MSNBC wants mature sex (and more penis!) in games
by Ben Gilbert 
{ Feb 27th 2009 at 2:35PM }
Bringing up the serially sensationalized Mass Effect sex scene, Benedetti calls it, "a sexual encounter between two adults that actually furthered the story and was tastefully depicted," while pointing out, "still, it was vilified by some in the media." Though we'd argue that the sex minigame found in the original God of War is clearly the most tasteful depiction of sexuality in a video game yet, Benedetti makes a good point. Couldn't we all stand for a little more context in our video game sexuality? Benedetti surmises that the entire industry could use some maturing to help handle this kind of content going forward -- and we're inclined to agree.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kevin949 @ Feb 27th 2009 2:41PM
I like how this person thinks!
aggrazel @ Feb 27th 2009 3:03PM
NBC wants this huh? Ok, who let Tracy Morgan near the press release box again???
The Dark Wayne @ Feb 27th 2009 4:39PM
"last night's 30 rock quote here"
HitNRun @ Feb 27th 2009 5:54PM
I don't think the problem is "putting in boobs and penis" vs. running in terror from "society." Society applies the same standards to videogames (well...almost) as it does to anything else.
The problem is that videogames are still hung up on adolescent man wish fulfillment. As a man-child myself I'm not complaining about this state of affairs, but neither am I going to pretend that a medium where the most mature use of sexuality yet has been alien lesbians should be allowed to cry about being misunderstood.
gamermesiah @ Feb 27th 2009 8:07PM
@HitNRun it's not the medium's fault, the mainstream wont let us without putting up a huge stink. Kind of like at one point women weren't allowed to show off more then an ankle without being lynched. In time sex will be just another facet of the medium but that is still a few years off, possibly after major social change.
Kevin949 @ Mar 1st 2009 3:18AM
@gamermesiah
It's a shame that it's only like that here in the states. Well, as far as your reference goes to women that is. But I'm with you.
Robotochan @ Feb 27th 2009 2:42PM
It's difficult to put such things into games when no matter what age grouping the game is given, it is still widely available to those little bastard screamer 12 year old
*has been playing on Xbox Live today*
Robotochan @ Feb 27th 2009 2:42PM
finished mid comment for some reason...
..s can get a hold of it in some country or state
zuburi @ Feb 27th 2009 2:46PM
Hmm. I think I'd rather let my son see a pair of naked boobs instead of graphically murdering somebody in first-person.
That's just me, though.
BananaBoat @ Feb 27th 2009 3:11PM
I wouldn't let my child see either. By the time I have kids though, I'm fairly sure that consoles will have the capability to add real time censor bars to nudity, and to de-blood a violent game. Thus my kid will be playing GTA 6: Rainbow Connection Edition, where you try to rehabilitate whores and cure your fat cousins gambling addiction.
Those will be the days......
(most of all, I'm never giving him a headset to play with. Ever)
Robotochan @ Feb 27th 2009 3:13PM
I salute you BananaBoat. You have made Call of Duty 15 slightly better already with those decisions. May BananaBoat Jnr. be credit to team!
Batzarro @ Feb 27th 2009 3:31PM
Yeah, Zuburi, "Wii Boobs Starrings Megan Fox" is coming out tomorrow...
Now come on, obviously violence has far more obvious applications in a game and in it's story than sex.
patapon_rocker (The Old slycooper_rocker) @ Feb 27th 2009 5:24PM
if that wii game came out, i would go buy a wii.
Arashikou @ Feb 27th 2009 5:44PM
@Zuburi:
I remember an interview with Ian Fleming's widow a few years ago, when she was overseeing the development of one of the Bond video games. She was adamant about this same point - that for some reason we Americans have this obsession that sex is bad and killing is good, which seems dangerously backward. (She was trying to up the sex and tone down the violence in said Bond game... never heard how it turned out.)
zuburi @ Feb 27th 2009 7:07PM
Arashikou - I just don't understand any of it. I remember when I was at my uncle's house a few years back and his son was playing God of War in front of an enthralled cast of toddlers. I spoke up and said that I thought it wasn't appropriate for him OR the little kids in the room, and was looked at like I was a madman.
Then the Oracle showed up, and you could see her nipples. The game got turned off, and the son got chastised for playing a "dirty" game. Fucking insanity.
You can even see some of that hypocrisy in this thread, with certain posters being concerned that the consequences of showing boobs/butt/bush/balls - or even the dreaded act of s-e-x aren't being shown.
Just like the consequences that are shown when killing thousands of people in a game. Oh, wait - there are NO consequences. I'd even go so far as to say turning off blood in a game is worse.
You're damn right a naive attitude towards sex leads to consequences. But so does a casual attitude towards violence. It's the rank hypocrisy that makes me so angry.
Markez @ Feb 27th 2009 2:43PM
*begins chant, hoists sign
MORE ASARI ASS
MORE ASARI ASS
LESS OF THAT MANS ASS
SAY NO TO GTA DLC
MORE ASARI ASS
Turd Ferguson @ Feb 27th 2009 6:19PM
What is that, a Mass Effect/Requiem for a Dream crossover?
Comtar @ Feb 27th 2009 2:46PM
So MSNBC didn't play the GTAIV expansion yet eh?
RiccochetJ @ Feb 27th 2009 2:48PM
If you read the MSNBC article, it's actually about the GTA4 dlc :P
mortegro545 @ Feb 28th 2009 5:41AM
Moron.
Urza @ Feb 27th 2009 2:51PM
Not sure it's the industry that needs maturing.. it's the ESA that needs to grow a pair and come out and defend video games against the media (foxnews) and lawyers (jack) when things get blown out of proportion. So far I've seen Geoff Keighly and third party lawyers then the ESA.
RiccochetJ @ Feb 27th 2009 3:02PM
Personally, I'd rather the ESA continue do more important things like have unconstitutional game bills overturned.
Zertoss @ Feb 27th 2009 2:52PM
BONER, hee hee hee!
FeaturePreacher @ Feb 27th 2009 2:53PM
You can't have more sex in games until the developer decides to bundle the title with the joydick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JORtc2gAsY
i.c. weiner @ Feb 27th 2009 5:12PM
love your avatar pic
Velsar @ Feb 27th 2009 2:53PM
The issue obviously becomes if you do it MATURELY or immaturely (IE MORE PENIS).
Because though Mass Effect did it very well... what this lady is calling for is definitely the sight of the sexual organs, and other things.
It is also major problem for any type of religious dispute as religion doesn't believe in pre-marital sexual interaction, so are you going to have a marriage party as well?
Mmm...
There are some issues here, and I doubt it'd be done the way ME did it.
Tiptup300 @ Feb 27th 2009 3:32PM
Tits = mature, penis = immature?
Got it.
Ghen @ Feb 27th 2009 4:47PM
totally. :P need moar maturity kkthx
Antagonist @ Feb 27th 2009 7:48PM
i rtyped thisd messaGE with myy imm,ature bits
Steph @ Feb 27th 2009 2:55PM
I would much rather watch two people make love than try to kill each other. (I know, I'm a pervert) While it's true that both options are fun in games, I'd rather let my children watch tastefully depicted love/sex than let them hack away at aliens/demons/etc. with a chainsaw... although at the right age I'll let them do that too since I remember how fun it was when I first experienced the use of a chainsaw in an FPS (thank you Doom)
Charlie_Six @ Feb 27th 2009 5:41PM
I'm not a parent, but I would like to play devil's advocate here and attempt to see the issue from a parent's point of view. A young person playing a violent video game has an extremely slim chance of actually using any of the lessons learned in real life, thus mitigating the game's influence. Meanwhile, teenage pregnancy possibilities are much more real, and teen pregnancy can bring about very dramatic lifestyle changes. Many parents would say that teen pregnancy can close to ruining a person's life by forcing them to grow up too quickly, requiring them to get a low-paying job and maintain it for a long period of time, preventing them from easily focusing on a college degree, and so forth. In short, sexual media is much more likely to influence a young person's life in a real way, than a violent game.
To put it another way, Tom and Jerry's cartoon antics are fairly irrelevant to a child. But if Tom starts to get it on with the female cat in the show.... well.........
Gemini Ace @ Feb 27th 2009 2:56PM
So Mass Effect does it right, then Lost and Damned destroys it. Thanks, Rockstar!
Robert @ Feb 27th 2009 2:57PM
I think Ben and most of you need to grow up a little. Do you really think by continuing to have unnecessary sex scenes (and unnecessary and excessive cursing) that the industry will ever grow up and be respected? Video games will always be considered for the immature so long as developers continue to live out their high school fantasies in their games.
EDIT: Could you point out why I need to mature? That'd be great. Thanks.
Steph @ Feb 27th 2009 3:00PM
Look at the movie industry!!!!!1
So all we have to do is make a genre of "dramatic" games and then it'll balance out all the sex and swearing in games that actually make money.
Arashikou @ Feb 27th 2009 6:06PM
It sounds like you disagree with the article. I think you should reread it, as the two of you actually agree.
This article (the MSNBC one, that is) is calling for more NECESSARY sex in video games, arguing that developers need to have the chutzpah to include it tastefully where appropriate for the story and/or gameplay. It absolutely is agreeing with you that most sex in video games up until now has been for tittilation or shock value or living out unfulfilled fantasies. That "game makers have been stunting the growth of their own entertainment medium by using sexuality primarily as a means of shocking players and, more importantly, as a means of moving their product." (from page 2) But it is arguing that to mature, the game industry needs to have some developers recognize when it is and isn't necessary, but unfortunately their fellow media outlets have been hindering that by villifying the few attmepts to include it maturely in products, like Mass Effect and The Lost and The Damned.
It's not arguing that sex is necessary for maturity, or even a path to it. It's arguing that maturity necessitates that sex needs to move from what you're criticizing to being used maturely. And yes, that sometimes - most of the time, really - means no sex at all, since one must avoid devaluing the act through overuse, so that it will stil have impact when it IS used. "Video gaming might finally grow up a bit if sex and sexy bits were incorporated with more thought and aplomb - if they were put on display as part of the natural flow of a well-crafted story [or] some intelligent gameplay." (also from page 2)
ryuk @ Feb 27th 2009 2:57PM
a mainstream media.....not criticizing....sex and violence in video games????
O_O what has the world come to?
Ignatius @ Feb 27th 2009 3:11PM
Its senses?
ClarkyCat @ Feb 27th 2009 3:43PM
Well MSNBC is the liberal equivalent of Fox News, I'm surprised they don't want more drug use too.
Dan @ Feb 27th 2009 2:57PM
The ESRB would give it the kiss of death. Because in America sex is EVIL!!!!!
Kaemon @ Feb 27th 2009 3:01PM
Blah blah blah. No. Thats a annoying stereotype.
Its not evil. But frankly, when I'm playing CoD4, I don't expect the kids around me to get a gun, go out, and snipe people, and go off and kill people, and they're defiantly not gonna go around with ray guns killing nazi zombies.
But if sex is just casually thrown around in games, they'll just be even stupider then kids are nowadays about it.
Batzarro @ Feb 27th 2009 3:51PM
Sex may not be evil, but the consequences of treating it wrecklessly are well know. In fact, one of histories most constantconflicts began because of a misuse and abuse of sex(I'll let you guess wich one it is).
I do believe sex is an important and natural part of life. And as such, shouldn't it be displayed responsibly?
shinsnake @ Feb 27th 2009 2:58PM
MSNBC wants mature sex in videogames?
You'd think after humping Obama's leg all day, they'd want videogames to offer a release from that kind of action.
Uncontrol @ Feb 27th 2009 5:14PM
blah blah blah he's doing a great job so suck it up
Kaemon @ Feb 27th 2009 2:59PM
No no No.
I really would NOT like to have actual displaying of sex and other things (GTA 4 is fine really, its... eeeeeee, no one will take that one seriously.).
The last thing I need is to have to watch every single M rated game I buy to make sure I can actually play it in my house without having to kick out all the kids. Thats the last thing I need.
Zoot Suit Jedi @ Feb 27th 2009 3:08PM
Um. Maybe you shouldn't be playing 'M' rated games in front of the kiddies to begin with?
Noshino @ Feb 27th 2009 3:09PM
but...is not like sex (or innuendo) is everywhere, sorry to sound a bit harsh, but why don't you just teach your children about sex?
Anyway, I actually do agree to a certain degree, mature sex should be allowed, but the problem is, the games for which said situation would be a perfect fit are really far in between.
Hell, mature sex wouldn't fit on GTA nor Saints Row as they are more focused on creating chaos. In GoW, it is just minigames in which it would set part, so why put that much focus on them?
Kaemon @ Feb 27th 2009 4:26PM
Hmm-k, shoulda worded that better. I'm 19, I pay my way through life, though still live in my house (I do give money to my parents for rent, and do have a job, and pay for my own college.)
So they're actually my siblings (one is my autistic socially awkward one who the word 'sex' sets him off and he runs away unable to deal with it....) So its not quite my place, and its easy to be taught about sex, that's not very hard or arduous at all.... its more of a view on how its exploited which is the problem.
Quattro @ Feb 27th 2009 7:21PM
Uh, do you not have a room in which to play a game by yourself?
Kaemon @ Feb 28th 2009 10:58AM
I COULD play in my room, alone, but ya know, being alone is terribly boring. I'd rather just sit out and talk with people, and do my thing as I play games. Plus, most of my gaming tends to gear towards more social games.
I've sunk alot of time into Rock Band, and oddly enough the Burnout Paradise party thing is perfect for me.
Rudolphe @ Feb 27th 2009 2:59PM
Yay... more digital dicks...
I guess she makes a good point, but it would probably get out of control to the point where games had sex/nudity in them just because they could...
Oh, and screw walmart... They'll sell rated R movies and buy goods from slave factories in Japan but QQ's when something's rated mature.