# Sexualization in videogames



## Gregriii (Jun 23, 2016)

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?


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## Fleshy (Jun 23, 2016)

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.


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## Celestefey (Jun 23, 2016)

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.


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## ForgottenT (Jun 23, 2016)

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?


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## Jared:3 (Jun 23, 2016)

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


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## Soda Fox (Jun 23, 2016)

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.


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## Bowie (Jun 25, 2016)

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!


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## seliph (Jun 25, 2016)

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?"


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## That Zephyr Guy (Jun 25, 2016)

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.*


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## LethalLulu (Jun 25, 2016)

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".


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## vel (Jun 25, 2016)

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.


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## Bwazey (Jun 25, 2016)

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.


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## D3athsdoppelganger (Jun 25, 2016)

That Zephyr Guy said:


> 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.
> 
> ...




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


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## Reindeer (Jun 25, 2016)

LethalLulu said:


> 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.


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## Yeosin (Jun 25, 2016)

Reindeer said:


> 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.


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## FruitsChinpoG (Jun 25, 2016)

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


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## ShinyYoshi (Jun 25, 2016)

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.


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## Llust (Jun 26, 2016)

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


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## That Zephyr Guy (Jun 27, 2016)

Llust said:


> 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.


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## Rasha (Jun 27, 2016)

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..


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## Tao (Jun 27, 2016)

I usually don't mind it. 

It's only when it really 'stands out' within the game itself that it becomes an issue for me. Like 'Dead or Alive' or 'Lollipop Chainsaw' I'm fine with because it doesn't stand out as a 'thing' within the game itself. If Ayane appeared from nowhere wearing nothing but gauntlets and a tiny bikini, you would be more concerned that she's actually wearing gauntlets than that her bikini top doesn't look strong enough to hold those massive jiggly boobs.
If I played an Elder Scrolls game or Zelda though and there was a character walking around with obscene jiggle physics wearing what can only be described as dental floss, yano...There's some obvious pandering going on at that point.




Bwazey said:


> 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.



Whilst it's not 'sexualized', a majority of male armor in games is just as impractical if for any reason than it would be realistically impossible to actually move in, something a surprising amount of people don't realize. A set of 'Wizard Armor of Ultimate Defense' which is a thong and nipple tassels for female characters somehow becomes 50,000kg of metal with tanks for pauldrons on a male character. Neither are very practical. Even if sheer weight isn't an issue, there's usually so many impractical additions to male armor that range from gauntlet decorations that would prevent movement to pauldrons that would deflect blows *in to* your face.

As for 'revealing armor', that also exists for males, it's just not viewed as 'sexy' at this point. All the arguments for sexualisation of women exist for men too like impractical/lack of armor to show off their body to the unrealistic and unobtainable physiques. It's just they're not viewed as 'sexy' in the same way. You could have Link sensually laid across a throw rug with only a well placed pot covering his otherwise naked body and nobody would question it at this point. You essentially can't make a sexualized male character, at least by the same standards as women.

Just look at the Soul Calibur roster. Sure, Ivy is the obvious target for anybody looking to complain about impractical armor, but why is it never questioned that so many male combatants have turned up to these battles involving extremely dangerous weapons yet thought a shirt and some shorts would be okay for defending against a 20 foot axe? Does Xiba really think showing off his chest with a nice little vest is a good idea when fighting a woman with a whip sword? Why did Cervantes bother putting on shin guards with his trench coat? Even Siegfried, the only guy with enough brains to put some actual armor on for some reason doesn't care very much about head protection, arguably the part of the body you want to protect the most.
The most well equipped character is Hilde, a girl...The only character who got up that morning and saw fit to wear an actual full set of armor.


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## LethalLulu (Jun 30, 2016)

Reindeer said:


> 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.



Sorry I forgot about this thread.  I absolutely love this.  If the character is supposed to be the embodiment of something else, more so than a character herself from the ground up, then that's fantastic.  There's tons of characters that are just "living" metaphors of ideas, and that's rad as hell.  Like the character you mentioned, another character that comes to mind that is a symbol of sexual desires is Maria in Silent Hill 2.  She's sexualized in the game, but for huge plot reasons.

- - - Post Merge - - -



Tao said:


> You essentially can't make a sexualized male character, at least by the same standards as women.


Male Lara Croft disagrees.


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## Reindeer (Jun 30, 2016)

ThatOneCcj said:


> 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.





LethalLulu said:


> Sorry I forgot about this thread.  I absolutely love this.  If the character is supposed to be the embodiment of something else, more so than a character herself from the ground up, then that's fantastic.  There's tons of characters that are just "living" metaphors of ideas, and that's rad as hell.  Like the character you mentioned, another character that comes to mind that is a symbol of sexual desires is Maria in Silent Hill 2.  She's sexualized in the game, but for huge plot reasons.


The reason I asked specifically about Juliet is because I've seen her receive the same amount of scrutiny as Bayonetta from people that complain about sexualization. I think they're both strong characters in their own right, though for different reasons.
Juliet as a character alone would be super-unlikeable, but it's because of her being a parody that I can just laugh off the fact that she's a dumb blonde with big boobs.
Bayonetta is a great character because of the amount of confidence she shows. This translates not only into confidence in her abilities and beliefs, but also sexual confidence. Bayonetta radiates this confidence all over, and it's strengthened by suggestive (and a lot of not-so-suggestive) shots of her body parts. But what's wrong with her sexuality? It's part of what makes her such a fun and interesting character.
That's also why I find it hard to agree with a lot of the complaints of sexualization in video games. People look at it as it is on the surface, rather than actually taking a good look at what the character is like and framing the sexualization of the character in that sense. That, and the fact that it's always about the sexualization of women.



Tao said:


> You essentially can't make a sexualized male character, at least by the same standards as women.


You'd have to use a specific analog. The things women find sexy about men is different from what men find sexy about women. Using Bayonetta as an example again, there's a good comparison for her - Dante from DMC3. The guy is good-looking, shows off his muscles, has a fair bulge in his pants, shows confidence (both physical and sexual)... The guy is sexualized just as much. Just because people care less about a male character being sexualized doesn't mean that they aren't or can't be sexualized.



That Zephyr Guy said:


> 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.


Does it though? Recently I've seen a few complaints about Overwatch, but why would that stop anyone from playing the game? If you're that hypersensitive that you can't play a game, I don't think that's the developers' problem. If people are bothered by how women (and men btw) are sexualized in Overwatch, go play TF2 and stop whining.
And even outside a simple Overwatch-TF2 comparison this works. Very rarely nowadays is there a game that isn't very similar to what you want to play. If sexualization bothers a person that much, they should just play the alternative instead of whining.
Or grow thicker skin.

If I know beforehand that there's something in a game that I won't like enough that I won't enjoy the game itself, I just don't play the game. It's not worsening my quality of life, because there isn't any reason that I _need_ to play a specific game.


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## That Zephyr Guy (Jun 30, 2016)

Reindeer said:


> Does it though? Recently I've seen a few complaints about Overwatch, but why would that stop anyone from playing the game? If you're that hypersensitive that you can't play a game, I don't think that's the developers' problem. If people are bothered by how women (and men btw) are sexualized in Overwatch, go play TF2 and stop whining.
> And even outside a simple Overwatch-TF2 comparison this works. Very rarely nowadays is there a game that isn't very similar to what you want to play. If sexualization bothers a person that much, they should just play the alternative instead of whining.
> Or grow thicker skin.
> 
> If I know beforehand that there's something in a game that I won't like enough that I won't enjoy the game itself, I just don't play the game. It's not worsening my quality of life, because there isn't any reason that I _need_ to play a specific game.




You've literally only reinforced my claim. If people are finding offense with even Overwatch, which has for the most part had the potential sexualization of their characters in mind after certain criticisms, then you would be in fact barring yourself from a large portion of the gaming market - like I said.


Keep in mind what I said was putting it into practice would be a bad idea - you seem to be reading it as though I'm encouraging it.


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## RainbowCherry (Jun 30, 2016)

Like - legitimately couldn't care less as long as it's literally not Stare at ****: Game of the Year edition. (As in it has qualities past it (i.e Good story, fun gameplay, etc.))


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## Reindeer (Jun 30, 2016)

That Zephyr Guy said:


> You've literally only reinforced my claim. If people are finding offense with even Overwatch, which has for the most part had the potential sexualization of their characters in mind after certain criticisms, then you would be in fact barring yourself from a large portion of the gaming market - like I said.
> 
> 
> Keep in mind what I said was putting it into practice would be a bad idea - you seem to be reading it as though I'm encouraging it.


I only thought you meant that people have a good right to be annoyed about certain design choices in a game if that's what's keeping them from playing it. That's what I'm disagreeing with, because there's no reason anyone absolutely needs to play a specific game.

If that's not what you meant by your post, then I completely misunderstood.


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## Tao (Jun 30, 2016)

Reindeer said:


> You'd have to use a specific analog. The things women find sexy about men is different from what men find sexy about women. Using Bayonetta as an example again, there's a good comparison for her - Dante from DMC3. The guy is good-looking, shows off his muscles, has a fair bulge in his pants, shows confidence (both physical and sexual)... The guy is sexualized just as much. Just because people care less about a male character being sexualized doesn't mean that they aren't or can't be sexualized.



That's more what I meant, just not well worded.


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## seliph (Jun 30, 2016)

Since Overwatch was brought up, Blizzard hasn't really sexualized the characters themselves (aside from perhaps Widowmaker and _MAYBE_ Tracer's butt pose, which I see more as just a fun and playful pose than a "hey look at Tracer's ass, look at it and then buy our game"). The sexualization is 90% done by the fans without any provocation from the game itself.


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## piichinu (Jun 30, 2016)

since its usually female characters that are sexualized i just wanted to say that sometimes they turn out really cute and i dont mind. the only thing that bothers me is when people are gross about those characters.


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## BlueOceana (Feb 3, 2017)

badgrl2 said:


> since its usually female characters that are sexualized i just wanted to say that sometimes they turn out really cute and i dont mind. the only thing that bothers me is when people are gross about those characters.



I also agree with you there. One character that I was surprised that wasn't mentioned is Tifa Lockheart from FFVII. She is a really great character and has a nice back story. She is definitely sexualized though, she goes around fighting monsters in a belly shirt and a mini skirt. I think the outfit they gave her in Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts suits her way better. I think her first outfit could have been more tastefully done and still make her look sexy without just making her look like a slut.


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## KarlaKGB (Feb 3, 2017)

video game waifu power is powerful


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## AnimalCrossingPerson (Feb 3, 2017)

If it's not a sexy game, it doesn't need sexy characters.

Never played Smash, but I think Samus has been sexualised, even if the character is just curvy by design.





To be fair though, anyone is going to look hot in tight clothing if you're attracted to their gender. Just saying.


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## Corrie (Feb 5, 2017)

I don't mind suggestive outfits for either males or females but I don't want them almost naked. I like a happy medium.

Oh and having specific body parts altered for the sake of sexualization. Ex: bigger boobs or butt or package where it looks rediculous.


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## Suyeon (Feb 5, 2017)

Unnecessary sexualization is just par for the course in a medium that's male dominant. I do think that games where characters are unrealistically bare take away from 1. Immersion and 2. Quality. You expect scantily clad females in wrestling? Fair enough. That's hand to hand combat. Take those same women and give them swords or anything that can cut flesh and you expect a character like that to survive long? Nope. Vital organs are exposed. Sexual designs should be consistent with the world and character class.


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## Ghost Soda (Feb 6, 2017)

AnimalCrossingPerson said:


> If it's not a sexy game, it doesn't need sexy characters.
> 
> Never played Smash, but I think Samus has been sexualised, even if the character is just curvy by design.
> 
> ...



Honestly, the high heels make me more angry than the needlessly tight fitting zero suit. It's basically asking for a twisted ankle! Why?!?


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## AnimalCrossingPerson (Feb 8, 2017)

Ghost Soda said:


> Honestly, the high heels make me more angry than the needlessly tight fitting zero suit. It's basically asking for a twisted ankle! Why?!?



Yeah, they're definitely there for looks and not practicality.


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## ellarella (Feb 8, 2017)

unnecessary sexualization in games is pretty wack. i recently played through the God Eater games, and while they were great, many of the females (Nana, Alisa and Tsubaki in particular) wore extremely sexualized outfits. it made it harder to take the subject matter seriously, especially when they still wear the outfits during battle and serious cutscenes.

when it comes to sexying up characters, it's all about staying appropriate to the setting and plot, and it hurts the game and immersion when developers fail to do so.


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## Katelyn (Feb 8, 2017)

I don't really think it's that big of a deal


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## Romaki (Feb 17, 2017)

Everytime a character shows more skin than necessary. Or uncomfortable clothing in a situation that doesn't require fashion.
It sucks especially when a gender is just seen as an accessory, no matter which way it is. Write more compelling characters.


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## Loriii (Feb 25, 2017)

I honestly don't mind as long as they're fun to play not just made for or there to, you know.


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## forestyne (Feb 25, 2017)

Well I don't mind it mainly because I'm a flaming bisexual but when female video game characters are overly sexualized it can set false body standards to creepy dudes but also reduce the amount of respect men have for women. Some of it's plain ridiculous, like wearing skimpy armour that barely covers those anime tiddies in combat. Like ***** u boutta die, it's quite impractical. It's like going into the Arctic in your underwear.

but who doesn't like ******* tbh?


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## easpa (Feb 26, 2017)

Do it with female AND male characters if you're going to do it. Otherwise, don't bother doing it at all.


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## Mega_Cabbage (Feb 26, 2017)

AnimalCrossingPerson said:


> If it's not a sexy game, it doesn't need sexy characters.
> 
> Never played Smash, but I think Samus has been sexualised, even if the character is just curvy by design.
> 
> ...


Here is the male counterpart:




Go crazy.

But in all honesty, I don't really mind. I care more about playing the game itself rather than how the characters look.


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## DarkDesertFox (Feb 26, 2017)

I don't really care honestly. It's not that common enough for it to be a problem anyways. The only games I can really recall I've played with sexualization are Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, Soul Calibur 5 (barely)... and uh... yeah that's really it. I've played a **** ton of stuff and that's all that really comes to mind.


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## hamster (Mar 4, 2017)

I don't care about it and I don't find it attractive.


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## forestyne (Mar 5, 2017)

Mega_Cabbage said:


> Here is the male counterpart:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



*hot hot hot*



_Wow, men are SO sexualized in today's society. Can we NOT? Men. Are. Not. Objects. _**feminist pterodactyl screech**

- - - Post Merge - - -

Problem is with video games is that, to appeal to a male gaming audience, you need to go big with the tiddies or go home. Where there's been 'normal' and standard female protagonists, the majority of the fanbase has been women.


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