Question of the Day, March 20, 2010

The Escapist Staff

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Question of the Day, March 20, 2010



Games like Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, and Heavy Rain all have sex scenes that suffer from uncanny valley syndrome. Should developers hold off on such scenes until graphics catch up?



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Kollega

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Jun 5, 2009
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Yes, at least hold them untill graphics are good enough. Otherwise it'll just creep people out. I do not believe that they should be thrown out altoghether, because some developers can be somewhat mature about it.
 

reg42

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Mar 18, 2009
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I thought the sex scene in Mass Effect was good, as the nudity was more realistic and mature then was I was used to in games. The ones in ME2 and DA:O weren't as well done IMO, as they they dropped me head first into the uncanny valley
 

teisjm

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I guess they're fine, i really don't wanan see the the devs stocking up and psending even more of their budget on graphics, just so they can have a sex scene... they could just make an actual porn scene with cos-players.

I was tempted to vote avoid all together, cause i'm afraid it will be something they force into the games, just cause it's "controversial" and shit.
Unless theres a good reason for it to be there, keep it out, if i sit with my controller, i'm trying to play a game, if when i want to see side-boobs[si] sex scene , i go online and watch porn, and i'll be holding something other than the controller.

No More Hereos did a nice job, even though it didnt' haev a sex scene, i liked how the game actually was a chase of snatch, Travis wanted to be best assassin, but only so he could bang that chick who screws you over in a non-sexual way... it was funny added character to the horny looser Travis, and fit, it wasn't just soemthing they'd put in to make horny kids buy the game, couse their parents has porn-filters on their internet conenctions.
 

soren7550

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reg42 said:
I thought the sex scene in Mass Effect was good, as the nudity was more realistic and mature then was I was used to in games. The ones in ME2 and DA:O weren't as well done IMO, as they they dropped me head first into the uncanny valley
Pretty much my thoughts exactly.
 

Flying Dagger

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If I want porn, There's the internet, If I want to play a game, I play a game. I see no need for Games to incorporate sex scenes.
Kotor managed to build romance and they didn't even show when you kissed the person you were romancing.
 

Chipperz

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Apr 27, 2009
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I thought the sex scenes in Mass Effect 1 and 2 were good because rather than bombard you with BEWBS!! motifs and full on pumping animations, they worked hard at getting the intensity and the passion of the scene down instead - even if the player doesn't care about what's happening and just wants the achievement, Shepherd and [whoever] do genuinely care about each other and are just caught up in the throws of passion.

I'm also a bit of a fan of the God of War 3 one, just because it's hilariously funny. In both cases though, it's the writing and mood that have made it work for me, not the graphics.
 

veloper

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Sure if I wanted porn, I'll watch real porn, not texture mapped dolls.
The animation budget should be spent on better combat animations.
 

JMV

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I don't really mind, as long as they are done tastefully and, most of all, have some sort of meaningful context. Yeah, I don't really want porn in the games I play, but it isn't really porn if done in a mature and tasteful way, such as in Mass Effect. Plus, you aren't forced to go through them, are you?

Now, "sex" scenes like in God of War? No thanks, no matter how beautifully rendered the women's breasts are.
 

Casual Shinji

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Jul 18, 2009
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They're okay, I guess.

But you don't need to implement straight up sex in a game in order convey mature sexuality. Silent Hill 2 did a very good job in showing the sexual nature of it's characters without falling into the realm of soft core porn. The prison scene is a very good example of that.
 

Latinidiot

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I don't care fo sex-scenes in games, because if I'm playing a game, I don't intend to get a boner. If I wanted to please myself, I don't play a game, I sprint to the local church go on the internet.
 

Booze Zombie

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The Mass Effect 2 scenes seemed... forced.

It really didn't seem very convicing, just like two dollies being rubbed together.

So, in ending, not until they can make me "buy" what's happening.
 

level250geek

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I don't think sex scenes should be thrown in to games simply to be there. As with films and books, a sex scene should serve some narrative purpose. If you just want to tell us that this guy and this girl hooked up, then just tell us that this guy and this girl hooked up. No need to show the gory details.

With that being said, I think graphic limitations are a silly reason to not put a sex scene into a game. I see no difference between the uncanny valley and a terrible actor/actress wearing heavy make-up and just phoning it in for a paycheck. Terrible acting hasn't stopped us from showing sex between two people in a live-action film; the uncanny valley shouldn't stop us from seeing (tasteful, mature, in-context) sex scenes in video games.
 

Rainboq

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Nov 19, 2009
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Sex scenes are fine, aslong as there's a purpose, sex in the name of sex may be realistic in terms of human nature, but we don't need too see it, so says our culture, I on the other hand, couldn't care less, let the developers decide
 

Shoggoth2588

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No: The developers should use the graphical limitations to their advantage when showing scenes of intimacy. I mean, if you're going to show intimacy they may as well make it as artsy as humanly possibly so as to deflect some of the shouts of 'pervert' from grumpy-old-man-Media.
 

ThreeKneeNick

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I don't think sex scenes have a point, i would avoid them altogether. Maybe with more realistic graphics, if they can make them tasteful, emotional, and actually show the characters having actual sex, and not make me feel like it was all done so Fox News would bash the game and generate publicity. But that will never happen.
 

syndicated44

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I kind of hate sex scenes in games. They arent interesting or for that matter hot to watch. Their mostly embarrasing for me. So unless there is a REAL good reason to throw something like that into a game then no I dont think a game should have a sex scene.
 

ramox

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Mar 11, 2010
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level250geek said:
I don't think sex scenes should be thrown in to games simply to be there. As with films and books, a sex scene should serve some narrative purpose. If you just want to tell us that this guy and this girl hooked up, then just tell us that this guy and this girl hooked up. No need to show the gory details.

With that being said, I think graphic limitations are a silly reason to not put a sex scene into a game. I see no difference between the uncanny valley and a terrible actor/actress wearing heavy make-up and just phoning it in for a paycheck. Terrible acting hasn't stopped us from showing sex between two people in a live-action film; the uncanny valley shouldn't stop us from seeing (tasteful, mature, in-context) sex scenes in video games.
This pretty much sums it up in my opinion. Sadly, the only example of a sex-scene done right i can't think of at the moment is Mass Effect (the first one, in the second...somewhat ok but not as good as in the first).