spooge

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Apr 13, 2009
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Greg Tito said:
The low lighting was a good start, but it should look like the tent sex scene in Dances With Wolves [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dances_with_Wolves] between Lt. Dunbar and Stands With A Fist and not like two adults rolling around in their underwear by the fire.

Am I right?

Source: Videogamer [http://www.videogamer.com/news/bioware_no_nudity_in_dragon_age_an_artistic_choice.html]

Permalink
'Stands with a Fist'? Blimey, she must've had practice...

I'm sorry, I had to.
 

Baby Tea

Just Ask Frankie
Sep 18, 2008
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I didn't mind the lack of nudity.
I found the scenes 'fine'. Not 'great', but not really 'bad' either.
 

Amnestic

High Priest of Haruhi
Aug 22, 2008
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KeyMaster45 said:
To be honest they probably would have been better off going with Fable's way of portraying sex. A black screen and random moaning noises, least it leaves something to the imagination.
Except for a brief introduction, that's what my lass had with her prostitute.

But yeah, DA:O's sex scenes are bad. Real bad. The movements are awkward and painful to look at. The first kiss between my character and Leliana was fine because there was a head blocking what I can only assume was a terrible meating of two pairs of CG lips which are never done right, but the sex scenes are just awful.
 

Fat Hippo

Prepare to be Gnomed
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May 29, 2009
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I guess the whole Mass Effect scandal made them cautious, which I can understand, but I still felt gipped over. A sex scene like this, but in a movie, would have the audience howling with laughter. Very unsatisfying. (not like that, you perv!)
 

CD-R

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Fat_Hippo said:
I guess the whole Mass Effect scandal made them cautious, which I can understand, but I still felt gipped over. A sex scene like this, but in a movie, would have the audience howling with laughter. Very unsatisfying. (not like that, you perv!)
Yeah they probably didn't want to deal with Fox News again. And really, nobody wants to do that.
 

Otterpoet

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Jun 6, 2008
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And they faded-to-black with the nugs! 'The nugs refuse to look you in the eye.' Poor form and just plain unfair, right?! Right?

Hrm... I may be in the minority here.
 

dududf

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Aug 31, 2009
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Obviously it's MAGIC underwear that when near other MAGIC underwear stimulates the ..erm.. area. :p
 

Littaly

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Jun 26, 2008
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DA:O has so much going for it it doesn't need gratuitous sex. It's enough that it's implied.

A really detailed good looking (even if tasteful) sex scene would also seem kind of WTF in a game that is generally not that graphically impressive. Had it been say... Uncharted (and that's not too far fetched...) I would probably have expected it to be more realistic and have more feeling. But Dragon Age is not that kind of game, very few of the actions are only implied, not even the hand gestures look natural, so it's only fitting the sex is not high quality.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
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Jul 18, 2009
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It is possible to have sex with your underwear on.

Christ, it's possible to have sex while wearing a 3 piece suit.
 

Jandau

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Dec 19, 2008
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KeyMaster45 said:
"It's an artistic choice by the development team,"

Translation: We didn't want to be the next Hot Coffee incident
Considering there are gay sex scenes in the game, I don't think the Media Watchdogs [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MediaWatchdog] need nudity to crucify this game if they so desire...
 

Brotherofwill

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Jan 25, 2009
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Artistic choice?
Bullshit.

More like 'We-didn't-have-the-balls-to-go-through-with-nudity-in-fear-of-the-huge-backlash-that-follows-from-angry-housewives-and-uninformed-newschannels' choice.

There is no reason why they would opt for such a design if compared to the overall 'mature' design choices of bloodsplatters etc. If they would have just left all this pretense of maturity bullshit away with the annoying blood theme, harsh language and absolutely retarted Marilyn Manson commercials the game would have been a lot better.
 

Proteus214

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Jul 31, 2009
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Amnestic said:
KeyMaster45 said:
To be honest they probably would have been better off going with Fable's way of portraying sex. A black screen and random moaning noises, least it leaves something to the imagination.
Except for a brief introduction, that's what my lass had with her prostitute.

But yeah, DA:O's sex scenes are bad. Real bad. The movements are awkward and painful to look at. The first kiss between my character and Leliana was fine because there was a head blocking what I can only assume was a terrible meating of two pairs of CG lips which are never done right, but the sex scenes are just awful.
So true. A CG kiss is so hard to pull off.
Brotherofwill said:
Artistic choice?
Bullshit.

More like 'We-didn't-have-the-balls-to-go-through-with-nudity-in-fear-of-the-huge-backlash-that-follows-from-angry-housewives-and-uninformed-newschannels' choice.
Exactly. I think that it would have been fine for either realistic accuracy or sex appeal. Controversy almost always boosts sales anyway.
 

Echolocating

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Jul 13, 2006
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I haven't played the game, but I clicked on that YouTube link and... *shudders* ...I just hope that my brain hasn't been permanently damaged. Seriously, that was 1000 times worse than being Rickrolled.
 

Laura.

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May 30, 2009
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Damn! And I though I was going to see some CG boobs!

But seriously, it's ok if they didn't want the game to show nudity... although they should have avoided showing full bodies. The underwear completely ruins it.
 

Kollega

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Jun 5, 2009
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Oh my. No nudity? Fine. But at least extinguish the lights so it dosen't look lame!