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In retrospective, what do you think of the sexualisation in video games back then?

badblue

Member
There is also the fact the guy appears to be fucking his controller and they chose a 'that's a penis' for the screenshot.
Well, the guy isn't fucking his controller. They are alluding that it's his dick and he'd rather play with himself then play with his woman.
They did choose that screen shot for that reason. Immature dick jokes are still a thing today in advertising.

The difference is that the lingerie store is selling lingerie. The console has nothing to do with lingerie.

There is a woman there in lingerie promoting a video game. Women in lingerie or other states of sexy get up in video games and their advertisements are often the the focus of people like Anita Sarkisian when they point out the sexualization of women in video games.

It just seems funny that people will criticize sexy women in one instance and give it a pass in another. I should have been more clear in my other post.
 

FoxMcChief

Gold Member
As a younger kid, I was all about seeing chicks boobs and butts. Movies, games, tv, wherevvet. I grew out of that in the summer of 1998, when I made out with my crush Celeste for the first time. After that, I was past those childish things. Real boobs were my jam after that. Then I learned about butts and how much I liked them.

Nowadays, I just don’t care. Like others have said, being married, having a descent sexual history and access to the internet, sexualized characters in games just seems tame to me these days.
 

Bkdk

Member
I really had a naive dream about someday games like rapelay would bring some of the best and biggest budgeted aaa games. Unfortunately they/them wins out, oh well, that’s life.
 

KiteGr

Member
golden-boy-kintaro.gif
The biggest example of a pro-piracy argument in anime is them not releasing Golden Boy in Pal territories...

I want that DVD, but it doesn't seem to want my region locked devices.
 

gela94

Member
I don't have much to say about the topic, apart from there is a difference between trashy looks and sexy looks but most of the guys here don't seem to understand that difference.
 

yurinka

Member
I think there is nothing wrong with beautiful and sexy characters, and that they shouldn't be banned. I think devs should be free to do whatever they want and people should be free to buy or don't buy depending on they like or dislike their stuff.
 
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Fredrik

Member
I don’t understand why devs are deliberately staying away from this now. I’m making a hand drawn and hand animated Unity hobby platformer with a curvy female character. No nudity, not sure if it’s even sexualization, it’s really just flesh behaving like flesh, bounce and jiggle when it should bounce and jiggle. It’s fun to make, difficult to get right and looks nice in motion. Devs are missing out!
 

Power Pro

Member
I loved it, and I am never going to apologize for being someone with a libido. It's fucking stupid that we're so damn prudish because of an insane vocal minority. Even when I was a kid, my mom said she would've been fine with some nudity in stuff, and less violence, so I guess that mentality carried over to me. I'm not anti-violence, but the fact that every thing has tried to diminish any sexuality in games just sucks.

Someone brought up Final Fantasy X-2 on the front page, and I loved the hot outfits in that game back when it came out, and it certainly caught my attention, and then I ended up loving the gameplay too.
 

Ev1L AuRoN

Member
It depends, mostly I like it, but there are games that go overboard with it and ruined the immersion. Companies like CAPCOM gets it, their games have beautiful female characters and a bit of fan service, but not in a way that I find distasteful.
I think that choosing normal everyday look for the characters are ok but sometimes It's nice to see more interesting characters, what are games other than escapism and fantasy. I think it's nice to see some eye candy in my entertainment.
 

SaintALia

Member
I don't think it was too bad in the PS3 era. 90's and early 2000's were fairly bad though. A lot of 'edge' and risque material, and female characters in skimpy outfits and 'interesting' poses.

Videogame marketing just figured we were all a bunch of horny male teenagers and the marketing followed suit. A lot of that has been toned down since then, and edgy marketing, 'tude, and overtly sexy stuff is just seen as 'cringe' nowadays.

Though I have to admit, I do sometimes miss the overtly sexual ads, subtle and not so subtle sex marketing tactics and edge of the 90's and early 00's.

Also that sex minigame in God of War, is it the one where he's in bed with two women and then it kinda cuts away and you see the bed shaking and then it'd done?

That has to be one of the worst threesome sex scenes I'd (not) seen. How the fuck is he pleasing those two women? It's like he's just plowing one really hard with the same rhythm, no change. Kratos seems like a horrible love maker.
 
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Well all I know is that I've wanted Naughty Dog to give me a mission where I play as a shirtless character. I thought for sure they were going to do it to Nate in the Marooned mission in Uncharted 4.

I want to see real time muscle definition. Lol.
 

DrMano

Neo Member
I hear this a lot but just look at GTA5. It has been the best-selling console game for three generations straight, it has three male protagonists that range from totally average to offensively ugly and literally nobody has ever made a thread anywhere on the internet asking why they aren't chiseled, square-jawed twenty-somethings. A woman falls outside the pristine Hollywood template of beauty though and... well, you've all seen the Fat Aloy memes.
Because they are criminals, not role models. And nobody complains about them because they look and behave exactly right for the setting; they haven't been remolded to fit an agenda.
 

Bernardougf

Gold Member
People who get mad at the lack of it these days need to get a life. we have pornhub now, & sexy women aren't the reason why video games from that era were so good.
Besides, there are still some games with fanservice these days like GG Strive & Senran Kagura (find it embarassing i even know about the latter franchise)
Gen Z in a nutshell ... fuck off with this PC nonsense and grow some balls
 
Never gave a shit then, don’t give a shit now.


There are male characters who are shirtless and have muscles exploding out of their bodies, yet, people only get mad at the female creations.

This whole “it makes females think this is what beauty is supposed to look like” shit is dumb to me. Maybe sit down and tell your daughters that this is not an ideal look, this is just male fantasy, this is not how humans are supposed to look so don’t think there is anything wrong with you cuz this is all fake bullshit. I never played any of these games and thought anything beyond how ridiculous they look with giant tits you can’t see your feet with.
 
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To me, old games were pretty cringy when it came to sexualization. That being said, games nowadays have taken it too far in the other direction. There is a middle ground where people can look attractive and not be sexualized and you see it with more male characters than female when it comes to AAA titles. People play games to escape their own reality at times and sometimes I don’t want to be represented in a game because technically I’m not an ideal body type that ties into the story, not to mention, I have asthma. You won’t see me sprinting anywhere.

All in all. Games are an escape to a better place and unless you have a character creator, don’t bother putting people in a game that don’t look the part.
 

Madflavor

Member
Companies like Capcom continue to prove time and time again that you can still have sexualized women in games, and it won't be a problem. The entire collective of the internet lost their minds over Lady Dimtrescu from RE8, and Cammy's new design in SF6. And we weren't subtle about it either. A few years ago we got Nier Automata, and people to this day are still drooling over 2B. News flash, gamers love waifus. That will never change. I subscribe to the idea of the self fulfilling prophecy where if you say it'll be a problem, it'll be a problem. Make the best game you can, and as long as it's good, most people won't give a shit. I feel like Hogwart's Legacy put this theory to the ultimate test in 2023, and that game went on to be a massive success.

Honestly I don't think this will change anytime soon for western devs. Too many new hires over the past decade with far left leaning ideologies have entrenched themselves into many western publishing and development studios, on top of a shift in our culture where everything has to be so pc now. I think if say Crystal Dynamics even tried to bring back the DD tits, tank top and booty shorts for Lara Croft, there would be a lot of problems within the studio.

The only thing Western Devs can get away with these days, is giving a female character a great ass. You can cover her from head to toe, show as little skin as possible, but it's very easy to still show off the cake.
 
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Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
Never said we should protect videogame women or that they're real people.
You're proving my point that you guys are too angry to think straight. you're taking words that you THINK i said and putting them into my mouth. Creating strawmen.
Unless you can prove to me I said anything along the lines of "we should protect videogame women because they are real people" you're basically spewing nonsense.
200.gif
 
Only the weirdest of freaks is going to get anything sexually from game graphics. I wouldn't think anyone sees it a turn on.

So I remember that alot of the sexualized female characters were about game design and improvement.
A game that came out with boob physics was impressive from a graphics point of view. Same goes with have a very pert and round ass.
It was like when they would have a male character with big muscles.
I know this isn't a ree approved post and "tries to downplay the patriarch and the sexualization of woman".
 

Krathoon

Member
They are totally afraid to offend the audience these days. The 90s totally embraced that stuff. Two decades later and everything is totally different. South Park still chuggs along.
 
They are totally afraid to offend the audience these days. The 90s totally embraced that stuff. Two decades later and everything is totally different. South Park still chuggs along.

It still makes money

Once more and more companies realize they can ignore the feminazi crowd and not lose money. They will go back to making money. But I think they messed around too much and insulted their original audience so I think that's a factor into why in the next 5 to 10 years lot of these companies will go out of business.
 

Fredrik

Member
I loved it, and I am never going to apologize for being someone with a libido. It's fucking stupid that we're so damn prudish because of an insane vocal minority. Even when I was a kid, my mom said she would've been fine with some nudity in stuff, and less violence, so I guess that mentality carried over to me. I'm not anti-violence, but the fact that every thing has tried to diminish any sexuality in games just sucks.
Yeah same here, and no you don’t grow out of it when you get older as some seem to think, I’m closing in on my 50s fast and I still think a beautiful woman is about the most beautiful thing this shitty world can show me, and I’ll not appologize for wanting that in fictional worlds too.

And people seriously need to learn how to separate fictional characters from real persons.
That Eurogamer guy that felt disgusted for looking up Ashley’s skirt in RE4.
What’s that about? What does a guy like that think when he’s shooting someone?
You can’t have it both ways. Can’t shoot someone in the head and go ”Boom Headshot!” and then want to appolagize when you look up someone’s skirt. It’s still the same polygons.
 

01011001

Banned
It still makes money

Once more and more companies realize they can ignore the feminazi crowd and not lose money. They will go back to making money. But I think they messed around too much and insulted their original audience so I think that's a factor into why in the next 5 to 10 years lot of these companies will go out of business.

mobile devs already do it, they don't give a damn lol

 

CGNoire

Member
When I see women in heels and skirts kicking mens ass in a movie, all in the name of sex appeal, it is fucking stupid.

women-hitting.gif


The same thing applies to video games.



This is 10x more badass.

04675d8f35612320be38da8fc0436d46.gif


The same thing applies to video games.


Women dressed in pantyhose and heels with gigantic balloon sized tits kicking ass is just stupid. Make them make sense.
I adore Beatrix but whynotboth.gif
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
I was never one for polygon bodies. They never did anything for me. The skimpy outfits were always something I avoided.

God forbid someone saw me playing a game with that stuff and thought I was one of you degenerates. A proper English gentleman knows there is a time and a place for hanky panky and its derivatives.
 

CGNoire

Member
It’s not sexualization .. it’s fantasy. Guys were handsome and muscular, girls were beautiful and strong. It’s what everyone wishes they were. There were plenty of games where you could be other things as well. Unlike movies video games have always been more diverse in that aspect.

Bottom line everyone always has fantasies of being something they are not.
Its a direct assault on Romanticism to replace it with Politically Advantages Cynicism.
 

CGNoire

Member
I hear this a lot but just look at GTA5. It has been the best-selling console game for three generations straight, it has three male protagonists that range from totally average to offensively ugly and literally nobody has ever made a thread anywhere on the internet asking why they aren't chiseled, square-jawed twenty-somethings. A woman falls outside the pristine Hollywood template of beauty though and... well, you've all seen the Fat Aloy memes.
So fucking what?

Men are not Woman.
Woman are not Men.

The Male Gaze is not a sin.
 

CGNoire

Member
That was the just world we lived in back then in the 90s and 2000s. Everything had to be edgy and needed to push the limits. Every industry wanted to be like Howard Stern and attract people through either shock value or over the top portrayals of people’s vices and desires.
Its the same reason that the 90s nostalgia push bye corporations is way late to start. Cause all the companies are too scared to replicate the "Edgy" 90s.
 

CGNoire

Member
I don’t understand why devs are deliberately staying away from this now. I’m making a hand drawn and hand animated Unity hobby platformer with a curvy female character. No nudity, not sure if it’s even sexualization, it’s really just flesh behaving like flesh, bounce and jiggle when it should bounce and jiggle. It’s fun to make, difficult to get right and looks nice in motion. Devs are missing out!
Share?
 

Soosa

Banned
Let me set up the story first. I was at my mom's house last week and went to the living room while she was preparing some food. My old PS3 was still there so I fired it up to kill time. I had a God of War III save and loaded it, arriving at the part with Aphrodite. You know, the one with the sex mini-game.

I figured I'd just do it while my mom wasn't looking but she came back earlier so I put it on pause. I waited for her to be gone before resuming but a minute later, some guests came in so just turned off the console. I don't mind eviscerating Hades or chopping off Hermes' legs in front of people, but a fucking mini-game would make me look like a degenerate.

Then, my older brother arrived and I told him about the situation that had just occurred. He told me he looked back fondly at those times. We talked about some games, eventually bringing up Soul Calibur 2, a game he was never good at, but mentioned that his favorite characters were Taki and Ivy. We checked some artwork on his cellphone and I was reminded that his love for them had nothing to do with how they played.

Anyway, this brings me to asking you guys this; looking back, what do you think of the more, shall we say, overt sexualisation in video games at the time? There were games like Red Ninja: End of Honor that were literally made just for some gratuitous panty shots lol. We also had classics like DOA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. As far as the west is concerned, we're almost at the opposite end of the spectrum. Japan and the rest of the east have somewhat mellowed out but you still get games like Stellar Blade and I think the DOA Xtreme games live on there.

Do you miss it? Don't care? Found it cringe and are glad it's gone? Pics related:

58227255969ddcd371630cacb1e37f45.jpg
Games (and movies, music, series) are art. Devs should have their right to do what they want (excluding really sick stuff maybe), and if people buy it, they buy it, if they dont buy it, then they dont buy it.

People whom cant see that games/movies are FICTION are literally mentally ill, they should seek help if they get offended by fiction, not to drag everybody else down to their level.

Nobody forces people to watch or play games, so they should just shut the fuck up if they dont like it.

If someone wants to make a game where you are a pervert whom have sex with goats, then let them do it, I dont care, if it makes them happy then be happy, better to do that in a game rather than trying it in real life lol.

And then sexy women or men on games, nobody gets hurt by them. If someone have so low self-esteem that they cant stand the idea that someone is in good (or unreal) shape, then it is their problem.

See sexier body than yours? -> go to gym, live healthy, try archive it. Dont cry about misogyny or other made up bullshit.
 

BbMajor7th

Member
So fucking what?

Men are not Woman.
Woman are not Men.

The Male Gaze is not a sin.
I never said it was, the original poster simply said that he wanted all of his characters - male and female - to look hot, that it's not about objectifying women, it's about games with good-looking characters.
 

BbMajor7th

Member
Because they are criminals, not role models. And nobody complains about them because they look and behave exactly right for the setting; they haven't been remolded to fit an agenda.
Most female characters twenty years were molded to fit an agenda, it just wasn't one you minded - that's why you'd have warrior women running around in steel bikinis, or elite professionals in their fields being played by peppy college-age girls, or women in very extreme conditions running around in full face make-up. Modern portrayals, with more ordinary-looking women, who aren't wearing full make-up or jiggling their way across an alien hellscape in a tub top and denim hot pants fit their settings ways better.
 
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