James Portnow, a Game Designer at Activision, follows up on the outrageous Fox News "coverage" of sex in video games with a passionate, rather poetic rebuttal and a call for rational adult discussion of sexuality in what he considers the hot emerging field of video game art.
After the recent publication of certain articles (see here and here), I think it's time we talk. We need to talk about a subject which makes us uncomfortable, a subject we rarely talk about, a subject most of us don't want to face... It's time we talk about sex.
No, this won't be the talk your father gave you when you were thirteen—no birds or bees; this conversation will be much more awkward, much more controversial, and probably a lot louder. Today we are going to take a close look at how sex is represented in the media we work in.
Sex to Date
Ignoring the hot lovin' in Custer's Revenge and the puerile representation of the denuded female torso in BMXXX, let's take a quick look at where we stand.
We've had the hot coffee farce, a few honest stabs at sexuality within the context of human relationships (Mass Effect, Indigo Prophecy, etc.), and some brilliant but veiled examinations of how sexuality affects the human psyche (Silent Hill), but that's about it.
Sexuality in a game will buy you an M rating faster than chainsawing children. No game has ever been given an AO rating without including "strong sexual content." Ever. Period. Sex in games is taboo, and that's where we stand.
Sex Sells...the Myth
It is a myth and a lie that sex sells in videogames. Look at the abysmal sales figures for any game which has blatantly exploited sexuality: no game which has done so has ever done well. Even fairly mainstream games like Playboy: The Mansion or Singles: Flirt Up Your Life have failed to make a dent in the videogame market. Sex alone does not sell.
Did sex help Mass Effect sales? Sure. Did it hurt God of War to include a sex scene? No. Why? Because both of these games were great games to begin with and when they used sexuality they included it within the context of the game: they used sexuality to further explore the protagonist and to enhance the world they were making.
Treating sexuality as a normal part of human existence and not shying away from including it where appropriate has always helped game sales. I would never argue otherwise. But it isn't the sex that pushes the sales; it's the quality of the game and always will be.
Sex in videogames should be dictated by the needs of the game.
It's easy for us to agree with that statement if we take it to mean "sex in videogames shouldn't be exploitive." It's harder for us accept the converse: that we can't be afraid of including sex in games when it's appropriate.
Consider film. We can all think of a movie that was enhanced by the use of sexuality, where it was used to help tell the story or explore the characters. We can all think of a film that would simply have been patently worse if the filmmakers had been afraid to include sex. We must approach games in the same way. We must let the game dictate what is appropriate.
His objective? Not only to see video games treated with the respect accorded to other forms of art, like film and animation, but also to shatter to nerdy gamer image of the "sweaty teenage boys or geeks who live in their parent's basements."
Says Portnow, "Sexuality treated as a normal human trait would go a long way to shattering this image. It would demonstrate the falsity of the stereotype and add a little bit of edge and glamour to the industry. Sex is seen as one of the defining characteristics of adulthood and willingness to address it is one of the things that separates adult's entertainment from children's pastimes. If we're ever to cease being marginalized and correct the horrible misconceptions about our audience, our medium will have to embrace this part of our nature."
Unfortunately, Portnow notes, "sexuality in a game will buy you an M rating faster than chainsawing children. No game has ever been given an AO rating without including "strong sexual content." Ever. Period. Sex in games is taboo, and that's where we stand."
So why do we keep pretending that sex is so scary? Isn't sex one of the things around which all adult life revolves? And if the increasingly sophisticated video game is to be taken seriously as an artistic medium, rather than as mindless lowbrow entertainment, shouldn't video game designers and critics actively present the realities of adult sex in games with the same enthusiasm that they bring to getting the chainsaw violence just right?
In presenting sex unapologetically and realistically in video games, game designers and marketers would be working toward more serious recognition of their field. They'd also be doing their part to bring frank, honest discussion about real sex into the mainstream, something I wholeheartedly hope for.
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With the evolution of “continual boyhood” (didn’t you post an article on that recently?) and lots and lots of people no longer in their teens playing games, you’re seeing a lot more nods to sexiness in games, if not actual sex. Check out this amusing video about the Witch Elf class in the upcoming MMO Warhammer Online:
http://warhammervault.ign.com/View.php?view=Movies.Detail&id=22
(High res concept art for the Dark Elf race can be found here: http://neurophyre.livejournal.com/461325.html )
What’s interesting is that a lot of the overt sexiness or “on-display” sexuality displayed in games is female sexuality. Note in the concept art link that the male sorcerer class is wearing full robes, but even the heaviest armor for the sorceress reveals “large tracts of land” in the words of the developer. There aren’t really any rippling male pecs to be seen.
As far as user generated content, people have been busy having virtual weddings in MMOs for years, which is about all one can do given that the games have to appeal to a mass market, and they have been creating sex-related content in mass quantities in Second Life. There’s only more of this to come.
frankly? i’ve met more game developers and programmers who have had more sex (and sex partners) than most “normal” people would in the same timespan. me included. tho, i’m bordering between the two stereotypes. and i’m also unsure if that’s a good thing. :}