NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – She's a statuesque redhead with green eyes who stands 5'7". Her measurements are 36-22-36 and she's posing topless for the October issue of Playboy magazine.
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Oh, just one thing... she's a video game character.
Her name's Bloodrayne and she'll make her naked debut alongside a feature in the upcoming issue of the men's magazine.
Joining her in the CGI photospread (which will accompany an article about the changing face of gaming) will be a handful of gaming characters. While not all the characters will appear in the pixilated buff, you can expect a lot of come hither looks from some butt-kicking women, including familiar faces from Midway's (MWY: Research, Estimates) "Mortal Kombat" and Namco's "Tekken" series as well as Vivendi's (V: Research, Estimates) upcoming "Red Ninja" and "Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude" and Sammy Studios' forthcoming "Darkwatch: Curse of the West". (See the accompanying pop-up gallery for some of the characters that were submitted to the magazine.)
"Majesco (MJSH.OB: Research, Estimates) thought it was all in good fun. The game's coming out that month and it's perfect timing," said Laura Heeb, a spokesperson for the "Bloodrayne" publisher. "BloodRayne is a very viable franchise now. It has definitely made the step up to a full-fledged video game franchise. The Playboy thing is nothing more than just another cool thing we can do with this franchise."
Playboy declined to comment on the pictorial feature, since the October issue won't hit stands for a couple of weeks.
Welcome to the weirdest stop yet on the gaming industry's 2004 Naked Olympics.
A quick recap, for those of you just tuning in: The games kicked off with Eidos' (EIDSY: Research, Estimates) May release of "Singles: Flirt Up Your Life". The game was a "Sims"-like clone that featured full frontal nudity and encouraged you to get your two characters to have sex. It earned a rare "Adults Only" rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Because most retailers will not sell an AO game, Eidos offered it via download only. (A toned down "M" rated version is due on store shelves later this year.)
Due up later this year is the slightly less raunchy "Playboy: The Mansion" and the aforementioned "Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude," which sticks closer to "Animal House" or "American Pie"-style hijinks.
It seemed, for a while, that these would be the only players – but the layout in Playboy magazine ups the skin level substantially.
Meanwhile, waiting in the wings is another game that's bound to raise a few eyebrows: "The Guy Game". Basically, what you're looking at here is the bastardized love child of "Girls Gone Wild," college drinking games and The Tonight Show's "Jaywalking" segments. Real (not digitally animated) nubile coeds on spring break are brought onto stage and asked various trivia questions. If they answered wrong, they flash their breasts at the crowd. If you play the game right, you can see that flashing uncensored.
It's not a game that's likely to make friends amongst parents groups or conservative religious organizations. But developer TopHeavy Studios (really!) and publisher Take Two Interactive don't seem too concerned.
The growing presence of video game nudity and sexuality – both in and out of games – is something of a double-edged sword for the industry. On the one hand, female characters appearing topless could reinforce the outdated stereotype of gamers as shut-in losers who lack any sort of social skills.
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On the other, it underlines how much older the audience for these games has gotten in recent years. According to the Entertainment Software Association, today's average game player is 29 years old. And the average game buyer is 36.
Be that as it may, the industry has been trying to attract more women gamers – and including characters that have been positive (albeit overly buxom) role models in a Playboy layout could potentially turn away that customer base.
That's part of the reason some publishers opted against their characters appearing nude.
"We spent a lot of time thinking about it," said Namco spokesperson Kristin Calcagno. "We wanted to move forward with the coverage opportunity, but we wanted to ensure that the characters would be seen as they are in the game. We ensured they were in poses and attire that were sexy, but were appropriate to their character. ... By no means do we hope anyone finds it offensive."
So why take the chance? Basically, Playboy's demographic is very much in line with the sweet spot of the gaming industry. Eighty-five percent are male. The average age is 33. And half of its readers make $75,000 or more per year.
That's a lot of men with cash to burn. And that's a lot of potential cash those publishers could be pocketing.
Mayabird is my girlfriend
Justice League:BotM:MM:SDnet City Watch:Cybertron's Finest "Well then, science is bullshit. "
-revprez, with yet another brilliant rebuttal.
"Oh no, oh yeah, tell me how can it be so fair
That we dying younger hiding from the police man over there
Just for breathing in the air they wanna leave me in the chair
Electric shocking body rocking beat streeting me to death"
- A.B. Original, Report to the Mist
"I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."
- George Carlin
Wow, a character from a "Leisure Suit Larry" game. That takes me back.
"Show me an angel and I will paint you one." - Gustav Courbet
"Quetzalcoatl, plumed serpent of the Aztecs... you are a pussy." - Stephen Colbert
"Really, I'm jealous of how much smarter than me he is. I'm not an expert on anything and he's an expert on things he knows nothing about." - Me, concerning a bullshitter
This really is nothing new. Videogame publishers have been amping up the sex in games to make more sales. This is just another extension of that trend.
"Sometimes I think you WANT us to fail." "Shut up, just shut up!" -Two Guys from Kabul
Latinum Star Recipient; Hacker's Cross Award Winner
"one soler flar can vapririze the planit or malt the nickl in lass than millasacit" -Bagara1000
Bloodrayne goes somewhere beyond 'amping up'. It's exploitative and trashy, like all the best vampire movies (and that's the best thing about it, the game itself is pretty average).
All video-game babes are like that. There is realistically no reason for characters like Karen Sjet, Joanna Dark, and Bastila (to name just a few from some of my favorite games) to be as hot as they are. In fact, in Joanna's case it really makes no sense for her to be attractive at all. Characters like Bloodrayne and Lara Croft take it to another level, to be sure, but there are a LOT of exploitative and trashy characters out there.
like all the best vampire movies (and that's the best thing about it, the game itself is pretty average).
I've heard that it's a solid video-game with little to recommend it but little to damage its appeal.
"Sometimes I think you WANT us to fail." "Shut up, just shut up!" -Two Guys from Kabul
Latinum Star Recipient; Hacker's Cross Award Winner
"one soler flar can vapririze the planit or malt the nickl in lass than millasacit" -Bagara1000
I just showed this article to a friend and fellow computer-gamer nerd. His response to seeing Bloodrayne's picture was "DAMN! I'd love to render her polygons!"
"Sometimes I think you WANT us to fail." "Shut up, just shut up!" -Two Guys from Kabul
Latinum Star Recipient; Hacker's Cross Award Winner
"one soler flar can vapririze the planit or malt the nickl in lass than millasacit" -Bagara1000
I just showed this article to a friend and fellow computer-gamer nerd. His response to seeing Bloodrayne's picture was "DAMN! I'd love to render her polygons!"
That line is so old.
Mayabird is my girlfriend
Justice League:BotM:MM:SDnet City Watch:Cybertron's Finest "Well then, science is bullshit. "
-revprez, with yet another brilliant rebuttal.
Whenever I think of guys getting horny over CGI chicks, I'm reminded of the main character in "American Pie" who is made to look like a dork because he's hot for Ariel in "Little Mermaid".
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
Darth Wong wrote:Whenever I think of guys getting horny over CGI chicks, I'm reminded of the main character in "American Pie" who is made to look like a dork because he's hot for Ariel in "Little Mermaid".
He never was made to look like a dork because of it, he just mentioned that he thought she was hot. Besides, he isn't the only one that has thought about it.
As an aside, this isn't the first time that CG characters have been featured in men's magazines. Right after the release of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Maxim published a specially rendered shot of Aki Ross in a bikini for their "100 Hotest Women" article.
*does a double take*
Wait... they are making a NEW "Leisure Suit Larry" game? Fucking A, dude! That's the best think ever!
"Show me an angel and I will paint you one." - Gustav Courbet
"Quetzalcoatl, plumed serpent of the Aztecs... you are a pussy." - Stephen Colbert
"Really, I'm jealous of how much smarter than me he is. I'm not an expert on anything and he's an expert on things he knows nothing about." - Me, concerning a bullshitter
Gil Hamilton wrote:*does a double take*
Wait... they are making a NEW "Leisure Suit Larry" game? Fucking A, dude! That's the best think ever!
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.
As for the whole bit with Playboy...finally.
I mean think of it this way, the fact that Tecmo made money of having the DOA girls bouncing around...and not trying to gloss it with a piss poor fighting game engine, they've just decided to go the next route.
Though bit surprised using Bloodrayne(given she might as well be nude in the game...) and not the DOA girls. What Tecmo get cold feet or something?
MM /CF/WG/BOTM/JL/Original Warsie/ACPATHNTDWATGODW FOREVER!!
Sometimes we can choose the path we follow. Sometimes our choices are made for us. And sometimes we have no choice at all
The Kernel wrote:As an aside, this isn't the first time that CG characters have been featured in men's magazines. Right after the release of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Maxim published a specially rendered shot of Aki Ross in a bikini for their "100 Hotest Women" article.
Too bad the film blew. Too bad Aki can't.
"Carriers dispense fighters, which dispense assbeatings." - White Haven
| Hyperactive Gundam Pilot of MM | GALE | ASVS | Cleaners | Kibologist (beable) | DFB |
If only one rock and roll song echoes into tomorrow
There won't be anything to keep you from the distant morning glow.
I'm not a man. I just portrayed one for 15 years.
"Carriers dispense fighters, which dispense assbeatings." - White Haven
| Hyperactive Gundam Pilot of MM | GALE | ASVS | Cleaners | Kibologist (beable) | DFB |
If only one rock and roll song echoes into tomorrow
There won't be anything to keep you from the distant morning glow.
I'm not a man. I just portrayed one for 15 years.
Ghost Rider wrote:
I mean think of it this way, the fact that Tecmo made money of having the DOA girls bouncing around...and not trying to gloss it with a piss poor fighting game engine, they've just decided to go the next route.
Piss poor fighting engine? DOA3 was one of the premiere fighting games of the last few years IMO. At first it seems simplistic, but once you get experienced with it the game becomes suprisingly deep.
Ghost Rider wrote:
I mean think of it this way, the fact that Tecmo made money of having the DOA girls bouncing around...and not trying to gloss it with a piss poor fighting game engine, they've just decided to go the next route.
Piss poor fighting engine? DOA3 was one of the premiere fighting games of the last few years IMO. At first it seems simplistic, but once you get experienced with it the game becomes suprisingly deep.
Not really going to get into it, but with DOA3 the only real improvement wasn't the overdomination of their easy as hell reversal.
They made it so a newbie couldn't go reversal heaven. While in most tournaments I've been in both anime and actual held events wins and losses were still people using reversals and simple two hit combos. The game's depth didn't have any of the subtlties of either Virtua Fight series, Tekken or Soul Caliber in use of ring domination or in use of frame counting.
DOA2 could be destroyed by learning to reverse any move, screw actually attacking.
MM /CF/WG/BOTM/JL/Original Warsie/ACPATHNTDWATGODW FOREVER!!
Sometimes we can choose the path we follow. Sometimes our choices are made for us. And sometimes we have no choice at all
As an aside, this isn't the first time that CG characters have been featured in men's magazines. Right after the release of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Maxim published a specially rendered shot of Aki Ross in a bikini for their "100 Hotest Women" article.
There's also a nifty little feature on the DVD where a CG Aki walks across what appears to be a film studio. Her ass takes up about 1/8th of the shot.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
eh. i can just google for hentai pics if i want to see her naked. there's bound to be some popping up sooner or later. it's not exactly like hentai is rare or anything. . . .
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
Ryoga wrote:Midway chose MILEENA of all the MK chicks to 'represent' them? What the bloody fuck?
Sure, she's kinda hot, but she's got the Jaws of Death (tm) under that veil. That's beyond disturbing.
Why, oh why couldn't they have gone with Frost? Or Sonia.....
Mileena was played by a filmed actress in MK2. Will we see her posing?
"Gunslinger indeed. Quick draw, Bob. Quick draw." --Count Chocula
"Unquestionably, Dr. Who is MUCH lighter in tone than WH40K. But then, I could argue the entirety of WWII was much lighter in tone than WH40K." --Broomstick
"This is ridiculous. I look like the Games Workshop version of a Jedi Knight." --Harry Dresden, Changes
"Like...are we canonical?" --Aaron Dembski-Bowden to Dan Abnett
