Comments on: Playboy to feature video game characters in the nude.

Playboy to feature video game characters in the nude.

ben-o — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:46:53 -0800

Playboy to feature video game characters in the nude. Going too far, or the logical next step?

By: Red58

Red58 — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:02:31 -0800

well since the girls in the mag aren't real in any edition, how is this different?

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:05:34 -0800

Is this the part where I admit to wanting to see the Twilek chick from Knights of the Old Republic? What a voice!

By: geoff.

geoff. — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:06:43 -0800

Am I the only one who remembers the adult strip poker games for NES? I mean I don't get my rocks off using pixels, but this is hardly new. It says more about the emerging adult gaming market. And not adult in the sexual sense, but adult in the HBO sense. Last game I played and liked was Max Payne 2. Yes it was a noir cheesey storyline, but it had a lot of adult themes and jokes (once again, HBO-esque drama, not adult as in sex). And in one of the storybook cutscenes the leading female character has, or almost has, sex with Max Payne and she just barely shows her nipple. I know I sound 12 mentioning it, but it was like seeing nudity where you shouldn't, so I giggled for a few minutes.

By: Miles Long

Miles Long — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:20:59 -0800

i vote 'marketing tie-in', but for Playboy. When was Playboy last a force in the culture? The 50's? I thing Hefner is trying to make his wheezy old clunker of a magazine more 'hep' and 'with-it' and 'what the kids are into'. however, i must say i like the idea. i like seeing video game characters make inroads into the cuture at large. And i like seeing alternate versions of characters. Kind of like this. Course, the pictures will probably be of some shitty characters like BloodRayne. god, i hate even typing that name. IQ points dropping...

By: emptybowl

emptybowl — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:35:57 -0800

Hmmm......it couldn't have anything to do with the release of this, could it?

By: xmutex

xmutex — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:36:56 -0800

The next step? Oh come on. Didn't we all play Leisure Suit Larry?

By: jpoulos

jpoulos — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:42:02 -0800

Read the article. It's not a video game featuring nude characters. It's characters from video games, rendered in the nude, in the magazine. god, i hate even typing that name. IQ points dropping... But, dude. She can walk on telephone wires!

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:49:00 -0800

Who cares? Everyone knows the babes on Duke Nukem Forever will be EVEN HOTTER.

By: originalname37

originalname37 — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:01:16 -0800

Going too far? I don't even understand what the potential moral or ethical problem might be (unless it's that live playmates could be put out of work.)

By: Peter H

Peter H — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:06:17 -0800

Does anyone remember the millisecond-of-panties pay-off at the end of Space Ace? Now that was a videogame.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:06:24 -0800

Actually, I think this is pretty sad. I mean, the girls in video games are already ridiculously proportioned, which, imo, does implant (har har) things in children's heads. If Playboy features girls from games, designers will just try and design even more outlandish femmes in hopes of appearing in future issues. It's already pretty fucking pathetic that there can't be a character like Lara Croft unless she's buxom. This can only make the situation worse.

By: kevspace

kevspace — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:13:59 -0800

Don't even get me started. Still, video games (as a medium) are still basically in their infancy. Or, rather, their "seventh grade" period.

By: eatitlive

eatitlive — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:15:57 -0800

In other Playboy news: MTV has ordered a pilot episode of "Hef's Superbunnies," an animated collaboration between Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment and Playboy's Alta Loma Entertainment.

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:42:20 -0800

Well, no offense, but Lara Croft IS much hotter than Angelina Jolie (and for me it has way more to do with her silky voice than it does those exaggerated triple-E cups.) Before Tomb Raider became a huge franchise the, 'Net was clogged with websites featuring her nude. There has always been a risque or somewhat porno aspect to video games. Well, okay: Space Invaders was pretty innocent, and Mr and Ms PacMan never got it on. But just check out the S&M queens in Dungeon Keeper, LOL. Kinky. Not to mention Japanese dating sims... While the rewards of virtual women are limited in comparison to reality, the risk of rejection (and STDs) is seriously limited too, heh. Scary, but life is a little more virtual every day.

By: Krrrlson

Krrrlson — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:47:38 -0800

Is this the part where I admit to wanting to see the Twilek chick from Knights of the Old Republic? What a voice! She's underage, you sick freak!

By: ben-o

ben-o — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 12:57:25 -0800

To clarify... my point in posting the link wasn't the fact that video game characters have been rendered in the nude. As many of you point out, that's ancient history (in computer years). My question was more along the lines of what this means in a cultural sense. True, Playboy is not what it once was as a cultural force, but still enough of one that this will likely have ripples. As the article states: "Women rendered through silicon computer processors could become a regular feature if reader reaction is positive." That's a big jump from air brushing or implants, which already create their own share of "moral and ethical" questions.

By: fenriq

fenriq — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:01:31 -0800

Hmm, there's an interesting thread to consider. What vid game character would you most like to see rendered without his or her pixelated clothing? I think I'm going to go with an ensemble of the X-Men women.

By: zoogleplex

zoogleplex — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:05:28 -0800

"Everyone knows the babes on Duke Nukem Forever will be EVEN HOTTER." Sure, except we'll have to wait until 2019 to see them... if not "forever." ;) My vote for next Playboy nude vid-chick shoot: Girls of SSX!

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:10:02 -0800

As the article states: "Women rendered through silicon computer processors could become a regular feature if reader reaction is positive." That's a big jump from air brushing or implants, which already create their own share of "moral and ethical" questions. Airbrushing and fully digital images don't bother me much, though they can contribute to serious body image problems. I see implants on a whole other level: they can be sexy (IMHO), but the surgery component makes them much more ethically/morally dodgy than the other two in my book. Getting your body cut up is still a non-trivial deal that can have terrible consequences. Oh and I'd like to see Carmen Santiago in the buff. She can even leave her hat on.

By: Mr Bunnsy

Mr Bunnsy — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:13:25 -0800

Dfinitely logical next step, since the women in Playboy look like airbrushed dolls already, much closer to CG characters than humans. Which makes one wonder if Playboy's already catering to gaming geeks who find that sort of thing especially sexy.

By: Epenthesis

Epenthesis — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:15:33 -0800

Where's Princess Toadstool?

By: unreason

unreason — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:19:35 -0800

Where's Princess Toadstool? Sorry, Epenthesis, but your princess is in another issue :)

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:20:04 -0800

Carmen Sandiego *hangs head in geeky shame*

By: Space Coyote

Space Coyote — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:22:40 -0800

dobbs, do male videogame characters not present an unrealistic body images for males as well as females?

By: inksyndicate

inksyndicate — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:25:04 -0800

I recommend a photo spread of Carmen Sandiego and the rest of her gang. There could be a questionaire saying stuff like, "She said she wanted to go to the Beehive State..." Sexy hat.

By: Mid

Mid — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:32:01 -0800

Hubba.

By: RakDaddy

RakDaddy — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:35:31 -0800

Well, it doesn't seem like that much of a first. Back in the 80s, Playboy had a centerfold that was a takeoff of Max Headroom. Shiny outfit, weird molded hair, and her interview had the s-s-s-s-same stuttered Maxspeak. Oh, and I vote "aye" for Carmen in the nude. With the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the background.

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:39:44 -0800

Possible copy for the Carmen layout: Carmen is passionate about geography. Here she displays a map of Tasmania.

By: fluffycreature

fluffycreature — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:40:22 -0800

Ms. Pacman. Hmmmmmm....

By: picea

picea — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:42:48 -0800

What does it mean in the cultural sense? It means that the medium is naturally evolving. Now, I doubt anyone will see the release of a Playboy game as an artistic revolution, but it should be an obvious reminder that the Atari 2600 generation has grown up and they haven't put aside their love for video games. Hell, my generation and those following it will probably be playing video games until they're geezers and all the button-pushing has turned their hands into gnarled claws rendered useless from arthritis. They aren't going away and people won't put them down merely because the old guard says they should grow up and do so. The adult violence level of modern games has already gone way into R-rated territory. That boobs become something to be alarmed at is sadly typical. But man, after seeing a bunch of Xbox games, it amazes me how much more effort seems to go into animating alluring boob-jiggle than things like say, naturalistic walking or facial expressions.

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:54:08 -0800

But man, after seeing a bunch of Xbox games, it amazes me how much more effort seems to go into animating alluring boob-jiggle than things like say, naturalistic walking or facial expressions. I think it's a time saver: if they get the jiggle right, their target audience won't notice they didn't lavish the same attention on other things.

By: codger

codger — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:55:05 -0800

Where's Princess Toadstool? Sorry, Epenthesis, but your princess is in another issue :) Unreason, thank you for making my day. As for rendered porn, more power to 'em. I won't be buying any more or fewer Playboys either way. Anybody who wants some, if what's freely available out there isn't satisfactory, can easily stumble across a copy of Poser and other programs and make some.

By: NationalKato

NationalKato — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:55:11 -0800

i think we're still a bit away from full-on sex or any kind of NC-17 behaviour in videogames by major distributors. it's the same deal as with movies - it's almost suicide for game developers to go any riskier than the 'M' (Mature) rating as established by the ESRB. that said, there's plenty of cheesy crap 'games' distributed by adult video companies with FMV (full motion video) and computer-generated nudity and sex. you just don't see them breaking any sales records: for one, they're sold in adult stores. two, the amount of money spent on their development, and the talent working on them, is less than that spent on the next Half-Life. Playboy is attempting to break that tradition by co-producing a major release featuring nudity...it'll play a la The Sims, but with you managing the Playboy brand - i've heard The Grotto will even be featured, although i doubt with orgies as a feature.

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:13:59 -0800

xmutex - i got the fireworks! during a cloudy observation run at a telescope, if i remember correctly. it was installed on one of the support system computers...

By: Blue Stone

Blue Stone — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:14:22 -0800

Ms. Pacman. Hmmmmmm.... I hear she gives great head. Nothing else, of course. But hey, who needs ... I'll get me coat.

By: Peter H

Peter H — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:23:14 -0800

I've always felt the rumble-pack didnt see it's full possibilities.

By: Peter H

Peter H — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:25:18 -0800

Of course now it's in the joystick itself, but that feels so, dunno. So ...

By: Lizc

Lizc — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:29:41 -0800

Ah, but the trance vibrator "rumble pack" sure does ;)

By: yerfatma

yerfatma — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:34:36 -0800

Without commenting either way, I must say I'm troubled by the idea this could be the "logical next step" in any process. The items immediately before and after this must be real doozies.

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:35:01 -0800

Open up the "who would you like to see CG-ed nude" issue a little further to include cartoons, and this thread'll never end ;-)

By: Peter H

Peter H — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:44:42 -0800

Daphne

By: Peter H

Peter H — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:50:03 -0800

(oh and great link, Lizc!)

By: ciderwoman

ciderwoman — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 15:03:33 -0800

Before Tomb Raider became a huge franchise the, 'Net was clogged with websites featuring her nude This is metafilter. I believe you must back your argument up with links.

By: kindall

kindall — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 16:07:27 -0800

Ms. Pacman. Hmmmmmm.... Wokka wokka wokka wokka!

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 16:26:57 -0800

what this means in a cultural sense. It means teenage boy's'll spank it to anything. And they are an important consumer demographic.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 18:05:47 -0800

do male videogame characters not present an unrealistic body images for males as well as females? If what I see in the mirror every morning is any indication, most men look pretty much like that rendering of Duke Nukem.

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 19:05:39 -0800

Before Tomb Raider became a huge franchise the, 'Net was clogged with websites featuring her nude This is metafilter. I believe you must back your argument up with links. I'm sure you're joking, but a plain old search for "Tomb Raider" used to pull up the nudey sites straight off. Maybe this offended the owners after the movie came out, maybe they didn't want parents complaining about what kids found when they looked for a cheat to skip to the next game level. Now most of these sites seem to have made themselves less noticeable, probably to avoid litigation. However, a search for "nude raider" not only pulls up the patches that allow you to play Tomb Raider with a naked Lara Croft, it also nets some bizarre (NSFW) stuff like this. Weird and a bit comical, no?

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 19:22:10 -0800

Nude men with guns.

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 19:26:42 -0800

Ah! It was so popular that Core Design took legal action and the biggest site, nuderaider.com, shut down. Here's Duke and Lara (what a poorly matched pair, they'd never get on!) playing Janet Jackson. 'The article reports that Core doesn't want innocent fans doing web searches for "Lara Croft" or "Tomb Raider" to inadvertently find this pornographic content.' Right. Anyone think she won't end up in Playboy? I think there's a market for this nude videogame character stuff...

By: calwatch

calwatch — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 20:16:33 -0800

Actually, to make CG movie characters more realistic, they are often modeled in the nude. So this would not be uncommon.

By: weston

weston — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 21:19:53 -0800

Carmen is passionate about geography. Here she displays a map of Tasmania. I love to feel your warm Brazil, and kiss your Panama.