Do we really want this?

[Diligent]

I took my opinion over to YouTube where I was met with extreme hostility to this matter.
My favorite comment came in this flavour:

"You stupid little mangina. Someone should have stabed your ***** mother when you were inside her womb, so you would not be here doing your shit now. Kill yourself, you pathetic mangina slave".

(This comment was made by a 27 year old man I might add)

That seriously made me laugh out loud. Sounds like a youtube comment alright! I bet the asshole who typed that screamed "YEAH!" and punched the enter button...then crushed a beer can he just chugged on his forehead.

Anyway, yes, I agree, but I think it's less about making money though(as some people here are saying), and more about who is making the games. Realistically do you think there is a bigger boob division at most game studios? Nope.
The fact is, most game developers are young men, and young men like boobs. And they're taking their queues of what is awesome from their childhood and what has come before (i.e. Heavy Metal, Masters of the Universe, etc)

The picture examples that were given are pretty extreme too. Personally I can't find that sexy and I don't know anybody who does. If you look at one of those misshapen women and go "waaaaaa....she's so beautiful!" then we have nothing in common.
The closest thing to sexy in a game in my opinion is Alyx Vance from Half Life 2, because she was realistically proportioned, and her character had a cool personality. And clothes.

 

[Diminished Capacity]

I think it could be worse. I have a suspicion that the "she's not real" argument gives the designers leave to push the envelope of acceptable objectification during the development process.

Maybe not.

 

[Gahars]

Yeah, as much as my more "base" desires may enjoy it, it is 100% true, and sends a bad impression of the industry to everyone else.

Unfortunately, as long as people keep buying games with these oversexualized characters on the fronts and whatnot, and as long as people keep making these characters, there isn't much that can be done.

Support positive examples of female characters, the Alyx Vance's and whatnot. That's the best I have to offer.

 

[Taunta]

To give you perspective, I am a woman, and I enjoy playing World of Warcraft. I've noticed this trend too.
Take for example Alexstrasza, who's model was introduced last expansion, and lore hounds were excited about, because she is the Dragon Queen, and arguably one of the most, if not the most powerful being in the game. Aaaaand she looks like this.

Spoiler

Then in Cataclysm they recycled her model for her sister, Ysera's new model. (Also a powerful dragon)

Spoiler

And Sylvanas, an extremely strong female character, not to mention the leader of the Forsaken, also uses the same model.

Spoiler

She's a very "love her or hate her" character, being that she's vindictive, manipulative, and two-faced, but it annoys me when someone like my friend claims that they love her "because boobs." Of course that may just be my stupid friend.

This is kind of one-sided, because the majority of the male races look like they're on steroids. Personally, I don't go for this, but YMMV.

Spoiler

Granted, a lot of people wouldn't go for some of the female races, considering some of them are gnomes, dwarves, goblins, cows, wolves, orcs, etc etc. But interestingly enough, the females of the "alien squid goat" races are considered to be one of the sexier races.

And then there's this.

Spoiler

I can't fault Blizzard for that one though. It was used in a hologram to distract men so that you could get to the quest objective.

 

[tawmus]

I want my video game females defying physics and kinesiology. In my profession, I have seen enough real women in all their glory. Let me tell you, nothing like perfect double DD's laughing at gravity and legs without so much as a drop cellulite to help cope with images I wish upon no one.

 

[Rascarin]

As a lesbian, I feel I can comment from both points of view.

I don't like the over-sexualisation of women in games. I find examples like the above more off-putting than attractive, as well as a reinforcement of the stereotype that all gamers are men, and all men are slobbering neanderthals.

For one thing - women simply don't look like that. Particularly in the second picture (is that Nina from Tekken? I'm not sure) - boobs simply cannot be that enormous and pert. You will never see a woman with a rack that large and buoyant. It's ridiculous.

I also dislike the implications behind the fact that so many women in games exist as eyecandy rather than serious characters. I'm no feminist, but I do dislike the extent of objectification of women in games. I hate that the man is always the hero, and the woman is the boobacious love-interest.

Personally, I don't find the above examples attractive. I much prefer to see women in games like Jen, from Primal [http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/2002/playstation2/primal/p_790screen001.jpg] or April Ryan of The Longest Journey [http://kisd.de/~krystian/blog/thelongest_opener.jpg] (April not necessarily being attractive, but still one of my favourite female characters in a game).


(And a small aside to the Brainslug guy - stop wasting posts, or you'll get in trouble. You're just boosting your postcount here and not contributing to your own thread, and as far as I'm aware, the mods don't like that. Just a friendly tip :] )

 

[akibawall95]

I do not think they should go past a point but a little every once and a while is just fine with me.
By the way, is he still giving out Brain slugs?

 

[CountTom]

It's a shame really cause most of the character choices now are all disgusting, especially the males, primarily because male avatars are usually disproportionate to any real-life male (you know, the whole "tiny dicks with giant bodies" thing), leaving players with only female avatars as the only viable gaming option. Unfortuneately it comes with one setback and in some cases this can be a very severe setback: the chest size.

It's really a shame the gaming industry hasn't taken an interest with accurate male sexuality as they have instead been more interested in the males' desire for sex.

 

[tawmus]

For MMO's particularly you are gonna be staring at your character's ass for untold hours. It better be a nice one.

 

[C95J]

Me want Brain Slug NOW!

 

[wearesoneutralthatithurts]

As a woman, i like beatyuful digital girls. I know they are not real, and hope most people too. And if there are "objects" of fantasy, then its ok. They aren´t real, so there have no feelings to be hurt, becaus some gamers use them for aerm.."hand-work."

Think the 3rd pic of the first post might catch a cold. Thats too naked for me. Looks like a pornstar wearing a fantasy-outfit.

but what bothers me most are the real girls. americas/germanys/________-next topmodel, these thin (anorectic) joung women, whose only job is looking good and being a living hallstand.
And that many girls want to be like them. That almost every woman-magazine is full of diet-tips. This bodyimage is like a virus and it hinders much women to get normal self esteem (only loose 10 punds, then i will be better looking, attractive etc)

Im from germany, so this might be a predjudice, but appearantly beauty contests are much common. If i see little girls dressed as women, i feel disapproval.

No one should only be measured on appearance. but this is utopian.

 

[warm slurm]

This thread makes me want to just quote Futurama...

"Hail, hail, Robonia - a land I didn't make up!"

 

[Tasachan]

anyway, Its always gone too far, but come on, who's going to stop it? Girls werent gamers when this stuff started, and to be a gamer meant you were some kinda nerd without a life or at the least you werent having the girls take a number outside your bedroom. it was an entirely male dominated thing that only recently has gotten more sexually diverse.

I'd like to point out that there were always at least SOME female gamers.

OT: I don't mind the occasional woman looking like that, but sometimes it's downright embarrassing (think: Ivy in Soul Caliber). I dunno. I don't see the problem with the girl being pretty, maybe a little big chested or kinda thin, but do her boobs really need to be basketballs? Does she really need to walk around in a thong? -_-
Sheva in Resident Evil 5 was great. But in the same game (spoiler

Spoiler

They took Jill, made her blonde, shoved her into a latex suit and turned her into this super sexy woman. What the hell?

 

[Lullabye]

As a LoL player, I can say quite rightly that yes, they need to stop making sexy women.

 

[emeraldrafael]

anyway, Its always gone too far, but come on, who's going to stop it? Girls werent gamers when this stuff started, and to be a gamer meant you were some kinda nerd without a life or at the least you werent having the girls take a number outside your bedroom. it was an entirely male dominated thing that only recently has gotten more sexually diverse.

I'd like to point out that there were always at least SOME female gamers.

OT: I don't mind the occasional woman looking like that, but sometimes it's downright embarrassing (think: Ivy in Soul Caliber). I dunno. I don't see the problem with the girl being pretty, maybe a little big chested or kinda thin, but do her boobs really need to be basketballs? Does she really need to walk around in a thong? -_-
Sheva in Resident Evil 5 was great. But in the same game (spoiler

Spoiler

They took Jill, made her blonde, shoved her into a latex suit and turned her into this super sexy woman. What the hell?

Sorry. but they werent a large portion of gaming. Especially not in the numbers there are today.

 

[Death God]

Well to some extent. I like a little "sexuality" but not to the point where every 5 minutes a pair of boobs are in my face. A little bit of sexy to entice gamers but not slutty looking girls scantly dressed.

 

[Mordwyl]

Eh, there are just as many male characters in videogames which can just be as ridiculous. Voldo is the prime example.

 

[Popido]

Its the same as having bicycle burst into flames and go out with a huge fireworkly explosion.
Could it happen? Sure, but you have to explain me why.

I like my women with flaws, just because Im sadist.

 

[ultrachicken]

That probably wasn't actually a 27-year old. You know how YouTube restricts certain videos to people who aren't registered as 18 or older? Yeah, the kiddos have come up with an ingenious way around that. LYING!

Anyways, this is partly why I never played females in MMOs, because I couldn't, and no one else could, take my character seriously when she was in a chain mail bikini.

For MMO's particularly you are gonna be staring at your character's ass for untold hours. It better be a nice one.

If only someone had applied that logic to MGS4.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Honestly, I don't think it matters, with the ridiculous amount of porn on the internet, what difference does a few hot elves make?