Do gamers want adult games?
Kotaku has a story about a PSP mahjong game that has some ... saucy imagery in it. It isn't an adult game persay, but it got me thinking: do gamers want adult games? In this month's EGM, they predict that 20 years in the future, gamers won't be playing adult titles on anything but the PC. While this seems like a believable prediction, is our society so puritanical that we can't accept adult gaming in the mainstream?
On the flip-side of the argument, one could point out that the popularity of adult movies has exponentially grown the past few years, and this may have a trickle effect to gaming. Also, gaming has yet to wriggle free of its "just for kids" perception. Once today's gamers are adults, doesn't it seem like the potential for adult games having success would be much higher? Will today's God of War sex mini-game be tomorrow's XXX portable gaming pornucopia? Is the concept of adult gaming appealing to you, or gamers as a whole? Let us know in the comments!














Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-13-2007 @ 3:26AM
wisemanleo said...
This hasn't been keeping you up until 3am thinking about this, has it?
In my opinion, let adult games stay where they belong: Japan.
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4-13-2007 @ 3:31AM
symphony1125 said...
I'm not opposed to adult gaming. If someone wants to play it than that's their perrogative as well.
Question though, why are corps. like the ESRB reluctant to release games with an AO? Almost all games that would be rated AO aren't released and even if they are (or later re-rated i.e. GTA), they're pulled off shelves. I mean why even have an AO rating available at all if you're not willing to put games out there that would deserve the rating.
And, up until this point, I thought that almost all adult type games were on the PC anyways... few as they may be.
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4-13-2007 @ 8:35AM
Kade Storm said...
"This hasn't been keeping you up until 3am thinking about this, has it?
In my opinion, let adult games stay where they belong: Japan."
Wow. Umm, how?! (Do they -belong- there.)
And WOW! Why?! (In this day and age, should they -belong- just there.)
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4-13-2007 @ 9:30AM
merc25 said...
"On the flip-side of the argument, one could point out that the popularity of adult movies has exponentially grown the past few years, and this may have a trickle effect to gaming."
No, I don't believe it will, only online store sell those types of games. Last time I checked Leisure Suit Larry wasn't flying off the Internet shelves. Most of the porn games fall into the dating sim or point-n-click adventure genres. The day of point-n-clicks still selling is long gone, and dating sims have never sold well in America(not sure about Europe).
"Also, gaming has yet to wriggle free of its "just for kids" perception."
I believe this perception was never believe by the gaming community.
"Once today's gamers are adults, doesn't it seem like the potential for adult games having success would be much higher?"
Looks like I spoke to soon about gamers not buying into the perception that games are just for kids. May I ask you where the hell me and you fit into this world view. I'm a gamer of today, and I am an adult.
"Will today's God of War sex mini-game be tomorrow's XXX portable gaming pornucopia?"
No, I believe the only way for porn to into a game and sell decent is making the porn not a focal point of the game.
"Is the concept of adult gaming appealing to you, or gamers as a whole?"
Nah, I'm happy with what my 'M' games deliver, and I think I speak for the majority on this matter.
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4-13-2007 @ 10:58AM
Quest said...
Sex and gaming don't go together in my mind. Apart they are both pretty awesome!
As 5 stated, the only way it makes any sense is to have the "adult content" be a side issue, not the main reason to play the game. Even if you could mod the game to have your fantasy character playing out in front of you, I don't see any game being fun or exciting for very long.
What genre of game that is popular now could morph into an adult game too? Does Link wield a different sword? MMORPornG? Pork-Me-Mon? SOCUM FTB (First to Burst)?
Not for me, thanks. I'll stick with the flesh for sex and leave the gaming for things I cannot do myself.
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4-13-2007 @ 11:06AM
ZeroCorpse said...
1. It's "per se" not "persay" ~please make a note of it.
2. Of course there should be adult games, as long as they're GOOD adult games. Slapping boobies on a lousy fighting or sports game or sex scenes in a poorly-made puzzler is not a good way to make adult games accepted among gamers OR the mainstream.
3. There are Adult Games out there. I'd say any of the GTA games are adult in nature and really shouldn't be played by young kids. "Adult" shouldn't mean just sex. If you MEAN "Sex Games" then SAY "Sex Games." It sounds like what you're talking about is interactive porn. (and that exists, too!)
4. The problem with mixing porn and games is that people inevitably skip the game to get to the porn- Especially if the game isn't that fun to begin with!
5. Numbered lists are totally bitchin'.
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4-13-2007 @ 11:33AM
flyers241 said...
Porn games in general tend to be boring and poorly designed. If they were more interesting and addictive games, then maybe it would get more popular.
Even if gamers do want porn in their games, I doubt any good developers would be willing to sink money into it to make them good. As an investor, would you want your company making porn games, or more mainstream games? And would you want the public to label your company as the one that makes "those porn games"?
So porn games tend to suck, and the game developers who could make porn games worth playing would never make an AO game because it wouldn't make financial sense nor make their PR people very happy.
Sex mini-games like in the God of War games are probably all we can hope for in the future until sex gets to be more mainstream in gaming. If enough games come out that slowly introduce more porn into the gaming culture, maybe it will become less taboo to have sex in games.
Once that happens, then maybe the public and the game developers will be ready to make a leap in pornographic gaming. Instead of making good games that have porn on the side, they will start making good porn games.
Of course, I doubt any of that will ever happen, because porn is yucky.
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4-13-2007 @ 11:56AM
theboi said...
the problem of adult games wouldn't be with gamers buying them it most likely be the moral block there for most adult game will remain japan only and ether imported or downloaded to avoid the "moral wall"
It is no secret that religious organization have allot of pull around America and as long as we have that many of our favorite imports will remain overseas
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4-13-2007 @ 12:36PM
pixelator said...
@2: The ESRB doesn't release games. Publishers do. The reason you don't see AO titles is that companies would make less money on AO than they would E, T and even M rated games. Also, companies like Nintendo and Sony won't usually (if ever) allow graphic 'AO' style sexual content. When I was making games on the SNES back in the 90's, Nintendo was quite strict about blood and revealing clothing. That's changed a lot over the last 15 years, but they still govern content. So it goes Platform Company then Publisher. It's the developers who get the last say (if any).
It's all part of the same reason you see lots of horror films lately that are toned down garbage slapped with PG13 ratings. MO MONEY. Teeners spend cash. It's all about the money. Oh, do I sound bitter? Sorry about that. I just have a vivid recollection of sitting through the pathetic remake of The Omen and having to deal with all the spoiled brats in there with their cell phones and other antics.
@8: You may be a Sony bashing twit, but we agree on this - people have seriously tweaked priorities when it's FAR more acceptable to show gushing slashed throats and women being tortured/murdered (two things that make me physically sick when I'm subjected to them in films) than it is to show them enjoying sex or baring bodies.
@9: You haven't seen some of the better Japanese porn games.
As for my own opinion, I think eventually we'll see a decent MMO or sim type game that will casually incorporate sex. Not hide it behind a curtain, either. I think we have some growing up to do as a society first - and that goes for more than the USA, but we're among the worst. You can thank our puritan roots.
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4-13-2007 @ 12:47PM
CitizenGeek said...
Nope, I don;t think adult games are a good idea. If you want porn, buy a magazine or a dvd or a subscription to some website. Games aren't really the best way to use porn, IMO and anyway, I like playing games becasue they are fun and can have deep, meaningful stories and glorious worlds to travel around in. I think I'd hate it if videogames became too seedy.
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4-13-2007 @ 12:54PM
rabe7thebest said...
No..I wouldn't be happy if developers start making Porn games instead of RPGs and Action. If you want porn buy porn movies, and if you want your favorite anime girls doing it than watch hentai.
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4-13-2007 @ 2:36PM
Saigon said...
"Why am I a SONY bashing twit. I own sony products I play sony games."
lol
I don't mind if there's nudity, sex or whatever in a game's storyline, as long as it's not gratuitous. But if it's the central focus of the gameplay, and I have to control it, than I can't imagine that game being fun(at least to play).
"In my opinion, let adult games stay where they belong: Japan."
Wow. Umm, how?! (Do they -belong- there.)
And WOW! Why?! (In this day and age, should they -belong- just there.)"
Haha. Honestly, those Japanese eroge games seem pretty lame, and I'm glad they've stayed(for the most part) there.
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4-13-2007 @ 3:08PM
Kade Storm said...
I wasn't talking about eroge. And on that subject - they're not lame as they are weird, but who am I to judge?
My question stands: The guy stated that "adult games" belong in Japan - WTF, mate? To me, that's an umbrella term, not eroge. I'm getting a very sick, disgusting, dogmatic vibe from that statement.
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4-13-2007 @ 3:10PM
Kade Storm said...
I wasn't talking about eroge. And on that subject - they're not lame as they are weird, but who am I to judge?
My question stands: The guy stated that "adult games" belong in Japan - WTF, mate? To me, that's an umbrella term, not eroge. I'm getting a very sick, disgusting, dogmatic vibe from that statement.
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4-13-2007 @ 5:19PM
D. said...
I'm all for Adult games, long as the whole point of the game isn't the adult content. I like the sex minigame in god of war, but really don't need a whole game based on it
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4-13-2007 @ 5:30PM
Aaron Walker said...
Dumb argument if you ask me.
A game about sex doesn't seem all that interesting when you consider porn is easily attainable nowadays.
I think the whole thing will fade out on its own. People will giggle about Leisure Suit Larry or whatever but a game is still a game. If it aint good, it only has a very short "novelty item" life span.
And, freely confessing I have yet to play God of War, I don't really see the point of having a "sex mini-game" in what I've heard is an exceptional title for the PS2.
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4-13-2007 @ 6:34PM
Yashamru said...
like some people have said if the game is strong on its own like a chess, card game, even pinball porn can't really hurt. not all in game videos needs to be CG for people talking about hentai. like Blood+ it don't even have to be a game it could be an interactive video/comic. All games need options and replay value, so maybe downloadable girls or some kind of update system could help porn go little more main stream.
keep cost down $10-$15 games and lots of updates, I bet it will sale very well.
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4-13-2007 @ 8:46PM
MercuryPDX said...
I think there is a place and a market for porn games. If the Pool game in the article below offered a "Strip Pool" variation (with MUCH better looking girls) I don't think people would be turned away.
I do agree with most people though that games should be strong enough without the porn... the porn being a bonus.
For example, if there was a REALLY good poker/Casino game that had an unlockable strip poker option, I think it would do well. Even more so if it offered a choice of male or female models to play against (Why should the guys be the only ones to have fun?).
Unfortunately, the Poker AI's on most of the PSP games I've seen/played are garbage.
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4-14-2007 @ 1:38AM
Mark said...
honestly, after "beat 'em and eat 'em", and "general custer's revenge", i don't think there's enough quality adult games.
i would love to see a rumble roses xxx on the psp or something.
and believe it or not, i'm not a virgin. i do get laid.
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4-14-2007 @ 1:40AM
Andrew said...
the god of war creators said themselves they put the mini game in there to make a better point of exactly who kratos is. It adds to the story and and its not an exceptional game it is one of the best games made for the playstation. besides the mini game was barely pornographic topless women, then it moves to the side to see a vase, or a fountain, not actually showing anything.
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