How Come Modern Gamers Are So Vaginal?

[XDel]

Role Playing Game box art then and now.
Tell me this hasn't been done on purpose and contrary to public demand. I mean boys across the world were not suddenly born without their balls intact, and worse yet, boys across the world did not wake up one day and decide that they prefer their cartoon heroes to be erotically attractive in a female looks and mannerisms to boot.
The art work found within older video games and or upon their boxes was often inspired by legendary artists, or created by artists who were employing their own unique style, which was able to evoke the sort of emotions that matched the tone of the game and it's story, not to mention draw in the attention of children as they walked by store shelves. Art as seemed more common place back in the day, required skill, provoked the imagination, and was often so good that it could convince you to buy a bad game in the worst case scenario. Though for my example, I choose Phantasy Star II as being a prime example of great art work both on the box and in the game, and being art work that also conformed to and magnified the general tone of the game and story.
As for the new material...
...assembly line all the way; appealing only to the Pokemon and Animal shaped hat generation, who's video games like their cartoons, are jammed packed with trivial non-sense.
Maybe I am wrong though, maybe these homo erotic, bubble gum cartoon characters are but the surface of a much deeper story. Then again I am wondering if I can to be bothered with a story that is coming from the same company that made the conscious decision to go with this box art as one of it's primary selling points. And besides, even if the story isn't half bad, it will still suffer from Castlevania - Portrait of Ruin syndrome in that the art style with stand in stark contrast to the otherwise dark nature of the story line, thus removing you from the story rather than immersing you into it alal Symphony of the Night and Order of Ecclesia.

 

[osaka35]

boys across the world did not wake up one day and decide that they prefer their cartoon heroes to be erotically attractive in a female looks and mannerisms to boot.

Variety, my friend, variety. If you want testosterone, you've got footballers in space first-person-shooters. If you want cute, you've got that. If you want it weird...I got a guy. But yeah, video games have grown as a medium and are not limited to the smaller pool of influences that used to be drawn upon. Those haven't gone away, you can still find them here and there, it's just there's a lot more expression out there. Unless you're curious as to why they're not popular anymore?

I can agree, though, that story is tops. For me, anyway. I am sad when the story isn't something that wouldn't even cut it in a terrible made-for-tv movie.

 

[XDel]

Variety, my friend, variety. If you want testosterone, you've got footballers in space first-person-shooters. If you want cute, you've got that. video games have grown as a medium and are not limited to the smaller pool of influences that used to be drawn upon. Those haven't gone away, it's just there's a lot more expression out there.

I can agree, though, that story is tops. For me, anyway. I am sad when the story isn't something that wouldn't even cut it in a terrible made-for-tv movie.

True, I intended to make that point but forgot along the way. On that note I always considered Dragon Warrior/Quest to be as adorable as they are addictive! And yes I enjoyed walking the old lady to Church in part 5.

 

[Deleted User]

This does not apply to rpgs only but video game covers in general. Most of the AAA games lack any imagination or real artwork in game covers.

Most western games nowadays are generic white guy with mean look, most likely helmet covering the face. There is no action or scenes anymore, it's just a generic man (maybe with a gun), nothing else. Check out original Doom cover and modern Doom cover. Or Halo: Combat Evolved (colorful, things happening) versus Halo 4/5 (booooring). All sports games are the same (though they have been since EA took control). Where are covers like old Blades of Steel (Nes) or Hattrick Hero (Saturn)?

...though the lack of imagination in game covers extends to games quite often. The state of big blockbuster games is disgusting.

 

[DBlaze]

I honestly couldn't care less about box art and artwork in general from videogames IF the game itself is actually good itself.

And like Arq said, it happens everywhere, everything is generic as hell nowadays when it comes to covers, there's only few that do have some unique cover. Latest coming to mind would be final fantasy xv deluxe edition. But that's also a style one has to appreciate as i'm sure a lot of people will find it butt ugly.

Something about not judging a book by it's cover, or something.

 

[Catastrophic]

Anime-ish games are almost always like this. There are plenty of games with a great art style nowadays. You just need to look better. Here's a good example of a game with good art and low sexualization: Dark Souls.

 

[fatsquirrel]

Man this vaginalization is crazy indeed

 

[Nirmonculus]

Vaginas, as far as a lot of people are concerned, are awesome. People do crazy things for the Vs.

 

[Veho]

It seems to be a trend.

Or maybe we're all just cherry picking and it's not so bad.

 

[Taleweaver]

Okay...I'm not sure whether this is clickbait or a genuine concern. And I don't even know if I'm wasting my time on an effort to answer. Or rather: try to come up with an answer (it's not like I have a definite answer). Here goes...

-For one: back then, artists had to come up with a cover and that was it. The cover of games sometimes barely had any resemblance of how the actual game looked and played (which was a good thing in some cases ). Nowadays, you barely have any cover to begin with (who needs covers when you download all your games?).
-second: the technical limitations made the audience more forgiving if anything but the cover looked like pixelated ass. They used their imaginations to upscale visuals from 8-bit to something resembling the cover. Nowadays, you better have a game that looks exactly like your cover or you'll be boo-ed off the internet. The problem with that is that maintaining razorsharp images like that first one costs a lot more than those still anime images artists can poop out during toilet breaks.
-third: audiences. Like it or not*, anime has become some form of art style that has pretty much become synonym with "Japan". I may be totally wrong, but images like that first one probably have some "oh, it's Western themed"-feel over there because that space opera thing is just...not hip anymore.
-fourth: dismissing an art style as "vaginal" because you don't like it doesn't make it so. There are quite some mature and even over the top gore games in that style (try playing Song of Saya...the monstrosities are in no way in contrast to the anime style).



*I, for one, choose not to like anime cartoony characters. But that's just me.