Pr0 said:
So in the end, what I'm saying is its right there in your language and your attitude...you're basically demeaning me for openly admitting that I like women in my games, sexual, tastefully sexualized, whatever...you're basically saying that I'm somehow less intelligent or have lower standards than you do...just because of that.
I'd be interested in seeing what does meet your standards.
No, I'm not. I'm stating my preference and the reasoning behind my preference. Sex appeal is easy, but a compelling character design and narrative is hard. I have limited time and money to spend on video games, therefore I have to be selective about which games I play and from my own perspective that means that, all other things being equal, between a game that features sexed-up and boring characters against one with more modest and deep characters, I am going to choose the latter.
I am sorry for my tone. That is not the message I intended to convey.
Pr0 said:
Is a celebration of human sexuality and beauty really something to be looked down on? And what, exactly, in the gaming industry, offers a more "high-brow" experience that somehow disqualifies sex appeal as not just acceptable, but valid as a game design and story telling mechanic?
But not every instance of sexuality is storytelling mechanics or an integration of sexuality into character development or a celebration of sexuality, and most is nothing even close. Also, beauty and aesthetic appeal even pertaining to the human form is not inherently a matter of sexuality. Example, compare Zelda's character design in TP to the women in Dead or Alive. While both are attractive, the former is not sexual, the latter is.
The other example is Samus, and while her character design is somewhat sexualized, her character is able to offer more to the story and to the game than aesthetic alone. In fact, I would say her example is best: in Samus's case, sexuality and beauty add in some small way to her humanity and therefore to the empathy of the playing audience, rather than define her character or being a key element of her character.
Characters, being the drivers of story-telling, direct the player's engagement with the story, and in a story-driven game, that means that the characters direct the player's experience of the game. But beyond that, there's not necessarily a clear answer, at least not one that I can give, because the quality of a game and its story isn't a sliding scale with "modest and deep" on one end and "oversexed and vapid" on the other. I'm not demonizing or demeaning the use of sexuality on the whole in game and character designs, but as a player who likes games for their stories, I find that a "less is more" approach tends to be ideal, otherwise it gets watered down and loses its power for character development. A character that is deep or complex is not precluded by default from sexuality, but a writer designing the character needs to walk a fine line between using sexuality and aesthetic appeal to add to the character and the game experience and using sexuality to define the character and game experience. Enjoying the story means I have to engage with it and take it seriously. It's much harder to take the story seriously when the characters are, well, "fighting fuck dolls".
I also disagree that games cannot be a form of high art. They can certainly be simple diversions or amusement devices, but they can also be used to convey complex stories and engage the player on a deep and personal level.
Ultimately, that is all just my opinion. Not all games need to fit with my preference and things would probably be pretty boring if they did. However, as the person who is expected to drop $50 and a few dozen hours on these things, I feel that I should make it known that I tend to prefer that my characters be a bit more modest.
