The cover art for Elder Scrolls: Arena is embarassing.

[tahrey]

How can we have got this far through the thread and no-one's posted this?

or if that's redex'd / hot link prevented, the page:
http://www.gamebox64.com/cgi-bin/displaygamebox.pl?GameBox64ID=95

Classic, embarrassingly soft-pornographic box art right there. For the C64.
(I think I actually have an unboxed copy of this for my Atari ST, too. I remember it sucking. The guy who sold us the machine secondhand must have kept the box as it was the better half of the overall package)
NB also: FREE POSTER INSIDE. I think it was the couple from the box art in a standing-up and slightly more steamy pose.
Fun fact: The guy went on to be "Wolf" in the UK version of Gladiators. I can't remember the eventual fate of the well equipped young lady, but a rusty and unreliable memory suggests to me that her usual employ was flaunting her assets on the third page of various tabloid newspapers, so she may well be sitting behind a cash register now.


Anyhoo... It's a longstanding problem that will probably never go away, because as a marketing strategy, IT WORKS. Regardless of the complaints. Sex sells, guys.

Anyway, I love the "CDROM version!" sticker on the ES:A box. Ah, that takes me back. A more innocent time when CDROM owners could look down on floppy-drive using peons and flaunt their fully voice-acted, occasionally FMV-blessed directors cut editions of an otherwise normal game and laugh a hearty laugh.

 

[surg3n]

Reminds me of the controversy surrounding this cover art:

They actually drew a bigger bra on her later. I remember the Barbarian box art as well, I'm sure she was a page 3 girl in the UK, back when the daily papers had a topless girl on page 3 every day. Good times.

 

[Fasckira]

Scantily clad women on an RPG cover of a 1994 title? Yes, that is so unheard of!

Its nearly two decades ago, let it go.

 

[Macgyvercas]

I really just saw this, and it reminded me that I'm still trying to download this game, along with Daggerfall from Bethesda's website, but it doesn't seem to like Windows 7 much. Any help anyone?

OT: I don't have a problem with the box art. I prefer to judge games on how fun they are, not what the cover looks like.

 

[LilithSlave]

Its nearly two decades ago, let it go.

There's nothing wrong with talking about old games and things related to them.

In fact, if anything, I find that we talk about new video games around here a bit too much, and not enough about old ones.

I prefer to judge games on how fun they are, not what the cover looks like.

We're not judging the game, we're judging the box art.

 

[Fasckira]

Its nearly two decades ago, let it go.

There's nothing wrong with talking about old games and things related to them.

In fact, if anything, I find that we talk about new video games around here a bit too much, and not enough about old ones.

Wasn't saying "let it go" as in "stop talking about old games" but more "dont be so hard on it".

 

[Zay-el]

I'd remark on that artwork, but considering about 90% of fantasy novels in the 90s had similar cover arts, I'll just chalk that up as another dumb point for that decade.

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

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.

Wow. I feel required to call you on this. Covering? It comes up to a belt on the thigh. And if that dude's willy wasn't crammed into a cod piece it would most likely be showing. Imagine a woman wearing the same thing. Is that covering too? If you say no then congrats you're sexist. To a few fetishists? Is that not the model of the physical peak a male can achieve? What seperates a buxom woman who appeals to men from a muscular man who appeals to women? How do you know that she can't fight anything? Isn't judging her by her body and nothing else sexist? The men being in armor... Well I'll give you that one. It's the base fantasy rubric. Men are strong, Women are sexy. Is it sexist? Yes. But in an actually harmful way? Not really. The kind of nerd who would take a liking to that sort of thing on more than a base level most likely has no social skills to begin with.

And you're right, it isn't. If there was a fully clothed woman in the background it would be. But it does not. Therefore we have no counter reference. But it is a good counter example nonetheless.

 

[NLS]

As people have already stated, why bother about this now? It's not like they did it again or suddenly decided to make it the cover art for skyrim instead.

 

[Wintermoot]

back then a common fantasy rule for women was that the least amount of covered skin means better protection.
PS
although I read somewhere that a re-release had more of a traditional box art (like the ones used for TES3-5)

 

[Rhythm]

Wonderful posts

What a nicly crafted couple of posts, I enjoyed reading them.

OT: Personally it seems to me (and I apologise if I have got this wrong) but this whole thread is a thinly disguised attack on men and the 'exploitation of women'

It's a cover from a game 17 years ago. I could understand if you had said it was just a bit of fun but looking at your responces so far in the thread all you've done is applaud people who share your point of view.

Unfortunately it seems these days that sexism is a one-way street...

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

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.

This cover is 17 years old. Why complain about it now? Did you not have anything better to do?

Not Sure If Trolling or Just Needed to Complain.

 

[LilithSlave]

I don't understand it. Why does it matter if it's 17 years old?

 

[Hagi]

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.

That barbarian posted really falls completely short of objectifying men.

The guy looks powerful and strong. His posture and stance show that he doesn't need no freaking armour to beat that skeleton and bird-thing.

The Elder Scrolls woman however isn't posturing like that at all. She's posing, she's thrusting out her tits and ass so we can all get a nice good look at them.

Now if you want to see objectified men, have a look:

Spoiler: This is objectifying men

They're not even showing the faces of these guys...

 

[winter2]

Let's see..... Ah, there we go. Released 1994.

Seriously? You are getting outraged over a 17 year old game??

Really?

 

[Antonio Torrente]

Didn't MovieBob already said that the 90's sucked and this one of the reason that proves it.
Really people on those times(god that sounds ancient) don't photoshop for god's sake and they use canvas and paint to draw box arts.

Thankfully at least at this generation they already learned from that awful period.

 

[winter2]

Hey... I loved the 90's.

Movebob is entitled to his... you know... OPINION.

 

[LilithSlave]

Seriously? You are getting outraged over a 17 year old game?

I wouldn't say outraged.