4/20/2006
Some video games portray women as stupid, easy
Tiera Oliver Dixie Sun Lifestyles Editor
For the last 10 years in the media we’ve heard the phrase “sex sells” and it has proven to be true; sex sells cars, sex sells food, sex sells movies, and now sex sells video games.
For the last 10 years in the media we’ve heard the phrase “sex sells” and it has proven to be true; sex sells cars, sex sells food, sex sells movies, and now sex sells video games.One of the newest additions to the mature section of the video game aisle is “BMX XXX,” which has taken the extreme sport of BMX riding and added what else? Topless riders. This is actually only one of many, many sexually explicit video games that are available.Some believe video games with a mature theme are a new thing, but the fact is there have been mature video games that include nudity and strong sexual content since at least 1981. On-Line Systems released a game in ‘81 for the Apple II platform or DOS called “Soft-porn Adventure.” The game was actually a typing game where players had to type the noun or the verb to get their character to do different actions, leading to the ultimate goal of having the protagonist lose his virginity.This was only the beginning of a long road of explicit video games. Other titles that have been released over the years include “Bikini Karate Babes,” “Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism,” “Football Strip,” “Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh,” and some more recent titles such as “Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude,” “Playboy: The Mansion” and all of the “Grand Theft Auto” games. So the point of the games is really just to see naked women, or to get naked women to do whatever you want them to do.For instance, in the game “Leisure Suit Larry,” the point of the game is to help Larry, who’s a nerd, get lucky. Sexually explicit video games pose a lot of frightening possibilities. As with any adult-themed product there is always the issue of these games getting in the hands of the wrong people. However, I think as long as retailers are following the laws and not selling mature titles to those who shouldn’t be buying them, the consumer is keeping them out of the hands of children. Parents should also teach their children right from wrong, but there is a bigger problem to face.As a society we tend to use women to portray a certain image. Women in mature rated video games are for the most part portrayed as being tall, extremely thin, and having large breasts. But this isn’t even the real problem. The girls in these games are also portrayed as being stupid and easy. In “Leisure Suit Larry” the women just want to get drunk and have sex with Larry. But Larry must be careful not to get the women too drunk because then they will just pass out rather than have sex with him. These games promote the use of alcohol, promiscuity and the idea that women are all dumb, cheap and easy. Get a girl drunk and you can get her into bed; that’s what these games are telling teenage boys around the world. I am not what most would call a feminist; I don’t fight for equal rights and I truly do believe there are some things men can do that (most) women can’t do and I’m OK with that. But I don’t know how we, as a society, can sit back and let video games teach our children how the world should be.
For the last 10 years in the media we’ve heard the phrase “sex sells” and it has proven to be true; sex sells cars, sex sells food, sex sells movies, and now sex sells video games.
For the last 10 years in the media we’ve heard the phrase “sex sells” and it has proven to be true; sex sells cars, sex sells food, sex sells movies, and now sex sells video games.One of the newest additions to the mature section of the video game aisle is “BMX XXX,” which has taken the extreme sport of BMX riding and added what else? Topless riders. This is actually only one of many, many sexually explicit video games that are available.Some believe video games with a mature theme are a new thing, but the fact is there have been mature video games that include nudity and strong sexual content since at least 1981. On-Line Systems released a game in ‘81 for the Apple II platform or DOS called “Soft-porn Adventure.” The game was actually a typing game where players had to type the noun or the verb to get their character to do different actions, leading to the ultimate goal of having the protagonist lose his virginity.This was only the beginning of a long road of explicit video games. Other titles that have been released over the years include “Bikini Karate Babes,” “Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism,” “Football Strip,” “Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh,” and some more recent titles such as “Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude,” “Playboy: The Mansion” and all of the “Grand Theft Auto” games. So the point of the games is really just to see naked women, or to get naked women to do whatever you want them to do.For instance, in the game “Leisure Suit Larry,” the point of the game is to help Larry, who’s a nerd, get lucky. Sexually explicit video games pose a lot of frightening possibilities. As with any adult-themed product there is always the issue of these games getting in the hands of the wrong people. However, I think as long as retailers are following the laws and not selling mature titles to those who shouldn’t be buying them, the consumer is keeping them out of the hands of children. Parents should also teach their children right from wrong, but there is a bigger problem to face.As a society we tend to use women to portray a certain image. Women in mature rated video games are for the most part portrayed as being tall, extremely thin, and having large breasts. But this isn’t even the real problem. The girls in these games are also portrayed as being stupid and easy. In “Leisure Suit Larry” the women just want to get drunk and have sex with Larry. But Larry must be careful not to get the women too drunk because then they will just pass out rather than have sex with him. These games promote the use of alcohol, promiscuity and the idea that women are all dumb, cheap and easy. Get a girl drunk and you can get her into bed; that’s what these games are telling teenage boys around the world. I am not what most would call a feminist; I don’t fight for equal rights and I truly do believe there are some things men can do that (most) women can’t do and I’m OK with that. But I don’t know how we, as a society, can sit back and let video games teach our children how the world should be.
