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    Default objectification of women in video games

    Since I largely quit playing new games around 2007 or so, I don't know if this trend ever stopped but I think it's a worthwhile discussion. I personally don't like seeing idiotic needless displays of women in every racing game or fighting game I play. Of course, context is key here. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball had lots of scantily clad beautiful women. But... they're on a beach, in hot temperatures, and they're athletes. It makes sense.

    However, a game like Cruisn' USA where a random trophy girl pops out of nowhere when you win the race? Come on, that's just stupid. Even though racing is a male dominated genre/sport, the game assumes that there aren't prepubescent boys, homosexual men, or heterosexual women playing this game. Same goes for Off Road Challenge where a sexy blonde randomly stands there while you pick upgrades for your truck. Not sure what she has to do with aftermarket truck parts. Is she an ASE certified mechanic? Does she own the parts distribution warehouse where I am buying these parts? Something just doesn't add up there.

    And of course going back to my comment about context... again- sometimes it makes sense. Posters of Japanese swimsuit models in Metal Gear Solid 2. Well yeah, you're on a Russian vessel filled with soldiers, virtually all of whom would be hetero men. It makes sense.

    There's a fishing game on the Xbox with a woman on the cover in a bikini. What does that have to do with fishing? I've been fishing many times in my life, I've never seen any swimsuit models wearing bikinis as they're reeling in a bass. And again that is a very male dominated sport so I am not sure how the cover makes any sense.

    I can give the female characters in Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat a pass because there are half naked men in those games as well, but clearly the animations were meant to appeal to a 13 year old boy discovering masturbation for the first time.

    Leisure Suit Larry is a game with attractive bimbos. I'm fine with it. The game centers around a horny desperate guy trying to score. It makes sense. So yes, in the context of that game, it's fine.

    This is the same thing we see with Hooters, Tilted Kilt, and other similar restaurants. Because really, when you're hungry, isn't the first thing you think of "damn I really wish I could stare at some waitress's rack right now!!"?

    Who are these products and establishments even catering toward? If someone wants to see a naked woman, they can go on Google and see it in five seconds. If they need to see it in person, they can go to a strip club. I am just trying to get into the mind of someone who needs to have women dressed in tight revealing clothing everywhere they go.

    And I'm still waiting for the male version of Hooter's. I'm assuming that doesn't exist because women can get laid at any moment, whereas an average schmoe can only be aeound it when he's paying for it? What would that restaurant be called? "Pecker's?" Damn that's a million dollar idea. In this age of women's rights, I think it'd be a runaway success.

    Anyways, what are your thoughts? Do you play these games with your 10 year old son? Would you let your daughter watch you play them?

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    I wonder if this means OP will make such a post about non-white representation in games 6-8 years after it was a hot topic.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alianger View Post
    I wonder if this means OP will make such a post about non-white representation in games 6-8 years after it was a hot topic.
    . I don't keep up with the "hot topics" of the moment. I don't care about peoples' skin color when I play a game. To me, that is a false equivalency. Unless it's something like a football game where every single player depicted is caucasian. That wouldnt even make sense, considering the racial makeup of the actual NFL. I dont notice any unrealistic racial depictions in video games like I do with half naked women being depicted

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    Quote Originally Posted by gbpxl View Post
    Unless it's something like a football game where every single player depicted is caucasian. That wouldnt even make sense, considering the racial makeup of the actual NFL. I dont notice any unrealistic racial depictions in video games like I do with half naked women being depicted
    It's a plus that there's plenty of games that stay realistic by going against racial stereotypes, like Super Mario Bros going against the stereotype that white men can't jump.

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    I envy you OP. Your must be living a pretty good, stress free life, if this is what you spend time focusing on. I’m over here worrying about bills and a leaky roof like a fool.

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    Quote Originally Posted by leatherrebel5150 View Post
    I envy you OP. Your must be living a pretty good, stress free life, if this is what you spend time focusing on. I’m over here worrying about bills and a leaky roof like a fool.
    Nothing to envy here, trust me. Hell I dont even own a house, so you got one up on me there at the least

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    Quote Originally Posted by gbpxl View Post
    Of course, context is key here. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball had lots of scantily clad beautiful women. But... they're on a beach, in hot temperatures, and they're athletes. It makes sense.
    So, I've .. ehem .. done some light research on this series. There is still quite a lot of objectification, what with the creepy photo mode where you can watch the ladies stretch, sun themselves and roll around in the sand. For hours and hours and

    anyway



    Senran Kagura is game that debuted on the 3DS in 2011 so they could show glasses-free 3D melons bouncing. It became a series.

    "The sequel improved on the original, by enhancing breast physics and clothing destruction" - Wikipedia

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpaceHarrier View Post
    So, I've .. ehem .. done some light research on this series. There is still quite a lot of objectification, what with the creepy photo mode where you can watch the ladies stretch, sun themselves and roll around in the sand. For hours and hours and

    anyway



    Senran Kagura is game that debuted on the 3DS in 2011 so they could show glasses-free 3D melons bouncing. It became a series.

    "The sequel improved on the original, by enhancing breast physics and clothing destruction" - Wikipedia
    I that's light research, I wonder what full on "deep work" would be like investigating such a game.

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    "I've never seen any swimsuit models wearing bikinis as they're reeling in a bass. And again that is a very male dominated sport so I am not sure how the cover makes any sense."

    I had to read that three times. I wasn't sure if I was missing something or if you were being obtuse or just trolling.

    You honestly don't understand why they would use an attractive women clad in beach wear to market a male dominated recreational sport? Fereal?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Emperor Megas View Post
    "I've never seen any swimsuit models wearing bikinis as they're reeling in a bass. And again that is a very male dominated sport so I am not sure how the cover makes any sense."

    I had to read that three times. I wasn't sure if I was missing something or if you were being obtuse or just trolling.

    You honestly don't understand why they would use an attractive women clad in beach wear to market a male dominated recreational sport? Fereal?
    I guess I'm just a fucking dumbass, what can I say.

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    The demographics they are going for are....

    - The 13 year old boy who just discovered he likes T&A and wants to see some in a way that his parents might not notice (to them it was just a stupid video game)
    - The older horny, girl-friend-less gamer who needs some extra "tools" for his imagination, or is drawn into the game by her "assets"
    - The Classic "Macho" man, it'll draw him in because just like the Car Show or the Football Game he goes to, they have scantly clad women involved somewhere, so it's "cool"
    - Randy Adult(s) who find comedy - this is where Leisure Suit Larry comes in, see some T&A and action, AND get to laugh your butt off at your player character and his misfortune

    TBH, I'm not sure what to think because I never really looked to video games for sexual content, I looked to video games to enjoy the game regardless of the graphics. That's why I'm probably one of the 4 people left in the world who can still stomach an early Atari 2600 game without thinking "this is so primitive". But I've met many of the above myself and it's little wonder as to why there's objectivication of women in games.

    But there's also other things too - a great example is Postal 2 which does all of this: Objectifies Women (Postal Babes), Shows Stereotypes (Taliban NPCs, African Americans), Anti-LGTBQ stuff (a certain set of Arcade games they had placed around, certain accents for certain male NPCs wearing certain clothes or colors), making fun of the homeless. It'd make anyone staunchly PC barf. The only reason I still play something like that, is because I can ignore all that or see it as a almost satirical view of what is wrong with our society, which kind of drives the violence in-game, the issues we fail to resolve in real life, embodied in a game with no real consequences, so that the rat bastard or the social justice warrior inside can let free their rage and anger on a virtual world as what could be quite a healthy outlet.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mad-Mike View Post
    The demographics they are going for are....

    - The 13 year old boy who just discovered he likes T&A and wants to see some in a way that his parents might not notice (to them it was just a stupid video game)
    - The older horny, girl-friend-less gamer who needs some extra "tools" for his imagination, or is drawn into the game by her "assets"
    - The Classic "Macho" man, it'll draw him in because just like the Car Show or the Football Game he goes to, they have scantly clad women involved somewhere, so it's "cool"
    - Randy Adult(s) who find comedy - this is where Leisure Suit Larry comes in, see some T&A and action, AND get to laugh your butt off at your player character and his misfortune

    TBH, I'm not sure what to think because I never really looked to video games for sexual content, I looked to video games to enjoy the game regardless of the graphics. That's why I'm probably one of the 4 people left in the world who can still stomach an early Atari 2600 game without thinking "this is so primitive". But I've met many of the above myself and it's little wonder as to why there's objectivication of women in games.

    But there's also other things too - a great example is Postal 2 which does all of this: Objectifies Women (Postal Babes), Shows Stereotypes (Taliban NPCs, African Americans), Anti-LGTBQ stuff (a certain set of Arcade games they had placed around, certain accents for certain male NPCs wearing certain clothes or colors), making fun of the homeless. It'd make anyone staunchly PC barf. The only reason I still play something like that, is because I can ignore all that or see it as a almost satirical view of what is wrong with our society, which kind of drives the violence in-game, the issues we fail to resolve in real life, embodied in a game with no real consequences, so that the rat bastard or the social justice warrior inside can let free their rage and anger on a virtual world as what could be quite a healthy outlet.
    Well Leisure Suit Larry is different. You know what youre getting. Youre not playing this game with your 8 year old son. I guess Im in the minority when I say that when I want a fishing game... I just want a fishing game...

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    Quote Originally Posted by gbpxl View Post
    Well Leisure Suit Larry is different. You know what youre getting. Youre not playing this game with your 8 year old son. I guess Im in the minority when I say that when I want a fishing game... I just want a fishing game...
    Quote Originally Posted by gbpxl View Post
    There's a fishing game on the Xbox with a woman on the cover in a bikini. What does that have to do with fishing? I've been fishing many times in my life, I've never seen any swimsuit models wearing bikinis as they're reeling in a bass. And again that is a very male dominated sport so I am not sure how the cover makes any sense.
    If it's shown directly on the cover, is it really a surprise that it's in the game?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gameguy View Post
    If it's shown directly on the cover, is it really a surprise that it's in the game?
    I never played it. I had assumed there werent actual half naked women in the game and the cover art was chosen for the American market

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    Quote Originally Posted by gbpxl View Post
    I never played it. I had assumed there werent actual half naked women in the game and the cover art was chosen for the American market
    So which fishing game are you having problems with then? Which one isn't just a fishing game?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Emperor Megas View Post
    "I've never seen any swimsuit models wearing bikinis as they're reeling in a bass. And again that is a very male dominated sport so I am not sure how the cover makes any sense."

    I had to read that three times. I wasn't sure if I was missing something or if you were being obtuse or just trolling.

    You honestly don't understand why they would use an attractive women clad in beach wear to market a male dominated recreational sport? Fereal?
    The British (if I recall correctly) had some tennis game which had an ad of a woman tennis player’s backside facing the camera with one side of her skirt held up by her hand while holding the box of the game. The action resulted in exposing a cheek.

    I want to say this was maybe early 90’s but it shows what the gaming demographic was then.

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    For the record, I've definitely had ex's wear bikinis while we went fishing or on the lake, or whatever. I mean, it was near water.. most girls I know like wearing swimsuits. So.. just sayin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by turboxray View Post
    For the record, I've definitely had ex's wear bikinis while we went fishing or on the lake, or whatever. I mean, it was near water.. most girls I know like wearing swimsuits. So.. just sayin.
    You're saying women tend to wear bikinis when outdoors and near or in water? Are you sure? Wouldn't a full length dress be more likely?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gameguy View Post
    You're saying women tend to wear bikinis when outdoors and near or in water? Are you sure? Wouldn't a full length dress be more likely?
    I cant post photos on here for whatever reason but the game is Pro Fishing Challenge for the original Xbox. On the back cover it says "Size Does Matter" and below that, a a half naked supermodel reeling in a fish. I mean, do you really need everything spelled out for you?

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