Mike over at Game Girl Advance has a good point when he says we (as in, Americans) are afraid of sex. Certain things we’ve learned to tolerate, excessive violence being one of them, but simulated intercourse apparently just goes too far. Teach kids how to aim a head shot, but for the love of God, don’t let them know where babies come from. Beyond the blatant hypocrisy yada yada, there’s something downright unnatural here. Sex is a healthy part of life; granted, not for a fourteen-year-old, but just because he knows about it doesn’t mean he’s going out and doing it. What makes explicit sexual content so scary, really, is that if kids find out once and for all what’s really involved in sex, it might not be so mysterious anymore. And then what’ll we have to hold over their heads? Besides, doesn’t it seem a little near-sighted to taboo the one thing that, you know, continues the species? Of course, maybe people find sex more appealing because it’s shameful. Then again, bonobos don’t have “old-fashion, American values”, and they can sure keep the party going.
There’s another important element here, namely interactivity. The fourteen-year-old who can hack GTA could easily surf the internet for porn, but somehow this is different. Maybe it’s just because Rockstar is a big name and an easy place to point a finger; still, there seems to be a difference between watching sex and (electronically) taking part in it. Sure, hitting up/down/space bar isn’t going to teach you to woo the ladies, but you as the player are technically calling the shots. Minors, in theory, aren’t just being corrupted, their actively taking part in their own corruption. And we really can’t deal. Is interactive sex just plain bad taste? Should certain things be taboo in the realm of game play?
If you can manipulate an on-screen character into murder, interactive sex hardly seems worth all the fuss. In all honesty, I think it’s about time sex (real sex, not just sexual implications) found its way into gaming - a realm where it normally goes ignored. Granted, naked woman plus clothed man doesn’t normally equal real sex, but at least it’s something. Now whether that content is appropriate for kids… I think that’s more than America will ever be able to talk about truthfully.
August 2nd, 2005 at 10:37 pm
It would be a phenomenal move for the videogame industry to embrace sexuality. The problem with games like Grand Theft Auto is that sex is taking a backseat (har har), to the wild, dangerous lifestyles portrayed through the games’ narrative. Games should attempt to embrace sex as a challenge. What if a game was made to challenge players to engage in sexually-charged situations as a member of the opposite sex? If, in the course of gameplay, a player could embrace and control a sexuality different from his/her own, the player could walk away with both understanding and gratification. I suppose I’m talking about gender play. After all, what greater challenge is there than understanding the opposite sex?
I’m trying to think if there’s ever been a video game that’s dealt directly with sex and/or its consequences, and I can think of only one, and a rather obvious one at that:
Tamagotchi.