Ben-DutkaIt's one of the hottest topics in the gaming community today, and we asked you guys what you thought about sexual content in video games.
As it turns out, the vast majority of you are okay with it, and at the very least, sex can serve a purpose if the storyline and plot calls for it. Some are still very much against the idea, though, and we imagine that this will be a debate that lasts for a very long time…perhaps forever. For our part, we figure it's a fairly cut-and-dry situation: if you are attempting to tell a story that would logically include sexual situations, then with the technology we have, we shouldn't pass on that necessary content. But if it's merely there to titillate the adolescent masses, than no, it doesn't deserve to be part of the production. Really, it's the same stance we have for movies, too; if it enriches the story, use it. If not, lose it. Of course, not everyone thinks it's so simple; there may be religious aspects to the thought process, or some might just frown on sex in any form of entertainment. After all, it was something our grandparents considered to be private and even sacred; putting it on display all the time tends to take away from the emotional aspect of sex.
See it how you see fit. But now, we have to move on to this week's poll question: with the sheer number of games heading to Hollywood and the silver screen, do you think we'll ever seen an upward trend in terms of quality? I think we can all agree that at the time being, the transition from games to film is usually mediocre at best, and it's often disastrous. So what do you think? Are they ever gonna get this right? Or will the two industries always be at odds?
I clicked to "see full image"…..sigh, I was disappointed.
More disappointed than the clown in your avatar? lol
The picture is at least nice legs….brings to mind the old song "Nice legs, shame about the face…"
the missing part leaves the imagination to the eyes of beholder. 😉
Well…they make games without sex and they make games only about sex…it seems it's too difficult to find the right mix between them both.
Baldur's Gate 2 balanced sex/romance well. There are others, too. With some brain cells, it can be executed superbly.
Unless I miss my guess, many of the kids born in the last decade have grand parents that were running around in the rather more permissive age of the 60s/70s.
Present attitudes towards sex are beginning to have more in common with Victorian era prudishness than anything else, and it was a lase prudishness then too.
Wow, I feel old all of the sudden. My *parents* are older than that…
@kevadu, I guess it depends how old your parents were in the 60s/70s. Mine weren't spring chickens then either, but were still having fun… If they hadn't been I wouldn't be here…LOL!
Last edited by TheHighlander on 8/17/2009 2:05:42 AM
Not to date myself, but those of us that were young when console gaming first came about are adults now. Yes, we can deal with sexual themes. The major shriek back seems to come from helicopter parents at whom I can only shake my head if they are worried about heir kids being exposed to objectionable material.
If your child can afford to buy their own games/PS3 they are mature enough to play them, if you give your child that much money you are a complete failure as a parent.
I can only give 1 thumbs up, but I clicked it a bunch of times, just in case. 😉
*Beats dead horse with stick* There, that should put that bastard to bed.
Ahem, yeah I think some day some brilliant bunch of people will pull off a great video game adaptation because c'mon there are only so many comics to make into movies.
How about a RPG version of Shogun where your increasing level of experience improves the quality and amount of translation you get of the Japanese spoken in game around you? There's plenty of sex in Shogun, all of it completely central to the story.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 8/17/2009 1:02:48 AM
I loved Shogun. A great book and a great miniseries as well. Remember having to beg to stay up and watch it since it came on kinda late lol. There was a PC game for it back in the 80's. Not sure how one could be made now. Somehow I just don't see it working very well and/or staying faithful to the source material.
Generally, depending on the genre and game it doesn't need sex. I suppose for the giggety fanatics, I just don't really find it necessary.
Chuck has a great point, but parent's and the public alike are looking for things to complain about these days. Obama wearing "mom jeans", RE5 is "racist", or my favorite "Fallout3 is too violent".
I don't see anything wrong with running up on a very pesky raider and blowing up his skull and watching his/her eyeball and jaw bone fly all over the place.
People look for things to complain about when they really don't have much to complain about. The more trivial the complaints, the less seriously we should take them. Sadly it seems that today's news media operates on the opposite and makes more of the most trivial complaints than ever before, and the sheople of the US respond in kind. Not that the US is unique in this tendency to give the most trivial things the most importance.
I have hope there's going to be a decent Hollywood video game movie. I think the movie version of Silent Hill was a step in the right direction; although I thought the script could have been a lot better. It could have followed the game script and been creepier than it was IMO. I do think we're 10 years away from a good video however, so I'm not holding my breath.
They'll never get it right
Hollywood's importance in percentage:
Money 99%
Creativity 1%
as long as its tastefull i dont mind.
but im playing a game, not a porno.
theres plenty of sources for that type of material theres no need to turn video games into another one.
like last week i read about this new application that allows users to download hardcore porn onto your ps3.
WTF for?
i dont know about you but i bought a ps3 to play games, not to download and watch porn.
thats what my laptops for 😀
another thing thats a PERFECT! way to get viruses.
as far as i know the ps3 has no virus security no firewall, god im using kaspersky which is the highest rated security system and im still getting viruses every single time i use limewire.
In before Jawknee says something absurd.
Sorry, man, but it's true. I read your comments on this topic and I'm kind of with you, then you take it way too far. Ahh, the devolution of American puritanism.
As for my opinion, I'd love to see more truly mature content in games, including full frontal nudity and NC-17-style sex scenes (plus complex character relationships, romance, and scenes which evoke emotion). I have no interest in sex mini-games, though. I grew out of that phase back when Strip Poker was on the Apple II.
Last edited by Fane1024 on 8/17/2009 3:42:17 AM
Sex in games…….just play it with your friends ONLY or ALONE.
I don't really care bout the sex in games, I bought the game to play the MAIN content, not to play the extra sex bonus.
America really has a big issue with sex in any form of media (Watch – This Film is Not yet Rated…Awesome, awesome documentary), it's really wierd. Violence is pretty much ok…but sex? Very strange indeed.
As you say Ben, and as I voted…as long as it's part of the whole, and isn't there just for some T&A, I'm all for it. When it's there just so people can see some boobies…well, that's weak.
As for Hollywood/Games…hrm. Well. hrm. No. Not from Hollywood. I think it's possible from an Independant (Does Jackson qualify as independant?) or foreign (Guillermo Del Torro perhaps? I'm thinking more Pan's Labrynth, and less Hellboy 2) establishment. But, Hollywood is too caught up in the Michael Bay effect, to actually bring a decent game/movie crossover.
I dont think we'll see a rise in quality on videogame to movies. Why? because the head guys only want the name, thinking that it would be enough to pull people in. I doubt they know anything significant about the property they want to go after other than than names. To get this transition right the director or whoever needs to be a big fan of the medium and/or the video game property. In a sense that marvel movies should be done by someone who is a big fan of comic books/marvel universe. Kinda like how favreau was with ironman, was a big fan of marvel, ended up with a great movie, in my opinion anyway. And so far, i dont see anyone with those characteristics. As the legend of chunli proved, a great name does not make a movie great.
This is another sign that games aren't about FUN anymore but instead pushing more meaningless things.
First we had a uneeded amount of violence being pushed,emotional storylines, and now sex. Now somebody tell me, when will videogames about FUN again instead of all this meaningless crap?
Meh, it doesnt matter if you see two charchters having sex or not, as long as you know if it happens or not.
Its the same with anything, you dont have to see a charachters head being ripped off, as long as you know it happens, but its obviously cooler if you do(GOWIII comes to mind).
So obviously, the only reason to show some chick being banged by some guy, lesbian, dog, watever, is to get men to buy it. And theres nothing wrong with that, im all for it.
There should be no argument here, its put in to get people to buy it, there is nothing wrong with that at all, if its a vital part of the stoyline, they can just show it in some text or no on screen action or whatever. It doesnt matter in the end.
Thats my view…
I'm 12 and what is this?
It's called a rating system, if you are 12 and have a Mature rated game, there's another problem.
U do realize it was a joke right? lol
To me sex in games, is sort of like violence/gore in games.. it doesn't sway me one way or the other. When I look at game I want to buy, I make my decision based on how much fun they will be.
Last edited by Mr Bitey on 8/17/2009 10:58:26 AM
I prefer sex in real life lol
Hitman?!
Does this mean the green light (or should that be red) on an exclusive version of a game with a 300% increase in price from Activision because it comes with has a groinal peripheral?
Yeah, I was one of them who agree sexy is acceptable if the moment call for it, especially if there are love stories involved.