Sexualization in videogames

[Gregriii]

Soo where do you think a character starts to get sexualized? Like, we have hypersexualized characters like Bayonetta, wich is intended and then we have those minor things, like Tracer's pose, wich people dislike

And what about males?

 

[Fleshy]

Where does a character start to get sexulised? There's obviously a few things that lead to the sexulisation of (predominately female) video game characters, their outfits, bodies, roles, etc. It's done on purpose, most of these characters are marketed to be "sexy" it's not a new concept that sex sells, even the minor things as you say, are most probably intentional. Male video game characters can definitely be sexulised too, I've sure seen a few that are clearly supposed to be "sexy" but just like in movies and music, it's usually females.

I don't know where I stand with the whole thing though, we're so used to seeing women sexulised everywhere, it's how the world is now, and of course there's problems with it, but it can't exactly be reverted, society (specially western societies) are so conditioned to things like that, video game characters are honestly the least of our problems. At the end of the day, people honestly complain about little things in the name of "feminism" now, like "*** that pose looks kind of sexy and you can see her ass? disgusting, this is why we need feminism." it's all so pointless. I get why people don't like it and it can make women feel objectified and things, and I'm not disputing that, I get it. I think most people just need to calm down a little when it comes to this topic. It isn't real and a sexy woman on a video game really doesn't affect us in the long term, right? At the end of the day, if video game companies and suchlike did stop purposely sexulising female characters, they'd still get sexulised. We sexulise everything in this day and age, there's people out there sexulising children's cartoons ffs.

I think it's a lot more complicated than that though and there's a whole lot more that could be said, but it just doesn't bother me and I don't see it as a massive problem in comparison to other things.

 

[Celestefey]

It's hard to say. I don't really know where I stand on the whole situation. I think, sometimes the sexualisation of some characters is ridiculous. Eg: making women wear skimpy armour when they fight in close combat situations, etc, and the male characters wear full armour. It's a bit ridiculous, and I feel like the game loses its immersive nature when it does that because it becomes... Well, unrealistic? And you want to believe that the game is real. You want to believe that what is happening on your screen is real and you are in control of that.

But at the same time, I don't think that the sexualisation of some characters is inherently bad. I actually see nothing wrong with Tracer's pose, and she is actually wearing full armour? I think it's definitely fair to say that MORE female characters are sexualised than males and honestly, it gets tiring and boring for me. It's obvious to see a lot of the time game producers do it to add sex appeal to the game and attract more of a male audience in a strange way and it bothers me because (even though I am bi lmao), it's really not necessary, and the game loses quality as a result. I'm not saying it doesn't happen to male characters either, because it does, and even in that instance it annoys me somewhat more.

I think though we need to strike some sort of happy medium. There's nothing wrong in a character looking sexy or whatever, but what matters most is they have an interesting design. Again, the example of Tracer. She may be posing in a way that is "sexualised" to some people but her character design is actually really interesting and unique, and so this adds to the quality of the game. I hope I make sense here. It's a bit of a complex issue and I know people who oppose it tend to be rubbed off as an angry SJW and the people who accept it sort of fail to see how it actually is very boring and kind of represents males or females in a way that is inappropriate.

 

[ForgottenT]

It's ridiculous no matter what, it's up to the developers to make the game how they intend it to be, if a character gets sexualized then so what?

 

[Jared:3]

That's a gross topic to discuss but bayonetta is a perfect example of this, she has a huge ass

 

[Soda Fox]

In general, I think people get way too up in arms about it. However, I also think consumers should give feedback. They are the ones who will be purchasing and playing the game. I won't fault a developer if they don't change their game though, since they are the ones who made it in the first place.

 

[Bowie]

I think it can turn out pretty well. Bayonetta is one of my favourite video game characters of all time, and part of it is because of how dominant and sexual she is. It's a part of her identity that makes her so enjoyable to play as and listen to, and some of the scenes in Bayonetta 2 show us a completely different side to her which I think makes her a lot more human and relatable.

What I'm getting at is that, sometimes, it works. Sometimes sexualising a character can be more than just a way to attract sales. Sometimes it can be fused into a character's personality and become a relevant thing. If done right, it can be a really nice thing!

 

[seliph]

Bayonetta was made by a woman without the whole "This needs to appeal to male gamers" thing in mind so I don't think she can be used as a good example for this discussion even if she is a very sexual character.

Anyways the problem with a lot of sexualized women in video games is that it is actually just pandering to the large following of creepy male gamers. It's often met with "But it's just their personality!" which is generally an excuse by the equally creepy male designer behind said character. As for guys it doesn't happen nearly as much with them so there's not much to be discussed there.

Either way I wish game developers that are at fault for this would focus more on making a good game rather than "What's the smallest amount of material or armour I can slap on these huge tiddies before it becomes R rated?"

 

[That Zephyr Guy]

It can be pretty bad, but I think in recent years it's getting way way way better, and it's very visible.

Let's look at an example that we can actually see in real time. League of Legends has been around for about 6+ years now, and during that time Riot Games have increased the roster of champions from 40, to 130+, so this'll give us an idea of how quickly this has been improving.

Here are 3 examples from some of League's earlier female champions

Spoiler: Miss Fortune

Spoiler: Ahri

Spoiler: Janna

Let me preface this by saying I still enjoy these character designs. These characters aren't just walking pairs of ******* and their appearance actually does carry weight, but it does get very old, and it does get very annoying seeing these kinds of characters created over and over again with the same justifications. It just comes off as a lazy way to shoehorn characters into a hole.


Let's compare that to League's 3 most recent female champions - Not counting Rek'sai because Rek'sai is an actual literal monster and not counting Kindred because Kindred is more animal than human.

Spoiler: Taliyah

Spoiler: Illaoi

Spoiler: Kalista

I think this is all very self-evident, but what I'm trying to establish here is that while using a female character's sexual identity as a basis for design is an okay thing to do, it's something we're all very used to and the idea is very worn out unless done outstandingly (read: Bayonetta). There are so many different ways you can design a character, that yeah, I get a little annoyed when I see the same tropes over and over again.

And to be honest, I'm not really looking at it in a way of "these game designers are sexist" as much as I am "wow, these game designers are just lazy", and I think that's where a majority of this comes from - laziness. As kids we were spoonfed these stupid stereotyped designs all the time, so it's understandable that breaking that mold can be a bit difficult. However, if you're a designer I kind of expect more, y'know?




To kind of solidify my point on the laziness, I'll show you a male example from the same game. Again, a very early character compared to a very recent one.

Spoiler: Garen

Now, I don't really like Garen's design, but that's just because it bores me. Yes, it makes sense, he's a soldier, yada yada, but how many times have we seen "big burly man with sword and armor" before? Way too much.

Spoiler: Jhin

I've read all of the development blog posts discussing Jhin's design, and I can tell you there is a lot that has gone into him. Almost all of his personality and his appearance has a lot of thought put into it, and they had to scrap the character's design on multiple occasions.






TL;DR: While I see a lot of discussion on the game developer's being sexist when it comes to female design, I think the lack of variety comes from laziness more than prejudice. Yes the designs are partially rooted in a bit of sexism because of what we were shown as kids, but it's the lack of effort to expand from that mold which I believe is to blame for a lot of the design criticism that developers are facing recently.

 

[LethalLulu]

In my opinion, I just want characters that I can relate to. If a character is sexualized by the fanbase, fine, that's bound to happen, but I don't want a ditzy big breasted blonde with no realistic characteristics in my game. I just want people who act like people regardless of appearance. I do not mind sexy females in games, as long as they're portrayed appropriately. Same goes for males. I don't want the game designers to objectify their characters. That creates a huge disconnect between the game and the player. I want to feel like I'm part of the game, like I'm inside it, in that world. I can't feel that way with a "sex object".

 

[vel]

Honestly, I think I've grown accustom to sexualization in video games. Such as Camilla in Fire Emblem Fates

Spoiler

I wasn't weirded out by this at all. Sexualization of women has been a thing for the longest time. It's basically built in to all anime style characters, and with the example of League of Legends, and the above saying: "Sex sells." And it does, obviously. But, players like me, I don't especially like video games because of some overly sexualized character. I like video games because I like video games. It doesn't bother me, because I've grown used to it, maybe even matured. In Fire Emblem Fates, in such a "serious" (depending on the time) story, you can barely see the over-sexualized characters. I'm not even sure where I was going with this, but I think it's a norm now, and honestly there isn't much you can do to change it.

 

[Bwazey]

The moment anything to do with a male or female that's illogical, but is made for the sole purpose of showing off a character is crossing the line for me.

For instance, females wearing armor that's revealing, yet it's purpose is to protect you? Illogical. Sadly, I'm unsure on any kind of male over sexualizing at the moment. I haven't seen any of it just yet. But I'm sure it's out there.

 

[D3athsdoppelganger]

It can be pretty bad, but I think in recent years it's getting way way way better, and it's very visible.

Let's look at an example that we can actually see in real time. League of Legends has been around for about 6+ years now, and during that time Riot Games have increased the roster of champions from 40, to 130+, so this'll give us an idea of how quickly this has been improving.

Here are 3 examples from some of League's earlier female champions

Spoiler: Miss Fortune

Spoiler: Ahri

Spoiler: Janna

Let me preface this by saying I still enjoy these character designs. These characters aren't just walking pairs of ******* and their appearance actually does carry weight, but it does get very old, and it does get very annoying seeing these kinds of characters created over and over again with the same justifications. It just comes off as a lazy way to shoehorn characters into a hole.


Let's compare that to League's 3 most recent female champions - Not counting Rek'sai because Rek'sai is an actual literal monster and not counting Kindred because Kindred is more animal than human.

Spoiler: Taliyah

Spoiler: Illaoi

Spoiler: Kalista

I think this is all very self-evident, but what I'm trying to establish here is that while using a female character's sexual identity as a basis for design is an okay thing to do, it's something we're all very used to and the idea is very worn out unless done outstandingly (read: Bayonetta). There are so many different ways you can design a character, that yeah, I get a little annoyed when I see the same tropes over and over again.

And to be honest, I'm not really looking at it in a way of "these game designers are sexist" as much as I am "wow, these game designers are just lazy", and I think that's where a majority of this comes from - laziness. As kids we were spoonfed these stupid stereotyped designs all the time, so it's understandable that breaking that mold can be a bit difficult. However, if you're a designer I kind of expect more, y'know?




To kind of solidify my point on the laziness, I'll show you a male example from the same game. Again, a very early character compared to a very recent one.

Spoiler: Garen

Now, I don't really like Garen's design, but that's just because it bores me. Yes, it makes sense, he's a soldier, yada yada, but how many times have we seen "big burly man with sword and armor" before? Way too much.

Spoiler: Jhin

I've read all of the development blog posts discussing Jhin's design, and I can tell you there is a lot that has gone into him. Almost all of his personality and his appearance has a lot of thought put into it, and they had to scrap the character's design on multiple occasions.






TL;DR: While I see a lot of discussion on the game developer's being sexist when it comes to female design, I think the lack of variety comes from laziness more than prejudice. Yes the designs are partially rooted in a bit of sexism because of what we were shown as kids, but it's the lack of effort to expand from that mold which I believe is to blame for a lot of the design criticism that developers are facing recently.

O>O this makes me feel weird since I play and main MF, Ahri and Janna

 

[Reindeer]

In my opinion, I just want characters that I can relate to. If a character is sexualized by the fanbase, fine, that's bound to happen, but I don't want a ditzy big breasted blonde with no realistic characteristics in my game. I just want people who act like people regardless of appearance.

What if it's parody? Juliet Starling from Lollipop Chainsaw is basically what you described, a ditzy big-breasted blonde with no realistic characteristics. The game is parodying a lot of American pop culture though, with Juliet Starling being a parody on the blonde ditzy cheerleader stereotype found in many TV shows and films.

 

[Yeosin]

What if it's parody? Juliet Starling from Lollipop Chainsaw is basically what you described, a ditzy big-breasted blonde with no realistic characteristics. The game is parodying a lot of American pop culture though, with Juliet Starling being a parody on the blonde ditzy cheerleader stereotype found in many TV shows and films.

In my opinion, although I'm not LethalLulu who you directed the question to, it's a big difference.

By making her a "parody" character, they've already given her more life and personality indirectly than the one's who are actually there to be sexualized as a serious thing. When they made her, they must of thought "We'll make her the cookie-cutter busty blonde for comedic effect.." or any other purpose beyond "BAM!!! BREASTS! SEXUAL BREASTS!!!! LOOK AT 'DEM BREASTS!!!!!!!!!"

Basically as long as it's backed up, in my eyes it's a HUGE difference.

 

[FruitsChinpoG]

I'm fine with it if everyone gets to participate, like in FF14 when males can have skimpy armor too ;3c

 

[ShinyYoshi]

I haven't played many games that have overly sexual characters or women dressed in skimpy clothing that make no sense, but I know they are out there and I just don't think it's THAT huge of an issue. Sure, it can be really annoying when the only women that appear in a game have huge boobs that are barely covered and her waist is so tiny there's no way she has a pelvis, but they are just video games that are usually marketed for males. I'm hoping guys don't expect women to look that unearthly in real life because then they would be insane. If anything, anime is much worse about this stuff than video games are lol

I just think the bigger problem lies in how sexualized women are in public media that reaches way more people (including young girls) than these video games are reaching.

 

[Llust]

i couldnt care less about creators sexualizing the characters. but i dont see why people get offended over it. their getups look pretty cool most the time. its a game for christ sake, if you dont like it then stray away from it. its what the game creators want for their game. its meant to appeal to a certain audience. if you feel like you dont belong in that audience, dont get yourself involved

 

[That Zephyr Guy]

i couldnt care less about creators sexualizing the characters. but i dont see why people get offended over it. their getups look pretty cool most the time. its a game for christ sake, if you dont like it then stray away from it. its what the game creators want for their game. its meant to appeal to a certain audience. if you feel like you dont belong in that audience, dont get yourself involved

I think the issue with this line of thought is actually putting that into practice means effectively locking yourself away from a large portion of gaming, which sounds like an acceptable reason to be annoyed about it.

 

[Rasha]

Sexualization is good I guess because it means more attractive? but over Sexualization is not because too much of anything is bad and it just doesn't feel natural and sometimes out of place..