A problem with Video-Games: The sexy time
January 26th 2012 06:06
Category: No Category
SEX! Got your attention? Good. Sex is the most powerful force, and truly (if you want to get all psychological) is the reason we do almost everything we do. Our lives are comprised of grooming ourselves for mating one way or another; be that taking a shower and brushing your teeth everyday, or getting a job to have some money to spend on the necessities to continue living. Sex is all around us, and like the force from Star Wars, is a strong power that pushes us to do a huge number of things. Also, living as adults we have stories filled with sexual themes and happenings. I am not just talking about pornographic films, but in a far less blunt sexual context too. In our books people have sex, as well as in our films, and also in out television programs, and there is always a positive and negative side to what happens. When sex is thought of by a young person it is seen as nothing but good or bad; Quagmire has sex and it is funny, but when two people have sex in Friday the 13th they both die a horrific death. In reality neither one of these is right, sex has its drawbacks and its rewards. Sex is a dynamic experience that we build most of our lives around, and should not be cheapened by shoddy interpretation of what it is to engage is such an act. Biologically, sex is the most important thing a person can do with their lives. It is the innermost desire of every breathing animal, and through our highly complex and abstract understanding of the world we can transcend it into something more than just an act in our art.
I know what you are saying: "well, sir, that is all well and good, but what about the games?" Hold on, I'm getting there. So with the fact that sex is prevalent in everything we do it is only natural that it seeps into our art, and so it gets into games as well; sadly, not always in the best of ways. Sex in games has been boiled down to a cutscene as a token of congratulations, or just a mini-game for the hero to do to get a bonus. Neither of these go anywhere close to the impact that sex can have on a person and seem to be more of a diversion as opposed to an addition to a story arc. Adding sex cheaply or ham-handedly to a game does not make it any more adult, and ironically, the addition of this very adult theme just makes the game feel like the 4th grader who swears to seem more grown-up. Sex can drastically change a story or how a character responds to certain situations, and just putting it in there as just "something else you can do" completely overlooks the very human element that binds us all together.
Really, there are two different camps when it comes to sex in games: the "bonus" camp, and the "human" camp. Well first take a look at the "bonus" camp and what sorts of depictions will go there. However, if you have any semblance of deductive powers you would already be wagering a guess. Never the less, a game placed in the "bonus" camp will not add anything to the story or really anything at all. The sex in the game is just a, well, bonus that a player or character can get that doesn't change anything. A high speech skill and proper dialogue trees does not change how that person's relationship will be. It is really easy to tell what kind of games these are, they are the ones where you can pick up a prostitute for health or just for the pure hell of it but do not alter the story in anyway at all. It is cheaply added in to make the game seem more adult, when in actuality it does nothing but make the game seem immature. A great example of this is in the game series Fable. I already like the games, but the portrayal of sex and sexuality adds absolutely nothing to the game, which begs the question: "why even put it in in the first place?" Which that question comes up time and time again in games that belong to the "bonus" camp. I am not saying that just because the game has surface encounters doesn't mean that it is taking sex in an immature way, although that is usually the case, only that it didn't add anything to the story, or character, or overall quality of the game. Most of the time this "bonus" sex occurs because of an open-world feel that the game tries to provide to the player and so the sex is added as a side, but doesn't change how the story plays out. Basically, when a person is give a blank slate to work with the character cannot flesh out as much as if there is an already established personality.
Now on the other side, the "human" camp, we find a much deeper and richer exploration of what it is like to just be alive. Admittedly the time when you will see a game in this camp is if it is much more narrative based, and have a much more linear path to it. These games are what should be looked at to further the medium in the public eye, mature looks at the human condition in relation to physical and emotional affairs. This camp holds games that deepen our understanding of the character and the story that is presented to us. Sex can be a "one and done" experience, but many times it is not; as I stated above, sex should not be cheapened by shoddy additions to lack-luster stories. Sex is not only physical but emotional, and it is because of this that our stories and themes as adults become even more relatable when we talk about how relationships work in the fictional universe. The games take on this is done superbly well in this camp because it is not just the physical once-and-then-off scenario of the "bonus" camp, but because it talks about the relationship build up and how sex changes how people behave in the story to one another. The addition of the relationships and how the people respond to one another, even if it is just romantically and not sexually, is more mature and a more adult way of looking at the human condition than any amount of nudity or swearing will ever be able to do. A perfect example of a game in this camp is Catherine, which is getting a game of the year medal for last year from me (I'm changing that after this post). It handles sex and relationships in a believable and heartfelt manner, it didn't cheapen how people act in the real world because of what is being covered and shows us all how a game can tell a very adult story almost perfectly.
Okay, so in conclusion: Sex in games needs to be looked at in a mature light and the proper addition of it can elevate a game from being just a game to being a monumental piece of story telling. If sex adds nothing though, why add it in the first place? The gaming universe is not only ready but craving more games that take a look at the much more human side of sexual interactions that people go through. Video-games, like any other form of entertainment, is ripe with great stories and the best way to tell deep stories is to engage an adult audience is with a mature subject handled with respect and maturity. Sex can be something snickered about by the 7th graders out there, but as adults we should demand more of a human side to the most basic of physical needs.
All around us.
What keeps every generation together.
You rolled right! Get on in there!
A perfect example of how to do Sex in games right
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