Are sexualised women in games insulting to male audiences too?

[Stammer]

Believe it or not, I find women with enormous tits (in video games in particular) to just be plain ugly. I remember buying Mortal Kombat Armageddon and one of the biggest turn-offs for me about that game was just that every female character had HUGE boobs. Even in the character creator you had a breast slider that went from DD minimum to monster truck huge.

I think showing women off in video games is just as insulting to us guys as it is to women. To women it's obviously insulting because it shows them off as being nothing more than eye candy. To men it's insulting because it's assuming we don't care about anything else in video games.

 

[Vykrel]

DoA and some skimpy female characters in fighting games are a little insulting to guys... like we will droll over these fakey japanese whores. and even if we do, i dunno about you guys but i dont like being aroused when im trying to play a video game.

Edit: i mean "drool" XD

 

[SuperUberBob]

It's not insulting. It's advertising.

If a majority of people really were insulted by this, then these advertisements wouldn't exist.

Yeah, I am not keen on pixelated women with freakish breasts. But enough people are to continue the trend and I understand that from a business perspective.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Well...it would have been insulting, except that the idea works.

 

[Infernai]

I have nothing against a couple of scenes of mild 'fanservice' appearing once or twice in a game like any other male on the planet. However, games that are solely relying on sex appeal or anything else of the sort bore the living hell outta me and annoy me endlessly. I play games to either enjoy a story or to just have fun, plus i like my characters to have some depth outside of just jumping about in skimpy outfits.

Reason why I just can't stand Bayonetta, Devil May Cry and most fighting games.

That upcoming game "Catherine" or something really takes it to a new level of obnoxious advertising.

Now now that hardly seems fair: Devil May cry, compared to Bayonetta atleast, is actually pretty freaking tame with this sort of thing. Most of the characters actually wear outfits that aren't to revealing (Yes, Lady does dress sort of skimpy in DMC 3 but it fits because her fighting style is one that requires her to be heavily mobile. And yeah, Nevan was more then a bit on the skimpy side but...considering she seems to be more the 'lure, seduce then destroy' variety of demon, it fits). Not saying you aren't allowed to dislike Devil May Cry, I'm just saying that, compared to the likes of say bayonetta, it's actually quite tame in terms of sexualised female characters.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Too bad Ninja Gaiden is actually a good game as well. No I don't feel the same because I don't care at all. Put a giant 10 foot cock on on the box cover and I will still play the hell out of it if the game is good. Who cares? Honestly?

 

[syltman]

It is bloody annoying. Plus embarrassing. I couldn't buy one of these games in a shop, even if I wanted to. And I don't think my parents would be too happy when they saw the box art. Still, I'm not opposed to sex in games, I just want it done right.

I somewhat agree with this, though I've no idea how you could possible do it right, ME2 was retarded and I felt so stupid watching the sex scenes. And generally in movies it doesn't fit either.

 

[PrototypeC]

Still not sure about what "phwoaaaar" or indeed "phrrroaaar" symbolizes, possibly slack-jawed duncity at the prospect of something too sexy? We don't use that in the West, unless it's brought from overseas.

Never played X-Blades, but I have seen some games and franchises insult my intelligence and my suspension of disbelief by using these tactics. Case in point: Soul Calibur. That series had the classic fighting game stereotypes from the very beginning, but with time and focus they pulled back on that and made their female fighters heroic, important and far from just side characters you could play if you really felt you had to.

But then, the breasts.

See, it seems your female character isn't a respectable fighter (or person, for that matter) unless they have breasts as a selling point. I still hate Cassandra for her shameless sexualization of everything on top of being a massive *****. Taki is awesome, serious, focused, totally non-sexual in her ninja aloofness... and she has the biggest breasts in the game, under a more-than-skin-tight bodysuit. Ivy is a true serious badass, not good or evil but merely driven and talented. She's a master alchemist, for godsake. She's a genius in a number of fields. What does she wear to battle? A bikini-suit designed to show off her sizable cleavage. Sophitia is a mother of two, with a happy marriage, not to mention she's wearing a metal bikini which wouldn't allow for bounce... but there it is anyway.

They keep upping the cup size of every character with each new installment, and they added (god help us) JIGGLE PHYSICS for SC2 and they've been improving on the system as they've gone on. It doesn't matter if they're underage, or a man, either, they'll use 'em.

 

[yamitami]

This is exactly why I love Metal Gear Solid. Yes, the girls run around with shirts unzipped in Alaska, but Kojima approaches sexualized characters in an equal opportunity way. There's a lot more staring at Snake's ass than there is Meryl in her underwear. And of course the way Naked Cartwheeling Raiden makes a lot of guys nervous does a lot to balance out not only MGS's scantily clad women, but also the industry in general.

That's where my issue lies. If you want to have scantily clad women then go for it! Just have some scantily clad guys for balance. As long as everyone's in a metal thong then we're all playing equal.

 

[DevilWolf47]

I'd like to say yes, but it's hard to think when you're around such huge knockers.
...maybe that's the point.

"The people with real talent were either fired or are working on independent projects. What do we do?"
"Quick! We must exploit the female characters! Maybe they'll be too busy staring at boobs to notice that this series has had no breakthroughs in gameplay since the PS1."
"BRILLIANT!!"

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

Yes. Guess they figure that if you slap some tits on it, we'll all buy. Not the case.

 

[honkyjesus]

Have you seen the prototypical male in games nowadays? Kratos, Gears of War steroid homoerotic images of a man? It goes both ways, sex sells, and it continues because it works. Anyone saying a Bayonetta doesn't make them want to play the game is fibbing. Anyone who says A Gears of War character isn't beefed up because dudes like big dudes in a sexy way is fibbing.

 

[honkyjesus]

This is exactly why I love Metal Gear Solid. Yes, the girls run around with shirts unzipped in Alaska, but Kojima approaches sexualized characters in an equal opportunity way. There's a lot more staring at Snake's ass than there is Meryl in her underwear. And of course the way Naked Cartwheeling Raiden makes a lot of guys nervous does a lot to balance out not only MGS's scantily clad women, but also the industry in general.

That's where my issue lies. If you want to have scantily clad women then go for it! Just have some scantily clad guys for balance. As long as everyone's in a metal thong then we're all playing equal.

Kojima approaches sexualized characters equally? Kojima is the worst, only thing that sucks is his games are so boring it's hard to adore the dumb chicks with huge knockers.

 

[Prometherion]

I struggle to think of a "normal girl" in a game, I think Red Dead is the closest. Life is normal and a normal girl is best because its relatable - or at least plausable.

See here's the thing. If a game has "normal girls" you're not SUPPOSED to be able to remember them. People always bring out the "oh you can't name five normal Female characters in games" card. It's stupid! If they're normal, If they look normal, talk normal, act normal. Then they don't stand out! And that's absolutely FINE! That's how it's supposed to BE!

Like right now I'm playing Fallout: New Vegas and it has a metric TON of average relatable and likable female characters. Sunny, Cass, Judy (or whatever, the mother-hen of goodsprings), Ghost, Ada Straus.etc.

I remember them now cause I'm actively interacting with them, but once i stop playing.....i WON'T remember them. Why? Not because they're bad or uninteresting. But because they are NORMAL and aren't "designed" to be memorable. It's the same way as how i won't remember who Doc Mitchell, or Manny vargas, or Cliff is.

Who I WILL remember is Boone or Fawkes(FO3). But if i got a female companion i liked enough to have her tag along, and if she had a deep enough personality, then SURE I'd remember her. Why wouldn't I?

Fawkes was a woman. Kinda, though no one thought she was sexy. Kinda... *cough*

 

[Throwitawaynow]

Don't know if it's been said. But I think the same thing about Manswers. Extremely sexist to both, "We answer the questions men want!" It's so demeaning.

 

[Negatempest]

Oh no, i'm a very pure male who would never think of a woman to be nothing more than another person who I may mate with to further continue the human race. I should not in any way get any satisfaction from mating nor would it matter how she looks as long as she gives me offspring.


Sorry, but no I am not some hypocritical **** who tries to be some fake pure guy. I know what I am, I know what I like and I am satisfied with that. Now if the game was fluid and played great, that would be the cake. Now if the game also included beautiful women who were more than simple window dressing, than that is the icing AND decoration on the cake to both look and taste good. aka Bayonetta.

 

[Prometherion]

You have fallen into the same trap your railing against. by going on about things being condescending, you too are treating women as objects, to be set aside and respected. I'll get to the point; Do you know what kind of person complains about sex in vidjagames? stupid ones, ones with ridiculous opinions that are based around their own self inflation, the kind of person that thinks they can write a self defense book because they don't get attacked everyday, deluded enough to believe that it is because they are special, but too stupid to realize they are making a fool of themselves. these people get media attention BECAUSE they are making a fool of themselves, and people even stupider listen and then follow suit. this is how this shit started.

Know what's not OK? THIS.

This infuriating campaign against the "over sexualized" video games that everybody seems to think is a massive call by the shadow patriarchy in order to completely degrade women and push up their sales to dumbfounded drooling men. Let me ask you a question: Would you have had a problem with this if there wasn't so much media controversy surrounding sex in video games?

So to wrap things up, no, no no no, no, no no. You need to evolve past this idea that sex=bad and take a perspective look on your opinion of women. there are plenty of "normal" women in video games, if you haven't come across them then why are you on The Escapist? Alex Vance, or Jade from beyond good and evil, well known, how about Alexandra Roivas? (eternal darkness).

Maybe, just once. I would like hear an article on "parent of five and famous anti-sex-in-games member, realizes that nobody gives a fuck."

What trap? What campaign? I have an opinion, which i stated at the beginning of the thread. You are the one campaigning.

Dont presume my ego, my beliefs and my opinion. People do give a fuck, and people are usually civil enough to discuss their opinions. Rather than the rant /thread combo.

 

[Reece Stevens]

its very funny, while I obviously do find these characters attractive, I would much rather actually date somebody like alyx vance or zoey (strange how valve is so good at belivable female character design) just off merit that they actually have a personality that is more than LOOK AT MY ASS!