Gaming’s Risqué Decade: 2000-2010

Written by Connor Beaton, published 25th December 2009

Games like Custer’s Revenge are few and far between in 2009.

Thanks to BioWare and Quantic Dream, sex in gaming isn’t viewed as tasteless or offensive as much as it was at the start of the decade, and I’d consider that a major leap in the maturity of the gaming community, probably partly thanks to the relaxation of censorship laws in recent years, and the sudden growth of the industry caused by, for example, Nintendo’s casual demographic. So, what moments in gaming this decade have been more near the knuckle? Let me run you through them in chronological order.

2002: Neverwinter Nights
Let’s start off this article light-heartedly – or as light-hearted as “looting a left testicle from a corpse” can get. Neverwinter Nights is a fantastic role-playing game, and the Aurora Toolkit provided for creating custom campaigns is simply a great piece of software. It can, from time to time, prove to be a bit confusing, which is why books like the Builder’s Guide come in useful. Not only do they teach you how to do things, but they provide examples of when this knowledge may become useful.

For example, a hypothetical “Johnny Evilguy” might request that you kill a hypothetical “Tommy”. Tommy will then drop an item, which you can loot, and show to Mr Evilguy to confirm Tommy’s death, activating a conversation node so that the aforementioned Evilguy can respond. What’s that death-proving item, you ask? Oh, it’s Tommy’s left testicle. Yes, that sudden sound you heard was every man in the country suddenly crossing his legs. Who really cares about Grand Theft Auto inciting murder when Neverwinter Nights incites gamers to cut off testicles for cash? I shudder to think. Speaking of Grand Theft Auto…

2004: “Hot Coffee”
Any gamer worth his salt will be aware of Hot Coffee, whether it’s through hearing a brief mention, going through the annoyance of having your game recalled, or even playing the mod in question. It’s 2004, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is out. It’s a fantastic game, and everybody loves it. Do they love it too much? Well, certain people love it enough to go into the game’s core data files and dig out some hidden code that, when re-introduced into the game, added a sex mini-game. “Oh yeah?” you might be wondering right now. “So what, we’ve got some digital nipple going on of which nobody was aware?”

Well, almost. While both parties remain fully clothed, it’s still tasteless in the nature of the game. The sex is presented in an immature fashion, and the interactivity is purely ridiculous. Since when were Rockstar developers of digital pornography? Well, it looks like there was some outcry from the government as well, as America’s ESRB re-rated the game with “AO”, restricting the game to Adults Only. No big deal, right? Actually, it is a big deal, because AO games are banned from sale on virtually every console, meaning only the PC version was available for a short time, before Rockstar fixed everything up, got the game re-rated, and began distributing versions rated “M” once more.

2005: Fahrenheit and Indigo Prophecy
Now here’s an interesting case of censorship: perhaps one of the first games to feature “tasteful” sex scenes, Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in North America) was cut in North American territories under threat of receiving that dreadful “AO” age certificate. Curiously, the sex scenes, one of which is interactive, were no issue in Europe, as the game is available uncut in Europe with a “16+” age certificate, not even the most restrictive certificate available.

So why the ESRB’s concern? We’re not really sure, and it’s possible after the release of Heavy Rain, Fahrenheit’s spiritual successor, we’ll see the rating overturned and the uncut version released on Xbox 360 and PC in America with an “M” rating, but we won’t keep our fingers crossed.

2006: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
It’s another American ESRB controversy. Are you beginning to see a pattern at all? Similar to the Hot Coffee mod, Oblivion’s age certificate was increased from “T” to “M”, closing a four-year age gap, after it was disclosed that the retail copy of the game contained violent and sexual content beyond that of which the ESRB was aware. Since we’re mainly here for the sex talk, let’s jump right into what that was, shall we? Once again, we’re talking about content introduced via a mod, the accurately titled “Oblivion Topless Mod”, which made all female characters in the game, well, topless.

Bethesda weren’t too happy about the re-rating, but complied anyway; unlike Hot Coffee, this particular controversy didn’t attract as much media attention, but I’m sure plenty of young gamers were pissed off by the censor board’s decision.

2007: Mass Effect
To be honest, the actual sexual content in Mass Effect is far from tasteless, offensive, and can’t really be called “risqué”, however you like to define that particular piece of French vocabulary. No, the only reason this is receiving placement on this list is due to the huge controversy stirred up by Fox News (or “Faux News”, depending on your social circles). Apparently duped into believing the player could become some sort of space Casanova and womanise the entirety of your crew for several hours, the programme aired only a short segment, part of which consisted of a developer interview.

Ah, excellent, somebody from BioWare is on TV, surely they can correct these people and sort out the situation… Except that Fox News woman isn’t listening. Hey, she’s interrupting the guy— hey, she’s contradicting the god damn developer about his own game! Will somebody shut her up? Get a gag, or even better, a knife. Let the man speak his mind! Would— oh, the segment’s over. Okay, that was informative and definitely not one-sided. Next up: why Bush should invade the rest of the Middle East too.

2007: God of War II
While technically present in God of War as well as its sequel, I’ve chosen to highlight this particular game’s content due to some reasons on which I’d love to elaborate, but cannot due to article length concerns. Both the first and second instalment in Sony’s God of War franchise feature sex mini-games which, while not quite as graphic as the Hot Coffee mod, still warranted complaints from some morally obliged groups.

As the player approached, for example, one particular topless female character and started the minigame, the camera would pan away and display part of the surrounding environment as the player hit buttons when prompted like some kind of perverted version of Guitar Hero (Anybody up for a bout of Greek Sex Hero? Nobody?) in order to achieve climax. What a fantastic message to send to kids, huh? Well, that’s debatable, but the game’s a firm “M” in America and an “18+” in Europe, so that doesn’t really require debate.

2008: RapeLay
I’ll forgive you if this one slipped you by, as the media attention towards RapeLay was mainly Internet-based. While it was developed and released exclusively in Japan in 2006, the game was brought to international attention after the game became listed on Amazon.com and was subsequently purchased and reviewed by a number of websites including SomethingAwful. Japan is well known for being the home of certain dubious sexual materials, including hentai, but this one cuts the cake.

RapeLay is an eroge game, meaning it focuses on the player committing sexual acts; in this particular case, raping a mother and her two daughters. While this may shock and sicken some of you, it’s only one game in a market filled with similar titles. People were leaping over each other to express their opinion on this particular entry, from concerned parents condemning the title to cute girls defending it. In the end, RapeLay was pulled from sale worldwide, is banned in most countries, and the developer are trying to forget it ever happened.

2009: Dragon Age: Origins
Another BioWare title, Dragon Age: Origins stirred up controversy by letting players engage in a number of sex scenes, which kept the real detail off-screen. No bare breasts and gyrating hips here; the most naked a female character can get is down to their underwear, and even that is only seen for the briefest of moments. Why is this risqué enough to earn a place on this list, then?

Well, what about the fact that your player can engage in, ahem, same-sex sex with an elf, to put it bluntly? Apparently that drew a lot of undue attention to the fantastical role-playing game, and it’s not difficult to see why. I mean, homosexuals are so unholy and stuff, and surely some Christian has to step up and take the fall for a more morally hygienic world, right? Gamers must care about morals, right? Right?

2009: The Lost and the Damned
It’s the second Grand Theft Auto-related entry in this article, but certainly of a different kind. The Lost and the Damned was a piece of paid downloadable content released for Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV that attracted negative media attention because of the presence of full-frontal male nudity. Yeah, no breasts or simulated sex here, we’re talking about digital dong in one of the most promiscuous games on the market. What, you want your GTA experience to be all about murder and boobies? I’m disappointed in you.

Nevertheless, I’m sure parents were less worried about male objectification and more about the negative effect on all the under-age children playing the game, thanks to society’s unintentional sexism. Why, I ask, is penis more offensive than a bare female chest, as some parental advice boards have (un-)helpfully pointed out?

2010: Bayonetta
The sexual content in Bayonetta, while expected, was first detailed by America’s ESRB, where they described it in exquisite detail, commenting on the “suggestive taunts and poses” from female characters, involving “opening their legs or gyrating their hips”, and interestingly announcing that “[some] of the more provocative outfits are shed during battle, resulting in brief depictions of buttocks and breasts”. If this isn’t sexy enough for you, “[the] camera occasionally pans close-up on breasts as they are jiggling”. Sorry, what did the ESRB rate this game? “M”? I feel a facepalm coming up.

Well, regardless of what gamers may say about the titular heroine’s visual similarity to well-known dimwit Sarah Palin, it’s plain as day to anybody who watches a minute of Bayonetta’s gameplay that there is a strong sexual vibe to the entire game. Why is that? Well, sex sells, doesn’t it? Particularly when it’s packaged in what critics are calling one of the best action games of all time. Sounds like a game of the year contestant, no? Make sure to pick it up in 2010.

2010: Heavy Rain
Quantic Dream were best known for Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in North America) prior to the announcement of Heavy Rain. Initially only teased and confirmed as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, Heavy Rain looked like it could ship systems easily. Well, unfortunately it’s not out yet, with its release scheduled for sometime in February 2010, but marketing materials and unofficial footage have already confirmed that the game will feature some more adult content than the demographic expected.

This is no surprise for the developer, as we already mentioned the Fahrenheit controversy earlier in this article, but it’s uncertain whether the same censorship trouble will occur again. The scenario revealed first shows journalist character Madison Paige strip at gunpoint for a mob boss, before managing to turn the tables and knock him out before quickly re-dressing; the scene is intended to be disturbing and sickening, and the developers have announced that the scene is meant to be anything but sexy. The second scenario we are aware of is not sexualised at all, but just shows the character dressing after what appears to be a shower in a gym or swimming pool. While obviously intended to create immersion or character development, it’s not entirely certain what the rest of the gaming community will make of it.