Sex in RPG's and why it fails.

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agnosticOCD

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I like the points you raise, and although I don't think that sex is any excuse to market a game I do think that it'd be great for an RPG that covers a wide area of exploration to have sex included. I see nothing juvenile about it at all, but of course it's always going to have that "WTF BAN BAN BAN BAN BAN DIS GAME IZ BAD FOAR PPLZ" controversy crap chasing after it with a rusty knife. It would be shameful for an RPG that covers such a wide-open world with characters and missions and open-ended story-lines so big that one couldn't possibly do it all in three tries to not have something that's ultimately as basic as sex (aye, sex is basic. a basic need, a basic desire) to not be included.

Just prepare for one hell of a backlash, though.
 

agnosticOCD

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Oh, and taking aside the fact that people just can't grasp how sex would be helpful in furthering games as a mature art form, I think that it mostly depends on if game developers can incorporate sex in their game right. I'm imagining they'd have to have had some epic "sexcapades" themselves. Your points cover some basics, but there has to be more to it than that.
 

ReservoirAngel

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My only complaint with the sex in Dragon Age (considering I only ever went after Zevran in a male-on-male capacity) is that you can't influence, in any way, whether your character is the top or the bottom. Call me weird for focusing on it, but that annoyed me.

But onto what your saying: I think it's going to VERY hard for developers to get a mechanic like that into a game without having it suddenly become one of those anime sex simulator things you see online. I mean, it can work, but given everyone still treats games, as a medium, with natural mistrust and hostility, I think working in a subtle method of achieving what your talking about is going to be near impossible, what with the 'moral Nazi' patrol constantly scouring gaming news for anything that could possibly corrupt children.
 

agnosticOCD

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ReservoirAngel said:
My only complaint with the sex in Dragon Age (considering I only ever went after Zevran in a male-on-male capacity) is that you can't influence, in any way, whether your character is the top or the bottom. Call me weird for focusing on it, but that annoyed me.

But onto what your saying: I think it's going to VERY hard for developers to get a mechanic like that into a game without having it suddenly become one of those anime sex simulator things you see online. I mean, it can work, but given everyone still treats games, as a medium, with natural mistrust and hostility, I think working in a subtle method of achieving what your talking about is going to be near impossible, what with the 'moral Nazi' patrol constantly scouring gaming news for anything that could possibly corrupt children.
Aye, call me weird for not calling you weird, but I think that's a good way to start: little details like who gets to be on top and how it can affect NPCs' treatment of the character. There ought to be a way to measure if it's starting to hurt either the player or the NPC in a bad way or something. lol
 

Woodsey

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TheEvilCheese said:
Woodsey said:
That's a good point (in terms of an RPG) but they'd never get away with it.

Generally I think implied sex scenes work better - the Prince and Farah get funky, but they focus mostly on the important thing around that (you know, the L word[footnote]Not lesbian[/footnote]) as opposed to the shagging itself.

I thought the Mass Effect ones were done pretty well though (Ash and male Shep, Miranda and male Shep, and Jack and male Shep are the ones I've got, at any rate).

I think it's the music in the Dragon Age ones that kills it. And the fact that they look like mannequins.

katsumoto03 said:
Whenever I see sex in a game I think, "Wow, [game developers], really?" It's really kind of juvenile.
Why? Books have it, films have it, music talks about it.

If you think like that, how are we supposed to get anywhere if we want games to start toeing the maturity line?
is it Lesbians?
Yes, it is lesbians.
 

steph01a

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Ingame sex is not necessary. Ingame nudity is not necessary.
Does having sex while playing your fave game count?
 

TheNewDemoman

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As a 16 year old.

It offends me that developers think they can stick boobs in a game, and every teenage boy from miles around will come and buy it.

Sex is used as a gimic. That's not the way real sex is. It is a continuation of a relationship, not 30 seconds of dry humping and moaning.
 

awillowweeping

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Sex could be used in a lot of ways to enhance a game, depending on how it's done. It just needs to serve a purpose other than "oh look. random porn'. Given the situation it can elicit certain emotions from the player, enhance plot or character direction given the how and why of it happening.

It's a tricky thing to pull off well regardless of the media.
 

saintchristopher

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Aug 14, 2009
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Assassin's Creed 2 did it almost perfectly. Climbing into her window, a little dirty talk in hushed voices, slip off the nightgown so we get some bare back, then blow out the candle and let your filthy little imagination do the heavy petting lifting.
 

saintchristopher

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steph01a said:
Ingame sex is not necessary. Ingame nudity is not necessary.
Does having sex while playing your fave game count?
Only if it's Mortal Kombat and you're fighting each other
 

ChocoFace

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when creating character it would be cool to have:
Preferred position
Thrusting motion
Face when doing it
options.
 

RadicalDreamer90

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Sex in games isn't going to be anything more then a porno that you put time into to unlock. The idea that we need to view a sex scene is a bit appalling enough, implication and the imagination is alot stronger anyway, and it shows more class from a reviewing stand point. Like many who have already put there 2 cents on the subject, developers aren't selling intimacy or a sexual outlet, there selling a game. Full of enjoyable game play, linear to non linear narratives, and healthy escapism preferably. The only slight exception I have to this rule, oddly enough is rape.

I don't dignify rape or condone it, but viewing sex is awkward when it isn't suppose to be, viewing rape is suppose to be visceral, tragic, and grotesque even. Implying rape may have more class, but depicting it --with tact of course-- will have more meaning. I'm not saying make a hentai game about people getting rapped all the time, but I am leaving the window open for a developer with a great story to include something truly evoking in there work. Honestly, its something I have never even heard of being in a game.

I mean GTA has sex, Fable has sex, most western RPGS include it, but not rape really. You can't just run over and have sex with someone forcibly, you have to woo them generally speaking, and in all honesty, I don't understand female leads who are anti male or shut off for only a few social dilemmas. However, if a woman was sexually assaulted or even a guy? That would be such a traumatic experience in and of itself that it could be understood why he or she would have scorn for something at extreme lengths.

Although the controversy would probably be worst then the hot coffee scandal, and last even longer, I think were a way off from getting this done right, and doing this will require some true tact. And again, I'm not saying that viewing this drawn out scene of a woman getting rapped is OK, but a scene, if just brief to get the idea would be truly frightening, and forms good character development. I just think it's something purposely avoided in games that has the power to make a GREAT game, if just for getting the scene off right.
 

cefm

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It seems that sex/romance in RPG's is designed to be bad - since it's not there for the people who actually know what it is and should look like. It's there for the juvenile interest of those who haven't experienced it themselves. Whether my digital avatar bangs out a companion means nothing to an adult with his own love life. But it's fascinating to a juvenile who doesn't talk to girls much. With that being the framework within which RPG romance exists, it's not likely to get much better.

I think the best they've done with the matter is in the Grand Theft Auto series. It's funny, irreverant, probably offensive, and completely unreal.
 

katsumoto03

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ethaninja said:
katsumoto03 said:
Whenever I see sex in a game I think, "Wow, [game developers], really?" It's really kind of juvenile.
But how is sex juvenile? Sure it's in a game. But do we call paintings with nudity (etc) juvenile?

Anywho :p
Nope, I call it porn. So, it boils down to whether or not you thing porn is juvenile... The answer is yes, it is.
 

CatmanStu

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katsumoto03 said:
ethaninja said:
katsumoto03 said:
Whenever I see sex in a game I think, "Wow, [game developers], really?" It's really kind of juvenile.
But how is sex juvenile? Sure it's in a game. But do we call paintings with nudity (etc) juvenile?

Anywho :p
Nope, I call it porn. So, it boils down to whether or not you thing porn is juvenile... The answer is yes, it is.
Wow. That has got to be the most uninformed or unintelligent comment I have read in a long time.
Botticelli's Birth of Venus is porn. The Venus de Milo is porn. Hell, even Michelangelo's David has his knob out, so lets call that porn as well.

Nudity is not porn. Sex is not porn. They can both be called titillation, but titillation isn't porn.

Titillation is when sex is added as a tertiary, or even secondary component to a product, for the express desire to give the audience some added form of voyeuristic pleasure.

Porn is when sex is the primary function of the product with all other considerations coming after, with the sole purpose of eliciting sexual excitement in the audience.

And for the record, porn is not juvenile; only a peoples reaction to it is.
 

katsumoto03

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CatmanStu said:
katsumoto03 said:
ethaninja said:
katsumoto03 said:
Whenever I see sex in a game I think, "Wow, [game developers], really?" It's really kind of juvenile.
But how is sex juvenile? Sure it's in a game. But do we call paintings with nudity (etc) juvenile?

Anywho :p
Nope, I call it porn. So, it boils down to whether or not you thing porn is juvenile... The answer is yes, it is.
Wow. That has got to be the most uninformed or unintelligent comment I have read in a long time.
Botticelli's Birth of Venus is porn. The Venus de Milo is porn. Hell, even Michelangelo's David has his knob out, so lets call that porn as well.

Nudity is not porn. Sex is not porn. They can both be called titillation, but titillation isn't porn.

Titillation is when sex is added as a tertiary, or even secondary component to a product, for the express desire to give the audience some added form of voyeuristic pleasure.

Porn is when sex is the primary function of the product with all other considerations coming after, with the sole purpose of eliciting sexual excitement in the audience.

And for the record, porn is not juvenile; only a peoples reaction to it is.
You, sir, are being completely ridiculous! Why do you think those paintings were painted? It's not like they had the internet back then, so that was obviously their equivalent! Duh!
 

ramboondiea

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well if the game is focused on relationships (not just romantic) then cutting straight to the point is the easiest, ie strong friendship shown through the likes of sacrifice and putting self indanger, love shown through sex, its east to recognise and theres not much room for what ifs and the likes.
however i believe if a game *needs* sex then develops should be far more tactful about it, people (i hope) dont buy games for that one aspect of a game.

in the likes of an rpg, or more specifically a very character controled rpg, should make sex a compleatly optional thing, it wont shouldnt offer any real game benefit, shouldnt be a part of a mission, shouldnt be as simple as picking someone and saying "lets fuck" dont even make it an option, just subtly refer to the it and nothing more
 

CatmanStu

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katsumoto03 said:
You, sir, are being completely ridiculous! Why do you think those paintings were painted? It's not like they had the internet back then, so that was obviously their equivalent! Duh!
I just checked your profile and you have put art as an interest; all I can say is that I hope it isn't art history as you have a very 'unique' viewpoint on the inspiration of historical masterpieces which I imagine would bring you into some, lets say, interesting debates with lecturers.
 

katsumoto03

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CatmanStu said:
katsumoto03 said:
You, sir, are being completely ridiculous! Why do you think those paintings were painted? It's not like they had the internet back then, so that was obviously their equivalent! Duh!
I just checked your profile and you have put art as an interest; all I can say is that I hope it isn't art history as you have a very 'unique' viewpoint on the inspiration of historical masterpieces which I imagine would bring you into some, lets say, interesting debates with lecturers.
I always enjoy making debates more... Interesting. Keeps people on their toes! :)