Shallow Depths

What makes character design sexualised?

I've been thinking about this question a lot recently.  I've encountered a few game characters lately who show a lot of skin, but don't imply (to me) that sex was objective of their design.  I find this quite encouraging, but of course not everyone sees these particular examples in the same way.

It's possible that being a straight female makes it easier for me to see female nudity (or semi-nudity) as something other than sexual, but I suspect that's being unfair.  It's also quite possible I'm just horribly naïve, but even if my examples turn out to be poor the idea remains interesting.

Some people do continue to complain about nudity in painting and sculpture, but there's mainstream acceptance of the artistic merits. I don't see any reason games shouldn't also be capable of meaningful exploration of the human form.

I worry sometimes about how censorship alters the perception of our bodies. Where once a naked child might have represented innocence, now it probably implies something much darker. Innocence is corrupted not just by paedophilia itself, but also by the perception and consciousness of it.

Nudity does not automatically equal sex, though. I like to approach it with a more open mind.

In The Void the Sisters are naked except for glowing chains, which are gradually removed as you feed them with colour. Their bodies writhe, dance, or spin. Depending on your viewpoint it's either cheap titillation or tasteful art.

I haven't played far enough yet to know what's going on in The Void. I don't know what my later interpretations will be. But the important point is that I didn't automatically link this nudity to sex. It's an artistic game overall, and that's how I approached it.

My initial impressions are definitely about beauty and vulnerability rather than eroticism. Naturally linking a nude female to vulnerability may be problematic for other reasons, but it was my honest reaction.

Our male character is also shown naked, though he's also rather, erm, emasculated, which probably adds to the impression of his vulnerability. Sisters are also lacking when it comes to genitals, but that doesn't carry quite the same connotations.  It acts as an equaliser, at least in my early stage of the game.  As my character becomes more powerful I expect to see him quite differently, but maybe if the game remains tense enough he might retain that vulnerability.

Recently I've had some good-natured arguments about Jack from Mass Effect 2. In her default outfit she's naked above the waist, with only a thin harness for modesty. Now, Jack is arguably a sexual character. At least, she has a casual approach to sex and is a romance option for male Shepard. That's not the first impression I get from her appearance though.

I know I'm not the best judge of female attractiveness, but to me the look is more tough than sexy. She'll wear whatever the fuck she wants, and I find it doubtful she's doing it to pander to a sexual gaze. The tattoos also make her seem more clothed than she actually is.



My Shepard is also not to be messed with, so watching her and Jack facing off is pretty interesting. My partner has a more paragon approach, and finds Jack's attitude intimidating and appearance confronting. Our reactions were very different, and I think he'd say I was being too generous in suggesting that Jack's appearance was not sexually motivated. I think of her in pretty much the same way I would a man with their shirt off.  In the hot day socially acceptable sense, not the male model sense.

Where the Sisters in the Void are naked and vulnerable, Jack bares her skin as a sign of strength. There's a huge diversity of symbols and ideas we potentially cut ourselves off from through censorship, or by simplifying nudity in our minds to always be about sex.

Not to say that there's necessarily a problem when it is about sex. There's nothing wrong with exploring natural elements of human experience.

I've written before about Character Design in Nier. After thinking on it some more, I've been trying to understand why Kainé's design doesn't offend me.

She is pushing the limits of decency, and it's a bit uncomfortable. I did actually think a lot about it while she was following me around, and my discomfort about her appearance never quite went away.

At the same time, I can see a logical reason for it. She has insecurities that make me understand why she might want to rub her femininity in people's faces. For me, that made her more acceptable than some more modest (but still highly sexualised) character designs in other games.

She is also anything but submissive, and happy to throw stereotypes back in people's faces if they pre-judge her based on appearance. Overall I find her much more empowering than objectifying. I considered my slight discomfort well worth it for how much it forced me to think. I believe in Kainé as a character, and choose to accept her as she is.

Kainé has reasons for her look, and I think is intended partly as commentary on female character design in general. That made me okay with her appearance, but I know I'm walking a difficult line when I write about this. My question, really, is once you start complaining about character objectification and sexualisation, is it ever okay to sexualise a character? My response would be that its acceptable in an appropriate context or with a good reason, rather than being gratuitous.

Of course, my definition of what explanations/contexts are acceptable is going to vary from someone else's. I suspect I'm one of the few people thinking about these issues who considered Kainé somewhat progressive and empowering rather than insulting.

Nier brings up some interesting thoughts about character design. I imagine game designers are in a slightly difficult position in this regard. If they keep to the standard formulas they may be accused of being generic and promoting inappropriate gender stereotypes. But as soon as they try something different the "weirdness" of a game's characters may reduce its popularity. I happen to like weirdness, but my opinion doesn't have much relevance to financial success or failure.

Nier actually manages to fall into both of these categories at once, with an odd mixture of original and generic. It is not exactly an achievement I admire, but I do find it fascinating.

The first interesting thing about Nier is its protagonist. In Japan there are two versions of the game. The international version is based on Nier Gestalt, and features an older man trying to save his daughter. In Nier Replicant he is replaced with a younger, more effeminate man, and is trying to save his sister instead.

In the context of Japanese RPGs it's the original, older character who breaks the mould. But in a western context he's closer to the more masculine game protagonists we are accustomed to. I've seen arguments in both directions about which version is more of a "sell out". Overall, these designs are both created for different (but rather standard) markets. Replicant's style is not to my personal taste, but I can't make a very compelling argument for one version over the other.

A little disturbingly, when I started playing Nier I didn't notice just how buff the protagonist was. Mostly because I had recently being playing God of War, and in comparison to Kratos he looks relatively normal. That says some worrying things about a game's ability to make me normalise unrealistic body types. But hopefully only in a virtual context -- I do truly love the natural diversity among human bodies, and wish more of that variation was emulated in virtual spaces.

What I do really like about our Nier Gestalt protagonist is his lack of beauty. While he is very well built, he lacks the completely idealised version of male attractiveness seen in most games. I really appreciated that element of his design, but I am probably in the minority. Venomous forum threads call him the "Caveman" and argue there is no place for ugly protagonists in gaming. I disagree, because I think it's growing diversity that will strengthen gaming. Some people are thinking far too small about the purpose of gaming experiences, and I can only hope these ideas fade in time.

Not to mention the assumption in those ideas that everyone can come to a shared understanding of what ugliness and beauty are. That seems pretty crazy to me.

I do have quite a love for masculinity. By which I really mean the real world spectrum of actual masculinity, rather than the hyper-aggressive video game archetypes we are often fed. Game power dynamics and ultra-violence tend to skew these concepts horribly. I applaud a game including an "ugly" protagonist for at least being slightly different, but it's a little sad I can't celebrate character diversity more broadly.

 When it comes to female design, Nier is not exactly improving gaming's image. The scantily-clad JRPG stereotype is blatantly on display. There is a reason for it, and Grimoire Weiss mocks her horribly for fighting monsters in her underwear. In other words, the purpose of this sexualised character is partly as commentary on these kinds of characters in general. But ultimately she's still marketable eye candy. I anticipate some incredibly brave and disturbing cosplay.

Kainé is an interesting character, though, and perhaps worth giving slightly more thought to. She fits her stereotype far less well as soon as she opens her mouth, releasing a viscious torrent of swearing and insults. That hyper-aggression normally reserved for male characters is placed in a female character here.

Note that I mean female in the sense of personal identity. I am aware that physically Kainé is a hermaphrodite. I'm not sure if that even gets much of a mention in-game, but people do like to make a dreadful fuss about it. It saddens me that intersex individuals are thought of as such freak shows.  As much as I would like to be happy about the inclusion of these themes, I'm forced to admit it probably has more to do with hinting at futanari porn than any well-meaning attempt at gender diversity beyond the usual binary.