A Comic About Breasts

[Rebel_Raven]

I feel that liking boobs on this website is worse than bein the devil himself sometimes with all the sexism-talks. I don't really enjoy the character design because its soooo unproportional/unrealistic/inhuman but people I don't see how people can judge the game that much if there are alternative characters not so over-sexualized. And I don't really enjoy games that are all about sex-appeal such as DoA or Bayonetta but I just don't understand why people feel the need to complain about them; if yo don't like them, then don't play them.

Part of the problem with disliking the over-sexualized portrayals of women is that if you don't buy them, you're losing a healthy dose of gaming options. Options are thin as it is.
There were years in the past where you couldn't even get a game with a female protagonist outside of going indie, or getting games that are a few years old, or really researching and looking hard, and you didn't even really have the option to suck it up, and buy a game that's potentially aesthetically insulting.
When there were games with female protagonists, they were oversexualized women. You either dealt with it, or you just didn't get new games.

This year is probably the best since Y2K in terms of game releases with women in practical clothes, nevermind releases with female protagonists in general. But saying that, it's not exactly hard for a year to be the best. Tomb raider, and Remember Me, largely. Maybe a few low profile games that most have never heard of.
Next year might be on par, or slightly better, but I trust nothing until the games get release dates to the month and day.

Also, sorry about hearing you feel that way. If liking boobs is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

I think the problems with sexualization stems, largely, because it's so common in so many games it's really hard to ignore. There aren't many alternatives. If there were diversity there'd be a lot less problems.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

I don't see this happening because, honestly, I don't get the impression that most of the people talking about the Sorceress were actually interested in buying the game. On boards where people actually talk about looking forward to playing it, as opposed to debating its gender politics, there appear to be pretty strong contingents planning to main just about every class.

 

[5mj7R7yf4Dwr3gdZyyu9PeGNwYjlNrjzuh3iTXQG]

Must...Google... HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD MATRIX BOOBS! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRTugqDo1WM]

PS: Don't click that unless you want your sensibilities violated. You've been warned.

PSS: Disappointed by the lack of nudity.

238U

 

[Cybylt]

Three support casters and a ranger? Their party balance is shit.

I was a bit on the fence about this game because of a scenario like that in the comic, to be honest. But then I heard someone with a review copy state every attack can be cancelled into every other attack so I'm sold.

Probably start with Fighter since he seems incredibly under-represented by everything, also because shield bashing.

 

[Paragon Fury]

Three support casters and a ranger? Their party balance is shit.

I was a bit on the fence about this game because of a scenario like that in the comic, to be honest. But then I heard someone with a review copy state every attack can be cancelled into every other attack so I'm sold.

Probably start with Fighter since he seems incredibly under-represented by everything, also because shield bashing.

But Rain Spider, wouldn't you be better suited to a ranger like the Elf? Leave the CQC stuff to DP and his little minion.

 

[Cybylt]

Three support casters and a ranger? Their party balance is shit.

I was a bit on the fence about this game because of a scenario like that in the comic, to be honest. But then I heard someone with a review copy state every attack can be cancelled into every other attack so I'm sold.

Probably start with Fighter since he seems incredibly under-represented by everything, also because shield bashing.

But Rain Spider, wouldn't you be better suited to a ranger like the Elf? Leave the CQC stuff to DP and his little minion.

Haven't you forgotten the whip? Or how I thrashed the Punk and later a couple of thugs with a stick?

 

[DaRigger420]

I imagine it will be quite hard for Erin to ever forget...

... the mammaries of this game.

I'm posting again, because puns are

...my "main squeeze".

Is it just me... or is it a bit

nippy here

I find this strip to be quite

...titillating.

the mods are going to rest these puns..

...on dirty pillows.

I think these puns are going to go on and on in an endless game of..

tit for tat.

 

[BoTTeNBReKeR]

Also, every time I see the fighter I think of this:

Spoiler

You do realise that WH40K space marines are actually as gigantic as their power suits are, right?

Spoiler

 

[wAriot]

I actually wanna pick up this game, but I don't have a PS3.

It honestly looks and sounds pretty good, exaggerated character designs aside.

I think we've had our fill of "Everyone but the elf has an extremely exaggerated design" jokes though, haven't we?

I find kind of ironic the fact that pretty much no one outside of Japan realizes that the elf is as "exaggerated" as the Sorceress, if not even more.

 

[Birdnest]

There were years in the past where you couldn't even get a game with a female protagonist outside of going indie, or getting games that are a few years old, or really researching and looking hard, and you didn't even really have the option to suck it up, and buy a game that's potentially aesthetically insulting. When there were games with female protagonists, they were oversexualized women. You either dealt with it, or you just didn't get new games.

This year is probably the best since Y2K in terms of game releases with women in practical clothes, nevermind releases with female protagonists in general. But saying that, it's not exactly hard for a year to be the best. Tomb raider, and Remember Me, largely. Maybe a few low profile games that most have never heard of.

I always have to wonder about these things. "Even" as a guy I like playing female characters and preferably female characters with some character. Sure, those sexualized characters have their appeal, but when they are thrown at me a dime a dozen they are just plain boring. I found it quite weird when they said, that Transistor had problems raising funding, because the suits didn't believe gamers wanting a game with (that kind of?) female protagonist...

As a juvenile my differents probably were different, but considering that http://www.theesa.com/facts/ says that the average gamer is 30, and weighted by game purchases 35, I wonder about the relevance of juvenile tastes.

To be fair (and avoid too obvious bigotry), I still DO react to sexualized advertisment. It is just an easy method to raise some first interest, so yes, sexualized advertising or generally visually attractive female cast is likely to increase my chance of buying the game, or at least informing myself about the game. And while "visually attractive" doesn't necessarily mean showing a big bosom in sparse clothing but might also be achieved by visuals that hint at character, the first is possible the easier method to raise the interest of the widest possible range of potential customers.

As for Dragon's Crow, it is so overdone here, that it doesn't even have the described advertisment effect on me, so I'd let it go as proper caricature, even though it may still be sexist depending on how the stereotypes are used in the actual story/gameplay. Shallow, big-bosom female characters have valid use in a game-culture-caricature after all. I just fear, that the caricature-character may be lost to enough gamers in order to fill the game community with enough mysgonist atmosphere to make it uninteresting not only to female gamers, unless they are very strict about kicking players for abusive attitudes.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

There were years in the past where you couldn't even get a game with a female protagonist outside of going indie, or getting games that are a few years old, or really researching and looking hard, and you didn't even really have the option to suck it up, and buy a game that's potentially aesthetically insulting. When there were games with female protagonists, they were oversexualized women. You either dealt with it, or you just didn't get new games.

This year is probably the best since Y2K in terms of game releases with women in practical clothes, nevermind releases with female protagonists in general. But saying that, it's not exactly hard for a year to be the best. Tomb raider, and Remember Me, largely. Maybe a few low profile games that most have never heard of.

I always have to wonder about these things. "Even" as a guy I like playing female characters and preferably female characters with some character. Sure, those sexualized characters have their appeal, but when they are thrown at me a dime a dozen they are just plain boring. I found it quite weird when they said, that Transistor had problems raising funding, because the suits didn't believe gamers wanting a game with (that kind of?) female protagonist...

As a juvenile my differents probably were different, but considering that http://www.theesa.com/facts/ says that the average gamer is 30, and weighted by game purchases 35, I wonder about the relevance of juvenile tastes.

To be fair (and avoid too obvious bigotry), I still DO react to sexualized advertisment. It is just an easy method to raise some first interest, so yes, sexualized advertising or generally visually attractive female cast is likely to increase my chance of buying the game, or at least informing myself about the game. And while "visually attractive" doesn't necessarily mean showing a big bosom in sparse clothing but might also be achieved by visuals that hint at character, the first is possible the easier method to raise the interest of the widest possible range of potential customers.

As for Dragon's Crow, it is so overdone here, that it doesn't even have the described advertisment effect on me, so I'd let it go as proper caricature, even though it may still be sexist depending on how the stereotypes are used in the actual story/gameplay. Shallow, big-bosom female characters have valid use in a game-culture-caricature after all. I just fear, that the caricature-character may be lost to enough gamers in order to fill the game community with enough mysgonist atmosphere to make it uninteresting not only to female gamers, unless they are very strict about kicking players for abusive attitudes.

Not terribly surprised to hear that about Transistor.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-03-20-bastion-developer-teases-transistor-for-pax-east
That link might help you remember the incident. It backs up your rememberance at least partially.

Sexualized women in advertisements are case by case with me if I'm bothered, or not. It depends on the extent of it, how reliant it is on it, the general art style, who the women are to/in the game, and what they're doing in the game.
I recognize sex sells, but there's a point when a game becomes too reliant on it.

Dragon's Crown doesn't really bother me. Not as far as the Amazon, or Sorceress go, anyhow. I see both sides of the contovercy of the designs, and I understand the world of the game. The Amazon, and Sorceress don't seem shallow, or inferior combat wise compared to the male counterparts, and the elf, though that's a view from the outside. I can't comment on the other women in the game. I want to play the game, but haven't yet.
I've got a bit of a thick skin against sexual depictions. Partly because I can appreciate them. I like looking at them, and I like looking good in a game.

I can fully understand why Dragon's Crown is offensive, though.

 

[SandroTheMaster]

I shouldn't need to explain that the male characters are NOT sexualized. They're idealized as part of a male power fantasy. THEY ARE NOT designed to appeal to women. There are plenty of reasons to defend Dragon's Crown's stylistic choices, chief amongst them being the awesome technical prowess of the Vanillaware art team, but the whole "the men are sexualized too!" argument is bullshit and you know it.

As for the Amazon drawing from Greek ideals, debatable. The ideal greek form had wide hips (check), defined musculature (check), correct fat proportions (nope) and small breasts (hell to the fucking nope). I personally adore the design, it's exaggerated to the point of freakishness, which I like, but I can see why others take issue.

Finally. No one is calling the game misogynist. They ARE calling it "sexist." Which is a fair cop, the game's female characters are treated differently from the male characters, just look at the poses. You can argue that this is because the game is drawing from sexist influences (Frazetta et al) and recognizing these influences is good, but it doesn't make the final product any less sexist.

My point is less that they're also sexualized and more that they're all drawing from heroic aesthetics. That the female "heroic aesthetic" veers that way may be unfortunate. Also, the game's developers were full well aware of what they were doing when they took from these aesthetics. These aesthetics were created to give these impressions.

Also, I didn't say the amazon drew from Greek FEMALE ideals. She drew from Greek ATHLETIC ideals. I look at her and see the same body type of athletes depicted in Greek urns and the like, only with the same traits put on a female body (because there were, unfortunately, no female athletes among the classic Greeks as far as I'm aware).

Personally, I find the Sorceress design off-putting for sexiness. I find the Amazon's body fascinating, but not really sexy. The elf does hit one of my personal fetishes but overall I like the design more. In any case I look at the game and see much more of the heroic conan-esque aesthetic applied to every character than sexist design. But then again, maybe the designs weren't made to sex-appeal someone like me.

 

[Gestapo Hunter]

that boob on head looks reeeeeeally familiar.

 

[Roxor]

You're good, Mr Artist. I anticipated the entirety of this comic from the title alone.

 

[BiscuitWheels]

The funny part about this is turned out to be pretty much the exact opposite of what actually happened. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting an elf.