the dork knight: Mature games XXX-panding
Ben Pearson, The Dork Knight

Ever since the Sony Playstation came out in 1995, it seems like more and more games are being released that have mature elements to them. When I say 'mature,' I'm using the industry's own description for what kind of games these are, and generally, they feature gut-splattering violence - à la Resident Evil zombie heads exploding - as their 'mature' content. Whatever reason there was for this trend, it wasn't really anything new (Mortal Kombat came out in the early nineties, and a smattering of classic games had implied gore), but there were more and more such games coming out all the time.

These days, however, it seems the other facet of 'mature' gaming is popping up more often, and that, of course, is sex. Again, this sort of thing really isn't anything new. In Japan, strip mahjong games aren't all that uncommon. Hell, even on our home shores, you could get Custer's Last Stand for the old Atari 2600, which essentially involved crossing a screen while dodging arrows in an attempt to molest a poor Native girl tied to a cactus (while wearing a pink scarf and a blue hat, no less!). I guess Tomb Raider was supposed to be sexy too, but blocky-ass polygons that vaguely resembled abnormally large boobs never really had much appeal to me. Besides that, the focus of the game was on exploration, not polygon breasts, whereas in other sexually oriented games, the point was the nudity (or the molesting).

In any case, things are set to change. A new game about to be released by Acclaim, BMX XXX, features nudity in a game for the first time in a domestic game (well, in a mainstream game with graphics that are realistic, anyway). Apparently, players can unlock movies of strippers as rewards for completing objectives. On top of that, the game will feature other niceties like pimps, blow-up dolls and dogs fucking. The player will also be able to design their own characters, including female characters that lack tops (though these seemed to be self-censored in the screenshots I saw, but still...).

Needless to say, some major retailers in the States aren't planning on stocking the game. I suspect it will sell heavily at first despite this, though.

All in all, I can't decide whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for gamers. On one hand, we might someday get to see games that feature provocative, sexually charged story lines. On the other hand, if the game sells really well, developers might be encouraged to make more sensationalistic games that lack any kind of long-lasting appeal, depriving riskier games of much needed talent and funding. Like most corporations, game developers don't pass on an opportunity to make a buck - who would make a concept game like Space Channel 5 when the sure cash is in BMX XXX?

Of course, all this might not have any impact at all. Conker's Bad Fur Day, another sensationalistic title that had tons of shit jokes and hookers, didn't really cause a lasting stir - and that's probably for the best.

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