I recently read (oh about 5 minutes ago) an article and a forum post on sexuality in games. After many deep and profound brain things inside my head (thank you King Julian), the little gears (I mean really, really little ones) in my head started to mesh (and by that I mean turn) and the inner workings of my pragmatic mind got me thinking; and no it's not because I obsess about sex all day, granted I'm male and so it would be difficult for anyone to believe that sex isn't the only thing on my mind.
However we aren't talking about me or are we?
Bah nevermind, where was I, oh yeah sexuality in games. Sexuality in games, is like sexuality in movies, is it necessary for us to see the act? or the insinuation of the act?
Well a lot would argue that it is necessary to see the act, but that's just sex really and not sexuality. I think if you want to watch a porno get one with Jenna Jameson in it, or whoever the current hot starlet is, or better yet get a girlfriend,a friends with benefits buddy or if you're really desperate a wife, I know it's less fun when people aren't condemning you for pre-marital sex, but it gets the job done. Forgive me I digress.
Personally I think the insinuation is far often, more enticing than to see two people go at each other doing the horizontal tango, and getting their freak on, whatever be the accepted vernacular. The unknown is often far more interesting than the known, it's in our nature to wonder, it's I think, the reason we stare at the stars, look into the deep blue sea, climb the highest mountains, our need to know is propelled by mystery, by intrigue. I think it's why I was always interested in the "bad" girl in school, cause she was an unknown quantity. This is sexuality to me, the concept, the idea, the ethereal wonder of our nature.
Getting back on track... Not sex in games, but sexuality in games, I think that for games to immerse you further, for you to feel the character you're playing, for you be able to make a connection with the story, the character needs to be humanized, and for him/her to be in such a state, sexuality needs to be essential, just as much as violence, compassion, love, duty, honour, forgiveness and any other quality that makes us human.
Sex in games in my opinion, is infantile, unnecessary, and serves no purpose, except to get some sort juvenile thrill (which I too sometimes enjoy) However the insinuation, far more effective as it blends our sexuality into the game.
Sexuality in games, well that is necessary, it's part of what makes human, if it's missing from games, it's removes a part of the story, of course, when I talk about sexuality in games, I'm not talking about complete fairytale games like Ratchet and Clank or Daxter, or Sonic, or Viva Pinata or any such game.
I'm talking about Gears of War, Mass Effect, Halo, Killzone, Warcraft, and so on, I'm talking about the games that talk about humanity, the stories that seek to immerse you, to remove any human quality or failing from the game is to take away from it's story, Halo had sexuality, yeah, it did, there was a chemistry between the Master Chief and Cortana, there was an unspoken love, a sense sexuality between the half human, half machine man, and the wholly artificial construct female, it added another layer to the story, it was subtle but you could tell the Master Chief loved Cortana, and she loved him, Mass effect allowed you a plot line to seek love or not, superficial and yet essential. Insinuation is the word.
So to sum it up, sexuality like any other human quality is essential to a story driven game. I think the fact that we tip toe around sexuality and many other human qualities and failings reflects our immaturity as a species.
Thank you for reading.
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