Sex in video games!

Games have come close, at times, like Indigo Prophecy, only to throw it away on stupid stuff, like Indigo Prophecy's thrusting during the first scene and the fact that one of the characters WAS A FUCKING ZOMBIE in the second.

The maker of that video (which would've been better if he had NOT tried a psuedo-yahtzee style) forgot about another big issue: The ESRB is quick to AO a game with sex, and none of the consoles will play an AO game. For some unfathomable reason Microsoft and Sony (Nintendo's pretty expected at this point) have completely banned the rating from playing on their systems. AO is exclusively the domain of the PC, which, while having the biggest market share of game platforms, has by far the lowest media perception.

Interesting. I strongly agree that games are an artform in its infancy and I do hope more people that are involved in making games raise their expectations regarding characterdesign and storywriting.

Some more controversy would be nice, GTA IV is a good example.

The Video itself got a bit to preachy in the end but the creators do have strong points. I actually thought things would be a bit further in the US than over here in Germany regarding the stereotypes painted on games and gamers. In terms of Sex and Violence, one could draw comparisons to Movies. Over here, violent scenes are mostly cut, whereas shags are not. I seriously don´t need hardcore pr0n in a game, but who would mind a film-noiresque love story in a parisian styled fictional city that does not fade out when the couple enters the bedroom, kitchen, roof garden or some other place. Heck imagine such a game. One were you could actually flirt and score? If the AI was good, thousands of nerds would be helped. I digress.

Nice Video. Games need to mature more. It´s up to the creators and players.

Oh and dear god why this voice?

_SE

Bump, just read David Jaffe's blog and he made a few comments on the video, just thought I should share:

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Ok...Kotaku turned me onto this flick, made my a prof. in Georgia. All about sex and video games...pretty neat, I suppose.BUT

the problem I have with it is the same problem I have when academics, forum posters, and game makers- all folks whom it SEEMS (whom? who? whatever!)...but folks whom it seems have never actually been in a position to design a game- decide to go off on how games should be more artistic, emotional, and relevant; how games should deal with more serious subject matter than just power fantasy. They also assume that game designers/publishers are just pandering to the current fanboys instead of growing the medium, or that game makers are simply immature.

And yes, some of that is true.

But MOST of the reason games have not delved into more mature subject matter has to do- in my mind- with the fact that we don't know HOW to do it! Not because we're idiots. But because the medium itself has yet to show much in the way of a capability to examine more serious subject matter in a way that is compelling.

I remember being on a panel with the amazingly talented Harvey Smith a few years ago and he was talking about how he wanted to make a game about death. Now to me, my knee jerk was: sweet, it's an action game like Devil May Cry but you control a bad ass version of the grim reaper and you use his scythe in cool,violent, bloody ways! Love it!!! (by the way, no you can not rip off that idea...that baby is gold!)...

...but Harvey- being a very smart, deep thinker- was talking about DEATH as a force, as the thing that rips lives apart, that turns the circle of life,etc,etc,etc...you know, a deep, meaningful game.

And I loved it. Loved the promise of it.

But I asked him then- just like I would ask now- what is the actual GAMEPLAY!?!? What do you DO with the controller?!?!

And that- it seems- is where alot of us get stuck.

It is very, very, very easy to shoot the shit about our artistic ambitions. It makes us- and the medium- sound good and important and relevant to those who know very little about games. And it makes us- who know alot about games- feel- at times- like we are doing something more than just making electronic theme park rides. And this makes us feel more important and all arty farty.

I love those feelings. People should feel arty farty from time to time. It's nice.

But the reality is, the medium- so far- has shown a piss poor ability to actually deliver on these lofty promises.

And yes, the medium is KIND of young. But it's old enough to have given us SOMETHING along the lines that our critics say we should be making. And if you look at the medium of GAMES themselves, well, there's over 4000 years of road behind us at this point, and there's not alot- anything?- that I can point to in my board/card game collection that evokes deep philosophical discourse and/or deep, emotional release. Sure, you can claim chess is a metaphor for war, but that metaphor is not clear while playing the game unless someone tells you about the metaphor first. Playing the game of chess itself does not make one think of the sacrifices of soldiers or the tragedy of war. And if it does: you so crazy!

Now to me, all of that doesn't mean we should not try.

I played a bit of flOwer the other day, from That Game Company and I was like: hey, this makes me feel....well, it's not my place to spoil their game and tell you how it made me feel. But it DID make me feel. And there have been a few other games the last few years that seem to be doing SOMETHING that, in doing so, affects me on a fresh- for games- emotional level.

So it seems like it IS possible? But the question is:

is this just the start of deeper, more meaningful games now that people are able to start trying out these theories they've had about games for years but can only now- with the indie game scene- execute on those ideas? Or are we killing ourselves to be relevant and meaningful but even with all that work, we're only able to squeeze out a touch here and a touch there, and it's never going to go beyond that?

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http://davidjaffe.biz/

While on the subject of David Jaffe's blog, check the NSFW link in his latest post, its quite awesome ;D

Very good video indeed, not much to say really other than I agree. Give it maybe 10-15 years when the art form of games reaches a more "mature" general outlook, that's from everyone including parents and politians then we will see a good use of sexual content.

Just look at how long it's taken TV and films to get past all the button up visuals and the fuss it created in doing so It requires different generations to change opinions, that takes time.

This Thread is getting more and more intersting. Thanks for posting this Friechamp. Jaffe brings up elemental issues that go along with games.

The only real difference i have with what he wrote is this:

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And if you look at the medium of GAMES themselves, well, there's over 4000 years of road behind us at this point, and there's not alot- anything?- that I can point to in my board/card game collection that evokes deep philosophical discourse and/or deep, emotional release.

This is right in the classical sense. But isn´t Love a game everyone of us has already experienced and played? Aren´t there rules already that just wait to be ported into a powerful AI? Yea I know, I´m sticking with my Lovegame idea from my previous post ^^.

_SE

2d-chris: Your word in God´s ear mate, seconded.