Fallout: New Vegas - Sexuality Explained @ The Border House

[JDR13]

I'll never understand the people who complain about the sex parts in The Witcher. If you don't like it then just don't do it. It's 100% optional, so there's really nothing to bitch about.

 

[DeepO]

Geralt is portrayed as this weird, semi-human outsider. Almost an alien. But suddenly there's buxom redheads throwing themselves at him and he's a human horn dog. The rest of the story was so great, but they threw in these sex scenarios that felt completely shoe-horned in.

Bullshit. In The Witcher´s world Geralt, as all witchers, is known to be sterile and as such represents an attractive choice for gals who want to have some fun without consequences. It´s not that unlikely that throughout the years he developed into someone who doesn´t take sex "seriously". And it´s not like the game exploits the sterility solely for sexual escapades, see Alvin/Shani subplot.
Also, though maybe irrelevant, in the books he´s portrayed in similar manner as well, afaik.

edit: well, that was slow

 

[Ovenall]

I'm not "complaining" about the sex. But it seemed added on to me as a marketing ploy and was the weakest part of the game for me.

Haven't read the books nor do I intend to. But my opinion is that the game went along really intelligently and made a lot of sense, except for the parts where suddenly it was like Late Night Cinemax 1987.

And yes, he's portrayed as a weird semi-human outsider. I don't remember the exact lines of dialog, but that's the character.

I should have realized that the Witcher franchise will be rabidly and reflexively defended from any minor criticism around here and started with the caveat that I really, really liked the game over all.

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

Yeah me too, including (some of) the sexual content. That makes me rabid?

 

[JDR13]

I should have realized that the Witcher franchise will be rabidly and reflexively defended from any minor criticism around here and started with the caveat that I really, really liked the game over all.

Ah…right. Because anyone who doesn't share your opinion must simply be the result of a kneejerk reaction.

 

[Ovenall]

GhanBuriGhan: Didn't mean you. Sorry.

But in less than an hour my opinion of the game was called a complaint and that I was bitching. And someone called it "bullshit"

That's a pretty reflexive and rabid response to an opinion thats entirely on topic for the thread. Should have expected it around here though. Heh.

 

[JDR13]

But in less than an hour my opinion of the game was called a complaint and that I was bitching. And someone called it "bullshit"

That's a pretty reflexive and rabid response to an opinion thats entirely on topic for the thread. Should have expected it around here though. Heh.

Sorry bro, but I'm just gonna call it like I see it.

You're seriously acting like a little bitch right now, simply because others have a different opinion. You seem to think those replies were "rabid" just because they don't agree with yours.


*Edit* The "bitch" remark was a tad strong, and I apologize. I just think you were being somewhat whiny about the whole thing.

 

[Ovenall]

You can call it like you see it. I don't care. I was stating an opinion and got accused of complaining and that my opinion is "bullshit"

You can read up thread if you don't believe me. Go ahead. I'll wait.

...

I appreciate that you have a different opinion. I also am going to call other posters on rabid, reflexive (asshole) behavior. I'm not your "bro" and I wasn't bitching or complaining. Cheers.

 

[blackcanopus]

Geralt is exactly the kind of man that women would want to have sex with, think of him as a celebrity of sorts in the world of The Witcher. He is a famous man, he has his unique looks, and he is not a saint, which means he wouldn't reject the company of beautiful woman, if offered; which is offered A LOT. The sex is not insulting if you look at the game from that point of view. It's natural.

 

[wolfgrimdark]

EDIT: Main post deleted … futile effort. Lets just say I seem some irony in how sex in games is approached and handled (by both players and devlopers) differently depending on whether it is straight or GLBT based. In general its just ignored or taken as a given if straight but if GLBT often causes the outcry of "why do they put sex in a game" ... when its pretty obvious what they really mean.

I enjoyed the article and have to agree overall that FNV did a great job becuase they treated the entire issue as normal and just there.

Sex in games for me tends to be a non-issue. If it is done well I will go with it, if not I simply avoid it.

 

[JDR13]

Does anyone find it at all ironic that this thread started out with posts about people saying how they dislike sex in video games and then when someone dared to criticize sex in the witcher people come out of the ether in its defense? … oh wait I see, in the witcher it is straight based and in FNV the article discussed the option for folks to have some dialogue that is GLBT in nature. (Edit: Note this is not a rant on the witcher though - I thought the sex was fine and appropriate for Geralt based on how defined his character is in the books. I also know people were not defending sex in the game per sae but more that it was appropriate for the witcher - but the point remains they are approving of sex in a video game to some degree or at least taking it as a given).

For the record, I have absolutely no problem with *any* kind of sex in games, and I don't differentiate between straight or gay in this. I also agree that there's a level of hypocrisy in the game industry regarding the topic.

I'm not a big fan of romances in games in general (especially Bioware style) simply because I usually find them too drawn-out and tedious. I preferred the way sex was handled in The Witcher simply because you didn't have to jump through dozens of dialogue hoops in order to experience it.

 

[wolfgrimdark]

For the record, I have absolutely no problem with *any* kind of sex in games, and I don't differentiate between straight or gay in this.

I'm not a big fan of romances in games in general (especially Bioware style) simply because I usually find them too drawn-out and tedious. I prefered the way sex was handled in The Witcher simply because you didn't have to jump through dozens of dialogue hoops in order to experience it.

From past posts you have made I consider you pretty open minded and fair. I deleted my post (not fast enough I see) after realizing it is a lost battle ... and just put a simpler statement.

Plus I realized after I re-read it that I was making to many sweeping comments which was bad to begin with.

For the record I also dislike any bad sex/romance content regardless - if you do it do it right. But I often see a lot of hypcrosy in threads like this and I should know better to enter them.

Anyhow sorry to all that I edited my previous post - I know that is bad form but in hindsight I figured it would be for the best.

 

[JDR13]

There was nothing wrong with your original post imo, it was just an honest observation.

 

[darkling]

I'll never understand the people who complain about the sex parts in The Witcher. If you don't like it then just don't do it. It's 100% optional, so there's really nothing to bitch about.

Actually, it's more than just 'complaining about sex parts'. My complaint with The Witcher is more about it's overall approach to gender portrayal. Women are portrayed incredibly poorly in The Witcher. Even Triss, supposedly an incredibly strong female character, is reduced to a damsel in distress in the introduction. It reeks of misogyny at its worst moments and immaturity at its best.

Also, the only way to avoid sex with Triss in that intro is to eventually select a conversation option that implies an abrupt and rude response. I fell into sex with her without even realizing it while just trying to be polite. For all its touted choices and consequences, the dialog is extremely limited in the game and I found myself frequently selecting (one of very few extremely limited) options and getting results I found inappropriate. It was an infuriating game, but that's an aside.

 

[JDR13]

Women are portrayed incredibly poorly in The Witcher. Even Triss, supposedly an incredibly strong female character, is reduced to a damsel in distress in the introduction. It reeks of misogyny at its worst moments and immaturity at its best..

I think you're grossly exaggerating.

It's a fictional story, based on a series of fictional books, and it takes place in a medieval fantasy type world. You act as if misogyny was CD Projekt's goal.

 

[DeepO]

I was stating an opinion and got accused of complaining and that my opinion is "bullshit"

You based your criticism around the notion that sex in The Witcher doesn´t make sense. I consider that notion bullshit and explained why.
Opinions are not immune to arguments, especially when they´re very likely stemming from missing some crucial facts.

 

[Ovenall]

You based your criticism around the notion that sex in The Witcher doesn´t make sense. I consider that notion bullshit and explained why.
Opinions are not immune to arguments, especially when they´re very likely stemming from missing some crucial facts.

Sex is poorly presented and implemented in the Witcher. It's poorly integrated into the story and comes off like a marketing gimmick ready made for a press release. That is my opinion.

I understand the arguments for why it's there, the source material, "Geralt is disease-free and sterile" etc. But they did a bad job of adding it into the game, and it come across as a lame and almost desperate move to sell the thing to horny young dudes.

In my opinion.

 

[xSamhainx]

I must admit the sex is pretty laughable in the Witcher games, I'll have to agree w/ you there Ovenall. The nudity I like, I think Triss's character model (and really all of them for that matter) looks great and I like it when nudity is included. The Dryad in the original game was probably the only green chick I'd ever bang. But the "mature content" ends and the facepalm begins when the two mannequins start slamming together… I think if done well (if indeed possible) perhaps it wouldnt be so snicker-inducing, but I have yet to see a sex scene in a game that was anything but awkward.

Maybe I'm just too much a jaded porn veteran to appreciate a rendered sex scene between two video game characters. Of course that doesnt keep me from banging every woman in the game, I have yet to see any consequences for doing so other than getting a case of the hiccups.

Then youve even got the next level w/ stuff like bizarre Simpsons and Family Guy porn out there as well, if you dig deep enough you can even find the old Betty and Wilma sex tape. Just when I thought I was fucked up, my big nose and oversized shoes clown fetish thing is normal compared to that stuff!

 

[holeraw]

I like the fact that a game that makes a conscious effort to portray every possible act of corruption and depravity crosses the line when showing a sex scene.


@ xSamhainx I also like (in a good way this time) the fact that you seem to be the only one who finds it appropriate to complain about the lack of actual sensuality

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

I agree that actual sex scenes tend to be poorly done. The best ones indeed tend to be the ones that show as little as possible. That the actual scenes are often poorly done is however not an excuse to omit sexual themes and motivations from the narrative. In the Witcher 1 you basically had to decide between Tris and Shani. I was surprised to find that I actually cared, and found the decision quite difficult to make. So here was a tough decision with strong sexual undertones, that at the same time had significant effects on the game. It worked because they succeeded in giving thee NPCs some actual personality, through dialogue and exposition mostly, I think. It is one factor (among many), that made that game stand out to me.