Selling games with sex

[Eric the Orange]

Or really selling anything with sex, but sense this is a gaming website, games is the most prevalent.

Honestly i really don't get the why it works. First off let me state that I'm coming at this from a male perspective, I can't speak on the female side of things. But I've always used the "a time and a place" argument to back up my reasoning. That being that I only really care to look at hot chicks when I feel like jerking off. Which I don't combine with playing a game (I'd think that would be rather difficult). And if I do feel like jerking off that's what porn is for.

I guess in the days before the internet when porn was not easily available, having hot girls in things could give them extra usage (like animal house is a funny movie and there's some topless chicks in it if I wanna rub one out afterwards).

Not that I haven't bought games that are sold on sex. Some don't bother me so much like Bayonetta (except I'm giving the advertizes the false idea that sex was why I bought it). But other games sex appeal(usually Japanese) really creep me out. like for example I like the game Record of Agarest War, but playing it makes me feel like a pedophile (seriously the art makes all the girls look like pre-teens... admittedly some pre-teens with huge breasts but still pre-teens).

Anyways, am I alone in my "a time and a place" feelings. What are your thoughts.

And if any females want to chime in on there perspective I'd be interested in hearing it.

 

[shrekfan246]

I think you're confusing "selling games with sex", meaning, "advertising that there is heavily sexual content in this game" with "Oh, by the way, there's some sexual appeal in this game too, we hoped you wouldn't notice."

Most games will not advertise that they contain sex (obviously there are exceptions, Record of Agarest War being one of them), and sometimes it will be leaked that there is sex and the media itself will then proceed to blow it heavily out of proportion (See Mass Effect). I can't really speak for the advertising campaign of Bayonetta because I never even saw how it was advertised, but in general (in America at least) everyone is too paranoid to actually advertise the sexual content of their games when they could easily pander to the masses with all sorts of impossible acrobatics and gut-wrenching bloodthirsty killing (e.g. Dante's Inferno, God of War).

I will, however, grant that most games in the fantasy genre such as Dragon Age will go to extreme lengths to sexualize the females in the games. I mean, why do they get bikinis when their male counterparts are wearing two tanks and a helicopter? And, on the off-chance they may be wearing more than a bikini, must their midriff always be showing? But I don't think it's them "selling" the sex in their game any more than being this:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChainmailBikini

So, to simplify it a bit...I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at with your post, but most games don't actually sell because of the sexual content they happen to contain. At least, not as far as I know.

 

[Eric the Orange]

I will, however, grant that most games in the fantasy genre such as Dragon Age will go to extreme lengths to sexualize the females in the games.

OK lets look at that then, I think the "a time and a place" holds true for that to. also fighting games are probably the worst offenders in the over sexualization of women. And Dead or Alive probably the worst of them, so much so they released a whole game based on it.

 

[shrekfan246]

I will, however, grant that most games in the fantasy genre such as Dragon Age will go to extreme lengths to sexualize the females in the games.

OK lets look at that then, I think the "a time and a place" holds true for that to. also fighting games are probably the worst offenders in the over sexualization of women. And Dead or Alive probably the worst of them, so much so they released a whole game based on it.

All right, I think I can see where you're coming from now. I'm having an issue because I usually separate sex from video games, not unlike you do, but in a way where seeing sexualized females in a video game doesn't automatically make me think ... well, impure thoughts.

I can understand where you're coming from with fighting games and Dead Or Alive, too. Soul Caliber is a horrific offender, why, I just watched a video earlier explaining how impractical the girls' outfits are and how they wouldn't hold up in a real fight. And Dead Or Alive would fall into the category of "exceptions" like Record of Agarest War.

I'm just not sure if you're phrasing your thoughts quite clearly enough. I understand that you don't care to look at a sexualization of the female form while playing a video game, but I'm not entirely understanding why that is, other than the "there's a time and place" argument you've already stated. At the same time, I don't know how I could get my own point across. It's a...difficult thing to articulate, especially when tone can't be interpreted.

Another simplification: I understand what you're saying, but your argument, in my opinion, could use a bit of work because as I said in my previous post most games are not being advertised and sold based solely on their sex appeal. There is hyper-sexualization in all forms of artistic media, but I think that's a topic best left for the Extra Credits guys to discuss. As for the games like Dead or Alive, Record of Agarest War, and those creepy Japanese games, you should simply expand your horizons a bit (that's not to say you don't have broad horizons as it stands). There are plenty of games where sexualization can hardly even be noticed, if found at all. Here, let me name a few off the top of my head:

Amnesia - The Dark Descent
Bioshock and Bioshock 2 (Well, hopefully at least.)
Borderlands (Though that Siren is not exactly the least sexualized character in FPS history)
Braid
The Call of Duty series
The Crysis series
Dead Space series
DeathSpank
Dev-no, I'll leave that one out. Trish and Lady ruin that for this discussion.
The Diablo series
Dragon Age...arguably. It contains the typical amounts of Bioware flirting and PG-13 sex, but they don't usually hyper-sexualize their characters. EDIT: Okay, I just remembered Morrigan, but she's more of a character that embraces her personality rather than going around "flaunting it because she's got it."
The Fate games
Hm..I would say the Half-Life series as well
The Halo series
Just Cause 2
Mass Effect, for the most part, see Dragon Age.
Mirror's Edge
The Penumbra games
Portal and Portal 2
The...first game in the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time trilogy
Quake 4
Serious Sam
Shank
Sil-No, no...Silent Hill 2 was sexualized on a creepy subconscious level. Great for horror though.
Sins of a Solar Empire. For that matter, almost any RTS game.
Most Star Wars games - If you'd want good ones then Battlefront II, Dark Forces II - Jedi Knight, Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast, Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy, Republic Commando, and possibly The Force Unleashed and II if you don't pay ANY attention to the story and just want to throw around Storm Troopers.
Super Meat Boy
Torchlight ... eh. Kinda.
Trine
The Worms games.

I went on rather long, I'm sorry. It's just that having attractive characters in a game is not really considered a point against the game. Imagine if every game were developed with the main character looking like Kratos. But at the same time, sexualization of females in video games is often, save for those few exceptions, just a trope that has become common use because it has pervaded the industry for so many years that developers don't even think of it as "sexualization of the female form" anymore.

I apologize if I'm not getting your point, too, but I'm just not bothered by seeing a scantily-clad female in a video game. I wouldn't expect it to arouse me and I don't believe that most developers create the characters expecting they will arouse the players either (There are exceptions to that too, as with almost anything), and the only thing that I really see wrong about it is that males are not equally exploited.

 

[littlealicewhite]

I am a female, and yes I can see what you mean. I've gotten so desensitized to it that I rarely notice except in extreme cases when I'm actually playing, but looking back, yeah games tend to lay on the sex appeal real thick. However, generally it is not the focal point of the game's marketing, or even really mentioned. It's just something we're used to, we *expect* it to be there. Sad but true.

 

[ElectroJosh]

Nuts, I was hoping you meant that games were being sold with sex as part of the deal.

for example: "If you pre-order MW3 before July 4th you get a good half hour of sex with that"

or

"Witcher 2 extra-special edition comes with male and female sex toys to use during the sex-scenes"

something like that.

Anyway continue the conversation because some interesting points have been raised so far.

 

[Eric the Orange]

snip

OK, let me try phrasing this in another way. If a character in a game is overly sexualized and it doesn't make sense for the character, story, or area it takes place in, Then why is it done? The only reason I can think of is that game maker assume guys like to look at hot half naked girls and that would make them more likely to buy the game(or switch the genders, or both the same, ect.). Which while I would agree, I do like looking at half naked hot girls, I only like doing it when I'm in a certain mood. and if I'm in that mood I don't go to video games. And if I'm not in that mood I don't care.

I guess the title is incorrect, it's not just in advertizing games, it's just prevalent in games a lot. An early example would be Lara Croft. It benefits nothing to her character to have breasts the size of her head, so I can only assume it was done to try an entice male gamers to buy the game.

And to be fair if it does make sense for a character to look or dress the way they do, however sexualized it may be, then I don't mind. Like for example the strippers in The Saboteur. It's a strip club, what would you expect them to be doing. You could argue why the game has a strip club in it, and weather it makes sense on the whole, but that the first example I could think of.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

that most games in the fantasy genre such as Dragon Age will go to extreme lengths to sexualize the females in the games.

Errr no... Actually Dragon Age was suggested by most women on the Elder Scrolls page (while talking about armour in Skyrim) for having the most suitable looking (mostly concerning leather) armour for women. It was workable armour but it also looked feminine.

Spoiler: How is that a bikini?

As for sex selling computer games well, that's only something we can leave to men to change. Even the Elder Scrolls have fallen into that trap with 'herp derp lookit the pretty nord lady' in the first Skyrim screenshots, and well, what do you know the first comments from men weren't on how much better the face looked it was 'phwaor look at her' etc.

They use sex to sell stuff to you because they think that's what works. They also think pink and fluffy kittens is what sells to women. Which is also retarded. Only we can change this ridiculousness.

 

[Eric the Orange]

Doesn't really bother me, so long as the game is actually good.

Doesn't particularly bother me either, but why is it done is my question.

 

[haddaway234]

OP let me ask you this, what is the point of having a good looking girlfriend at any time other than sex?

The answer this question and yours is that good looking girls are nice to look at and just naturally appeal to men. Just because your not ogling the girls in a game doesn't mean you aren't at least subconsciously admiring them.

 

[StormShaun]

If its my girlfriend I got no problem.

Well exept Im christain and I cant do that...darn it.

 

[Eric the Orange]

OP let me ask you this, what is the point of having a good looking girlfriend at any time other than sex?

The answer this question and yours is that good looking girls are nice to look at and just naturally appeal to men. Just because your not ogling the girls in a game doesn't mean you aren't at least subconsciously admiring them.

Well for the first part I'd say there is no reason.

for the second I'd say that's rather assuming of you. though through the use of the word "subconscious" it is impossible to refute you.

For example I could say you have a subconscious desire to eat your own feces. Stated thus there is no way you can concretely prove that what I said is wrong

 

[Griffolion]

Well exept Im christain and I cant do that...darn it.

Why not? :S

 

[haddaway234]

OP let me ask you this, what is the point of having a good looking girlfriend at any time other than sex?

The answer this question and yours is that good looking girls are nice to look at and just naturally appeal to men. Just because your not ogling the girls in a game doesn't mean you aren't at least subconsciously admiring them.

Well for the first part I'd say there is no reason.

for the second I'd say that's rather assuming of you. though through the use of the word "subconscious" it is impossible to refute you.

For example I could say you have a subconscious desire to eat your own feces. Stated thus there is no way you can concretely prove that what I said is wrong

Men enjoy looking at attractive women, simple as that, and that applies pretty much all (straight) men. Its just eye-candy, most men can enjoy looking at attractive women without just wanting to jerk off.

 

[SammiYin]

Psht, I love sexxing pixellated womens that don't exist, which is why I'm a Bioware fanboy

 

[JWRosser]

OP let me ask you this, what is the point of having a good looking girlfriend at any time other than sex?

The answer this question and yours is that good looking girls are nice to look at and just naturally appeal to men. Just because your not ogling the girls in a game doesn't mean you aren't at least subconsciously admiring them.

This is kind of true, but why, then, do they need to be half naked? One can easily, if not moreso, respect a girl's beauty when she is clothed?

I know what the OP is saying - and shaking off the gaming stereotype won't happen until this kind of thing decreases.

Fighters such as Soul Calibre, Mortal Kombat or DoA are awful when it comes to this - there is no need for that big a boobies! I mean, I can understand with some characters, who are supposed to entice with their luxurious bodies and then rip their enemies heads off *cough* Mileena *cough* but there is a limit.

And yeah, you do see in a lot of fantasy style RPGs revealing female armour. Not all, but some. Some, I think, make it work - like Guild Wars for the most part. But a lot of it is ridiculous.

Personally, I'd much rather have a well developed character than one wearing next to nothing just because she's CG-hawt.

I think the main reason for this, as with many other products, is that sex does sell. Which is fine, but there is a limit.

 

[SouthpawFencer]

If a video game seems to be hyping it's sexual content, that's usually a warning sign to me that the game is more likely to suck in terms of gameplay, story and characters.

For example, I liked Soul Caliber 2, but that was DESPITE the hyper-sexualization of most of the female characters, rather than because of it.

I'm hoping this is something that will mature as game writing as a whole matures. And, while I'm not exactly a paragon of feminist theory, I wonder if it would help if more female writers were brought in, especially to help flesh-out improve upon female characters.

 

[StormShaun]

Well exept Im christain and I cant do that...darn it.

Why not? :S

Sex before marrage thing...its annoying but a small price to pay for eternal life, and im not trying to do anything im just points that out...please anyone dont be a noob about this...