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[umiman]

So which do you prefer? Simulated sex or simulated violence?

A>B
C>D

So... what's the relationship between B and C?

[Sergius]

Violence for gameplay (there are other kinds of gameplay tho that don't have to include either). Sex for cutscenes. Or in the background. I really don't want to play rubbing the joystick or whatever. Not a literal joystick anyway.

I remember the old "Sex Olympics" games in my old C= 64.

[Bromor Neckbeard]

I prefer the irony. How something perfectly natural and expected is shunned while something criminal and evil is allowed.

Although to be fair, violence is also perfectly natural and expected.  Nature's a horrific, violent place.  Go up to a tiger and ask him if he thinks violence is evil.  Violence can also be unnatural but consensual (and therefore presumably NOT evil).  "Boxing" or  "football" aren't natural, but everybody participating are doing it of their own free will.

Also, sex can be criminal and evil without being at all violent.  Roofies and pedophilia are just two examples which spring to mind.

To answer the TC's question, I prefer games with violence in them.  I've never seen a game primarily about sex that I'd even bother to pirate, much less pay for.  There are decent games with sex in them, but the sex is incidental, just eye candy type stuff, whereas the violence is integral to the gameplay.  Soul Calibur would still be Soul Calibur if Ivy wore a burqa instead of two postage stamps and some dental floss.

To answer the TC's other question, I'd prefer to live in a society that prefers sex, but I don't know of any such societies that don't have other problems that would remove my desire to live in them.

[Yanlin]

Way to miss the point.

Also, Soul Calibur is just another mediocre fighting game without the eye candy.

We're talking about extremes here. Look at the hoopla caused by Mass Effect. One TASTEFUL (Not actual scene.) cutscene!

Sure it was taken out of proportions and inflated by UTTER LIES.  Obviously this is what happened.

Then look at Oblivion. It had BADLY RENDERED NIPPLES only accessible by MODDING. It was just in the files!

Same with GTA San Andreas. Only it was badly rendered humping.

Now this is just a SMIDGEN of nudity/sex.

Look at how much violence you can do in socially acceptable games. Mercenaries 2. A game rated T. It has drugs, alcohol, cursing, destruction of cities, murder of innocents, mayham, complete irrationality and, we must not forget, bullets in asses.

Sure there are a few groups resisting it. But it's not being pulled off the shelves or given news coverage! GTA IV, Manhunt (In some areas...), Mercenaries 2, Team Fortress 2, Civilization series, Rise of nations, C&C, Fallout 3.

All of these are exceptionally violent games. Depends how you look at violence though.

Now I go back to games with nudity. They get a HUGE hoopla about them. Especially if sex is involved. In fact, try timing how fast games with nudity get on the news vs violent games.

I blame our fucked up culture.

Let our kids wreak havock and Havok.

Let our kids kill tons of innocent people. Leave whole families crippled, mourning.

Let our kids wield the power of self righteousness on a regular basis.

Let our kids be EVIL.

But let our kids see one nipple? You don't wanna know what happens next.

[mainiac]

I think the magic combination is to have violence, followed by a dash of sex which leads to even more violence.  Just look at the un-surpassed DF, violence allows you to survive long enough for sex (spore sex, but still) which leads to more dwarves, leads to more goblins, leads to more violence (possibly even leading to population decline leading to more sex!).  Looking to lesser titles you have things like Mass Effect, where the protagonist get's some sexual healing, giving him/her the renewed focus to keep fighting.  Or there's the games like Crusader Kings or Europa Universalis by the fine folks at Paradox where dynastic marriages and succession disputes give cooler reasons for war beyond the typical naked aggression of most empire builders.

Take an honest look at life and you see that it's the pursuit of sex and stuff in between.  In the end, violence boils down to that thing we do while we make our way through life looking for sex.  Even violence often boils down to the pursuit of sex (so many phallic symbols in war after all) or the consequences of sex (who wouldn't fight for their children's sake?)

It doesn't have to be violence->sex->violence either.  Harvest moon showed us that it can be farming->sex->farming.  The Sims showed us it can be 9to5->sex->9to5.  There's lesser known examples for other things, like Europa the Guild showing us the filler can be medieval professions like barkeeping->sex->barkeeping.  And ideally violence is combined with something else, like in Sid Mier's Pirates where you have Violence/Sailing->sex->Violence/Sailing or Colonization where it's building/violence->sex->building/violence.  Sometimes, the sex can be hard to see, but in great games it's usually there even if it's hidden.  In COD4 the sex can't be seen until you consider the origin of the in game conflicts, and realize it's the posturing that results from the pursuit of sex, making the game a violence->sex title (the game is limited in scope, never reaching the sex and not having a second violence, making it not as good as it could be.  Other titles in the series have no sex at all however and massively suck.)  The sex doesn't always need to be realized, it can be sought without success and still make for a compelling narrative.  In the Prince of Persia series where the Princes mounting frustration at not getting laid explains the growing darkness exhibited by his character over the series.  But he is still seeking sex at the end making the game a classic game of violence->sex->violence that handles the theme quite well.

The premise of great games can be wildly different.  Violence is a great premise, but not the only good one.  But sex, that is the magic ingredient that gives a little omph to everything else.  So, if you ask if sex is better then violence, then I can only reply that you shouldn't ask that question.  The best games have violence happen BECAUSE of sex.

So please, let's get rid of these trashy games with no sex in them.  Any game which has characters in it who aren't driven by sex is a poor example for the kids.  These games are telling kids that life has no point, you can't believe in the future and there's no point in caring about those beyond you.  All you are doing is going through the empty motions of a life without meaning.  And that's horrible, we want kids to appreciate life for the fullest.  So include sex in all your violent video games.  Do it for the kids.

[Bromor Neckbeard]

Way to miss the point.

I didn't miss the point, I just didn't entirely agree with you about the relative merits of sex and violence and their place in culture.

Look at how much violence you can do in socially acceptable games. Mercenaries 2. A game rated T. It has drugs, alcohol, cursing, destruction of cities, murder of innocents, mayhem, complete irrationality and, we must not forget, bullets in asses.

Not to be a pedantic asshat (okay, this probably IS both pedantic and asshatish) but you CAN NOT murder innocents in Mercenaries 2.  Civilians are protected by a magic forcefield.  If you shoot them with a fuel-air rocket and then run them over with a tank (or for that matter, score a direct hit on them with a nuclear bunker buster), they won't die, they'll get up a minute later and run away.

I agree with your points about news coverage though.  (Not being facetious)  I'd like to see people EXECUTED for our media's coverage of Mass Effect.

[dei]

I'd have to say, for me, it depends on my mood. However, most times, I prefer my games to be sexy in one way or another.

Why? 2-D complex, otaku mind, and the fact that I love Rule 34.

Hell, the only reason I play certain fighting games (like Street Fighter) is due to the sexiness of the female characters. I even think favorites of mine like Elona and Harvest Moon are sexy in their own way, but that's just me.

I'll even play a naked berserker chick in Ancient Domains of Mystery, for this reason.

When it comes to games, most times I get them either for innate sexiness or potential sexiness through modding. When the Elona compiler comes out, you might see what I mean :3

Reminds me, time to make suggestions at the wiki.

[Yanlin]

Way to miss the point.

I didn't miss the point, I just didn't entirely agree with you about the relative merits of sex and violence and their place in culture.

Look at how much violence you can do in socially acceptable games. Mercenaries 2. A game rated T. It has drugs, alcohol, cursing, destruction of cities, murder of innocents, mayhem, complete irrationality and, we must not forget, bullets in asses.

Not to be a pedantic asshat (okay, this probably IS both pedantic and asshatish) but you CAN NOT murder innocents in Mercenaries 2.  Civilians are protected by a magic forcefield.  If you shoot them with a fuel-air rocket and then run them over with a tank (or for that matter, score a direct hit on them with a nuclear bunker buster), they won't die, they'll get up a minute later and run away.

Are they the only innocents? What about innocent conscripts for all those factions? Those poor misguided people who are actually civilians with guns?

[Tormy]

I remember the old "Sex Olympics" games in my old C= 64.

What the hell? 

[sonerohi]

I like well-made violence. Not that shitty stuff where you stab them in the face, they blink a couple of times, and disappear. I want to be able to make a pile of corpses from which to fight on.

On the other hand, if sex has to be in a game, I'd prefer it to be silhouttes and badly made. I play games with my friends, y'know? I don't want to look like some sort of pervert just because the most violent game I own has some sort of sex scene or something.

[Earthquake Damage]

I don't want to look like some sort of pervert just because the most violent game I own has some sort of sex scene or something.

This right here is the crux of the problem.  Our culture views sex and lust as perversion.

[sonerohi]

Well, because it's a private thing. I think that it's fine, just not in public.

[Cheeetar]

Well, because it's a private thing. I think that it's fine, just not in public.

Why is violence fine, and allowed in public though?

[sonerohi]

Because it's a lot easier to explain to a 3 year old when he/she/it sees it happen?

[Sergius]

Daddy, why is that guy throwing that sticky stuff that catches on fire to that other guy?