GO MAKE ME A SANDWICH: SEXUALITY IN BAYONETTA (AND OTHER GAMES)

I can't believe feminists are arguing about women in video games. Next they'll go on to porn, anime/cartoons, comics/manga and any other art that depicts woman. I have lots more to say, but I don't want to start something. I will however say this much, men and woman are not equal physically, so they never will have the same rights. Example being custody of the children, woman always have an advantage to have custody of the children just because they're the mother. I'm not saying I agree with this or not, but I am saying as long as men and woman are different they will never have equal rights.

bahleted

Whats the big deal with making sexually appealing female video game characters? I'm sure most gamers are male anyway not saying girls don't play as much but from my point of view girls are more casual gamers and mostly play hardcore games for fun or socially but guys can spend two straight days playing a game go take a piss and grab a sandwich and play until they pass out again. ( It's rare to see a girl/woman be that involved in a game, I'm not saying its not possible )

Sexually appealing female characters give us that extra determination e.g most early video games where about saving the princess or some love-interest and as far as I'm concerned if you cut that out you'd lose a hell of a lot of customers especially if the entire game has boring normal women, it loses its seductive nature, Imagine if Mario was about saving some normal girl, you'd be like " is this even worth it" or if Teken 6 had average femal character design e.t.c. If you haven't realized women have alot of power over men and straight men could spend days up all night going through dungeon after dungeon to save their beloved princess.

Whats the big deal? Some games have idealized male characters, I think solid snakes pretty sexy ( in a straight way... ) you dont see me complaining " no he should be boring and normal so I don't get issues with my self esteem"

Women always have something to complain about, its like when another woman is sexually appealing to men they complain and say shit about them to put them down, then they try to be more sexually appealing and the cycle goes on, I'ts just a female ego thing or whatever I really have no idea its probably a-lot more complex that that. But whats a real woman anyway, is it a woman who's un-attractive and boring? if so I really have no interest in "real" women at least game-wise.

Wow! that blog is awful... Anyway, I don't really mind characters (either male or female) with really nice bodies, or that like to show skin. I see that mostly as the portrayal of an ideal of beauty, even if a little skewed; Or I see it as simple characterization if the game is of the less serious kind. What I dislike is when the game or people show a poor attitude towards those characters, or towards sexuality in general. And I think these are two totally different things.

I find it both sad and funny how the Tomb Raider series has been criticized from the beginning as one of the major offenders regarding this issue. And how it has been necessary to redesign the character of Lara Croft a couple of times now, each one with a more "realistic" breast-size and personality.

But if remember correctly, the creators have stated that they never intended for Lara Croft to become a "sex symbol", they just wanted a good action heroine. Sure, they gave some sex-appeal, but they also gave her a strong personality, and class. And this is evident in the games because there is no gratuitous imagery, no lewd language, nor anything of the like. Is mostly action packed game-play coupled with intriguing tomb-raiding story lines. ...Surely how the game was later publicized did take a part. But I think it was mostly the people's fault, both detractors and "fans" who can't see past the "polygons"

So, answering the question. Should we as developers take note of gender and sexuality? Sure. It sounds like the right thing to do. But there's only so much responsibility we can take. At the end is up to each person's maturity how much weight is given to the way things are portrayed in videogames.

Those are really really obnoxious to me but you know what? Boys like boobies.

You like seeing shirtless muscle boys in games. shut up

edit: I mean really does that style of art somehow mean that nobody respects women or something? games is fantasy. men have lots of fantasies about women. That Witch would be a stunning design with three smaller cup sizes but then she'd also be boring and not especially appealing to the target audience (horny boys). I also doubt that target audience is somehow learning to see girls as a set of tits or something just because of video game art. They already have titty-tunnelvision. Games are pandering to the already boobcrazy audience, not teaching them to be that way. It is called marketing, and the freedom of fantasy and imaginaaaaation *rainbow* because this IS what lots of gaming males imagine.

also, way to put up the most extreme possible example that should be universally disapproved of simply for sheer grotesque overexaggeration to the point of absurdity

author=DBAce9Aura
@Versalia: I think this conversation (not this one specifically) is to get the so-called "sex crazed males" to wake up from those fantasies forever, possibly to get them to see woman as "full and complete human beings 24-7".

what a silly thought, and absolutely impossible, now and for all of eternity. human nature

Only ugly chicks are offended by hot video games chicks. It takes having low self esteem to new levels, and I'm pretty bloody tired of it. Honestly, if someone ever started complaining about this issue to my face, I'd laugh and walk away from them to deal with people I can actually stand having a REAL conversation with. Yes, it's sad that dudes can actually get their jollies off these big boobed polygonal representations of women, but those are most likely the guys who date said "whiny uggos" and have a warped attitude towards women in the first place.

@Craze: Boobs are fun. Big ones aren't necessary to make a girl appealing (for most men), but generally, the rule the entertainment industry tends to follow is "the bigger the better". Sure, I'd prefer them to be more proportional than the pics you posted, but I'm not sickened by gigantic ones either. And who's to say what the proper proportion is anyway? They come in all different shapes and sizes, and they're pretty much awesome no matter what.

author=Emanzi
Whats the big deal? Some games have idealized male characters, I think solid snakes pretty sexy ( in a straight way... ) you dont see me complaining " no he should be boring and normal so I don't get issues with my self esteem"

Self esteem was not the issue, it doesn't look like the blogger have any problem in that area.

And it's the opposite: female characters shouldn't be boring and normal, they should be awesome. But it's hard to find female characters that are awesome and not portrayed in a sexualized way, which are the minority between submissive, helpless, skimpy clothed, and with exagerated body parts.

I didn't play MMS games, and I do think snake is handsome. But he is awesome not because he is sexy(?), it's because he is competent, smart, etc.
I also didn't play Bayonetta, but I've got the impression she is awesome because she is sexy(?)(Nudity, poledancing, spreading legs), and not because she is strong.

The point is that female characters are often sexy to satisfity the male audience, and not because it makes them a better character. It's not fair to say Bayonetta is a character that is over-sexualized because she is strong, when the truth is that she is over-sexualized because it pleases the guys.

author=Craze
Do you straight men actually find this appealing or worthwhile?

Of course I do.

newdisciples
Only ugly chicks are offended by hot video games chicks. It takes having low self esteem to new levels, and I'm pretty bloody tired of it.

I'm an ugly guy. But while not exactly offended, I too am sort of annoyed by it. After hearing about the Bechdel Test it really is quite freaky just how much don't pass that test. And it easily becomes something one is really bugged about!

I just don't see the point in bringing it up; it's a terrible non sequitur.

The fact that you may have had to defend yourself against people thinking you're wrong or silly at some point in the past has no bearing whatsoever on present conversation, especially because nobody is being directly attacked for personal beliefs. EVERYBODY in this thread has had to defend their personal beliefs/traits in some way, so it must be ironic for anybody who's posted here, right?

You are thinking about this as "you come from a sexual standpoint some people think is wrong, and are trying to say this other sexual standpoint is wrong. IRONY!!" but I am having trouble finding the irony. I think this would only matter if Craze was a ridiculously over-sexualized mega-muscle shining Herculean hunk and made games with men like that and then brought this up about females.

(You've had to use a shield before to block swords, right? But now you're using a sword. Ironyyyy. somehow)

author=Nightblade
That second picture is hilarious.

the boobs, they have developed their own intelligence and are struggling to escape