This is actually from 2022, but I missed it back in the day. This is quite important research imo, and very relevant lately. Link to the paper itself: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563222001637
This is actually from 2022, but I missed it back in the day. This is quite important research imo, and very relevant lately. Link to the paper itself: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563222001637
I dunno if it’s just cause I’m older, but sex scenes in games and movies seem so unnecessary, what are they even there for? I was playing cyberpunk and nudity isnt a big deal but why were those sexually explicit ads necessary to the story?
I don’t know if you could have chosen a worse example. The sexual ads in cyberpunk are part of the worldbuilding and statement about society and capitalism. They absolutely are necessary to the story.
Something basic like the Mass Effect series helps sell the idea that you really did form a fully fledged relationship over the course of the game. As for Cyberpunk, the setting is literally designed to be dripping with sexuality. It’s not necessary for the story itself, but if you removed all the sex ads the setting simply wouldn’t reach the same level of “megacorporations maximizing psychological exploitation techniques”.
The point is, sex and sexuality is rarely ever part of the narrative. Take it away and the story is still the same.
the fact that it made you uncomfortable, or at least thought that it was too much is the point. in the future the author/designers are making a comment on sexual exploitation for profit is commonplace and has been normalised
it’s there to make the setting similar to those familiar to us from universes like blade runner, altered carbon, (to a lesser degree) firefly. it’s the standard sci-fi canon that future corporatocratic society is filled with these things: the money buys whatever you like - the basest of desires are on the table no matter what
and it’s also there in all of those universes as a comment on exploitation and morality: just because you (or rather a select few) can buy it doesn’t make it right
it may not often be part of the narrative per se, but it’s an integral part of universe building: you can’t have narrative in a void, so you need to build a convincing universe to tell the story inside
Cringe isn’t the uncomfortable that I think they’re going for. I avoid any relationship content in all games.
the setting is an important part of the narrative too. the tasteless commodification of sex is absolutely relevant to the overall story the game is telling.
We’ll have to agree to disagree. I’ve never seen gender or relationships be relevant to the story of any game I’ve played.
You have (cyberpunk 2077), you just failed to comprehend it.
V’s gender is entirely irrelevant in the fact that they are either male, female, or neither- because it doesn’t matter- And not one romance or relationship option has fuck all to do with the plot. It’s just side baggage and annoying cringe.
You can complete the game and not have ever had a single line of dialogue on relationships.
Therefore?
Irrelevant.
I don’t know that necessity is a relevant bar for inclusion in games. There’s certainly a discussion to be had, and maybe that’s the point.