Extra Credits ? Sex in Games | texastalksvideogames

A good overview of the issue of sexuality in videogames can be found in Extra Credits episode 19, season 1: ?Sex in Games?. The writer, James Portnow, draws a lot of his ideas from Brenda Brathwaite, the foremost authority on the subject. Sex has been present in video games from early on. In the 70?s, there was Atari?s Gotcha,in which user would play by squeezing two pink bulges. In the 80?s, there was Custer?s Last Stand in which the player could rape a captive Native American woman. In the 90?s came Lara Croft, the original sex symbol of games. All this set off the hyper-sexualized character design and cheap sex appeal that games are known for. The video argues that games are art and this is one of the problems holding the medium back. However, sex is an essential part of the human condition and can?t be ignored. He sees two problems with sex in games. 1) The image problem of games being childish, which the shallow pandering to adolescents contributes to and 2) Public backlash of mature content in games. The solution to these problems is to realize that sex and sexuality are two different things. Sex is the physical act of doing it, while sexuality can define characters, test relationships and color character?s interactions. The Extra Credits guys don?t want to do away with sex in games, but want to see games exploring relationships and intimacy more. They end by saying it?s going to take time, but if game makers take the issue seriously then it will help the medium grow.

A point I found interesting is that the video claims that more meaningful expressions of sexuality can be created by showing less and not more. An example he mentions (a game that I?ve played) is Ico, which creates a subtle yet powerful expression of love and protection through the simple act of holding hands. A humorous point the video makes is that throughout the years there is always something being accused of corrupting the youth with sexual material, from romance novels, to Elvis and rock and roll. I agree with the video that over time, this issue will fade, as some new medium will move into the hot seat of criticism.

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://texastalksvideogames.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/extra-credits-sex-in-games/

state college pa wilson ramos kidnapped mcqueary mike mcqueary joe paterno fired joe paterno fired matt nathanson