ESRB Dishes on Dragon Age 2 Sex

[matrix3509]

Bioware tells stories.

Stories can and do at times have sex in them, because people in the real world have sex and it's something they can relate to.

It's the same as a book or a movie depicting sex in it's story. It's usually used to add to the world or the story.

In books or movies the sex is (generally, not including rom-coms) about love. It also usually has meaning. The only meaning behind sex in videogames is either meta-gaming, achievement hunting, or desperate nerd fantasies.

Also, ever tried to meta-game for sex in real-life? Let me know how that works out.

 

[WanderingFool]

But are the characters still in their underpants?
I don't care either way about sex scenes, but if you're gonna do it, either show it tastefully with good camera angles or not at all. No underpants hugging.

Though, seriously fellatio? That's different for a Bioware game.
Wonder how long 'till Fox gets their misinformed claws on this.

Within 2 days of game release to a week, tops.

Anyways, that bit about fellatio surprised me, so it does seem that Bioware is just asking for Fox to react.

 

[Cyrax987]

I liked the romance option in Mass Effect 1 and 2 but always found myself laughing at the hilarious sex scenes.

 

[Sepiida]

Though I certainly have enjoyed many of the relationship plot lines in Bioware's games, particularly in Mass Effect 2, I really wish they'd stop with the sex scenes. They're just...unsettling. The animations are stiff and unrealistic, the characters look unreal enough for it to be an issue and there's really no point to them. I have no problem with sex in video games and you could make a good argument that games should explore the topic more often but watching to poorly animated sprites go at it really takes me out of the game.

Honestly I'd love to see more romantic relationships in games that don't actually have sex in them. As an example my personal favorite relationship arc in ME2 was the one with Garrus, in large part because there is absolutely no sex depicted. This is kind of odd considering the relationship starts out with Shepard and Garrus essentially agreeing to be "friends with benefits" but the actual scene ends up being a rather touching moment of personal connection between the characters.

Sex certainly has its place in games and someday we'll probably develop the technology to make an animated sex scene not look creepy. But all of that is really beside the point. Sex is one small component of something we should see much more of in games: believable romantic relationships between characters.

 

[Sparrow]

Blowjobs? Oh, BioWare, you never cease to amaze.

 

[Klepa]

Sex in the uncanny valley, though, is just strange. That's the only reason I don't enjoy sex scenes in games.

I agree with you. Most of the time I feel like I've entered a really dark place when the robot porn begins. I always expect their heads and limbs to start demonicly spinning around at any moment.

That being said, I don't mind that much. I'm a creep.

 

[Crystalite]

uh... what is the other f-word?
English is not my native tongue, can someone help me out here? ;-)

Fellatio.

Oh, ok... that is disapointing, I tought I would learn another swearword...
I mean a real one, not just some word about sex.

It does in fact amaze me that such things are still controversial, even among gamers.

 

[erto101]

Dragon Age tries very much to be a 'mature' game, but it ends up being childish, with its blood splatters and sex scenes... Seriously, BioWare should stop pretending that having a 'sex' scene makes your game more mature. It doesn't. Sex is everywhere nowadays, and the kind of sex that they showed in Mass Effect can be found in most 12+ Hollywood movies.

Yet Fox News will make it sound like it's porn /:
Anyway, I don't really care 'bout the sex scene, but sometimes romance add to the characters

 

[etempest]

I have no problems with Sex as long as it's part of the game / story / setting.
It's when it's the focus and other elements are tacked on.

Now the "F" word I don't like, not objection to strong language but more that I feel it breaks the immersion. I rather have a made up curse word that feel appropriate.

I think the biggest issue is the rating system lacks 18 or order rating.
We go from 17 or less and then jump to "Adult Only". Then need an 18+ non Adult Only rating.

 

[Legion]

Am I the only one who remembers the fellatio in Dragon Age: Origins then?

You can walk into a room in Arl Howes' house and there is a guard standing facing away from you and a woman who stands up right in front of him very quickly from a kneeling position as you enter, both who seem embarrassed to have been disturbed.

Anyway, I don't mind romance plots if they are done tastefully, but sex scenes always seem to be done for the controversy or the "sex sells" policy. Fade-To-Black is fine but the scenes in Dragon Age: Origins were just plain horrible.

Mass Effect 1 wasn't too bad but it still felt unnecessary, I cannot speak for the other characters in Mass Effect 2 but Tali and Liara (in the Lair of The Shadow Broker DLC) had the kind of romance scenes that I think are more fitting without it seeming kind of sad.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Yay! My favorite word!

 

[Delock]

Love that I found this, the perfect summary for most of the comments I've seen whenever sex is or is predicted to be the main part of the controversy surrounding a game.

Anyways, just from the sound of the ESRB, this M RATED game will contain less explicit stuff than most R rated movies (which are easier to come by anyways, and often provide the same level of interaction that most sex scenes in games offer). Hell, books with sex scenes have the luxury of being as graphic as they please (well, to a certain extent, but it's much higher than most other mediums), and there's no ratings or enforcement on them.

In other words, I don't see the point of people getting worked up over sex scenes, as it is often just part of the story rather than rampant pornography. It's a step up from the passionate kiss scene used in the T/PG-13 stories, and just like them, is something that can be either a nice touch or just feel a bit unnecessary.

As for actually talking about DA's rating, I'm going to have to return to that comic above to explain why I truly find it hilarious that sex is the main focus here when this right before it is ignored:

"...Attacks are often accompanied by slashing sounds, large explosions, and cries of pain. Blood splatter effects occur when enemies are hit, and damage sometimes results in dismemberment or decapitation?blood stains and body parts occasionally appear in the environment. In one cutscene, a man's severed head is held up then tossed to the ground..."

As a gamer (and moviegoer), I've seen all this stuff, and have gotten used to it in visual form. Seeing it summarized in words however makes me realize just how awful that sounds, and yet I know for a fact I'd glaze over it in game. I guess it all just comes down to the fact that everyone remembers the stripper [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EverybodyRemembersTheStripper]

 

[MisterShine]

Wow. This thread is incredibly depressing, Escapist community.

So many of us go on and on how Video games are a serious story telling medium (and they are), but when one company tries to show some romance that naturally leads to sex, 95% of you cry "its meaningless!" or "They're only doing it for publicity!"

Yeah, that's bullshit.

"They're doing it for publicity!" Um. No. Anyone paying attention to DA2 knows its being made by Bioware, and everyone who knows Bioware knows they do romance and they do sex. This isn't news to anyone. Though of course there's all those times that Bioware has mentioned sex or romance on the box or the blurbs on the back.. oh wait no, they've never ever advertised those features. Hell, even in their trailers they'll give possible romance about 5% of the trailer time, almost exactly like... every freakin' action movie with a romance subplot ever.

"It's meaningless to the story!" You mean its meaningless to the plot? Sure, your character sleeping with another has little change on the story at large, and why the hell should it? Relationships are PERSONAL and PRIVATE things that add to the individual characters, and help you make a connection with them. I can understand someone who only did them for the achievement or just felt like they SHOULD do it thinking that they're too anemic, but anyone who put effort into getting to know or care about the characters would think they're extremely well done. Sure, there are some weirdo's who can't get enough of certain characters because they play to their certain fetish, but most of Bioware's romances are damn well written, and add a lot to the individual characters.

Did anyone even do Zevran's romance? And I don't mean taking him up on the sex when he offers it, I meant got to know him as a character, and helped him deal with his issues and figure out who he was and what he wanted? Yeah, a romance you have to actually put effort and caring into, like a REAL ONE. Oh, and that only led to one of the most heartwarming moments in all of freakin' gaming history at the end. But yeah, I guess if some people want to minimize it down to "Oh you're the hero, why does everyone want to bone you?" They can just let their ignorance stand in the way of a good experience, what does it matter to me?

For shame, Escapists. Shame.

 

[tzimize]

Huh. Its really odd. The way the US is all "OMG SEX BAN!", on one hand and the entertainment industry is all "OMG LOOK BOOBS!" on the other hand. Repressed much?

Come on USA...why dont you just get over yourself? The rest of the world is really laughing at you over the whole sex-thing you got going on. At least I am. And I'm pretty sure the rest of Europe is too (at least the parts that are past the stone-age).

 

[Nannernade]

I never understood why they keep having sex scenes, either. Probably just to sell the game or something, because I have yet to see a game with sex where it was actually needed or made the game better.

It's probably like 3D with movies, it's just a gimmick, does 3D improve movies? Some but movies like Jackass and stuff like that? Why? Doesn't make sense.

 

[cynicalsaint1]

Which leads me to wonder: why is it always about sex with you, anyway?

What's wrong with sex? Desire for sex is a very human thing, why shouldn't a games characters have or desire sex? Really I don't understand the constant need for people to pretend it doesn't exist.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

I never understood why they keep having sex scenes, either. Probably just to sell the game or something, because I have yet to see a game with sex where it was actually needed or made the game better.

It's probably like 3D with movies, it's just a gimmick, does 3D improve movies? Some but movies like Jackass and stuff like that? Why? Doesn't make sense.

True. I watched the new Resident Evil in 3D, and now watch it at home, and it is the same... Don't really noticed a difference at all.

 

[Bocaj2000]

I'm glad that Bioware is the only company approaching sex maturely. Daniel Floyd might be glad as well.

 

[Baresark]

Bioware tells stories.

Stories can and do at times have sex in them, because people in the real world have sex and it's something they can relate to.

It's the same as a book or a movie depicting sex in it's story. It's usually used to add to the world or the story.

Movies show real people.

Books use imagination.

Sex in the uncanny valley, though, is just strange. That's the only reason I don't enjoy sex scenes in games.

I completely understand that you probably in some form find them distasteful. That is why they are optional to the story. You do not need to seek the ingame relationship if you don't wish to, but to say they are wrong or should not be in there, well that is just crazy.

The thing I like about having them in the game is that they can offer a depth to the story if I so choose to pursue that in the game. I remember in Mass Effect 2 I pursued that girl who is always covered completely in that suit in hopes of seeing what they look like underneath. I didn't, but it added a strange dimension and depth to story that made it feel all the more real.

 

[SinisterGehe]

But for political correctness.... SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN

I did think of the children, then I noticed all hope for future has been lost and I turned it to something worse than Marvin and hes planet sized head.

But, if someone buys the game for the sex scenes... Well... Everyone get what they want to get from the games they play. One thing is sure, fox will say it will destroy the children (Even tho it will be M+ game) and I wont be buying it anyway so what do I care... Oh yeah the good of the gaming community, yeah right... shuuureee...