I'm not sure who this guy is (I don't think he's very popular in the gaming world) but I'm pretty sure most women are incredibly attracted to this mysterious man:
How to sexualize a male character?
- Thread starter Mave
- Start date
The first guy that comes to my mind is Ace from One Piece:
Do what this guy does and I'm sure you'll be fine...I'm a straight male btw...this guy makes me wonder though...
Beautiful captivating eyes, a build that is mild muscular, avoid the hulkafication of the figure you'd want him to be fit but still have normal proportions, no hair on chest, back, and legs are optional sometimes it works with other times without, strong jaw line if shaven, of course selective shots or situations showing off his body and suggestive or well fitted clothing, Some nice guy examples for me would be Hyde from L'arc en ceil or Toshi from Ramen Girl are nice for Asians but if you're going American Alister from Dragon's Age and Ryan from Beyond two souls.
Personality as well should be considered if he's going to get speaking roles a mix of strong with points of vulnerability or at least allow him to show he has emotions like fondness, fear, love, desire, and dislikes for starters he shouldn't be a brick 24/7 if he needs to tamper his emotions for things then do so but when he can let his walls down let him do so even if its for something so simple as I'm relaxing to take coffee in a quite moment. Mixing a character trait like confidence and gentleness also makes for appealing guys Haythem from AC3 is a great example of this pre-badguy and Garrus from Mass Effect. However do avoid the stalker syndrome of movies like Twilight and How I live now the guys get creepy just starring at you.
Personality as well should be considered if he's going to get speaking roles a mix of strong with points of vulnerability or at least allow him to show he has emotions like fondness, fear, love, desire, and dislikes for starters he shouldn't be a brick 24/7 if he needs to tamper his emotions for things then do so but when he can let his walls down let him do so even if its for something so simple as I'm relaxing to take coffee in a quite moment. Mixing a character trait like confidence and gentleness also makes for appealing guys Haythem from AC3 is a great example of this pre-badguy and Garrus from Mass Effect. However do avoid the stalker syndrome of movies like Twilight and How I live now the guys get creepy just starring at you.
Kind understanding eyes, 6'2", Muscle tone based off of life experience with a tad bit added for safe measure (not gym time). Experience being a key word in that last sentence, personality is the drive force of appealing, more so than eyecandyness. Confident, yet vulnerable in confidence.
The eyecandy male in a game where other characters have dimension, wont come off with the same appeal as a woman character in the reverse scenario. (If you want to discuss the social implications of that statement, I do not think this is the topic for it. And do not jump on my case for saying it.)
If you truly want to sexualize the man. You must nerf him. Make his gameplay strengths underwhelming. While that can be done for parody rather easily. I challenge you to make it sincere. The man can be attractive, confident, understanding, flawed, complex, and most importantly appealing, even if out of his element.
The eyecandy male in a game where other characters have dimension, wont come off with the same appeal as a woman character in the reverse scenario. (If you want to discuss the social implications of that statement, I do not think this is the topic for it. And do not jump on my case for saying it.)
If you truly want to sexualize the man. You must nerf him. Make his gameplay strengths underwhelming. While that can be done for parody rather easily. I challenge you to make it sincere. The man can be attractive, confident, understanding, flawed, complex, and most importantly appealing, even if out of his element.
As luck would have it, a GDC talk was posted on Gamasutra just a few days ago with precisely this subject:
She focused on having a personality as a key aspect of how-to sexualize, something I agree with as far as good ways to sexualize. Frankly, having a personality period forces the writer to consider the character as a human being and seeing them less as an object, which I'd argue is the bad part of sexualization: objectification.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/218666/Video_Tackling_male_sexualization_in_games.php
She focused on having a personality as a key aspect of how-to sexualize, something I agree with as far as good ways to sexualize. Frankly, having a personality period forces the writer to consider the character as a human being and seeing them less as an object, which I'd argue is the bad part of sexualization: objectification.
Sexualization is difficult to really do with men as it is able to be done with women. I don't mean to imply that it's impossible, it can certainly be done, but you always need to have a level of tact with it. Give the viewer enough to let their imagination do the rest. Expose too little and it's just another guy, expose too much and you might as well make him out to be a stripper or something. Enough to keep them serious, but also... sexy.
Dante from Devil May Cry (and not the stupid DmC remake although he isn't too bad either in the eye candy department) is the perfect example. A cocky male character who doesn't mind that he's not wearing a shirt. He has that attitude of "I'm sexy and I know it". Men want to be him, women want to bear his children, men want to either be done by him or do him, everyone has something that they want out of him, but he is a flirt. XD The rare example of both sexualization and idolization. Men (heterosexual types) like to feel empowered, and Dante provides that too. He's strong, but attractive. Not a muscle-ripped beefcake, but not a dainty little flower either.
It's an aura that he throws out, something that you just feel. You can also go with a more submissive variety of male character, but that requires a different method to make that work. Form fitting clothes, shirts that get torn just enough to show the prime erogenous zones, and a handsome face will all work to make the perfect sexualized man. Attitude, be it dominant and assertive, or young and playful, should be taken into account and worked into the core of your character... Do us all a favor though... don't make that sexualized man into some sort of injured soul, raped as a child, father-issues abound, who makes his money as a stripper or some kind of bull-shit story like that. It's been done to death, and just emasculates your character in a crappy way.
Dante from Devil May Cry (and not the stupid DmC remake although he isn't too bad either in the eye candy department) is the perfect example. A cocky male character who doesn't mind that he's not wearing a shirt. He has that attitude of "I'm sexy and I know it". Men want to be him, women want to bear his children, men want to either be done by him or do him, everyone has something that they want out of him, but he is a flirt. XD The rare example of both sexualization and idolization. Men (heterosexual types) like to feel empowered, and Dante provides that too. He's strong, but attractive. Not a muscle-ripped beefcake, but not a dainty little flower either.
It's an aura that he throws out, something that you just feel. You can also go with a more submissive variety of male character, but that requires a different method to make that work. Form fitting clothes, shirts that get torn just enough to show the prime erogenous zones, and a handsome face will all work to make the perfect sexualized man. Attitude, be it dominant and assertive, or young and playful, should be taken into account and worked into the core of your character... Do us all a favor though... don't make that sexualized man into some sort of injured soul, raped as a child, father-issues abound, who makes his money as a stripper or some kind of bull-shit story like that. It's been done to death, and just emasculates your character in a crappy way.
That'd be Nathan Fillion [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Fillion].Dead Raen said:I'm not sure who this guy is (I don't think he's very popular in the gaming world) but I'm pretty sure most women are incredibly attracted to this mysterious man:
Edit: Also known as DANGER- MUST SILENCE [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/DANGER-%20MUST%20SILENCE].
Male Castanics and some of the elven amours (like that one) where sexualized. For guys in Tera it's a choice.Weaver said:
What about Wolf from Gladiators?Sleekit said:
He's Fabio-esq, but would you say these two character's from the Barbarian games are equally sexualised?
They're both in a similar state of undress (although the male has more bare flesh), and both the models were professional models in their field, so both prized for their physical appearance, but I don't think they're equally sexualised.
I think these game covers a good example of how you can't sexualise men in the same way as women, even if you present them in near identical attires and scenes.
If an athletic man wearing not much more than a loin cloth was as equally sexualised as a woman in a bikini, then wouldn't Olympic swimming events be seen as a parade of male sexualisation?
I think sexualisation has more to do with the intent and audience than what someone is wearing and how they're presented.
No no no. Look closely at these images.Jamash said:What about Wolf from Gladiators?
He's Fabio-esq, but would you say these two character's from the Barbarian games are equally sexualised?
They're both in a similar state of undress (although the male has more bare flesh), and both the models were professional models in their field, so both prized for their physical appearance, but I don't think they're equally sexualised.
I think these game covers a good example of how you can't sexualise men in the same way as women, even if you present them in near identical attires and scenes.
If an athletic man wearing not much more than a loin cloth was as equally sexualised as a woman in a bikini, then wouldn't Olympic swimming events be seen as a parade of male sexualisation?
I think sexualisation has more to do with the intent and audience than what someone is wearing and how they're presented.
In the first image she is on the ground in a seductive position, looking at the camera with a come-hither gaze. She's also grasping the man's leg, while he doesn't seem to notice, with a clear "this man could be you" aim.
Meanwhile he is flexing I guess, but offering nothing sexual.
In the second image, she is giving that same look to the camera, this time while grasping the sharp end of a sword for some reason. For some reason.
He on the other hand is actively covering himself up, blocking you with a think piece of metal, and a weapon at that. And in both these images the woman is also in the foreground.
There's a lot more to sexualisation than clothes. If you mentally switch these two characters' positions around so the man is the one lying on the ground, thrusting his assets outwards and beckoning you... Or like the second image, looking at the camera luridly while fingering the pommel of his sword and licking the blade for some reason (for some reason), you'll hopefully see why.
Have you ever watched the Anime "Free!" better known in most circles of Tumblr as "the swimming anime?"
That's how.
That's how.
Well, I think it depends, really. Different people find different things sexy. If you want to go for the usual shallow, sexy element, just make him ripped and topless. An eye candy male character for me would be someone showing strength and masculinity, not necessarily him being ripped and half naked.
Not gay, but bi... and I certainly don't find the majority of what's been mentioned in this thread attractive... repulsive actually.Mave said:
Fenris from DA2, Alistair from DA:O... In fact, all male characters in Dragon Age. In fact, all male characters from all the Bioware games that I've played. Fenris almost makes me gip sick into my mouth sometimes.
Donta from Devil Might Cry...
Basically everything mentioned in this thread, save for maybe the one picture at the top of page 2... which I only don't like because the anatomy isn't great, to be honest.
Someone linked to a picture of TERA earlier and it's like... if you took that head and put it on a woman's body, it would be a woman. Everything is so effeminate, it's horrible.
I didn't see this question at first so I thought I'd give an answer...
A future of slender, half naked girly-boys is not one I'd look forward to.
Strangely, it might honestly put me off of whatever features them, as much as I hate to do anything to confirm that market research. It's a large part of the reason I simply can not stand anime.
Of all body types of all genders, it's one of the few I actively dislike. I certainly don't speak for everyone, but there you go...
Don't you find it strange that "being masculine" is any kind of equivalent to... well...ViXXXeN said:
That first image of Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior above, for example. How is what they're doing equal (in regards to sexualisation)?
I had a whole thing about Presa from Tales of Xillia going there, but I thought that would be an easier example.
Having him run around in the full monty would be a start. I don't see how that'd be much different than the way some video game women are clothed. 