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The Digital Paramour
 Sexual Scripts in Video Games
          Mattie Brice
Yo!

● Video Game Critic

● Social Justice Activist

● Creative Writing MA at San Francisco
  State University
Love, Sex... in Video Games?
● How romance usually goes:     Dragon Age:
  Origins - Alistair Romance


● The 'standard' for sex scenes: Mass
  Effect 3 - Liara Sex Scene


● A rare emotional reaction:   Reaction video
  to Katawa Shoujo's Rin
Sexual Scripts... How do they work?

● Shared cultural protocol for romantic
  and sexual interactions

●    Three kinds of scenarios:
1.   Cultural
2.   Interpersonal
3.   Intrapsychic
Contemporary Romance in Video Games

● Visual Novels & Dating Sims
1. Mainly heterosexual, cisgender,
   Japanese/American(?) boys
2. Situations revolve around romance

● Romance Subplots of Role-Playing
   Games
1. Separate from everything else
2. Part of 'Hero's Journey'
Sexual Scripts in Games
● Reinforces hegemony, particularly from
  a heterosexual boy's perspective

● Sex is the end-goal or reward for
  attaining relationships

● Perpetually stuck in adolescent
  interactions
What about the rest of us?
● Women: Also reinforce hegemony, but
  in a 'what men think women want'
  manner

● PoC and disabilities: Rarely included
  and often fetishized

● LGBT: On the rise in representation,
  though typically used for heterosexual
  fantasies
The Japanese Classroom
Persona 4
● Dating while solving murders, saving the
  world, and getting good grades

● Deals with
  sexuality and
  gender
  identity in a
  heterosexist
  bias
Katawa Shoujo
● Creates a bland, generalized boy
  character for heterosexual men to
  easily relate to


● Exotifies love
  interests by
  emphasizing their
  disabilities
Re: Alistair++
● The girl protagonist presents herself in
  a manner according to the love
  interest's tastes

● Nothing sexual is
  alluded to; rather,
  each love interest
  is a different
  shade of 'knight in
  shining armor'
Hatoful Boyfriend
● Satirizes otome games by substituting
  out typical bishounen for... pigeons

● The game
  becomes how
  much the player
  can get involved
  with the love
  interests despite
  being pigeons
The Queer Frontier
Don't it personally, babe, it
just ain't your story
● Forces the player to realize their
  meddling nature


● The player can
  only react, not
  dictate, queer
  relationships
Absolute Obedience
● The trysts of gay men use tropes from
  gay pornography and yaoi fanfiction.


● Who is this game
  for? Homosexual
  men or
  heterosexual
  women?
Dragon Age II
● The politics of every character being
  attracted to the player, no matter what
  the gender

● A large, visible
  company
  introducing gay
  relationships to
  their typically
  heterosexual male
  audience
Encyclopedia Fuckme and The
Case of the Vanishing Entree
● Uses the form of
  CYOA to speak to
  the player's
  experience

● Negotiates with and
  trains the player
  like in a sexual
  relationship
Ending Thoughts
● More experiments with how narrative
  structure interacts with players on a
  romantic/sexual level
● Diversify game development- the
  industry needs minority devs
● Conceptual game mechanics based of
  philosophy instead of skill
● Create games for diverse audiences
  instead of assuming a 16-24 year-old
  hetereosexual, cisgender dude.
Q&A~!

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The Digital Paramour: Sexual Scripts in Video Games

  • 1. The Digital Paramour Sexual Scripts in Video Games Mattie Brice
  • 2. Yo! ● Video Game Critic ● Social Justice Activist ● Creative Writing MA at San Francisco State University
  • 3. Love, Sex... in Video Games? ● How romance usually goes: Dragon Age: Origins - Alistair Romance ● The 'standard' for sex scenes: Mass Effect 3 - Liara Sex Scene ● A rare emotional reaction: Reaction video to Katawa Shoujo's Rin
  • 4. Sexual Scripts... How do they work? ● Shared cultural protocol for romantic and sexual interactions ● Three kinds of scenarios: 1. Cultural 2. Interpersonal 3. Intrapsychic
  • 5. Contemporary Romance in Video Games ● Visual Novels & Dating Sims 1. Mainly heterosexual, cisgender, Japanese/American(?) boys 2. Situations revolve around romance ● Romance Subplots of Role-Playing Games 1. Separate from everything else 2. Part of 'Hero's Journey'
  • 6. Sexual Scripts in Games ● Reinforces hegemony, particularly from a heterosexual boy's perspective ● Sex is the end-goal or reward for attaining relationships ● Perpetually stuck in adolescent interactions
  • 7. What about the rest of us? ● Women: Also reinforce hegemony, but in a 'what men think women want' manner ● PoC and disabilities: Rarely included and often fetishized ● LGBT: On the rise in representation, though typically used for heterosexual fantasies
  • 9. Persona 4 ● Dating while solving murders, saving the world, and getting good grades ● Deals with sexuality and gender identity in a heterosexist bias
  • 10. Katawa Shoujo ● Creates a bland, generalized boy character for heterosexual men to easily relate to ● Exotifies love interests by emphasizing their disabilities
  • 11. Re: Alistair++ ● The girl protagonist presents herself in a manner according to the love interest's tastes ● Nothing sexual is alluded to; rather, each love interest is a different shade of 'knight in shining armor'
  • 12. Hatoful Boyfriend ● Satirizes otome games by substituting out typical bishounen for... pigeons ● The game becomes how much the player can get involved with the love interests despite being pigeons
  • 14. Don't it personally, babe, it just ain't your story ● Forces the player to realize their meddling nature ● The player can only react, not dictate, queer relationships
  • 15. Absolute Obedience ● The trysts of gay men use tropes from gay pornography and yaoi fanfiction. ● Who is this game for? Homosexual men or heterosexual women?
  • 16. Dragon Age II ● The politics of every character being attracted to the player, no matter what the gender ● A large, visible company introducing gay relationships to their typically heterosexual male audience
  • 17. Encyclopedia Fuckme and The Case of the Vanishing Entree ● Uses the form of CYOA to speak to the player's experience ● Negotiates with and trains the player like in a sexual relationship
  • 18. Ending Thoughts ● More experiments with how narrative structure interacts with players on a romantic/sexual level ● Diversify game development- the industry needs minority devs ● Conceptual game mechanics based of philosophy instead of skill ● Create games for diverse audiences instead of assuming a 16-24 year-old hetereosexual, cisgender dude.
  • 19. Q&A~!