The concept of nudity and sex in video games has recently been thrust back into the spotlight thanks to Mass Effect: Andromeda . We reported that BioWare’s General Manager, Aaryn Flynn, was joking around with Twitter users about Mass Effect: Andromeda losing its partial nudity rating for full blown nudity. Flynn joked that the game is “totally softcore space porn.” Just like it takes two to tango, there are dueling sides to the issue of nudity and sex in video games. Mass Effect: Andromeda is really just the tip of it, and I’d like to take it a little deeper.
There hasn’t been any full disclosure regarding what the “softcore space porn” will include in Mass Effect: Andromeda . Are we talking about full frontal? Is it just boobs and butts? Or will BioWare be taking it even further and giving us the money shot? A further, more simple question is: will there be an option to dial back the smut on these scenes? For some, maybe we just want a nice flash of an alien breast. Others will want to go all the way. These factors have always been an issue in video games. Where do we find that sweet spot that everyone will enjoy? Just like that ex who wanted to try butt stuff, but you weren’t quite feeling brave enough. Maybe there’s a middle ground that can be achieved here.
Mass Effect: Andromeda might be the telling point for the direction video game nudity and sex goes in the future. Just like Deadpool helped the film industry in allowing Hollywood swallow the idea that R-rated films can be successful, maybe this game will prove that gamers like mature content . At the least, the millennial generation that grew up with video games and the Internet are looking for more content like this. We had small tastes of what such things growing up, like the “hot coffee mod” in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas or that moment in God of War III when Kratos got to have some fun with a couple of ladies lounging about. The quick time events in that scene felt much more satisfying than any quick save in a Telltale game.
With small glimpses of what could be, as far as nudity and sex go, in regular video games, we’re all wondering when we’ll get some real action. There’s always a place for nudity and sex in actual porn games, but sometimes it’s nice to have some tasteful scenes in your favorite regular games. What’s wrong with blowing off a little steam before going out to fight more aliens in Mass Effect: Andromeda ? Like your grandfather didn’t have tons of steamy sex with your grandmother when he came home from the war. It’s a natural human thing to do! We like to be physical. We like to have a sense of intimacy, especially when shit has hit the fan.
There is room in the world for instances of sex and nudity like there purportedly will be in Mass Effect: Andromeda . For people who want it, there should at least be an option. The world is maturing as a whole. Most of us, especially gamers in my honest opinion, are accepting of sex as a natural fact of life. Even TV shows are starting to pick up on this maturity, like You’re the Worst or Casual . It’s about time that video games followed suit. There’s a market here for this type of thing in your games, developers! It doesn’t necessarily have to be full on porn. Just give us more than you have before. We can take it!
Image Credit: Levelanix