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OVERSEXUALIZATION OF FEMALES IN GAMES
Posts
kentona
View playlists
CloseIn RPGs its not too bad, but man, have any of you played a fighting game in the past 15 years? HELLO!
ferris95
50
post=100070
In RPGs its not too bad, but man, have any of you played a fighting game in the past 15 years? HELLO!
Agreed, Soul Calibur 4 is good example, have you seen Ivy?
Kaempfer
1932
We are discussing the oversexualization of females in games, but I think you guys need to investigate something called a "mall" where like 80% of the girls dress ridiculously enough to put girls in fighting games to shame. The only difference is the number of boob jobs (it is lower in malls in Canada).
maladroithim
1495
Okay so I was going to buy Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and I didn't because of this:
I just couldn't really take the game seriously. It's not even sexy . . . it's just sort of weird and unnecessary.
EDIT: I also read that if you shake the controller, her boobs jiggle.
I just couldn't really take the game seriously. It's not even sexy . . . it's just sort of weird and unnecessary.
EDIT: I also read that if you shake the controller, her boobs jiggle.
MrWaltz
387
post=100285
We are discussing the oversexualization of females in games, but I think you guys need to investigate something called a "mall" where like 80% of the girls dress ridiculously enough to put girls in fighting games to shame. The only difference is the number of boob jobs (it is lower in malls in Canada).
you said 80% of girls in the MALL dress in a suggestive manner. you can't judge the entire female population by using girls you see in a certain location.
S. F. LaValle
1069
post=100691
you said 80% of girls in the MALL dress in a suggestive manner. you can't judge the entire female population by using girls you see in a certain location.
Well, he did say 80% of girls in malls, so I don't think he was making any statements about the entirety (or even 80% of) the total female population.
It was hyperbole anyway (I'd like to see someone walking around a mall that puts Mai or any of the DoA girls to shame, but alas).
Beyond that, I don't think the issues are even related, or if they are, by such a degree as makes no difference. Women interpret the laws of society in varying ways for their own reasons, which is neither here nor there. What we're talking about here is the characterization of video game females as oversexualized due to the creative decisions of a predominantly male arena (for the most part, I know that there are female game makers here and out in the world, and while I'd love their input, I am exempting them from my argument).
In short, what makes men portray women in this way? How much thought is put into it? Obviously, sex sells commercial games and everything else on earth, but for some reason I don't believe that makes as big a difference as it would seem; it's something else.
WolfCoder
3554
post=100285
We are discussing the oversexualization of females in games, but I think you guys need to investigate something called a "mall" where like 80% of the girls dress ridiculously enough to put girls in fighting games to shame. The only difference is the number of boob jobs (it is lower in malls in Canada).
What the hell kind of mall did you go to? People look more or less clothed like any sort of normal people at the mall here (USA).
MrWaltz
387
post=100699
In short, what makes men portray women in this way? How much thought is put into it? Obviously, sex sells commercial games and everything else on earth, but for some reason I don't believe that makes as big a difference as it would seem; it's something else.
that something else is within the developers' minds. games are created to entertain others, with most of the content stemming from the developers' favorite things. if a developer likes Shakespeare, he'll add some Shakespearean themes to his game. if he likes hamburgers, he'll have the main character's favorite food be hamburgers. so if the developer likes hot women with hot bodies, he'll most likely have the female characters in his game take on such an appearance. Most male developers would not mind having a cast of hot female characters at their disposal, the whole "sex sells" bit, is just a bonus. developers in general put their own desires into their creations, as a result, we see oversexualized females because men typically want to...do stuff to hot women. as another result, we get anime like Deathnote, because young girls like smart pretty boys.
It's very easy to tell when a developer is being selfish and is simply showing us his deepest fantasies (Ivy from Soul Caliber, big boobs, and a whip-like weapon? come on). But it's hard to NOT be selfish (for some people), which is why we see amateur games that involve romance between two characters who had no prior chemistry whatsoever. It's all because the developer just wants the two to kiss and be lovey-dovey.
Basically, the audience of men does contribute to the oversexualization of females, but even without them, the developer is still able to make what HE wants for himself. If he wants to have a game with some scantily-clad women, nothing's stopping him from doing that.
that's my answer to your question, ^^
my opinion on this whole topic: if i wanted to be aroused, i'd watch porn. why would i want to get an erection when i'm in the middle of a fight with a controller in my hand?
S. F. LaValle
1069
my opinion on this whole topic: if i wanted to be aroused, i'd watch porn. why would i want to get an erection when i'm in the middle of a fight with a controller in my hand?
Erm, good point? =)
I think the questions I posed were a little too anticipatory now that I think on it. Yes, your answers are probably right. It's pretty simple.
What I'd really like to see discussed is people's thoughts on this, from a consumer's point of view. You gave me a good example, Waltz. You seem quite understanding of men who couldn't help but be a little selfish and throw in some moderate bust increases, or an appeal that makes them the draw of male characters in the game, both NPC or non, and shallow romance that should never work but does because of the creator's own desire to see a resolution of love that they themselves may or may not have been able to achieve.
Then, at the end, you acknowledge the end result of these practices and your distaste for them.
Does anyone else see this as poor writing or characterization? Is adding sexualization (this includes generalized appeal to the opposite sex) an acceptable solution to shallow characterization (I don't really have a personality picked out for this girl, so I'll make her the token love interest)? Is it better than poor characterization or none at all?
post=100751
Does anyone else see this as poor writing or characterization? Is adding sexualization (this includes generalized appeal to the opposite sex) an acceptable solution to shallow characterization (I don't really have a personality picked out for this girl, so I'll make her the token love interest)? Is it better than poor characterization or none at all?
This topic has really trailed off of my original intent, but this was more or less my original point, yes. Too often I see female characters who are essentially just scenery backdrop. They suffer from either horribly contrived characterization or none at all. Sometimes they have the obligatory dark past, but it tends to feel tacked on.
MrWaltz
387
it's bad enough that video game plots these days involve poorly written stock characters with your basic "gender roles", like the macho man and the timid girl. then some people think it is fresh and new to reverse the roles and make the man timid and the girl macho. it's when you resort to using gender roles that the writing gets poor (for both male and female characters). my advice to developers would be, stop treating your characters as "the guy" and "the girl." Treat them as "Jack" and "Alice," you know, treat them like human beings.
it may be poor writing to have these gender roles, but we are so familiar with them, that us consumers are accustomed to seeing the man full of scars and the nice proportioned lady. That is why you don't see much people making a big deal out of the oversexualization of females. If the consumers are happy with what they are seeing, the developers will continue doing what they are doing.
I'm part of the small population that wants developers to experiment and stop treading familiar territory. If they're not gonna change, i'll just be the best game designer in the world (my dream) and do the experimenting myself, ^^.
when I get a demo of my game out on this website, i hope people will see how much work i've put into my female protagonist. sure, her "dark past" involves her mother getting killed, but that event doesn't transform her into some tough chick who's out for revenge. she's truly affected by this and runs away from home. what do you expect a 15 year-old to do? Take up a weapon, join the military and find the people responsible for killing her mother? oh yeah...some people WOULD expect that from an RPG...
We're stuck in a rut of bad writing, resulting in many things, including the oversexualization of females. it's a little much to ask "hey developers! do something different!" though.
it may be poor writing to have these gender roles, but we are so familiar with them, that us consumers are accustomed to seeing the man full of scars and the nice proportioned lady. That is why you don't see much people making a big deal out of the oversexualization of females. If the consumers are happy with what they are seeing, the developers will continue doing what they are doing.
I'm part of the small population that wants developers to experiment and stop treading familiar territory. If they're not gonna change, i'll just be the best game designer in the world (my dream) and do the experimenting myself, ^^.
when I get a demo of my game out on this website, i hope people will see how much work i've put into my female protagonist. sure, her "dark past" involves her mother getting killed, but that event doesn't transform her into some tough chick who's out for revenge. she's truly affected by this and runs away from home. what do you expect a 15 year-old to do? Take up a weapon, join the military and find the people responsible for killing her mother? oh yeah...some people WOULD expect that from an RPG...
We're stuck in a rut of bad writing, resulting in many things, including the oversexualization of females. it's a little much to ask "hey developers! do something different!" though.
