Game Buoy Podcast Episode 19 - Let's Talk About [MATURE CONTENT], Baby

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Ahoy mateys and welcome to the Game Buoy podcast, your twice monthly port of call for gaming news and views that may not be on your radar, but definitely should be! On this episode, recorded Sunday, January 20, 2013, Captain Spike and his first mate, Slagkick, examine issues relating to adult content in gaming. This episode contains discussions of a sexual nature, so please use discretion when listening.

FOLLOWING UP

– Fox News stirs up SWTOR “gay planet” controversy, while GamesIndustry looks at why people are upset.

– Team Fortress 2 characters are confirmed for the PC release of Danica Patrick All Stars Racing Hyper Turbo GO!

– Street Fighter X Mega Man v2.0 is now available, fixing some bugs and adding features and content!

– Disney Infinity is revealed as a Skylanders-inspired game, with price and release details available.

– Not exactly a follow up, but the Podcast Pirates have THQ in their thoughts as the bidding deadline rapidly approaches. Tune in to the next episode of Game Buoy for another follow up.

OMG NEWS

– A new round of Steam games have been greenlit, most notably the PC release of celebrated indie game La-Mulana.

– Dead Island: Riptide‘s UK special edition will come with a statue of a bloody, bikini-clad, severed female torso.

– Final Fantasy: All The Bravest is released for iOS, causing some people to bemoan the “death” of the Final Fantasy franchise.

– XSEED is bringing Pandora’s Tower to North America this spring.

– The Fire Emblem: Awakening demo is now available on the 3DS eShop, and the special edition 3DS will cost $200.

– The updated 3DS port of Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers hits North America on April 16.

– Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will be released on March 19 with USB keyboard support.

– After the launch of their new Kickstarter campaign, Gas Powered Games lays off employees due to financial hardships.

– Details emerge for the upcoming Suda51 game, Killer is Dead, as well as the first trailer!

DISCUSSION TOPIC

This week, Captain Spike and Slagkick tackle the controversial topic of adult content – specifically, sexual content – in video games. They look at the evolution of adult gaming from Custer’s Revenge to Night Trap to EroGe and the fact that erotic games are all but nonexistent in the Western world. The main talking points are:

Sex as a Weapon

There’s a long history of salaciousness being used as a selling point in all media, why should games be any different? The Podcast Pirates look at exploitative games and controversial games, as well as the Japanese gaming genre of EroGe/hentai games. Special attention is given to the controversy surrounding Night Trap for Sega CD and the infamous Hot Coffee mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too.

Captain Spike and Slagkick examine games that use sex and sexuality as a storytelling device, most notably 2011’s surprise hit Catherine – but Persona 4, Metal Gear Solid 3, and the Mass Effect series are highlighted as examples of games that manage to tackle these issues in a mature manner.

Violence, Gore, and the AO Rating

Captain Spike briefly covers the history of the AO rating and how the majority of games rated AO were done so due to the inclusion of adult content or nudity rather than violence.

Silly SINsuality

The Podcast Pirates lighten the mood a bit by sharing their favorite examples of bizarre erotic content in gaming.

Game Buoy Podcast Episode 19 – Let’s Talk About [MATURE CONTENT], Baby