More sex please: why video games need better sex and more of it (NSFW)

Sex is one of the most intrinsic parts of humanity and yet it is curiously missing from many games.

[yazter]

I never understood the whole obsession with underage-looking girls in videogames.

[Activemessiah]

It's simple, it's a "legal" way for them to get off on kiddy looking characters... borderline pedophilia tendencies.

Back to the topic, I say no, if you want sex, there's google, keep games about games ffs.

[thehobbyist]

In Japan, it's legal for 13-17 year olds to have sex with other 13-17 year olds. All these old depressed Japanese men want to fantasize about a more ideal version of their youth.
Thusly, a lot of sex involving people who look underage.

[Ogygian]

Mentioning characters who look like kids is beating around the bush here, and strawmanning the argument.

As for the "keep games about games" part, I fail to inderstand how that makes more sense than "no sex in movies; keep movies about movies"?

Most mature gamers are comfortable about sex these days anyway, with its existence being normalised in mainstream media. No longer is religious dogma ruling our entertainment!

As an extension of that, I see no reason why sex can't exist in video games. Yes, it would be pretty weird to watch the PC take part in it, but a fantasy ancient Rome game for example might have you walking through an orgy in order to meet with or take revenge on a consul. The stark sex would just be there to set the tone of the event, and hopefully it wouldn't have everyone dry-humping in underwear to hide their *gasp* genitalia.

So PC sex is weird. I prefer Mass Effect and Dragon Age's short, cinematic approach to NPC-PC interaction, but the existence of blunt NPC-NPC sex is something we need to move forward with genuinely mature experiences.

[DragonKnight]

Sex in games shouldn't be an issue. If a developer wants to have full on sex in their games, I say let them so long as it fits with the story or character development well. If they don't want it, fine as well.

There was a comedian who said something pertinent to this situation, though he was talking about objectification. He said "if people want objectification to end, then everyone has to walk around naked. the sooner you remove the taboo, the less people will try to go after it."

I poorly paraphrased what he said, but it's still sound reasoning. Sex is still considered taboo due to, what a youtuber coined as, "Hipster Puritanism." If the stigma and taboo surrounding sex in general, and sex in video games specifically, were removed then you'd see how no one would give a damn about it eventually and it would cease being a marketing device.

[Kingnichendrix]

Yeah that's genius fantasising about violence is much healthier than the most basic human instinct.... reproduction.

[zeee]

No please no. Please leave sex out of video games. Don't we get enough sex on tv, internet, magazines, movies and what not? What's wrong with games without it?

[Agent_hitman]

Anime logic probably..

[DarXyde]

I'm not going to entertain the conclusions drawn by the people before me (because I'm sure everyone here has taken some type of Japanese psychology course and understand their thinking because we don't get it /s) but I do agree in that I think it's unusual.

On topic, it's hard to say if it has a place in gaming. Would I want it in my games? No, but I guess it depends on where developers are trying to evolve the medium. I feel like it's inevitable with the story-telling aspects and desire for character development and things like that. Can it be done without that? Yes. Do movies care that it can be done without that? No. If gaming is treated purely as an interactive medium to control events rather than reach an end, it's probably gonna get sexy. But also, the only reason it's a big deal is because the U.S. is such a large market for gaming and ours is a society that shuns sexual content. I mean look at 50 Shades of Grey. Absolute garbage, but it's erotic and lauded for breaking norms. When games break norms(i.e., Manhunt, Grand Theft Auto, etc.), it gets attention and sex sells. I think established IPs will stay more or less the same, but the whole "sexual revolution" is likely coming.

...Suddenly, I'm afraid of VR. How 'bout that...

[nope111]

Do we really need more sex in our games?
I get enough of that from movies as is.

[thehobbyist]

I also blame all the sex in Mass Effect for the bad endings. I can guarantee if they saved money and time from mocapping those scenes we would've gotten endings that weren't so damn rushed.
Honestly, why couldn't Bioware just pull a Persona 4 and put up a text box that essentially says "Yeah, you boned. And it was great for everyone"?

[nope111]

Yeah, the insinuation that The Persona 3 MC had sexy time with Elizabeth was enough for me.
No need for awkward naked rubbing scenes.

[Conzul]

The article seems to suggest that more "better" sex is needed, as if it will counter-balance against the arbitrary or poorly-done sex currently therein.

Personally, I wish more games would skip the whole boring "oh look, a new medium, let's put sechs in it yay!" phase and get edgier. Gaming is always innovating nearly everything that gets thrown at it. I'd like to see some more intimate, sensual-but-not-sexual relationships/options in it.

Culture is so damn black and white these days. Games should stay above that like they tend to.

[Ogygian]

The point is that we need to break this barrier so that we don't need to debate it in future. Right now, I'm sure there are some designers who want to add in genuinely mature sexual content, but fear doing so will evoke a media backlash.

I agree that all games don't *need* sex to make them edgy. But we need push for the barrier to be broken so that indie artists are able to work without fear of reprisal. Once that barrier is broken, devs will still only put in what content they wish their game to have.

[chrissx]

In my opinion,video games don't need better sex and more of it

[kevinsheeks]

Don't just toss sex in just to have it i've only seen sex work in maybe one game >.> the witcher

to many devs get childish and just start tossing tits everywhere lmao

[Ogygian]

Would you call the Game of Thrones directors childish? I love having brutal and hedonistic environments shown simply because they create an atmosphere much unlike that in the real world today. A dark, dangerous atmosphere where anything can happen would be superior to the safe gaming cribs we have today.

I'd argue that while it's childish to take offense at the Game of Thrones sex, the mature attitude is to not care.

[frostypants]

I love GoT, but this is pretty dead-on:
http://gawker.com/5902076/s...

So, yes...lot of people have called the nudity on Game of Thrones childish. It was one of the biggest criticisms of the show and it's no coincidence that it was scaled back a bit.

[Ogygian]

@frostypants

Well it doesn't matter *why* they put it in; only the reaction it evokes in the audience.

I can see how for some, who watch it in the living room with other people it can be a little awkward.

If watching GoT alone, there are three possible reactions I can imagine. One is you become sexually stimulated by it, which I find would have been a possible reaction to such content in the pre-2000's, but not in the current era of omnipresent online porn and general sexual openness.

The second is a feeling of disgust motivated by strongly conservative religious or cultural values. This is a reaction I imagine is correlated with higher age of the viewer, but generally uncommon in much of the the developed world in 2014.

The third reaction is a general ambivalence to the scenes with a subconscious widening of the uncertainty in the content of the show. This evokes a positive reaction from the viewer as the show sets a standard whereby it does not conform to common TV tropes and will offer more unpredictable plotlines, given the wider palette the artists have established early on.

These reactions apply to games too, I believe.

Summary: sex in video games can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the target audience and the overall style of the experience.

I think the Game of Thrones criticism link is simplistic and one-sided.

[e-p-ayeaH]

There´s already plenty of games that have sex and sexed up characters this opinion is invalid.

[jazmac]

I started reading this and basically waited for the moment when it became a political agenda and it happens just after the screenshot of the master chief helm between the girls legs...

[Clown_Syndr0me]

Sex should only be used where appropriate for narrative purposes. Sex mini games are ridiculous.
Im sick of it being thrown in just for effect. Also sick of all the manga crap I see these days, if you're into that your are most likely a paedophile.
There's that weird dance anime game I see on uPlay all the time and people get off to it, it looks like a bunch of schoolgirls half naked...its weird as hell. I don't want to see more of that crap.

[FlyingFoxy]

Meh, how about games with funny sex jokes like in Conker.. oh wait, i forgot there ain't any games like that being made anymore. Pfft

[assdan]

Video games don't really need more sex, even though games are starting to have more. People just need to stop freaking out whenever it's in one. An M rated game is supposed to be the content equivalent of an R rated movie.

[Inception]

Need more games like Catherine

[CernaML]

Catherine was a great game.

[Inception]

@cernaML

Yeah, it was one of my most fav game from Atlus. Hope they make another game like Catherine

@thehobbyist

To test a new engine AND to test if there's a market for game like Catherine.

[thehobbyist]

Too bad Catherine was just to test a game engine and what they could do with the PS3 hardware.

[Roccetarius]

We don't really just need more of it, just something with a better connection to the game. Not just some sort of mindless sex scene, or collect them all like Mass Effect.

[DanielGearSolid]

Dumb...

[DCfan]

Yeah, screw having better game AI, better gameplay, better story or characters, lets just have more sex.
-__-

[Reeze]

I disagree. Let's keep games about- shocker- gaming!

[Illusive_Man]

Sure but not the strange immature pedophilic Japanese version of it.

[Baka-akaB]

I Dont mind either way , if a game features sex , implies sex , or simply dont . There is no need , just like there is very few needed content in games , it's up to the vision of its creators

However if you include it , even without going graphic with it , it needs to be effortless and not akward .

Mass effect 2 scenes commes to mind ... humping in uncomfortable uniforms ? ANd as throw away bonuses ? It was already mediocrely handled in Dragon Age , but it's worse there

[Eamon]

Sigh, if you want more sex. Get a girlfriend or a wife.

[spicelicka]

This seriously, im tired of hearing about "oh sex is a natural part of life", its such a fallback for our perverted nature. Its definitely a natural part of life but only between people who are involved in it. Its a private act and that's why there's a level of shame in it.

And I'm not against sex in any way, who in their right mind would be. But commercializing it just becomes an overused in your face practice with no meaning other than to exploit our tendancies. I hate how its an unwritten rule now, if you want to be in the entertainment business the actors have to be willing to expose themselve to the public, and the creators have to be willing to force it in their content if they want to make money.

[Psychotica]

No, video games don't need more sex, they need less sex. It's reason why I won't let my son play Watch Dogs. Yes, I will him play games with shooting and killing because most kids won't try those things for real. Sex though is a different story..

[MultiConsoleGamer]

People who have sex in real life don't need to see it in video games.

But as far as click bait goes this is definitely a good angle.

[SLUG]

NO NO NO NO NO ARE YOU CRAZY GAMES DO NOT NEED THIS AT ALL

[pkb79]

I play games to do stuff I cant do in real life. Kill dragons, fly spaceships, shoot obnoxious teens in the face ect. Sex I can do in real life.

[Wni0]

careful, saying certain things is no longer safe even as a joke

[jimmywolf]

if anyone interested in the game from the picture, since it odd the author never mentions it "least not that i saw"

it Saya No Uta, it a very dark mature theme VN. it does have lot graphic sex but it also is well written an has a good story.

long you can keep an open mind it worth a read, if not best avoid it as it will disturb you on many levels.

[DragonKnight]

I love articles like this because it shows you how many prudes are part of the gaming community.

[Heisenburger]

It also shows you how little some kids respect people and their own personal principles.

[DragonKnight]

Principles are an individual concept. They have no bearing on a group and people shouldn't make their principles speak for a group. That's the whole reason sex is a taboo to begin with. Puritans decided for you, a long long long time ago, that sex is bad. Cultural traditions brainwashed the population and today, without really understanding the complete reason why, most people are still walking around with the idea that sex is something to be ashamed of, or at the very best "modest" about, when it's a natural biological function and a survival imperative.

[FullmetalRoyale]

Just because someone doesn't care for TNA, that doesn't make them "prudes".

Some people don't look at making love as "something necessary for survival", "animal like cravings and instincts". SOME people lay with their significant other to share passion and love for one another.

So... NO. Wanting something MORE from a game doesn't make someone a prude.

Some people believe in love, and want that portrayed.

I would be so sad if I had your outlook on things.

[DragonKnight]

A person who "doesn't care for" something usually doesn't go out of their way to express the opinion that it shouldn't be within some other form of entertainment. A person who "doesn't care for" something generally just avoids discussing said thing or exposing themselves to topics relating to said thing. A person who describes it as "TNA" is almost 100% a prude.

"How DARE you put something I personally consider to be a personal, intimate thing in a form of entertainment. I am outraged that you aren't catering to my sensibilities to 'not care for' nudity and sexual acts in my games. I have half a mind to start a twitter hashtag campaign to shut down any studio that dares to put adult themes in games. Everyone knows games are toys!"

"Some people don't look at making love as "something necessary for survival", "animal like cravings and instincts". SOME people lay with their significant other to share passion and love for one another."

Look at it how you want to, it doesn't negate the fact that something that is personal to you is a biological function that shouldn't have a stigma attached to it, forcing it to remain in the shadows as something to be embarrassed by or ashamed about. Personal is subjective, and whatever is personal to you should be kept private by you and no one else but you.

"So... NO. Wanting something MORE from a game doesn't make someone a prude."

Implying that sex means LESS from a game. Kids these days.

"Some people believe in love, and want that portrayed."

At the risk of sounding crass, if you want female friendly intimacy, they have a porn section for that online. Look it up.

"I would be so sad if I had your outlook on things."

Because being open minded and accepting of adult themes is such a terrible way to live life. We should all want to maintain Puritan roots and values. Hell, why don't we go back to forcing women to dress in full gowns, prohibiting them from exposing even an ankle whilst the men can wear hats with belts around them and shoes with buckles on them. That'll show everyone.

[spicelicka]

You're saying "survival imperative" as if people are against the act of having sex. That's a total misunderstanding, no culture has ever condoned actually having sex or they would never have kids. It's not necessarily part of our nature to watch sex and commercialize it for financial gain. Watching sex is not the same as having sex, the latter of which is a biological function. For educational purposes it's a different story.

Shame was part of our evolution, why would traditions invent shame to reduce sex if as human beings those people loved sex as much as we do? If you really think traditions brainwashed people, which may be true, it's no different from what the media is doing now. Everywhere you go, everywhere you look sex is in your face. And whether you want to admit it or not, money is the only reason.

No one in their right mind would really want the public to watch them have sex or be nude, neither are they biologically inclined to do so. But as soon as money becomes the motive, it's all game, while a bunch of perverts defend it because they get off on it. It's all money, and money isn't part of our nature.

[DragonKnight]

"You're saying "survival imperative" as if people are against the act of having sex."

They are. They have been for centuries. Where have you been? Shame isn't the problem, it's Puritanism and Religion. The idea that sex is an evil deed is all over the most predominate religions of the world and has had a profound influence on governmental policy throughout human history. It's not necessarily part of our nature to PREVENT watching sex either, but it's a societally enforced taboo anyway.

"Shame was part of our evolution, why would traditions invent shame to reduce sex if as human beings those people loved sex as much as we do?"

No it wasn't. Shame is a man-made construct whose origins arise in religion, and religion has always been used as a control mechanism. It is VERY different than what the media is doing. The media is simply using the risque nature of the unnecessary taboo to market something, and it works. Shame is trying to control human nature to suit a specific agenda. If sex didn't have a stigma surrounding it, the media couldn't use it as a marketing tool and that's a fact of human nature.

"No one in their right mind would really want the public to watch them have sex or be nude, neither are they biologically inclined to do so. But as soon as money becomes the motive, it's all game, while a bunch of perverts defend it because they get off on it. It's all money, and money isn't part of our nature."

For starters, you can't know what people "in their right mind" would want because you're clearly attaching personal sensibilities to that statement. There are entire adult sections devoted to public sex acts, filled with people who very consciously, an in sound mind, decided they were ok with that. Hell, Woodstock itself was HUGE for public sexual acts. The entire decade of the 60's in fact was like that. Also, biology doesn't care where you have sex or who's watching.

And were I given to offense, which I'm not since that's a choice, I would find it offensive for you to say that "a bunch of perverts defend it because they get off on it." That's simply an immature attitude and statement. Again, this topic always shows who the prudes are. I mean, obviously adults don't want to be exposed to adult stuff right? We should all bow down to the Puritanism that founded Western society. To that end, I imagine you go to Church every Sunday, confess, and repent on the Rosary right?

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Visual novels.
Suddenly, you're covered.
That is all, moving on.

[persona4chie]

...no i really don't think we do

[bbad]

sex in videogames makes me sick. Its unnessary and serves no purpose. The best games I have played did not have sex scenes in them and did not need them.

[persona4chie]

Ultimately i don't think its necessary because when you think about it watching sex scenes in games is really no different thanwatchingporn, and do you really want to watch OTHER people going at it...its awkward and unnecessary. Why do w need to knew X and Y had sex? some games handle it well, i think it was done well in Catherine mostly based on the theme of the gamer MY OP. But do we really need to see Kratos getting it on at least once every game (i do love gow btw) don't you see your wifes face when pleasuring those women? Have you no shame Spartan, have you no honor?

[noxeven]

Sex sells thats we have a market behind in the way we advertise and such. Does sex bother me in games no. Would I like it if there was more of it. Ya sure if it fits the game I'm playing. I mean honestly in games like mass effect and conception basically all the rpgs, puzzle and adventure titles sure. I cant really see having a random sex scene in a game like call of duty or killzone. It depends how its related to whats going on. I mean the sex scene in god of war was meh. First of all if you playing an m rated game that contains sex I assume that your mature enough to know. If you say omg our kids can see it its just bad parenting to buy an m rated game that isn't meant for kids in the first place. Just take the steps to explain it to your kids. Books have and its underlying themes. So do movies and casual conversations. Its a factor of life if we didn't have it we would be having this conversation to begin with.

[MicDude]

I honestly don't care if there is sex in video games. Do we need more of it? That's a tough one to answer. Then again, I don't the question should be directed at me the reader because, ultimately, it isn't my decision to make. That's a question for developers. If there is sexual content in a video game I would prefer if it has a purpose in the story rather than it being mindless because that's what I prefer. If you like playing video games that have lots of sex so you can fap to it, then hey, more power to you. As long as you aren't hurting anybody then who the hell cares?