Nudity in Games

Classic renaissance sculptures and paintings are art. Video games are art. They are not the same, and they are not held to the same standard. Is it the age difference? Classic artists realized long ago the inherent beauty of the nude human form - the curves, the lines, the obvious grace etched into every peak and valley. Now, nudity is taboo. People are taught to be ashamed of nakedness. They are told it is immoral - that even beaches and network TV are obscene places where only philanderers and harlots may venture. Video games are not helping. Nudity is often used as a reward for hours of sub-par gameplay (BMX XXX, Leisure Suit Larry), or as a mere gimmick (God of War, Metal Gear Solid). Instead of elevating the human form on a beautiful golden pedestal, game developers are cheapening it by implying that nudity is something to be won. Impressionable teenage boys then learn subconsciously that seeing a girl naked is the end-all, be-all of human existence. Then, in the noble words of Ferris Bueller, the gullible boy tends to "marry the first girl he lays." He then buys flowers and jewelry all in the name of "winning" a small slice of naked female flesh. This is unhealthy. This is wrong.

Despite the lackluster "game" part, one thing the most recent Leisure Suit Larry game does well is its conclusions. Larry spends the game searching for sex from various girls all across a digital college campus. He meets them, courts them, gets them drunk, and then... something always goes wrong. They become lesbians, or they want babies instead of no-strings-attached sex, or they're Jewish. In the rare occasions Larry does get laid, it's never what he expects or wants. That is reality. You quest after something long enough, you may eventually catch it. Unfortunately, what you catch may not have been what you wanted after all. You seek love, or acceptance, or a person you can grow old with, and you just end with the clap.

Games may never reach the level where nudity is accepted or used in an artistic way, because, despite the fact that gamers are now a completely different demographic than the D&D playing nerds of the 80's, game developers are still dogs with a bone. If gamers get what they say they want, be it a nude Lara Croft of the Dead or Alive girls having an orgy, the mystery will be gone. In games, the journey is the fun part. When you complete a game, you haven't actually "completed" anything. You wasted some hours, you had some fun, and then it's over. Gamers and humans in general love the chase. Please, don't let it end with something as simple as a cheat code.