The cover art for Elder Scrolls: Arena is embarassing.

[Batou667]

Oh God, look at this disgusting box art! It's like some pervy girl's sordid dream. Don't boys and young men have enough pressure put on them to conform to aesthetic ideals? This is basically pornography! It's so undermining! They could have had the guy wearing a nice sensible sweater, a cardigan maybe, but noooooo, it had to be pecs out for the girls. What kind of sick female chauvinist do you think drew this pathetic fantasy scene? You can bet it wasn't a man.

 

[LilithSlave]

Because we could post pretty much all of the 90s i that case.

This isn't the off-topic section. This is the video game section in a time that it is dominated by Skyrim discussions.

I know that people here like talking about new games and new things. But that doesn't mean that there's isn't discussion value in old things.

You do know that's how game cover arts were like back in the 80's and 90's right?

Not really. About %90 of them or more were not this way at all.

 

[Pearwood]

Don't boys and young men have enough pressure put on them to conform to aesthetic ideals?

No which is kind of the point, that's why this is different...

Yeah I saw that cover art a few days ago when I was looking to give the earlier Elder Scrolls games another chance for some reason. I just thought it was hilarious, it's from that time when only geeks and teenaged boys were into gaming so you can kind of understand it. Still terrible though.

 

[Ditzydoo]

What?

Okay, from now on, everypony in RPGs will be completely naked.
That way noone dies.

Well, ponies have had the best armour class of all time then, though I do wonder, does it drop if they put on clothes hmmmmm we need a pony rpg to find out!

And OT Its classic fantasy rpg cover art, y u mad brah? Its awesome in its cheesyness

 

[Lord Legion]

Oh God, look at this disgusting box art! It's like some pervy girl's sordid dream. Don't boys and young men have enough pressure put on them to conform to aesthetic ideals? This is basically pornography! It's so undermining! They could have had the guy wearing a nice sensible sweater, a cardigan maybe, but noooooo, it had to be pecs out for the girls. What kind of sick female chauvinist do you think drew this pathetic fantasy scene? You can bet it wasn't a man.

I hate being objectified. Why can't women just... understand?

 

[Ragsnstitches]

Didn't you ever hear of the Whore class? With bonuses to Speechcraft, Mercantile, Agility and endurance.

Seriously though... why? Does it matter? Did you know that Arena was originally meant to be a gladiator game and not the RPG it eventually became?

 

[Xixikal]

Clearly, the only solution is to reduce the amount of clothing worn by the all the heros that grace the covers of our video games, that way everyone will be happy.

 

[LilithSlave]

Oh God, look at this disgusting box art! It's like some pervy girl's sordid dream. Don't boys and young men have enough pressure put on them to conform to aesthetic ideals? This is basically pornography! It's so undermining! They could have had the guy wearing a nice sensible sweater, a cardigan maybe, but noooooo, it had to be pecs out for the girls. What kind of sick female chauvinist do you think drew this pathetic fantasy scene? You can bet it wasn't a man.

Because a topless guy in a fairly bottom covering loincloth, showing off his muscles which honestly only appeals to a few fetishists, and is mostly just to look strong and at the same time mildly savage, is comparable to a woman, up in front, with a slim figure and itty bitty shoulders that could hardly fight a thing, in a g-string, while the men behind are ultra-clothed.

Right... yeah. No, it's not at all the same.

The man is showing off his barbarian muscles. She's showing off her ass.

 

[Batou667]

Don't boys and young men have enough pressure put on them to conform to aesthetic ideals?

No

"Younger men who read so-called "lads mags" could be psychologically harmed by the images of perfect male physiques they contain, research suggests." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7318411.stm

"One of Britain's leading eating disorder experts says as many as one in five young men are deeply unhappy with their body image." http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/health/newsid_7611000/7611115.stm

"Anorexic says men need more help" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/8045237.stm

"Are men suffering in silence [about bulimia]?" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7358527.stm

"The number of men suffering from eating disorders is rising, says the Royal College of General Practitioners." http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/14051772

"Male breast op numbers 'growing fastest' - Pressure created by men's magazines was partly to blame, one surgeon said." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8487526.stm

Because a topless guy in a fairly bottom covering loincloth, showing off his muscles which honestly only appeals to a few fetishists, and is mostly just to look strong and at the same time mildly savage, is comparable to a woman, up in front, with a slim figure and itty bitty shoulders that could hardly fight a thing, in a g-string, while the men behind are ultra-clothed.

Right... yeah. No, it's not at all the same.

The man is showing off his barbarian muscles. She's showing off her ass.

Well, the woman is still wearing more clothes than his. This guy doesn't even get a chainmail bra to cover his modesty. Where's the equality?

Also, the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body. She's displaying her musculature too.

You make a lot of assumptions. Assumption 1: When a woman bares flesh, she's being exploited. Do you not see the pictures young women take of themsleves and post on Facebook? Have you never been to a nightclub? A lot of girls LIKE to dress skimpy, and it's as much about empowerment and feeling good about themselves as it is about attracting men.

Assumption 2: Women don't objectify men. Have you HEARD the conversations girls have? Most women I know fairly drool over the barely-legal male actors in Twilight.

Assumption 3: The average woman doesn't like powerfully-built men. What about the men on the covers of Mills and Boon books (that's erotic literature for women, before anybody suggests that women don't enjoy porn), half of them fit the stereotype of the strong, mysterious man, his shoulder-length hair blowing in the wind as his chest heaves in his half-undone shirt.. etc etc.

I put it to you, LilithSlave, that you have a bigotted view towards sexuality, and you think that women are always being objectified and undermined while men are always in control and expoliting the poor vulnerable women. That's not a very progressive thing to believe, is it?

 

[LilithSlave]

There is definitely some pressure for men to look good. And fat men are quickly condemned as "ugly looking".

However, the is not near the industry around men looking good as women looking good.

Also, that woman is wearing a darned piece of lingerie, not a barbarian loincloth.

Jove, it's there for the "t & a", not artistry or making her look strong and feral. And she's almost completely naked, and the work is showing off said "t & a". It's pretty darn close to porn.

 

[RESURRECTION21]

aw the the 90s god they sucked

 

[Pearwood]

snip

Anorexia/bulemia are both far more common in women than men, something like 70% women. Also the problem with men with those disorders are that they tend to be less willing to seek help not that there isn't help available. Besides we're not talking about eating disorders or body image, we're talking about sexuality being exploited. A neurotypical male has far less exposure to that kind of pressure than a neurotypical female, all you need to do is walk around with your eyes open looking at advertisements to notice that.

 

[LilithSlave]

Eh, I tend to think quite highly on 90s video games. I like them better than most of the ones put out now.

But not that. That kind of design has little to do with the 90s. Most 90s game art was tasteful.

I'm looking at you, Super Nintendo, the best thing that ever happened to video gaming.

Seriously, that library is flawless.

And about that tasteful cover art:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileK_Country_2.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kirby_Super_Star_Coverart.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EarthBound_Box.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chrono_Trigger.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mega_Man_X_Coverart.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SuperMarioRPGSNESCoverArtUS.jpg

I don't know what y'all are complaining about with the 90s. Those are some of the greatest games ever made. Crazy whipper snapper games and their 1080p.

Anorexia/bulemia are both far more common in women than men, something like 70% women. Also the problem with men with those disorders are that they tend to be less willing to seek help not that there isn't help available. Besides we're not talking about eating disorders or body image, we're talking about sexuality being exploited. A neurotypical male has far less exposure to that kind of pressure than a neurotypical female, all you need to do is walk around with your eyes open looking at advertisements to notice that.

Yes, very well put.

 

[BoogieManFL]

I was 14 when that came out and I appreciated her choice of armor at the time...

 

[DanielBrown]

Ok, I see a mage... and THREE two-handed warriors.
Why are the rogues underrepresentated, Bethesda?! WHYYYY?!!!1

 

[Robert Ewing]

Should I mention that it's because their entire demographic and fan base were sweaty teenagers that have only heard the phrase 'woman' uttered in the halls of enlightenment, also known as their school library?

Yeah, if they didn't have a practically nude woman on the cover, a lot less people would of bought it.

 

[JochemDude]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elder_Scrolls_Arena_Cover.jpg
Take a look at it right here.

Do you see that? Of course you know what I'm talking about.

That lady, right there in the front. She's wearing almost nothing. That looks like porn.

And the whole thing just looks crass and bad. But especially the fact you have three fully clothed dudes in the back, and a half naked girl for "tee nund eeh" on the front. Right up front.

I am sure glad Bethesda learned their lesson and stopped doing this right away. All the other cover art for their others looks cool, like an old book. And not downright sleazy like this.

I mean, good Lord.

Just thought you Skyrim fans might like to see just how far the franchise has come in terms of cover art.

They went down that road with Fallout too...
I don't have a problem with something being sexual, but it get's immoral when it's from a 'Sex Sells' point of view.

 

[LordFisheh]

Ugh, if we're really going to get into the self image thing then can we at least ask people to have a little responsibility for their actions? This shouldn't be about condemning media that 'causes damage to self esteem' while ignoring the fact that hundreds of thousands of people willingly pay for it. If those people are going to believe whatever a trashy magazine or tacky old videogame box tells them, than that's their choice, and if it brings them unhappiness then that's their choice too. As influential as media can be, we have to maintain faith that we can chose; it's the people who have to change, not the media. And if they do change, then the media will have no choice but to change with them or go bust.

 

[Batou667]

snip

Anorexia/bulemia are both far more common in women than men, something like 70% women. Also the problem with men with those disorders are that they tend to be less willing to seek help not that there isn't help available.

A few minutes ago you were saying that men don't have ANY body-image issues. Now you're admitting that they do, and what's more the figures are probably an underestimation as men are less likely to seek help or talk to others.

Besides we're not talking about eating disorders or body image, we're talking about sexuality being exploited. A neurotypical male has far less exposure to that kind of pressure than a neurotypical female, all you need to do is walk around with your eyes open looking at advertisements to notice that.

Citation needed.