Boobjam Seeks Busty Games Sans Tittillation

[2xDouble]

This sets up an interesting mechanic, but effectively punishes players for being the "wrong gender" by forcing them to pay/waste time to have their gear "adjusted" in order to have maximum effectiveness...

Then make sure neither sex is being punished more than the other.
Have as many female-fitted armor found from looting as male-fitted so that male-characters have to get them fitted as well.

Therein lies the problem. If it's not used to differentiate characters in some way, then why bother having it? It isn't going to be perceived as a statement for the practicality (or not) of having breasts, but as a superfluous extra step in obtaining loot. When you can play any "pants-driven" games, like Diablo or Torchlight, and just put on whatever pants you happen to pull out of a monster's gullet (ew, by the way), why would anyone play a similar game that adds additional steps to that process and/or effectively randomizes which loot you can and cannot use at any given time? ...unless that game happened to be significantly better in most other respects. It's the choice of "you can stand where you are and eat McDonald's or walk up the street and eat Wendy's". Not to say the effort isn't worth it, only that it's much more difficult for a relatively marginal advancement.

As for transgender, maybe have it be determined not by your sex, but by your physique?

That's what I was thinking, actually, but would that not lock players into a selection of physiques and body types? as opposed to the proposed sliders and middling options? Saints Row 2's designer was magnificently flexible, but when making things like gender/physique actually matter in-game, it can severely complicate the design process... again, for not really that much benefit, from a pure business standpoint.

I suppose it's all in how complex they want to make the system; it doesn't have to account for every possible body type, but we must consider how the game determines whether or not a character is male or female "enough" to require the refit. Would the maleness or femaleness be within certain thresholds, or above/below a single point? If the former, would those thresholds overlap in some way, or would there be gaps between, effectively creating additional "gender" types? and if the latter, what then makes the slider any different than a simple switch between secondary sliders determining physique? (like Saints Row 3)

And again... why the fuck is this being focused primarily on boobs? I'm still baffled by this.

Because codpieces are fairly universal and aren't particularly interesting from a design standpoint compared to chest/body pieces.

 

[KOMega]

Okay so lets get this straight.
We want a game that acknowledges breasts in a meaningful way, but not sexualized in any way.

Okay. I can see that happening, but I think it's definitely going to be an uphill battle there.

Not only because it's going up against the common idea that breasts are sexual parts, but also it's hard to make a game centered around just one (or two, if you wanna be technical) body part.

Hmmm, this idea doesn't center itself around breasts, but what about a game where you are a female spy and there was a mechanic where you could hide things in between your breasts?

Maybe a game with a female robot and breasts are just additional weapon slots?

This is somewhat difficult haha. What other fun ways can we use breasts outside of sexualization?

How does one balance making characters' mechanics unique based on physical characteristics, but equally effective in game terms without isolating one or the other or sacrificing "fun" from the game to make the statement?
It is a puzzlement... but I think there's a good start here.

Dragon's dogma did this in a subtle way.
During character creation there is an option for females to decide breast size.
Now weight and height is actually a somewhat important aspect of Dragon's Dogma. Tall heavy characters can carry more stuff and can pin down monsters a lot easier than say a short, light character.

Aside from adjusting your character's girth, muscle and height and whatnot, breasts also add weight. This is something you can decide. It's not very much, but it's something I guess.


Also, Glory to the Flat-Chested Master Race ;P

I demand a game named Pettanko Powah out of this.

Spoiler: spoiler tagged for size.

 

[theSteamSupported]

Next up, let's desexualise penis' and vaginas - penisandvaginajam.
Then, let's desexualise sex -sexjam.
I'll never understand the whole "boobs are used for titillation too much" thing. Boobs have two purposes, feeding infants and sexually arousing males.
It's like saying "boobs are used for breast feeding too much."

Actually breast feeding IS the only real purpose. We just happen to like looking at them, because they look like behinds.

 

[VonKlaw]

I've heard both but never been clarified, is having a breastplate with boob cups or just an expanded flat plate more practical/protective? Also, I imagine wearing a chain shirt would be murder, on men it hangs off the shoulders which is straining enough, on a woman, half the weight would just be hanging off her breasts...

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/05/boob-plate-armor-would-kill-you

As that link explains, having boob cups in your plate armor would kill you, since the entire point of platemail being flat is that it effectively deflects sword blows. Having boob plates would cause the sword/spear/whatever to actually glance towards the center of your chest and pierce, increasing the likelihood of injury.

This is not included the fact that the whole idea of female sculpted armor is absurd anyway (also in the link), since soldiers/knights in platemail usually wore so much padding under the armor that breasts would be irrelevant (unless they were huge).

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Boobjam hopes to change that by rallying developers to create games that might, say, offer comprehensive instructions on how to check one's own breasts for potentially dangerous lumps. Or maybe there's a superhero made of breasts.

Wow, sounds...riveting. I'll be sure to pick these up on Steam *cough* I'm sure these'll be...fun...to play.

 

[Smeatza]

Next up, let's desexualise penis' and vaginas - penisandvaginajam.
Then, let's desexualise sex -sexjam.
I'll never understand the whole "boobs are used for titillation too much" thing. Boobs have two purposes, feeding infants and sexually arousing males.
It's like saying "boobs are used for breast feeding too much."

Actually breast feeding IS the only real purpose. We just happen to like looking at them, because they look like behinds.

Correction, breast feeding was the original purpose. The fact they cause sexual arousal in males is an evolutionary mechanism that kept (and perhaps keeps) the species going.

 

[Oskuro]

I think this thread is a pretty good reason why this Boobjam needs to exist: So many people saying it can be done? A challenge to prove them wrong!

If we're throwing ideas around, I got a pair:

· The player character is a transgendered person. Choice can be made between male to female or female to male. Then the gameplay would be the character's quest for or against its own breasts, as it might fit. It could also double as a "message" game about transgender issues.

· The player, in first person, controls a young college girl suffering from macromastia. The main gameplay would be a series of "obstacle courses" where the character tried to accomplish goals. The "obstacles" being men (and the occasional lesbian). Gameplay would be about choosing what to wear (clothing, bra, accesories, hairdo) so as to balance mobility (there's a timer and bouncy breasts + stairs is a bad thing), male attention (because some tasks need male characters to do something for the player) and male "focus" (because we men turn into drooling idiots in the presence of breasts).
Note the first person requirement, so the male gaze is actually imposed on the player from the horny NPCs.


And finally, I would suggest Boobzilla... But Woody Allen already filmed "All You Wanted To Know About Sex But Where Afraid To Ask" decades ago.

 

[In Search of Username]

It's clear you're not seeing the point, since you completely missed it. The point isn't to make games that "realistically portray" boobs, it's to make games about boobs that don't have "male gaze" titillation as a core focus - a game specifically about boobs where (most) male gamers won't be aroused playing it. It doesn't have to be a "realistic" portrayal (since boobs are sex organs you can have realistic portrayals that are still designed to titillate), just a non-sexual portrayal.

Then what's the appeal? For educational purposes? Breasts are not an exciting topic for a video game, less so if they're being designed not to be 'titillating'. I wouldn't make a video game about, I dunno, my elbow. And it's the same thing if you're trying to avoid the sex appeal angle. They're going to make a statement, but not a fun game.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

Next up, let's desexualise penis' and vaginas - penisandvaginajam.
Then, let's desexualise sex -sexjam.
I'll never understand the whole "boobs are used for titillation too much" thing. Boobs have two purposes, feeding infants and sexually arousing males.
It's like saying "boobs are used for breast feeding too much."

Actually breast feeding IS the only real purpose. We just happen to like looking at them, because they look like behinds.

Actually, breastfeeding Isn't their only purpose. Yes, some of us DO have orgasms simply from having nipple stimulation.

"The researchers discovered that stimulation of the nipple activated an area of the brain known as the genital sensory cortex. This is the same brain region activated by stimulation of the clitoris, vagina, and cervix. What this means is that women?s brains seem to process nipple and genital stimulation in the same way. In light of this, it is not at all surprising that many women are aroused by having their nipples touched and that, for some, this may be enough to lead to orgasm."
http://www.scienceofrelationships.com/home/2011/12/16/breasts-are-best-can-women-orgasm-from-nipple-stimulation.html

OT:
As for the ideas of having our boobs as weapons. It has already been done to death. Just look at Queen's Blade Mellona. This isn't desexualizing them in any way shape or form. LOL

How about we just add a feature that every time a guy says " titties or GTFO" in a game a dwarf shows up to his house in real life and kicks him in the balls. That would solve the problem.

 

[otakon17]

People get freaked out when they see women breastfeeding. That is about as nonsexual use of breasts as possible. So, good luck coming up with anything about breasts that is not going freak out people.

It is really, the ONLY use for breasts. That is the SOLE REASON THEY EXIST, to FEED THE BABIES! Not for our entertainment or to ogle at. To feed babies.

And stating that, how about a simulation game where you play as a wetnurse tasked with keeping kids fed and burped? Don't know how you put gameplay into it, but it's an idea. Seriously, breasts. They're baby feeders and a secondary gender identifier. They aren't genitalia, they aren't innately sexualized, they're big glands that nature gave women to keep their babies well fed. It's our own damn fault that breasts have become so sexualized and how big boobs in media is always for cheesecake and the like. Originally, they were a status of femininity, fertility and motherhood. Especially large breasts, those were associated the most with motherhood if I remember correctly. Hopefully, someone comes up with a good idea for this thing and the haters of the world don't find some way to twist it into "THAT IS SEXIST!".

 

[NoeL]

It's clear you're not seeing the point, since you completely missed it. The point isn't to make games that "realistically portray" boobs, it's to make games about boobs that don't have "male gaze" titillation as a core focus - a game specifically about boobs where (most) male gamers won't be aroused playing it. It doesn't have to be a "realistic" portrayal (since boobs are sex organs you can have realistic portrayals that are still designed to titillate), just a non-sexual portrayal.

Then what's the appeal? For educational purposes? Breasts are not an exciting topic for a video game, less so if they're being designed not to be 'titillating'. I wouldn't make a video game about, I dunno, my elbow. And it's the same thing if you're trying to avoid the sex appeal angle. They're going to make a statement, but not a fun game.

I'm sure many people would have argued that running a farm or planning a city wouldn't be exciting enough for a video game - especially side by side with epic dragon-slaying adventures. Yet lo and behold, Harvest Moon and Sim City not only exist, but are successful franchises. You saying "Breasts are not an exciting topic for a video game" only illustrates how unimaginative you are. The trick is to make it exciting. Find that thing about boobs that can be turned into a game - there's plenty of ground to search for it. There's TONS you can do with the ideas already mentioned (breastfeeding, bra fitting, breast cancer). You can be a baby explorer, wandering the seemingly endless hills and valleys of his morbidly obese mother, searching for the elusive teat. Or maybe it's a first-person skateboarding game but your tits are so big you can't see your feet and have to essentially play blind. Or maybe it's a game where you have to spot a hidden image of boobs within a seemingly boob-free picture. There's likely far better ideas out there (and you could make an engaging game about your elbow too - imagine some of the things an elbow might witness or experience. There's bound to be some humour there somewhere), but you're only screwing yourself over closing your mind to the notion that someone could make a good, non-sexual game about boobs.

It is really, the ONLY use for breasts. That is the SOLE REASON THEY EXIST, to FEED THE BABIES! Not for our entertainment or to ogle at. To feed babies.

That's not necessarily true. Most/all other mammals, even other primates, don't have "boobs" unless they're lactating - they're either flat-chested or have pancakes. Biologists have questioned why human females have permanent knockers, and they think boobs are there to display sexual readiness (since women are "in heat" (i.e. able to conceive) all the time from puberty to menopause). The equivalent in other mammals is a giant swollen vulva, but since humans walk upright the vulva is hidden between the legs. So besides breastfeeding, the purpose of breasts may be to advertise "I'm biologically DTF".

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

It's clear you're not seeing the point, since you completely missed it. The point isn't to make games that "realistically portray" boobs, it's to make games about boobs that don't have "male gaze" titillation as a core focus - a game specifically about boobs where (most) male gamers won't be aroused playing it. It doesn't have to be a "realistic" portrayal (since boobs are sex organs you can have realistic portrayals that are still designed to titillate), just a non-sexual portrayal.

Then what's the appeal? For educational purposes? Breasts are not an exciting topic for a video game, less so if they're being designed not to be 'titillating'. I wouldn't make a video game about, I dunno, my elbow. And it's the same thing if you're trying to avoid the sex appeal angle. They're going to make a statement, but not a fun game.

I'm sure many people would have argued that running a farm or planning a city wouldn't be exciting enough for a video game - especially side by side with epic dragon-slaying adventures. Yet lo and behold, Harvest Moon and Sim City not only exist, but are successful franchises. You saying "Breasts are not an exciting topic for a video game" only illustrates how unimaginative you are. The trick is to make it exciting. Find that thing about boobs that can be turned into a game - there's plenty of ground to search for it. There's TONS you can do with the ideas already mentioned (breastfeeding, bra fitting, breast cancer). You can be a baby explorer, wandering the seemingly endless hills and valleys of his morbidly obese mother, searching for the elusive teat. Or maybe it's a first-person skateboarding game but your tits are so big you can't see your feet and have to essentially play blind. Or maybe it's a game where you have to spot a hidden image of boobs within a seemingly boob-free picture. There's likely far better ideas out there (and you could make an engaging game about your elbow too - imagine some of the things an elbow might witness or experience. There's bound to be some humour there somewhere), but you're only screwing yourself over closing your mind to the notion that someone could make a good, non-sexual game about boobs.

It is really, the ONLY use for breasts. That is the SOLE REASON THEY EXIST, to FEED THE BABIES! Not for our entertainment or to ogle at. To feed babies.

That's not necessarily true. Most/all other mammals, even other primates, don't have "boobs" unless they're lactating - they're either flat-chested or have pancakes. Biologists have questioned why human females have permanent knockers, and they think boobs are there to display sexual readiness (since women are "in heat" (i.e. able to conceive) all the time from puberty to menopause). The equivalent in other mammals is a giant swollen vulva, but since humans walk upright the vulva is hidden between the legs. So besides breastfeeding, the purpose of breasts may be to advertise "I'm biologically DTF".

I provided a link above. Breasts are also for sexual stimulation of the woman. They are not there simply for mans pleasure. Yes, women can actually orgasm from nipple stimulation alone.

 

[NoeL]

I provided a link above. Breasts are also for sexual stimulation of the woman. They are not there simply for mans pleasure. Yes, women can actually orgasm from nipple stimulation alone.

I wasn't implying boobs are ONLY for breastfeeding/displaying fertility, but that said the number of women that can come from just nipple stimulation is fairly small. There are also women that can orgasm from having their necks kissed, or even purely by imagination - no physical touching of anything (oh how I envy those women). But no one would argue it's the purpose of the neck/mind to be sexually stimulating, and boobs =/= nipples. I'm totally cool with boobs being identified as secondary sex organs though - I'm not arguing they're not sexual in nature.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I provided a link above. Breasts are also for sexual stimulation of the woman. They are not there simply for mans pleasure. Yes, women can actually orgasm from nipple stimulation alone.

I wasn't implying boobs are ONLY for breastfeeding/displaying fertility, but that said the number of women that can come from just nipple stimulation is fairly small. There are also women that can orgasm from having their necks kissed, or even purely by imagination - no physical touching of anything (oh how I envy those women). But no one would argue it's the purpose of the neck/mind to be sexually stimulating, and boobs =/= nipples. I'm totally cool with boobs being identified as secondary sex organs though - I'm not arguing they're not sexual in nature.

It said the number of women who orgasm from nipple stimulation alone was small, but in all the women the genital sensory cortex was activated. Women also have varying degrees of breast sensitivity. Although, I am willing to bet that more women than they realize orgasm from nipple stimulation alone, you have to do it right. If you don't do it just the right way, it doesn't work properly and instead makes the breasts ache. LOL!

 

[NoeL]

It said the number of women who orgasm from nipple stimulation alone was small, but in all the women the genital sensory cortex was activated. Women also have varying degrees of breast sensitivity. Although, I am willing to bet that more women than they realize orgasm from nipple stimulation alone, you have to do it right. If you don't do it just the right way, it doesn't work properly and instead makes the breasts ache. LOL!

You speak from experience I presume? XD

I wonder if that study tested "non-sexual" areas of the body as a comparison - I'd be interested to see if areas like the inside of the thigh or the neck (or even something like an elbow, as a point of comparison) could illicit similar responses, and to what degree. I'd also like to see how they controlled their influence, since I can imagine that if the women knew they were there for a sex study when asked to touch their nipples that could easily put them "in the mood". I wonder if a suckling infant would evoke a sexual response. I'd also love to see this repeated in an isolated African/South American tribe where women walk around topless and boobs and nipples aren't culturally recognised as sex organs (at least not to the degree of other parts of the world). And for the sake of completeness, I'd love to see the same thing done on men!

I'm not debating the validity of the study - I would pretty much expect to see the results they got - I'm just interested in finding out to what degree their findings are relevant.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

It said the number of women who orgasm from nipple stimulation alone was small, but in all the women the genital sensory cortex was activated. Women also have varying degrees of breast sensitivity. Although, I am willing to bet that more women than they realize orgasm from nipple stimulation alone, you have to do it right. If you don't do it just the right way, it doesn't work properly and instead makes the breasts ache. LOL!

You speak from experience I presume? XD

I wonder if that study tested "non-sexual" areas of the body as a comparison - I'd be interested to see if areas like the inside of the thigh or the neck (or even something like an elbow, as a point of comparison) could illicit similar responses, and to what degree. I'd also like to see how they controlled their influence, since I can imagine that if the women knew they were there for a sex study when asked to touch their nipples that could easily put them "in the mood". I wonder if a suckling infant would evoke a sexual response. I'd also love to see this repeated in an isolated African/South American tribe where women walk around topless and boobs and nipples aren't culturally recognised as sex organs (at least not to the degree of other parts of the world). And for the sake of completeness, I'd love to see the same thing done on men!

I'm not debating the validity of the study - I would pretty much expect to see the results they got - I'm just interested in finding out to what degree their findings are relevant.

Yes, I agree more studies need to be done, and I would also think that the toughening of the nipple would dull sensitivity when exposed to sunlight and elements as well as would be the case with tribal African women. Although, I would think that just being in the MRI scanner would be more of a turn off, it isn't exactly fun in there. It is kind of stressful, and may have made it more difficult on the women, they were able to get some good information from this study given the very non sexual nature of the MRI scan itself.

 

[NoeL]

Although, I would think that just being in the MRI scanner would be more of a turn off, it isn't exactly fun in there. It is kind of stressful, and may have made it more difficult on the women, they were able to get some good information from this study given the very non sexual nature of the MRI scan itself.

Possibly true, and likely true for many participants, but I know a girl that was quite embarrassed by the fact she tended to... lubricate... whenever she visited the OBGYN, so I don't think it would be accurate to claim a woman in a clinical environment couldn't be sexually aroused. But given the sterility of the situation obviously wasn't enough to negate the brain activity when the genitals were touched either it's kinda hard to argue your point that the location was enough of a turn off to counteract whatever excitement they might've had about touching themselves for science.

 

[theSteamSupported]

Actually, breastfeeding Isn't their only purpose. Yes, some of us DO have orgasms simply from having nipple stimulation.

"The researchers discovered that stimulation of the nipple activated an area of the brain known as the genital sensory cortex. This is the same brain region activated by stimulation of the clitoris, vagina, and cervix. What this means is that women?s brains seem to process nipple and genital stimulation in the same way. In light of this, it is not at all surprising that many women are aroused by having their nipples touched and that, for some, this may be enough to lead to orgasm."
http://www.scienceofrelationships.com/home/2011/12/16/breasts-are-best-can-women-orgasm-from-nipple-stimulation.html

Huh, I thought that was just a myth or something.

Anyway, nothing really has a purpose from an evolutionary standpoint. It's all pretty much "whatever works".

 

[In Search of Username]

I'm sure many people would have argued that running a farm or planning a city wouldn't be exciting enough for a video game - especially side by side with epic dragon-slaying adventures. Yet lo and behold, Harvest Moon and Sim City not only exist, but are successful franchises. You saying "Breasts are not an exciting topic for a video game" only illustrates how unimaginative you are. The trick is to make it exciting. Find that thing about boobs that can be turned into a game - there's plenty of ground to search for it. There's TONS you can do with the ideas already mentioned (breastfeeding, bra fitting, breast cancer). You can be a baby explorer, wandering the seemingly endless hills and valleys of his morbidly obese mother, searching for the elusive teat. Or maybe it's a first-person skateboarding game but your tits are so big you can't see your feet and have to essentially play blind. Or maybe it's a game where you have to spot a hidden image of boobs within a seemingly boob-free picture. There's likely far better ideas out there (and you could make an engaging game about your elbow too - imagine some of the things an elbow might witness or experience. There's bound to be some humour there somewhere), but you're only screwing yourself over closing your mind to the notion that someone could make a good, non-sexual game about boobs.

I don't think 'having breasts' is really comparable to running a city or farm in terms of the amount there is to do with the premise really. Those sound like concepts you could do something with already and arguably don't require huge leaps of creativity to make them interesting, they just are inherently solid game ideas with a lot of stuff to explore within them. Making a game about an individual body part on the other hand? I'm sure someone could make it interesting, like you said, but it would be a stretch, and it would be due to their game-developing expertise rather than an actual good concept. And I'd frankly rather people who are that good at making games spent their time making something based on a concept that was interesting to begin with instead of wasting their time trying to find a way to make this bad idea work.