Fan Service--How Much is Too Much??

[lacktheknack]

I thought that the selling point was the GAMEPLAY and STORY, not the female sidekick's ass!

 

[pigeon_of_doom]

I'm not a fan of it, despite being a straight male. I don't particularly find digital/animated nudity that arousing anyway. Besides, there are other ways to titillate an audience, although it may be harder to market those methods. I don't mind it too much if its halfway relevant(e.g parts of Elfen Lied), but overly contrived sequences of events leading to indecent exposure winds me up (e.g other parts of Elfen Lied).

I only stand by this view in regards to videogames and anime. I think live-action movie directors should take notes. Theres not enougn Marilyn Monroe style upskirt scenes.

 

[cgerman]

Yeahh,
your right.
Mostly though,
Having a brother I find that he just reads them for the "humor".
Trust me, some guys are not THAT bad.

 

[RetiarySword]

I couldn't realy care about nudity in games. If I want to knock out a crafty one I'll watch porn.

 

[AbsoluteVirtue18]

Yeahh,
your right.
Mostly though,
Having a brother I find that he just reads them for the "humor".
Trust me, some guys are not THAT bad.

What's that supposed to mean?

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

In which case, unless it's a hentai game, there's never a good time for it. Unless it's KOS-MOS. Give me KOS-MOS, some WD-40, and a floor buffer and I'll give you a good reason to reach for the Brain Bleach.

I don't really understand what you just said, but I think my tastes in anime were just insulted.

Uh, you haven't been insulted, unless the thought of some bizarre sexual act perpetrated on KOS-MOS with said WD-40 and floor buffer insults your sensibilities. I definitely need the Brain Bleach.

I don't know what a KOS-MOS is, but the involvement of WD-40 sounds kind of hot.

KOS-MOS is the android lady from the Xenosaga series.

http://www.good-thing.net/images/hottest_women_videogame_KOS_MOS.jpg

The question I have about fanservice is where do we draw the line? When does it cross from being sexy or relevant to the story and into 'fanservice'?

 

[JWAN]

Well, I don't mind it and if you don't like it just don't read it I guess.

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

I'm offended that developers assume that sex automatically sells.

I'm even more offended that it does.

And I'm offended that I'm the one purchasing it.

In which case, unless it's a hentai game, there's never a good time for it. Unless it's KOS-MOS. Give me KOS-MOS, some WD-40, and a floor buffer and I'll give you a good reason to reach for the Brain Bleach.

I don't really understand what you just said, but I think my tastes in anime were just insulted.

Uh, you haven't been insulted, unless the thought of some bizarre sexual act perpetrated on KOS-MOS with said WD-40 and floor buffer insults your sensibilities. I definitely need the Brain Bleach.

I don't know what a KOS-MOS is, but the involvement of WD-40 sounds kind of hot.

KOS-MOS is the android lady from the Xenosaga series.

http://www.good-thing.net/images/hottest_women_videogame_KOS_MOS.jpg

The question I have about fanservice is where do we draw the line? When does it cross from being sexy or relevant to the story and into 'fanservice'?

KOS-MOS? DO WANT.

 

[Altorin]

Being a girl, I don't particularly appreciate a game or comic that's nothing but one panty shot after another. I understand, however, that it's used to draw in a male audience.

Do any guys out there feel insulted by this view of you, that's that what draws you to a game?

Girls--How much is too much? How many pairs of panties before you just give it up as a bad job?? How much cleavage before you feel like you're suffocating in excessive breast tissue??

How much is too much?

It totally depends on if you're a fan of what they're servicing you with.

Fanservice extends far beyond just panty shots in anime.. most fanservice are Cameos or references from other works that the creator has done, or an allusion to something a friend of theirs has made..

When Mario is in a Legend of Zelda game, that's fanservice
The Master Chief costume in Fable 2.. that's Fanservice
The ETs and ALFs in the Republic in the Phantom Menace.. that's fanservice.

Free Pantyshots is pretty crappy fanservice.

If you're a fan of the reference, then a media can really have as much fanservice as it can hold.. If you're not a fan, then you probably won't even notice it.

 

[NeutralDrow]

If I were female, I'd imagine this shit would make me vomit in my mouth and wonder if guys think about anything besides sex.

Women are actually more sexual than men, but they just wont talk about it xD

It's not sex in general with fanservice. It's the obsessiveness of panties and big tits, which I don't think straight chicks get all too hot and bothered about. If it included bulky guys with bulging junks, then I think it would be a different story.

PS: wait, is there a fanservice for chicks?

You answered your own question, right? You see, there's this thing called a <url=http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShirtlessScene>shirtless scene. <url=http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/mgm/casino_royale/daniel_craig/royale17.jpg>Exhibit A...

Incidentally, your avatar makes me very, very sad.

 

[Slayer_2]

When I see the female space marine wearing what equates to a metal bra and panties holding a gun the size of her leg in the middle of a combat zone while every guy is wearing full body-armor. I'm not sure if its an issue with this "fan service" business, or maybe just a beef with games feeling that they can drag me around by my penis. If any guy (or girl possibly) buys a game for this shit, then thats kinda sad.

Some games are ok that wave the occasional scantily clad female around. UT2004 is an example, but its a good game. If you buy a game because or this stuff or its a reason to get a game for you, then I think thats kinda strange.

The two main reasons I feel this way about this shit is because:

1: It's unrealistic. I'd like to mention that I'm a bit of a realism fan in gaming, seeing a woman fighting in a battle isn't that strange, but when she's wearing a bra and panties, or sometimes less, the immersion is shaken up a little.

2: It's insulting. Not only to women, but to men. I know, I know, sex sells and all that crap. But if I wanted a porno, I'd watch one, I want gameplay, not giant polygonal breasts.

For the record, I'm a straight male, but this shit is rather annoying. Anhow, thats my rant folks, see ya around.

 

[Pumpkin_Eater]

KOS-MOS is the android lady from the Xenosaga series.

http://www.good-thing.net/images/hottest_women_videogame_KOS_MOS.jpg

The question I have about fanservice is where do we draw the line? When does it cross from being sexy or relevant to the story and into 'fanservice'?

Oh, so some rule 34 then? Sounds good man.

This is one of those things where the line is kind of fuzzy, but the standard I would use would be whether or not the shot is necessary for the scene or the character. I'll try and answer your question with examples:

Remember the scene from Cowboy Bebop in with Faye in Grinn's apartment? We saw plenty of closeups of her as she was telling a complete stranger all about her personal life in a warm, soft lit room; and it really pulled in the viewer and almost made you forget about the mysterious new character across the room. This is a prime example of when the shot is relevant, because if we'd been looking at the surroundings or at the two of them the whole time it wouldn't have been Faye's scene, it just would have been a scene with Faye in it.

Separating sexy scenes from fanservice is a bit more complex, I'd answer that question with another question: "am I attracted to the person here or just the boobs?" The best example that's immediately coming to mind is a one time character from Samurai Champloo. The older woman in the episode featuring the hip hopping samurai. Sure the kimono was hanging pretty low, but her voice and facial expressions were just as attractive as her curves.

Finally, quintessential fanservice is the "hey look at this" style shot that zooms all the way in for no particular reason and usually has some kind of boingy sound effect to go with it. Pretty much any episode of Strike Witches is rife with examples. Again, not that I'm complaining; my only real gripe about that show is that it's too short.

 

[santaandy]

I get so annoyed by people who are too uppity to be comfortable around a display of sexuality. That having been said, for me, it's not *what* is being shown, but *how*. I like the female characters from SNK games like Mai, despite being silly and a little pervy. But DOA Xtreme takes fanservice to creepy levels by being the halfway point to a stalker sim. When sexuality is displayed creepily, the type and amount are no longer important.

 

[Meta Like That]

You answered your own question, right? You see, there's this thing called a <url=http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShirtlessScene>shirtless scene. <url=http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/mgm/casino_royale/daniel_craig/royale17.jpg>Exhibit A...

True dat, true dat.

Incidentally, your avatar makes me very, very sad.

Would it make you feel better that I never even heard of tsukihime before I went to tvtropes and just really like that picture (even more so for its trope page)?

 

[Meta Like That]

I get so annoyed by people who are too uppity to be comfortable around a display of sexuality. That having been said, for me, it's not *what* is being shown, but *how*. I like the female characters from SNK games like Mai, despite being silly and a little pervy. But DOA Xtreme takes fanservice to creepy levels by being the halfway point to a stalker sim. When sexuality is displayed creepily, the type and amount are no longer important.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if there was a stalker game somewhere in Japan. Gaijin Smash has opened my eyes in more ways than one.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Incidentally, your avatar makes me very, very sad.

Would it make you feel better that I never even heard of tsukihime before I went to tvtropes and just really like that picture (even more so for its trope page)?

Well...I guess I should clarify "very, very sad" to mean "makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time." Don't worry, it's hardly the worst picture of Kohaku I've seen!

Still, it did fit the Enfant Terrible page pretty well (not as an example, but for the not-quite ironic murderous Chibi Kohaku). Someone took it down, though...

 

[Meta Like That]

Someone took it down, though...

Whatchu talkin' bout? [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EnfantTerrible].

 

[Biek]

The last time I raged over fanservice was when I heard Pyramidhead was making a comeback in SH:H

 

[Numbert]

For the most part I think that sort of thing is limited to more main stream action-like games, that almost everyone plays not just gamers. Any game worth anybodies time puts the focus on characters and story-line not shallow things like that.