Poll: Uncovered Breasts On Covers

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Maybe?

I remember Sudeki, which was marketed with such a hilariously over the top tongue in cheek sexual campaign ('Pray for a full frontal assault!' Really?) The semi-ude woman on the cover did at least compel me to read the back, I liked what I saw and bought it, and found to my surprise that it was actually a really good game. I still play it today.

So I guess self-aware sexualised marketing. Either knowing that your game is worthless but that breasts will help it sell, or knowing it's good, but that people might not notice it and using hyper-sexuality to drum up attention.

Sex sells, anyone who says otherwise is deluded.

 

[Phasmal]

I'm female so it just makes me roll my eyes. Imagine loving a hobby where everything was geared towards gay men and you will understand how uncomfortable women can be made to feel sometimes.

The worst thing is when awesome characters like Lara Croft are reduced to a pair of boobs by the media. It's kind of tragic.

There's a difference between looking attractive and looking like an underwear model. Personally I love female character designs of Diablo 3. The female barbarian is even muscular!

People still moan cause the lady-barbarian doesn't look like a Victorias secret model, but hopefully Blizzard will continue to ignore them (I certainly don't want a repeat of what happened to the worgen in WoW... those derphounds).

If a game has to resort to boobs to get people excited- it probably isn't a very good game.
And I'm not interested in boobs. More half-naked men on game covers! (And I don't mean slabs of beef like Kratos either).

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

One would have to be rather dumb to do so, in my opinion.

 

[FoolKiller]

I think its like one of the first episodes of House where he tells Cameron why he hired her.

House: "...I hired you because you are extremely pretty."
Cameron: "You hired me to get into my pants?"
House: "I can't believe that that would shock you. It's also not what I said. No, I hired you because you look good; it's like having a nice piece of art in the lobby."

Essentially, they figure that if they put semi-naked women on it to attract a customer to at least someone will look at their game. And they're right. While no one in their right mind will buy a game because there is attractive box art, that box art may just attract enough attention because it is attractive.

 

[370999]

No-one buys a game just because of the tits, or ass or whatever, to say that would be to boil down incredibly complex things such as purchasing goods to a binary process which does it a disservice. However are people influenced by it, albeit unknowingly? Probably yes.

More likely it drew someone's attention to the game in the first place, they read the blurb, checked the price, thought back to reviews and then decided to buy/not buy it.

I think Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball proves you wrong, also have you never heard eroge games?

Aye, though I would say that DOA at least has the fact that there is a fighting system in it, and I've heard that it's alright, I have no real interest in buying.

I think with some eroge as well they are very much plot with porn i.e it isn't just the sex but the process of getting to the sex which interest the people who play them.

So I would say it fits with it not being a binary decision but rather a multitude of factors.

 

[Evilsanta]

I just went over my game collectio and the only the games covers that have tits on them would be Guild wars Faction and Bayonetta. But I didn't buy them for that reason.

So no would be my answer.

 

[the abyss gazes also]

We all like boobs. Its science. But as much as we like boobs, gamers are far too stingy and jaded to play a bad game just because boobs. We critique the ever loving shit out of video games that we like and don't like, and to think you can fool us with a pair of tits is just silly. If we know its a bad game, good tits aren't going to do anything. But the thing is, if its a good game, good tits aren't going to do anything either! Games aren't good because of tits, games are good....and maybe have tits. See what I'm getting at?

Confusing myself here.....lol

This is absolutely correct. I'm not a fan of sports games or fighting games, so DOA and jiggle physics aren't going to make me buy it. I like what I like. Now I like boobs as much as the next heterosexual male, but when I want to play a game I want a fun challenge, not cheap titillation. If I want boobs I will go find boobs. I have a wife and the internet. Boobs are not hard to find. Good games on the other hand take a bit of work.

I'm female so it just makes me roll my eyes. Imagine loving a hobby where everything was geared towards gay men and you will understand how uncomfortable women can be made to feel sometimes.

The worst thing is when awesome characters like Lara Croft are reduced to a pair of boobs by the media. It's kind of tragic.

There's a difference between looking attractive and looking like an underwear model. Personally I love female character designs of Diablo 3. The female barbarian is even muscular!

The gaming industry and gamers often wonder why there aren't more, and more outspoken, female gamers. Your second sentence would be a wonderful starting point for marketing and design teams to think about.

I understand the idea that sex is supposed to sell, but--as has been said over and over--when marketing goes straight for the "WE HAVE TITS IN OUR GAME" it makes me wonder if they have any actual fun in their game. And really when I look across the media landscape and see all the women in the same butt out, twisted spine to show boobs pose I groan... and not in a sexually frustrated way. I'm bored of this pose. http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/04/hey-everyone-stop-taking-this-picture-no-i-mean-it

Yes, girls are pretty, but they are also more than that. Show me a strong female character and I will find that more enticing than a woman whose obviously being posed by a guy trying to sell something to another guy.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

It's more of a deterrent for me. I assume your game sucks if you have to use sex to sell it. I'm not really so certain [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmQqpPwxfoA&t=55] about "sex sells" for most things. Maybe for...lingerie or cologne or things like that, where the intent is to be attractive. But for games? It just comes across as desperate and pathetic. When I see some Beauty from the Uncanny Valley, it's actually very unsexy. And it also makes me a bit angry that they think they'll bring me in with that type of marketing.

Sex in general actually just makes me uncomfortable in games, like if I walked into my room and an animatronic band was going at it.

Why is there an animatronic band in my room? I dunno...

But that marketing didn't work on me when I was younger because my parents bought my games, and I didn't want mom to have to buy Boobs McGee's Backyard Wrestling '98. It doesn't work on me now because it's just too obviously pandering.

This essentially sums up my thoughts on the matter. If your game is good, you shouldn't need to glorify a pair of boobs or an ass in order to sell it. Like Dusty here, it's hard not to feel like the game sucks if sex is what they need in order to sell it.

Now honestly, I can't say that sex in games bothers me, though. If it's a part of the game, then it's a part of the game. If handled well and handled maturely, I think sex can help make a game better. I don't think it should be a selling point, however. Even as a teen, I bought games based upon how much fun I thought I'd have, rather than how many ridiculously proportioned women in skimpy clothes were on the cover/in the game.

 

[RJ 17]

thousands of years of evolution and genetic hard wiring is incredibly unrealistic.

[citation needed]

I mean come on. I know our brains are big, but just how much room for sexual instinct do you think they have?

Freud would have us believe quite a lot, actually.

 

[archvile93]

I recall reading a study on this once (don't remember where though, sorry,) and it found sex doesn't really sell all that well. The problem is that it distracts from the product. You might remember the woman or man, but you likely won't remember the product. This might not be the case for box art though, since you could be making your decision right then and there and don't have time to forget, so all it might really has to do is get your attention.

 

[RJ 17]

I recall reading a study on this once (don't remember where though, sorry,) and it found sex doesn't really sell all that well. The problem is that it distracts from the product. You might remember the woman or man, but you likely won't remember the product. This might not be the case for box art though, since you could be making your decision right then and there and don't have time to forget, so all it might really has to do is get your attention.

And really in hindsight I should have put that as one of the poll options..."No, but it can definitely grab my attention." as that seems to be the majority of the response that people have been talking about. I'll go ahead and edit it in, but I think it might be too late at this point.

 

[Chemical Alia]

I don't need boobs on a box when I have my own. There's nothing wrong with showing off boobs, but in the context that they're used in a lot of games gets pretty lame.

 

[RJ 17]

Spoiler: The one and only scantily-clad box art chick for me, Firiona Vie.

To be honest, I grew to like her so much that other similar artwork doesn't really bother me anymore.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Spoiler: The one and only scantily-clad box art chick for me, Firiona Vie.

To be honest, I grew to like her so much that other similar artwork doesn't really bother me anymore.

Great, now I'm pining for EQ again.

WTB SOW PLZ.

 

[RJ 17]

Spoiler: The one and only scantily-clad box art chick for me, Firiona Vie.

To be honest, I grew to like her so much that other similar artwork doesn't really bother me anymore.

Great, now I'm pining for EQ again.

WTB SOW PLZ.

Okay, that'll be 10gp.

I DON'T WORK FOR FREE!

 

[jehk]

Look, like it or not, sex sells.

I really hate this argument. Just because sex sells doesn't mean other things won't. Having enough options to attract a diverse group of people is what sells. Give us some super slutty outfits. Give us some realistic badass outfits. Give us some cool and elegant outfits.

I'm still waiting to play a muscle bound man that wears a golden codpiece, pink high heels and beats monsters to death with a giant purple phallus (ie sword).

 

[RJ 17]

Spoiler: The one and only scantily-clad box art chick for me, Firiona Vie.

To be honest, I grew to like her so much that other similar artwork doesn't really bother me anymore.

Great, now I'm pining for EQ again.

WTB SOW PLZ.

Are you going to be scratching the back of your neck and twitching all over with the return of your EverCrack withdrawal? ;3

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Okay, that'll be 10gp.

I DON'T WORK FOR FREE!

10gp is a bargain! I remember paying platinum for SOW at times. It got so bad I gave up my Monk for a Druid.

Well, that and the time the boat to Kunark clipped over me and dragged me back to the Butcherblock mountains, costing me a 30 minute round trip.

Are you going to be scratching the back of your neck and twitching all over with the return of your EverCrack withdrawal? ;3

I can't get enough of that sweet, sweet skinner box. I'd totally play classic EQ again, just for the nostalgia. Then I'd sit down for 20 minutes staring into my spellbook to regain mana, come to my senses, and swiftly uninstall it and throw the disc in the bin.