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Sexual
content in games has come to the forefront of video games news more
than ever in the last few months. The “Hot Coffee” debate, sparked in
June of this year with the discovery of hidden graphic content in
Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, has raised disputes
across the country, and left politicians and parents alike up in arms.
Now a new wave of controversy is hitting the game industry in the form
of government legislation.Yet,
in the midst of this whirlwind of discourse and worries, few people are
turning to the men and women who know sexually-themed games best -
their developers. These professionals can offer valuable insights into
the creation and intention of sex content, as well as the related
misconceptions on the part of the gaming community and society at
large.
Brenda
Brathwaite, a 23-year veteran of the video games industry, has worked
on 21 published titles, including most recently Cyberlore's Playboy: The Mansion. She is also the founder and chair of the International Game Developers Association's Sex Special Interest Group,
which has as its goal the welcoming of “all developers actively
creating or interested in the development of adult sexual content.” The
SIG also aims to promote discussion about the adult content development
community, and “the unique issues, challenges, possibilities it faces.”
Sex - A Special Interest?
Said
Brathwaite on the importance of the new group, “Developers of sexual
content have issues that other developers just don't have. For
instance, in most offices, pornographic content on a screen would be a
reason for dismissal, not reference material for animations. That's
only the tip of the iceberg.” Other issues make developing sex, and
publicizing it, tricky business. “Developers of AO content are hampered
by distribution and marketing problems, are regularly attacked by
censors and out of respect for others, can't discuss the design or
development challenges they may be facing in open forums.” As a result,
“up until last year's GDC and the formation of our SIG, developers of
sexual content were pretty isolated.” Now, however, “the SIG is
bringing them together... to share ideas.”
The
timely appearance of the Sex SIG may seem to suggest that it was
created in the wake of this summer's controversy, yet Brathwaite
clarified that was not the case. “Many people think it was in response
to 'Hot Coffee,' but we were already well underway when that hit.”
Instead, the group's actual origins are based in the desire for
discussion. “At the 2005 Game Developers Conference,” said Brathwaite,
“I hosted a roundtable called ‘Sexuality in Games: What's Appropriate?'
I'd recently finished up Playboy: The Mansion, and while
working on that game, we had a lot of questions about sexual content in
video games that we couldn't get answers to. There was no reference
material and no body of games to look back upon... By hosting the
roundtable, I hoped to get developers of M- and AO-rated sexually
themed games together to discuss the topic. I left GDC with a pile of
business cards.”
Barriers To Entry
Despite
the unity and support of the SIG, adult content developers are still
facing plenty of obstacles. “There are places where I'm looked at
differently when I talk about my role with the Sex SIG or work on Playboy: The Mansion,”
Brathwaite noted. Of course, the largest threat to the free development
of sexually-themed games is censorship. “I am incredibly against
censorship of video games for any reason,” said Brathwaite. “While I
agree with the intent of the laws – to keep sexual and violent content
out of the hands of minors – the actual implementation of the laws is
flawed in so many respects. This issue is a confusing one, and
legislation is a drastic solution.”
The
fault, therefore lies not so much with developers, but with consumers.
“Parents need to accept their responsibility... Legislate away, but it
won't fix the problem.” As for the current wave of political interest
in sexual content, Brathwaite feels “the ESRB system works... Parents
get it. Kids get it... I think they're doing a good job. Legislators,
on the other hand, cry that the ratings aren't working. In every case,
the “fix” that legislators recommend actually confuses things terribly.
Read the text of these laws. They're absurd,” - just as absurd,
remarked Brathwaite, as “punishing an entire industry and treating its
output as different than that of any other artistic medium.”
Indeed,
in many ways sexual content and its development are not unique, despite
commonly-held misconceptions. “There is this natural assumption that
sexual content equals hardcore and that's not the case at all. Like
anything else, there is a range... from kissing and flirting to
hardcore sex, and developers don't need to have the whole range in
their games.” Continued Brathwaite, “Like any other form of content,”
there's a time and a place; “it works best where it naturally fits.” As
with many other types of gaming, “the key to a good sexual game... is
allowing the player freedom of choice and expression.” Adult content in
and of itself is nothing new. “Sexually graphic game content is just
the latest expression in a long, long, long line of such expressions.
Every new technology – printing press, photographs, telephone,
television, computer, Internet, VCR, video game – has become a means of
showing sexual content. Though the technology has changed again and
again, the sexual content is pretty much the same as it's always been.”
A Cornucopia Of Content
In
this respect, video games have much in common with other art forms.
“Every medium enjoys a range of content from kids to adults and that's
just fine. You have Highlights and Hustler, Mother Goose and A Clockwork Orange,
The Wiggles and Eminem, Tom Hanks and Ron Jeremy... Our medium is no
different.” Brathwaite pointed out, “The ‘issue' that video games have
is one of perception. Those who get most upset about it are upset
because they perceive people are putting sexual content in video games
that are aimed at kids, and that's just not happening.” At the center
of the problem though is the fact that, “somehow, when it comes to
video games sexuality got set to ‘bad.'” Besides, claimed Brathwaite,
"sexual content is no more or less interactive than real life... In
fact, at this point, I'd say games are a lot more tame than what
happens in real life.” Even the development process, “isn't as
different as you might think.”
Sex
games, however, are affording some new opportunities in gaming
communities. Unlike many other video game genres, sexually-themed
titles often encourage participation from sexually diverse gamers and
open sexual exploration. “Not only is there a place for it, it's
actually a reason many such games are developed. They allow players to
experiment with sexuality in a safe way.” In addition, though
Brathwaite admits the vast majority of adult content is developing with
straight men in mind, certain games offer chances for crucial female
involvement, such as “MMOSVGs and cybering in MMORPGs,” where there is
a “strong female player presence.” Brathwaite noted, “In many cases,
the MMOSVGs are actually being developed by women.”
Conclusion
In
the end, despite stigmas and misunderstandings, responsibly placed
sexual content is thriving, and IGDA's Sex SIG is helping it to do so.
It may take politicians and parents time to understand the role of
adult content in video games, but, as for the industry itself, said
Brathwaite, “The response has been exceptionally and overwhelmingly
positive.”
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