Discussion: Sexuality in GoW

This thread was made to further the delightful discussion from the Event thread.

As the biggest troll here, I mean it when I say no trolling!


Tagging @Personette, @Archenassa, @LegendMaker, @Lyya & @Ashasekayi (those whom contributed to the previous discussion)

Did I miss anyone?

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I will step in and state that as a male in his thirties it is difficult to try and recruit or explain the game with some of the T&A going on. It was worse when the actual app logo in mobile was the green seer. I got major flak from my wife on that. I know the marketing shows that it sells and for the most part it is easy for me to ignore, but it has impacted my attempts to recruit IRL. Also it’s easy for you to bash because you play in the comfort of your own home, not having your boss walk in when you are on break and confusing the login screen with porn.

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I may be on the “pro” side (not pro, more not anti) but that in no way means I cannot relate. I’m a male in my thirties as well, with a 6-year old daughter I have to guide and a wife that gets “oversexualized” all the time.

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Could I get a run down of what the topic is about? I want to follow it, but I’m confused as a bystander. Thanks in advance.:grin:

I dont even notice the tits until I see these types of discussions on here. Complete non factor for me.

Honestly, GoW is far from being the worst offender in the genre, but I have to say that it keeps puzzling me that video game graphic artists still draw women as if they only had to cater to the male straight teenage gaze.

@Koolbiird: basically, in the new troop discussion thread, there was a small part dedicated to the look of the Sorceress, which was friendly and polite, so we got gently nudged to please move it elsewhere. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Ohhhhh, ok. Thank you!

Well, either you’re desensitized to the whole thing (since, you know, they’re everywhere in every game / comic book / whathaveyou out there), or you’re just not a woman (my usual first thought when I see them: "My god does it look uncomfortable / dangerous / creeper-magnetized / all fo the above…).

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I think the only solution for this is to balance every suggestive female character with a suggestive male character. :wink:

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Although it’s not a solution (double the issue, yay ^_^), I’m sure it would make a lot of people very happy… :smiley:
I wouldn’t be against seeing some sexy Aragorn or sexy Dracula or sexy Werewolf or sexy barbarian or… wait, what were we talking about already?

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It would be unfair to assume the artist is male. Some of the sexiest art I’ve seen was done by women. They can blend realism into “typical fantasy” like no male can

Could be desensitised. Though few troop designs catch my attention… the ones that have are Manticore, KoS, Tau, War etc.

Sirrian has elsewhere stated that the artists are women, and that this does not give them a “free pass”. See post #8 in this thread.

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I didn’t say they “get a free pass”, I merely suggested that the intent of any of the art was not sexual

You know, there’s an option to make a spin-off thread from the original one, and it allows you to sort of quote a post or summary. ^^ This could have been useful here. I’ll add a link: Forgotten Experiments - #79 by LegendMaker

This brings a whole new light to your personae (no, seriously, with your nickname I always assumed you were female - basically like Tacet with his avatar ^^).

And then nature takes its course, so… porn! ^^

I’ll actually repost parts of my latest post from the other thread here, since I think only the people who wanted us out of the thread might have noticed it… Also, we appear to have lost @Personette :frowning:

Sure, but none of them are sexy, let alone sexual-ized…

They had this opportunity with someone like Thrall, context wise, but they clearly didn’t go for it. For a half-naked slave with the body of Superman, he looks shockingly asexual and dignified… This also applies to the Anointed One, come to think of it - basically the Corrupt Sorceress’ two boy toys! So yeah, missed opportunities, really. I’d be very interested in the general community’s response to a male troop with art even half as overtly titillating as all we’ve discussed here, honestly. There would likely be a wave of posts along the lines of “why do you want to make me gay?”; that would be priceless. ^^

There are a decent number of buffy males, except a few examples (like Finley, Alchemist, and others) but there are far more example of non-sexualized males than women mostly because the game is inspired in some fantastic cultural backgrounds i think.
Take Djinn’s example, it’s the classical veil dancer and all, also if you stretch the imagination the outfit appeals to the seduction of promises of power since she can grant wishes.

Since i like to ready the quest lines i think there is something people missed, one example of a determined female character is Emperina, people could argue that it’s because she is a dragon, but we have also a “Dragoness in Distress” in the form of Dimetraxia who is suffering after the death of her only love Venbarak. I know the discussion is more art related, but still i think it was worth mentioning it.

What is the intent, then?
I have encountered enough sexism from women in my professional life. I wouldn’t give more credit to a female artist than to a male one on that matter.

That is one positive thing about this game. The female character have at least a strong personality.

Plus, you can be a woman and have internalized sexism too, so the artist’s gender doesn’t really matter.
I think it’s more out of “habit”:

  • Hey, we need a badass tauros warrior!
  • Sure, I’ll get right on it! Let’s see… Angry fighter look, check, giant weapon, check, huge shoulder armour, check. Hmm… it’s lacking boobs though… Here, I made that awesome bull lady as busty as a silicon doll, is that cool?
  • Yeah, of course, we wouldn’t expect any less, good work everyone!

It’s so commonplace that I’m just expecting it everywhere now, even when it doesn’t make any sense. And I agree, they usually have some cool backstory in the game linked to it, which makes it… less worse. :stuck_out_tongue:

And the problem is not about having sexy female characters anyway, it’s about having systematically sexualised ones. It’s just… tiring.

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Ask them yourself, I can’t say what their intent was

[quote=“LegendMaker, post:15, topic:11906, full:true”]

This brings a whole new light to your personae (no, seriously, with your nickname I always assumed you were female - basically like Tacet with his avatar ^^).[/quote]

Yeah there was a huge backlash over it before. Sorry I disappointed you