Do sex scenes add anything to games? (beyond being sexy or attempting to be sexy)

They add exactly what they add to every other story...what that is depends heavily on the context and tone of the scene... The idea that a sex scene should be handled any differently than any other scene in a game, book, movie, or TV show is a fallacy. They're all just means to tell a story.

In the movie "Set it Off", a sex scene is used very early to illustrated the main character's desperation. To show how far she had fallen and that crime was a way for her to reverse her ill fortune. But later in that same movie, a sex scene with a completely different tone is used to illustrate that she'd formed a connection with a better life. Both sex scenes, but wildly different in tone and context. But effective ways to illustrate the character's state of mind to the viewer without her having to say it.

It depends on the context. I think When Snake had sex with that lady in MGS3 it was extremely important to the story. Whereas the sex in GOW didn't add too much.

@AuthenticM said:

Putting sex in a game or movie for the sake of sex is no more pandering and free than violence is. Grow up, America.

Agreed. We've now gotten to the point where we're getting fucking lavishly detailed entry/exit wounds in games. I'm looking at you Max Payne 3.

Gaming has unfortunately become more like Hollywood in it's relationship between violence and sex. Blowing a guy's face off with a shotgun is A-OK....as long as there isn't any nudity.

Of course they do! You put anything close to resembling a sex scene in a game, and I guarantee you it is going to sell like hotcakes. The general public will get wind of it, someone *coughFoxNewscough* will completely blow it out of proportion and declare it as the "happiness killer" and everyone will flock to the game to see what is going on. Thus adding the sex scene has driven up sales for the game.

@Animasta: You should watch don't look now. It's famous for having a very graphic and long sex scene near the beginning. I think it's the only example of a sex scene I've ever scene that really truly adds anything to the film, that I can think of anyway. Otherwise, I tend to be of a mind with Ridley Scott: I have a sex life, I'm not interested in other peoples.

But with that said, I think that scene in Don't Look Now holds as a reason that it is worth attempting in games, at least as long as Video games are looking towards films for their inspiration. It's really a lot more necessary to make sure it's good, though, because it's fairly obvious that they aren't going to work as titillation, and in some ways when it is just for eye candy that taints the entire product.

So this wasn't a game, but in the beginning of Bridesmaids there was a sex scene that totally added to the experience. For instance it was funny, also it established that the dude was a selfish asshole, and that the girl was willing to put up with just about anything because of how desperate she is. So there's an example of sex adding comedy, and being used for character development. And I'm personally under the impression that it could lead to some emotional payoff for people invested in the characters, it can be used to make the audience uncomfortable, it can be used as a release of tension, it can be used to increase tension, and any other number of things.

Violence is typically public. It can happen to anyone at potentially any time. Unrelated people witness random violence everyday; in some cases, it's even expected. Though not pleasant, this is why an audience is associated with violence.

Look at the history of the Coliseum or similar bloodsports. Or wars with millions of participants and the civilians who get caught in between. Violence is a mass event.

Romantic sex is typically private. I don't feel much is added when you make a third party to this act - the audience - watch it happen. In fact, it feels weird because it's supposed to be between two people, not two people and an audience.

I don't feel sex scenes add anything to games, but as we edge towards an 'edgier' and more drastic sense of style, I don't see it going away anytime soon.

I love when a game has a tasteful sex scene. However I hate when games straddle the line. If you're going to be dealing with sex, then show full on sex. I hate for example in GTAIV that there is a strip club, but all the women are covered up... Why even have a strip club in your game, if you are not going to show anything semi realistic?

Meh, it depends on context like any other factor. Sex doesn't bother me so I don't care if its there or not; they want to have polygons simulate fucking go right ahead it's the developer's game not mine.

I'm sure it can add to a game, but I've yet to see it done.

@Hunter5024: yeah, the TV show Girls has some good examples of sex scenes being used for very similar things, actually

It could work but as of right now its a big NO. I think videogames are at a point in which we are staring to care for our characters and games such as The ME series or Uncharted, or Fallout 3 really capture the emotion of caring for the character. The issue with sex is that it feels as if its a game and the relationship is not build enough in order to make a transition to having sex.

Also videogame characters are too macho or just too action type characters; so its kinda difficult to make something deep with those types of characters. A great example of a game or type of games that could make it that work would be games like Heavy Rain or LA Noire; but like the games before these 2 games still miss the relationship element of the characters in order to make it feel like it means something.

Aside from games not being able to capture the relationship part of a character im just not that into watching sex on screen. It could be a film or game and Ill get embarrassed and feel that it was not necessary; i hope that if ever games adopt the sex in games thing I hope they do it low key.

I think it's going to be a long time before a sex scene can be meaningfully implemented in a game. I just don't think the medium's there yet.

it is part of life, if it helps to tell the story there is nothing wrong with it.

@MarkWahlberg said:

Yeah, not really. For a scene depicting sex to be relevant, the relationship between the two people having sex would need to be significant, and for a game to feature an emotionally mature/complex relationship is about as likely as a porno having one.

You don't play many games do you? there are tons of games with mature/complex relationships.

Yes. They add both intentional and unintentional humour. Occassionally character development. 
Her lewdnes is a great nightmare.

@FluxWaveZ said:

They can add to a game just as much as movies or books can. It just needs to be executed well.

So far, I don't believe I've seen a sex scene that I've cared for in a game. That doesn't mean they should not be attempted.

I think Indigo Prophecy had a great sex scene. Albeit the opposite idea worked well.

That game presented you with a choice, if you made the wrong move with your ex-girlfriend, instead of having sex with her, she backs away and walks out of your house.... and you think it is for good.

It is not the sex which makes the scenes good in any media, but the build up, and emotions which surround that. A good example is Romeo and Juliet.

Videogames are not there yet. And I'm not talking about abysmal scripts and corny dialogues; it's the uncanny valley thing that makes every attempt at virtual sex scenes extremely awkward.

So a lot of people are saying that the relationship surrounding a sex scene is really important, and it's made me think of at least one thing which very few video-games manage to do with their character's relationships.

I don't want to get too story-telling 101 about this, but I think most people would agree that conflict is a pretty important part of any narrative, and what most games (and a lot of films and books) fail to do is actually inject any honest-to-goodness conflict or obstacles. It's just a slow, dead, inevietable passage from not banging to banging. I think most of the romance options in Bioware games are like this, with a couple of notable exceptions; You talk to Kaiden enough and you know that you will have a relationship. I guess the giant space-robots might be conflict enough, but it doesn't stop the romance feeling sterile and boring.

But there are exceptions. I was really impressed by the Kaiden romance in Mass Effect 3, because it was one of the only romance options that felt particularly real, and I think that was because it revolved around a central conflict - whether Kaiden could forgive Shepard for running off with Cerberus. It didn't stop the sex scene being shitty, but it provided the possibility of a non-shitty sex scene. Thinking about it the Bastila romance in KOTOR is a good example of how a romance can do something different, by sort of using it to say something about the duality of both her character and the player character, and I suppose to provide a hint that you are darth revan, because maybe your character has some darker nature that attracts her to you.

In other cases, as well, the primary conflict of a game is also made the central conflict in the romance. Like, in Dante's Inferno, (can we call that a romance?) the conflict of trying to murder helldudes is also the conflict of trying to retrieve your lady. If you wanted to give the writers of that game even a modicum of credit I suppose you'd say it's all an allegory for trying to win a girl back after you cheat on her in the crusades. I think the problem with that becomes clear when I think about Grim Fandango, which is very similar in terms of the driving force of the plot being intimately bound up with the driving conflict in romance (which is that Manny wants to retrieve the girl from evil dudes whilst foiling their evil plan). The difference though is that there's also bits of secondary conflict which impact more on the romance element of it than the overarching story part. SO in chapter 3 she is really pissed off at Manny and he wants to know why. At the beginning he feels bad for her having to go on the 4 year journey even though she led a good life.

I'm doing a poor job of explaining myself, and I suspect I am running up against one of those ineffabilities of taste that you do sometimes get. But anyway, those are just some off-the-top-of-the-head thoughts about what is successful in giving relationships the emotional impact needed to support a meaningful sex scene, I suppose. I'd be interested to hear if anyone agrees, or can reel off examples that prove me wrong, or whatever.

I have rarely, if ever, found sex scenes in anything to be productive. I tend to like the type that make it clear the couple is going to have sex and then moves on. I don't really need to see them doing it in most situations.

What I hate is when sex is in a movie or game for no reason. Especially if it something geared toward the young men demographic.

To quote Jeff and Ryan from an early 2008 Bombcast, "She has big tits and a bigger gun!"

@Animasta You realize "aint never" means you do agree, right?

I roll my eyes most of the time when something sex related has happened in games; but I felt like it added a lot in a small scene in the beginning of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. I just feel like it was tastefully done and made what happened after mean more.

@Gladiator_Games said:

@Animasta You realize "aint never" means you do agree, right?

technically, but people use aint never plenty of times as a single negative.

ex; I aint never seen that before!

Didn't you see the Tokyo Jungle Quick Look & TNTs? The answer is yes.

The Witcher 2 is probably the only game I can think of that has sex scenes that didn't feel awkward at all and they were animated well. They were'nt 100% necessary but they weren't bad. Everything else has just made me cringe like a lot of Mass Effect's stuff. Bioware does some terrible sex scenes with awkward/stilted animations. ME 1's probably had the better ones out of the series and those types of scenes can fit well for that game but they're just so bad.

Actually, I'll also argue that sex with Jack in ME2 is used effectively and is quite poignant in that you have the potential to just screw and ruin your relationship with her, or you can have sex with her because you form a unique bond and get through her issues and help her.

Jack's relationship and overall arc I think are easily the best writing in the series. The sex scene itself is crucial as it shows her breaking down with Sheppard and revealing her vulnerability.

It seems that whenever I have to watch a sex scene in a video game. I usually say something along the lines of "Is this really needed?" I personally haven't seen a video game that has a sex scene that actually enhances the video game's story.

On a side note, I say this about Game of Thrones too often.

At the current state of game storytelling the sex scene doesn't add much at all. Even in movies the sex scenes more often than not are there for gratuitous reasons.

Nearly every sex scene in every movie or game I've seen or played came across as childish pandering. "Yo, dawgs. Boobs."

I think it's extremely difficult to portray healthy sexual activity. Any private, passionate interaction becomes exploitative when exposed to the world. Reality TV, anyone?

It's easier to show unhealthy or terrible intimacy because the exposure only vaguely lessens the crass awfulness by the audience's shared revulsion. An example would be Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. Its sex scenes are completely devoid of sensuality.

I've yet to (personally) see a game attempt an instance of uncomfortable sexuality, which is good since the medium hasn't matured enough yet. They're still clumsily forcing supposedly sensual sex scenes into games.

"Hey, man, you're in a cage and there's this crazy guy and the island's huge and this girl dances on you naked. Like, with her boobs."

@Akyho said:

As much as a sex scene in a movie matters.

I find sex scenes nothing but pushing the button of going "Hey look...its almost PORN! SEX SELLS!!"

The sex scene at the end of Munich is some powerful stuff.

They add absolutely nothing whatsoever to a game that a fade to black can't do just as well, in my opinion. Even in emotional moments, a fade to black lets the player use their imagination to conjure a poignant and powerful scene within their mind's eye.

@Animasta:

Depends on the kind of sex scene. There are the hilarious ones (like in Red Dead Redemption), the "hey, it's just a bonus" ones (Dragon Age or Mass Effect) and the rare ones that actually add to the atmosphere and emotion between two characters (Heavy Rain).

I find most sex scenes in movies unnecessary. They have no relevance other than to please some spectators.

But when you had the option to innitiate a sex scene between Ethan and Madison in Heavy Rain, I totally went for it because it felt like the right thing to do. Ethan was down, depressed over the loss of his son(s) and bruised by the trials, he just needed some love. It made me feel closer to the characters, even though I consider sex as a rather trivial thing in the media.

Sex is fine. Not scat, though; that shit is gross.

I don't really think so... Not yet in video games at least, I think we should stay with just having implied sex.

A sex scene isn't needed to make you feel attached to another character.

For instance, Jenny from The Darkness is the closest I ever felt to a character since the original Mafia came out.

Potentially, yes. I mean I think having a sex scene to be sexy is a fair end within itself, but sexuality is part of being human, it's part of romantic relationships, and it can be a very emotional thing. We only have to look to mediums like movies and books to see that sex scenes can be so much more than just something sexy. For games though, we're just not seeing sex scenes with the same relevance or evoking the same emotional response as those of books or movies, because of the immaturity of games as a storytelling medium. In terms of character interaction games are very adept at depicting violence and simple, shallow interactions, but presenting deeper human emotion and personality is something games at best struggle greatly with, and at worst, have no interest in at all.

Looking back at Dragon Age || and how pathetic the so supposed "sex scenes" in that game, i would say sex scenes are pointless. In Dragon Age || you a approach a prostitute and pay money but all you see is a black screen for 2 seconds and that's it, your money is gone!

Unless you are a pervy Japanese developer that want to be exotic in your games, then why not.

I think Witcher 2 does sex quite well, it adds to the story and is meaningful. It is the only game that I have played that makes it matter, at all.

On a side note: I feel like many of the dudes posting in this thread have played only Bioware RPGs with cardboard cutout characters moving like mannequins.

Having just watched the hilarious Let's Play of Heavy Rain by Two Best Friends, I must've blocked out how stupidly awkward the sex scene you can get between Madison and Ethan in that game is. Actually all the scenes where Madison had to "sex it up" were awkward as hell and really detracted from the game. Still nothing beats the sex scene you can get in Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit.

Fuck you David Cage! Forget Peter Molyneux, Cage is the true king of wasted potential in video games

I think if they are done right and tastefully they can show a loving act between two adults that love each other. It all really depends on how the scene is written and what the intent of the scene is.

@Animasta: Gotta say, the only sex scene I've seen done well in a game is The Witcher 2. It really fit with the mood of the game, and it had a since of humor. I appreciated it almost seeming realistic despite the fantastic elements.

I think sex in games has potential to be used well, but it hasn't been used that effectively in the past. I'd say movies have had a similar issue, and since most sex scenes in games are just little movies, it makes sense that they'd reflect that shared legacy of tenuous success. It'd be nice to see more games really have it fit in more naturally and be pulled off well.

Having not really read the thread beyond the first two pages or so, I apologize in advance if this has been discussed already, but why the restriction? Can't a sex scene be added to a game just for the sake of adding some spice? What's wrong with adding some sexiness to a game? Adding "sexiness" is a valid reason to do it and it does add to the game. You don't have to be 12 to appreciate a well done sex scene. It's no different than adding support for dismemberment or other graphical effects that don't serve a story purpose.

Sex can be an end in and of itself, it doesn't have to serve a greater purpose. Not in movies, books nor games.

They had some emotional impact in Mass Effect 1 & 2, but beyond that, no, not really. Sex scenes in general annoy me quite often, as I can't watch a movie or TV show containing them with a family member (something I do fairly often) without it being extremely uncomfortable.

Porn exists for a reason. Keep this pseudo-porn shit outta my entertainment.

I think they definitely can if they are done tastefully and help the story along. Heavy Rain comes to mind as an example of nudity and sex being used well.

I think it depends on the game and the details of the scene. I think it is difficult to have a non-pornographic sex scene in gaming (particularly when your list reads like a porn checklist), but I don't think it's completely impossible. The only example I can think of off the top of my head was in the original God of War, where Kratos gets greatly rewarded if he satisfies Venus in bed. At first I interpreted it as "gratuitous", but the fact that it's a game that can be repeated endlessly (and if you fail the first few times, you start being impressed by his stamina), and the only reward comes from her satisfaction (not yours) seemed to build Kratos's character and emphasized his frustration. Removing the player view from the bed and putting it instead on the vase on the nightstand pushed the scene away from pornographic and into artistic. I haven't played the other God of War games, and cannot comment on anything they contained, but some basic clips of the scenes out of context looked decidedly less artistic.

Spore had some "sex scenes" of the most abstract sort that played between generations... but they were really boring after watching them the first time.

The Sims 2 had some pretty dramatic intimate scenes, particularly for a game with its rating. There was some artistic license to the interpretation of sex in it (what did you think those fireworks exploding were?), but there was never any doubt what was happening. There were even sims whose goal was to Woo-Hoo with as many people as possible, which is like a script for a porno, but the game managed to avoid being pornographic. I mention this because there's not anything too significant to the sim who wants another conquest -- nothing intimate or romantic about it. They are literally like "Seventeen down, three more to go!"

In general, sex scenes are there to let us look into a character's intimate life. I think these scenes fit more into the story-telling side of gaming. I have difficulty imagining a game that includes the copulation in detail that isn't pornographic on some level, but it's clearly possible.

I've never seen a sex scene in a game that worked very well. Mostly it's that the graphics (particularly the clipping) tends to make them look comical rather than emotionally engaging. That said, I wouldn't rule out sex scenes actually having an impact on storytelling in games, if they get the visuals, themes, and writing right. It just doesn't happen very often. I thought the various scenes in the Mass Effect games were going in the right direction, they just looked wrong. So yeah, they can be important in a game's storytelling as emotional moments. I don't think most games managed to earn those moments, so they tend to fall flat. It's true of many movies and books as well.

@PillClinton said:

Porn exists for a reason. Keep this pseudo-porn shit outta my entertainment.

I think we've been spoiled too much by porn... we can't even enjoy some little side boob or some implied sexual tension! Come on! Its not all about the actual sex! Its about the build up to it!

Depends entirely on the scene and what happens. Like all other types of scenes. Why make the distinction?