Sex Lives and Video Games

This article was originally written in October 2012 and may no longer reflect the beliefs of the author or subjects quoted.

Violence is an accepted and prevalent part of video games. However when sex, nudity or suggestive situations crop up, many of us react with discomfort. I tend to jam the mute button.

Video games are now capable of delivering emotional stories, complex relationships, cinematic experiences and political commentary just as effectively as other forms of entertainment. However sex is still a sensitive topic in video games, and its presence has been making waves in the gaming community.

Twitch's band-aid solution

It's not unusual to see eager consumers testing out all the features of their latest gadget. 

Many have decided to test out the Playstation 4’s Twitch integration with the family-orientated Playroom; a basic augmented reality game wherein players can interact with onscreen characters via their bodies and the PS4 controller. Basically, its an update on Sony’s Eye Toy games that accompanied the Playstation 2.

Its uncertain how familiar the broadcasters were with Twitch and its policies. 

Twitch might be a popular service in the hardcore game community but it’s largely unknown to non-gamers.

It's likely many were totally unaware, as they were confounded by popular references to the Twitch community and internet culture at large.

Men and women of various ages, groups of friends, kids and families were all seen broadcasting via Sony’s new console. It spawned a couple of impromptu call-in shows, some broadcasters just got drunk and interacted with the chat, one streamed himself sleeping on his couch. 

In the beginning, it was all mostly harmless. Even Sony employees were happy to join in the fun.

Journalism and Ethics: Sources in Reporting

I’m not a regular reader of the Penny Arcade Report. However today I came across Senior Editor Ben Kuchera’s post on The Cut; a subsection of the Report Kuchera describes as a place to “point to stories that are worth reading.”

Glancing through the archives, The Cut usually posts links to other gaming news sites or news articles pertaining to video games. The post I spotted led to the blog of UK-born game designer and founder of Positech Games, Cliff Harris.

The post in question pertained to marketing of independent titles and consumer reaction to  pricing. Mr. Harris recently released a title through Positech Games and discussed the psychology of his pricing strategy and consumer feelings of post-purchase rationalisation.

Mr. Harris states he has enjoyed a career in game development and programming; working for Elixir Studios and Lionhead Studios, formerly headed by Peter Molyneux. However there seems to be no indication of any reason why Mr. Harris’s opinions on pricing and marketing should be accepted as credible or reliable.

Are You Being Served?: Ethics in Video Game Journalism

In late July, Marcus Beer appeared on GameTrailers’ Invisible Walls program and set his sights on independent developers Phil Fish and Jonathan Blow. Beer labelled the two developers as "Hipsters," "Wankers," "Tosspots" and so on. Fish fired back at Beer on Twitter, the argument escalated and Fish decided it was time to step away from the games industry. 

Marcus Beer presents Annoyed Gamer

In late August, Marcus Beer returned for the second season premiere of his show Annoyed Gamer. This time he criticised the games media for coming to the defence of Phil Fish after their entanglement. Beer felt that the media had unfairly labelled him a “bully” and had no right to defend Fish. He claimed the media is, “there to serve the gamer, the reader, the viewer, the consumer...not the big boys, not the indie devs, not anybody else.”

However, Beer doesn’t seem to fully understand the role of journalism.

Grand Theft Auto V- Part 1: No Fun Allowed!

Disclaimer: At the time of writing, I have not finished GTA V. All opinions presented are based on my early experiences with the game and do not take into account the conclusion of the game's story. 

‘Fun’ is not a word I would use to describe Grand Theft Auto 5. 

But neither would I say its boring. Or even bad.

It is, most definitely, frustrating.

I played GTA V for 13 hours on launch day - from mid-afternoon until the early hours of morning - and I could have easily played more. I was totally engrossed, not even mindful of how much time had passed until my eyes began to hurt. And even though it was a struggle to stop playing, I cant recall a moment I thought, “I am enjoying this game.”

Even on day two, it was easy to get caught up in hours of GTA’s gun-toting, high speed action dramedy, but again it wasn’t what I would classify as fun.

Before I get too much into that, lets look back at past Grand Theft Auto games.

I’m a big fan of the PlayStation 2 era titles. GTA 3 is my clear favourite. It had an atmosphere the others failed to capture; it was silly and satirical, but the muted colour palette and bleak mood invaded every aspect of the city. Even during the daytime, a thick grey sky (likely the result of PS2 graphical limitations) never let any light shine through. The sparse traffic and quiet city streets meant any explosion or punctuated gun fire made a stark impression. It’s hauntingly beautiful.

Keeping 'Quiet': Consumers vs. Creators

Before Hideo Kojima first revealed Metal Gear Solid V he speculated, “The next project will challenge a certain type of taboo. If I mess up, I'll probably have to leave the industry." He’s not in that much trouble yet, but one aspect of his latest project has definitely caused a storm amongst the video game community.

While we caught a glimpse of Quiet almost four months ago at this year’s E3 conference, Kojima revealed her full character model through Twitter. Prior to the reveal, he tweeted about the design process for her character, recounting how he asked character designer Yoji Shinkawa to make her “more erotic,” and his hopes she would appeal to cosplayers and figurine collectors. Some cosplayers had asked him to reveal Quiet's full design so they might prepare a costume before the Tokyo Game Show. Due to legal reasons he couldn't reveal it to individuals, so he decided to released the images officially through Kojima Productions.

Gone Home

Gone Home is a call back to the first person adventure games of the past. In comparison to the bloated gimmicks and puzzles of its contemporaries, its a stripped-down experience. What’s not important is how the player interacts with the physical world, but where the player goes and what they discover. It’s a noble attempt at creating a personal tale in a market saturated by AAA games and experimental indie titles, but Gone Home is ultimately a shallow experience.

After spending the last year trekking across Europe, 23 year old Katie Greenbriar has returned home to find her parents and younger sister missing. The family has moved during Katie’s absence, making the Greenbriar homestead just as unfamiliar to her.

Boxes marked with thick marker still clutter the foyer and spare rooms. Many rooms sit unused, pitch black, and the spacious lighting barely touches some corners of the cavernous gothic mansion.

The lack of a family computer is a little unusual, even for a game set in 1995, but plenty of books and laserdiscs line numerous bookcases. VHS tapes lay haphazardly in around the living room and bedrooms. Most rooms feel suitably lived in, while others feel like they have become dumping grounds for still-packed amenties. It’s an obnoxiously large house for a family of four.