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[Soodanim]

I've always thought sexualised polygons are embarrassingly cringeworthy. I've never been interested in bikini costumes and all that other shit. I've never bought or not bought a game based on how pretty or curvy a main character is.

But there's no denying human nature. We are visual creatures. Attractive looks are exactly what they say: looks that attract, i.e. looks that draw attention. It's just how humans are wired. Another term for ugly is repulsive, as in looks that repel.

A good looking character is rarely if ever going to hurt a game, despite what online journalists have asserted many times. I don't know to what extent ugly characters hurt games outside of lost sales to forum dwellers and people that care enough to post reviews, but the number is greater than zero and almost certainly offsets any gained sales (if any exist).

I'd like to think that people who refuse to buy certain games do so less because of how sexy they things polygons are and more because of what such a design represents and implies about the pub/dev and the further impact on a game's design. But I can't be certain.

 

[Ishma3L]

Oh, do your boobs hang low
Do they wobble to the ground
Can you tie em in a knot or tie em in a bow
Can you throw em over your shoulder like the army soldiers do
Do your boobs, hang, low!?

 

[Topher]

I've always thought sexualised polygons are embarrassingly cringeworthy. I've never been interested in bikini costumes and all that other shit. I've never bought or not bought a game based on how pretty or curvy a main character is.

But there's no denying human nature. We are visual creatures. Attractive looks are exactly what they say: looks that attract, i.e. looks that draw attention. It's just how humans are wired. Another term for ugly is repulsive, as in looks that repel.

A good looking character is rarely if ever going to hurt a game, despite what online journalists have asserted many times. I don't know to what extent ugly characters hurt games outside of lost sales to forum dwellers and people that care enough to post reviews, but the number is greater than zero and almost certainly offsets any gained sales (if any exist).

I'd like to think that people who refuse to buy certain games do so less because of how sexy they things polygons are and more because of what such a design represents and implies about the pub/dev and the further impact on a game's design. But I can't be certain.

Honestly, I'd feel incredibly self-conscious playing a game with highly sexualized characters. I've been married 30 years and just don't want my wife walking in my game room and seeing me play that stuff. I skipped Stellar Blade for that very reason. I'm not really sure she would care, but just not really waters I feel like I want to test.

 

[RafterXL]

Thread was summed up in the first post. No game was ever made worse by having attractive characters, but plenty have been made worse by uglifying them. That's just the truth, like it or not. Also, the Ops image is total bait and an extreme example. Most of us just want normal looking women back, not the cave trolls the west has been pushing the last decade plus. The image in the Op is just an overcorrection.

 

[Kacho]

Are you saying you weren't convinced by the fake news about GoY sales? Unbelievable.

Still no official PR from Sony

 

[LectureMaster]

I skipped Stellar Blade for that very reason

There are several outfits that are modest but aesthetically good.

The game director surely loves smoking hot characters, but the game is not solely selling on sexualization. Tight combat, great music, good atmosphere. While not ingenious, the story and characters are definitely better than any Ubi's modern slops. The map and level designs are the weak point imo, hopefully they improve that in the sequel.

 

[Topher]

Thread was summed up in the first post. No game was ever made worse by having attractive characters, but plenty have been made worse by uglifying them. That's just the truth, like it or not. Also, the Ops image is total bait and an extreme example. Most of us just want normal looking women back, not the cave trolls the west has been pushing the last decade plus. The image in the Op is just an overcorrection.

That's the narrative I keep reading from a lot of people. If someone doesn't like the character design then it must be that the character is not a babe and/or not fuckable. Fact is I don't think many people would complain about the character on the left at all.

There are several outfits that are modest but aesthetically good.

The game director surely loves smoking hot characters, but the game is not solely selling on sexualization. Tight combat, great music, good atmosphere. While not ingenious, the story and characters are definitely better than any Ubi's modern slops. The map and level designs are the weak point imo, hopefully they improve that in the sequel.

Are those available right off the bat or do you have to unlock them later?

 

[LectureMaster]

That's the narrative I keep reading from a lot of people. If someone doesn't like the character design then it must be that the character is not a babe and/or not fuckable. Fact is I don't think many people would complain about the character on the left at all.




Are those available right off the bat or do you have to unlock them later?

You need to unlock. In fact, one of the most fun I had with the game was to unlock all the outfits. They are through various activities, a much more pleasant collecitble experience.

The default outfit is this one, which I don't think Mrs. Topher will smack you for playing.

 

[LectureMaster]

Yes! Consistently great no matter the era. Zhenji's redesign if DWO is so damn good.

My man really needs to read the romance of three kingdom. Zhenji is canonically the most beautiful woman in the era!

 

[VeganElduderino]

of course it does! it make me want to jerk off all the time

 

[JayK47]

If I had to choose between Stellar Blade and my wife, Stellar Blade would win every time. Luckily my wife isn't looking over my shoulder as I game.

 

[RedC]

Survival Horror game

 

[Nydius]

Honestly, I'd feel incredibly self-conscious playing a game with highly sexualized characters. I've been married 30 years and just don't want my wife walking in my game room and seeing me play that stuff. I skipped Stellar Blade for that very reason. I'm not really sure she would care, but just not really waters I feel like I want to test.

I told my wife in advance about the sexualized nature of Stellar Blade before buying it and she didn't care at all. But it should be mentioned that she and I were already together when I was deep into playing Dead or Alive 2 back in the day, so she already knew about the hypersexualization of female characters in the medium. (Edit: I remember when I first learned that setting the age older in DOA2 made boobs bouncier I showed her and she said "shouldn't it make them hang lower?" )

I think she was more concerned about 2B's extremely short skirt when I played NIER AUTOMATA than she cared about Eve.

 

[Beretta]

This is what virgins want for their nightly sock stash.

 

[Kacho]

My man really needs to read the romance of three kingdom. Zhenji is canonically the most beautiful woman in the era!

Imagine a reality where Omega Force makes Diaochan look like MJ from Spider-Man 2.

 

[PeteBull]

Over the years, I've seen posts by GAFers who decry the "uglyfication" and "non-sexyfication" of female videogame characters. Pointing to The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Yotei as examples.

Is this really going to make a game better? Not gameplay or story?

In terms of yotei i didnt play it yet so cant be 100% sure how woke game is(but if we played as a guy or at least semi realistically as a woman- think kill bill- it would be much more hype for me personally- i saw trailers where main protag female- maybe 120lbs, maybe even less- literally manhandless much bigger/stronger men using brute strenght/2h katana- not skill/swiftness/finese).

TLDR if it was 200lbs 6 feet man(so a giant for that period in japan basically, 1%er physical specimen) that fighting style would at least be somewhat believable- for tiny weak woman- it imediatelly throws me off from being immersed.
Basically if we playing as female we want this:

As u can see beatrice kiddo in terms of pure physical strenght is barely at a lvl of 17yo girl, and its ok to show it/her struggle, she wins coz of her technique, speed, finese, skillset, quick thinking etc, not coz of her huge physique/muscless/brute strenght- no female would, thats why even crazy unbelievable fight like that doesnt break viewers immersion.

Ur other example tlou2 seriously was such a crazy downgrade from first game that it was too offputting to play it, only graphics/animations is what i can praise it for, anything else(story/dialogues/characters, setting, crazy worldview and tons of wokeness implemented into it) made it go from potential 10/10(like first tlou) to at best 4/10 aka not worth my time unfortunately, i still didnt touch it even tho my old trusty ps4 is still connected to the tv ;/

If devs make their game characters fight like this:

They better make sure protag is either a full on cyborg/demigod or at the very least tall muscular masculine af guy, like that one:

 

[EN250]

In latam we have women that we call scorpions, because they might be flat on the front, but they defend themselves with their tails

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Seek help bro. That obsession can't be healthy. The bitch ain't real.

Nop

 

[MayauMiao]

I like it but such costume completely destroy the historical theme of the game.

Something like WuChang or Ninja Gaiden would be better suited.

 

[Icymanipulator]

She doesn't have to be that revealing, no.
But it wouldn't hurt if her face was more attractive. The character is truly ugly.

 

[Fess]

That breast size is ridiculous. She'd give herself black eyes by breaking out into a jog. A full sprint and she's knocking herself out.

Could turn it into a gameplay mechanic!
Black eyes reduce the visuals, like when you're about to die with the red edges in shooters. And like Death Stranding with the careful traversal, can't just sprint max speed without possible consequences, big fainting risk. And an active reload mechanic but active bounce reduction, press the trigger at the right moment to catch the bounce nullify it to keep sprinting. ‍

Gotta think outside the box devs!


Serious answer OP: Yes. Yes it does.

 

[Madserb2023]

In regards to literally effecting the quality of a game...no, obviously not. However, the reason I am not keem is because it's political. Male characters for the most part are still relatively attractive and look very similar to the model they are based on. What reason would have to find an attractive female model for your character to just completely change how the person looks.

 

[nikos]

Expedition 33:

You can have gorgeous women in your game without them being on a bikini. If anything, a big-titted samurai girl on a 3D feudal japan game that isn't an 2D anime feels completely out of place and breaks immersion.

All of the characters in that game share the same stupid look. It's one of the reasons I couldn't stand playing it.

 

[Inanilmaz]

 

[kat_on_the_roof]

I feel like GAF is somehow stuck thematically and keeps circling around the same pointless discussions.

I'll join in.

Which character design makes a game better or worse is a deeply subjective question. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. It's difficult to provide an objective answer.

Since we're talking about female character design, then please do the same for males.
Where is my slim, handsome male protagonist who does something different besides conforming to the "alpha male"? Oh yeah, and of course, tight clothing, a low chest, and his masculine attributes *wink wink* are also welcome to show on his pants.

Thanks in advance