Sex in Games

[nin_ninja]

http://pc.ign.com/articles/113/1139755p1.html

Yes, yes, I know we've done this before and I know most of you HATE IGN, but I think he does prove a point. Sex is a part of life. If I'm allowed to do drugs, kill people, and blow shit up in games why shouldn't I be able to have sex? It's not pushing any moral boundaries that aren't already being pushed, and it definitely would help with game sales (I looking at you my male gaming colleges, myself included).

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Think of the children!

Uncanny valley for me. until graphics become good enough for it to not look awkward as hell, I'd rather screens just fade to black for sex scenes.

 

[NJ]

I'd say there's a fine, fine line between playing the game and playing yourself while playing the game if that stuff was a big part of it.

 

[Lyx]

I think the article shows quite well, why CURRENTLY, i'm quite happy that sex isn't more prominent in videogames: It would be done awfully.

Those "simulations" and crap? Oh please.

I guess what i'm trying to say is: Sure, sex COULD be an interesting addition to games. But the current mindset of gamedesign ensures, that it would suck (pardon the pun) if it were done now. And so i'm glad about the current reservations about the topic.

Gimme a missing feature over a badly done feature any day.

Would i like developing a friendship with a character ingame, overcoming hurdles together, learning to like each other, and "among other things" that relationship also covering sex? Yes. Do i expect the current story-telling and gamedesign compentence of mainstream-studios to deliver this? Nope - not by a mile. It'll be shallow, artificial and stupid - so i may as well skip that "feature".

 

[NLS]

If I'm allowed to do drugs, kill people, and blow shit up in games why shouldn't I be able to have sex?

Unlike the other activities, you're allowed to perform sex in real life. Most games tend to focus on "things you couldn't do in real life" (such as blowing up a car, taking a few bullets in the back and then just heal yourself with magic drugs).
Sex in real life = better than in games. Doing all kinds of crazy shit in games = better than in real life (unless you like dying a lot).

 

[nin_ninja]

I don't feel like having to deal with sex in video games unless it's meaningful in some way. Going to sleep next to a woman in Fallout 3 for 120 caps adds absolutely nothing to the game. Was Mass Effect any better?

It tried to have meaning or give a sense of a connection with the character, whiles Fallout was 120 caps for some noise. I'm also not saying we should HAVE TO do it, but it could be an option that one could aim towards, either for trophy hunting (see The Witcher) or to feel a sense of bonding (see Jack or Tali in Mass Effect 2).

I think the article shows quite well, why CURRENTLY, i'm quite happy that sex isn't more prominent in videogames: It would be done awfully.

Those "simulations" and crap? Oh please.

I guess what i'm trying to say is: Sure, sex COULD be an interesting addition to games. But the current mindset of gamedesign ensures, that it would suck (pardon the pun) if it were done now. And so i'm glad about the current reservations about the topic.

Gimme a missing feature over a badly done feature any day.

Yeah it's poorly done, but I was talking more about the idea of excluding it for moral reasons.

 

[Nieroshai]

Hollywood and TV get away with it all the time, why should games be held to a higher standard than (yes I'm serious) PBS. If Masterpiece Theatre can feature a full-blown sex scene with their asses barely covered by a sheet, there should be no controversy about Mass Effect's relatively tame scenes.

 

[Judgement101]

It really doesn't add or take away anything. It's just free publicity, in other terms, sex in Heavy Rain was like "No Russian" in MW2, no real reason to be there except for press.

 

[badgersprite]

Seeing as sex is a pretty natural part of most TV and movies nowadays, I really don't see how games can shy away from it. Even if it's only implied sexuality, romance subplots are a pretty basic and, in many cases, essential aspect of storytelling, since it helps us connect to the characters, and gets us emotionally involved with what's going on. Why should video game stories be deprived of that aspect, or denied the natural evolution of romance?

Besides which, sex extends to more than the act, and the good things. Lust is a powerful emotion, and repressed lust or sexuality can provide a huge psychological element to stories, like in Silent Hill 2, or the Desire Demons in Dragon Age.

 

[KissofKetchup]

The thing that I hate about sex in games is that you can't have a graphic depiction of it even in a mature game without it being for all intents and purposes blacklisted by having an AO (or the equivalent rating in other regions). If it were a book, the media and most people wouldn't even care if it had a story containing graphic descriptions of sex in it, but when it's a video game, mass hysteria ensues (hehe, Mass Effect pun).

 

[Lazzi]

Think of the children!

Uncanny valley for me. until graphics become good enough for it to not look awkward as hell, I'd rather screens just fade to black for sex scenes.

I dont think well ever reach that point were it isnt awkard. Read a sex scene in a book and the chance is that it will be awkard.

The problem with a sex scene is that It can some times feel invasive, especially when its not something that you worked toward. Non-linear rpg's like Dragon age can get around this problem becuase you have to work for the sex, you dont stumble into it as if you entered the wrong hotel room.

While I have no problem with sex, I do think that it needs to be used properlly.