Coffee Talk: Can Sex Add to Video Games?
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) recently released its rating summary for Bioware’s upcoming RPG Dragon Age: Origins and we’ll just say it’s… somewhat jarring. According to the ESRB, the title will not only include the expected relationship meta-game that Mass Effect featured, but a brothel in which players can shack up with men, women, transsexuals, and even (brace yourselves) animals. It should go without saying that the title received an M rating.
Now, Bioware has toned down its sex scenes since the troubles of 2008, but something akin to a brothel mini-game deserves some discussion. Now don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with some lovin’ in video games, but it should at least enhance the tone of the storyline whether it be comedic, dramatic or anything in between. The sex scenes that were the result of the relationship meta-game in Mass Effect, while optional, tastefully enhanced the dramatic nature of the title’s plot by bringing its characters together romantically. We’ll have a bit more discussion and some questions for you, loyal readers, after the break.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: Relax, Joe, Dragon Age: Origins’ brothel feature is purely for comedic effect and shouldn’t be taken so seriously. I totally agree, but the issue is whether features like this truly add to what one could imagine is Bioware’s ultimate goal: an engaging and interactive story. Would I roll on the floor in laughter (ROFL, for short) after witnessing the character I’ve guided through the most dangerous of battles walk into a brothel only to be greeted by a farm animal in the room he paid for? Of course, but would it really add to my appreciation of the story Bioware has created? Probably not, but it would be damn funny.
While, this news will most likely have major media outlets in an uproar when the title releases (or at least give them something interesting to rant about), we want to know what you think. Do you think sex can add to a mature themed video game? Does it enhance the storyline for you if put into a dramatic context (Final Fantasy X comes to mind)? How do you feel about sex in video games that is included for purely comedic effect in vein of the God of War and Grand Theft Auto series? What do you think could be the future for the depiction of sex in video games? Let us and the rest of our fellow Geekadelphians read your two cents.
(Images Via Rock, Paper, Shotgun and Joystiq)
I think storytelling in video games has definitely hit a point where the narrative can explore human relationships in the same intimate tone a good book can.
That being said however, there is a difference between an intimate relationship in say, a piece of literary fiction, and that of a trashy romance novel. The kind with a Fabio model on the cover.
And there’s nothing wrong with either. I think it’s all about your audience.
There’s the audience who loves the comedic, God of War / Conan / GTA portrayal of sex, and the audience who appreciates something like Final Fantasy or Mass Effect.
I think Bioware is messing up on this one though. How does a brothel that’s obviously meant for LOLs help in creating an engaging, in depth story? Come on guys, Mass Effect’s treatment of intimacy was perfect. This is just below you.
I think sex CAN add to video games, but I don’t think it typically does. Mass Effect may have been the most reasonable treatment I’ve seen, though even that could have felt more natural if your interactions with the potential love interest(s) weren’t limited to a handful of short conversations between missions. Meanwhile, other games skirt the issue entirely by just showing your character share a bed (why even bother, Fallout 3?) or turn it into a goofy joke (which at least fit with the general tone in God of War). If Dragon Age is aiming for sophistication, the “goofy joke” model is really not going to help, but then again, the off-screen “nothing to see here!” model may neither help nor hurt. After all, who’s even going to bother with it?
I totally agree that sex can add to video games and I think we’re already there, but it just needs to either be handled more maturely or included in a fashion that’s relevant to the game’s subject matter. Bioware was so close with Mass Effect, so it’s only a matter of time.