In this article, I will discuss the issues with including sex in games. I will take a look at the various ways that games handle the subject of sex. I’ll look at some of the varying approaches, touch on some of the moral issues with the way that sex is depicted and whether depictions of sex in games can have a real-world impact.
Wait…is this just going to be a rant condemning pervy games and oversexualised characters?
Well, no, it isn’t. It would be very hypocritical of me to condemn any of you who enjoy those kind of games, as I enjoy them too. I’ve completedMonster MonpieceandAkiba’s Trip.I also ownCriminal Girls: Invite OnlyandDungeon Travellers 2- all games which feature sex or semi-nudity in some form. I even went so far as to import the international version ofMoe Chroniclewhich had English subtitles, as it frustrated me that it wasn’t available to buy in my part of the world.
I wouldn’t even say that the games I highlighted above handle sex particularly well. None of them feature it maturely or even make any vague attempt to do so. It’s done in more of a pervy and comedic manner. They’re not quite hentai ( a sub-genre of anime and mangas featuring overtly sexualized characters and sexually explicit images and plots) but they are fan service heavy games. Some of those games are almost like Japan’s answer to the Carry On films…it’s kind of naughty but in a very silly way. I don’t buy them expecting Shakespearean epics or a deep philosophical discourse. I buy them expecting some sexy, silly fun and they deliver. They’re far from the best depictions of sex that I’ve come across in games though and I’ll explain why below.
But please…won’t somebody think of the children?
I find it a little strange that it’s fine for games to be gory as hell and feature decapitation and dismemberment (helloFallout 4’s Bloody Mess Perk…I still love you) but some people go crazy if they feature sex and nudity. Part of the problem seems to be the misconception that some people have that all games are for children, despite some having 18 certificates on the front of them (or M for mature if you’re in the US). If anything, I find it a little odd that in the United States there aren’t more laws governing certification of games.
In the UK, it is illegal to sell game to children. As far as I am aware (please correct me if I’m wrong), there isn’t the same federal law in the United States regarding the sale of M games. I also think that more parents should take responsibility and ensure that they make use of the parental controls which are build into most consoles nowadays. So yes, think of the children. But please do get that games are not just for children.
You and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals, so let’s do it like they do on the Discovery Channel
In 2014, the average age of a gamer was 31. In 2016, it was 35. A lot of gamers are adults and…well…a lot of adults like sex. I enjoy sex a lot, as does my wife. Maybe someday we’ll even learn to enjoy it with each other…just kidding.
Another misconception is that people playing sexy games are sex starved perverts who still live in their mother’s basement. In most cases, I think such a description would be inaccurate. Looking at myself, I have a healthy, loving and affectionate sex life. I’ve never lived in a basement and I am n…okay, perhaps I’m a little bit perverted but only when it comes to my wife (which she likes) or characters in games and anime (who aren’t real).
I hope that in future more mainstream games do include sex. In an ideal world, it would also be great if more of them managed to include it in a more sophisticated manner. It would also be lovely if it was included when it was appropriate for the game’s overall narrative instead of just awkwardly wedged in there with a crowbar.
Sex in other mediums is fine but sex in games isn’t, because…?
When it comes to literature, films and TV shows, sex and nudity is commonplace and most people don’t have any issue with it. I can watch Game of Thrones knowing that odds are at some point in the episode there will be both violence and bare breasts. I can also head to the library and check out The Unbearable Lightness of Being or House of Holes and read them on the train without anybody batting an eyelid. So why the drama when it comes to sex in games?
Part of the issue may be the aforementioned view that they’re just for kids. Part of it also might be due to it still being a relatively new medium when compared with films, books and TV. In the early days of TV, people were more worried about the corrupting influence that the goggle box may have on people. Then there was the mass burning of comic books in 1948, where again there was a fear that they were seducing and corrupting the innocent. And prior to that, novels such as Lady Chatterley’s Lover were banned in the United Kingdom from 1928 until 1960, presumably when the British finally discovered that sex could be fun.
Aha! It’s pressing a button that is the problem with sex in games!
Another issue though is that games are interactive. People seem to take an issue with the fact that you actively choose to attack people in violent games. Or in the case of games that include sex, that you can sometimes press buttons to simulate the act of having sex. But would them being interactive lead people to be violent in real life in the case of violent games or to objectify people in real-life as a result of games that include sex, nudity or sexualised characters? Well, in terms of violence, a recent Frontiers in Psychology fMRI study in Germany showed that there was no link between long term game playing and real-life violence. It also showed that the emotional responses of long-term gamers were the same as non-gamers when shown horrific images. It concluded that any impact of playing games on aggression was acute and very short-term.
What do the studies say about sex in games having an impact on real-life?
When it comes to the impact of games on people’s views of the opposite gender in real-life, the jury is still out.
Studies such as “Sexual Priming, Gender Stereotyping, and Likelihood to Sexually Harass: Examining the Cognitive Effects of Playing a Sexually Explicit Video Game” by Mike Z. Yao a professor Communication at the City University of Hong Kong, Chad Mahood a professor of Communication at The Ohio State University, and Daniel Linz a professor of Communication at University of California suggest that those who had played the game that sexually depicted women as being treated as objects were more likely to engage in thoughts about sex and see women as mere sex objects in real-life.
But equally, people who have watched a sexually explicit movie or visited a strip club may - at least for a while - treat others differently in real-life as a result of that experience.
Another study conducted more recently by the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that men playing videogames for more than 1 hour/day were less likely to have premature ejaculation but were more likely to have decreased sexual desire. It seems that right now, we don’t know for certain what the impact is. But if I’m honest, that lack of certainty isn’t going to stop me from enjoying it in the meantime.
With that said, here’s a look at some ways that sex and nudity have been featured in RPGs.
Sex as the “win state” for romances
The ultimate goal in a lot of games is to win. And with the gamification of romance and sex, love also becomes a game where often the win is sex. Games such as BioWare’sMass Effect AndromedaandDragon Age Inquisitioncome to mind. For completing a romance, you’re given a Trophy or an Achievement. And sex is often only an event that is included at the very end of a romance. Why is that the case? Couldn’t it be included earlier in the narrative too where it’s appropriate and on multiple occasions? You don’t tend to just have sex with someone once and necessarily consider that anything romantically has been finalised or won. If a romance has to have a win state (and I’m not entirely convinced that it does), does it have to be sex?
It would be nice to mix things up a little. For some characters where the story fits it, sure, sex could be the finale. For others, the finale could be parenthood, marriage or helping your partner to overcome a problem that they wouldn’t be able to address alone and that equally you couldn’t resolve without them.
Sex and nudity ascollectables
In some games such asThe Witcher, you were awarded sexy cards for having sex with characters in the game. In later games, this was removed and instead sex was primarily just used when it fit with the narrative for it to be included.
Sex and nudity for comedic value
I’ve already touched on this one in an earlier paragraph, so I’ll be brief. In many RPG games - especially Japanese ones - sex at least in part is included to be funny. Awkward scenes such as accidentally walking into the women’s section of the bathhouse come to mind. Or stripping characters down to their underwear to see if they’re a vampire inAkiba’s Trip. Games such asMoe Chronicleare both pervy and humorous. It can also be funny watching somebody playing one of those games, as they frantically stroke the Vita screen to stimulate the monster girls in the right place.
Sex and the narrative
My favourite inclusion of sex is whenever it is well-written and fits the story for it to be included. If a central aspect of an epic RPG is a romance between two adults, I’d find it odder if sex wasn’t included than if it was. Adults who are in love and in long-term relationships don’t tend to just kiss and hold hands. In games such asThe Witcher 2andThe Witcher 3, there is quite a lot of sex. My favourite inclusions of it were when he was either with Triss or Yennifer depending on your chosen romantic partner (I don’t advise trying for both of them in the same playthrough). They were well-written scenes that fit with the story being told. Geralt is quite a sexual character in the novels and short stories (I prefer the short stories), so it made sense for the games to follow suit.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article. What is your stance on sex in games? Is it something that bothers you? Are you concerned at the real-world impact that playing sexual games may have on you? Would you like to see more RPGs include sex in games? Can you think of any games I haven’t mentioned where it was either handled really well or really badly? If so, please comment below and let us know.
