As a guy, this topic always kinda weirds me out, because I feel so out of sync with the (at least vocal) majority (key word there: please, no one derail this by saying that I'm saying that all men do this, 'cause I'm not. Nowhere close, and I know that's the case and would never argue something like that. And unfortunately, it seems like it kinda has to be at least be a (vocal) majority, or else these type of things wouldn't have become so common and so prevalent and never would have become so much of a thing to begin with) of the rest of my sex. 'Cause for me, despite being bi, I have never really cared much about fanservice and over-sexualized designs either way. I've always just thought they look completely ridiculous and kinda just take me out of the experience more than anything. Particularly when it's as completely over the top and needless as Quiet in MGS V or Camilla in Fire Emblem: Fates, but stuff like Cindy in FF XV makes me roll my eyes as well with how needless it is as well. I don't need that stuff in my games; I'm just trying to play the games themselves. That's what's all about, right? The games, and it wouldn't actually make a difference at all if those designs were sexualized or not, since they'd still be the same great games either way right?
But when I read this topic, it feels like so many people think the designs are just as important as any other part of the game and it would impact their fun if they were changed. And I just... don't get that at all, and it makes me feel out of sync with other men, because it wouldn't harm my enjoyment at all either way if they weren't so sexualized. If anything, I'd enjoy the games more myself if characters like Camilla weren't so over the top and I didn't have to watch that ridiculous pandering nonsense. And knowing lots of women would be able to enjoy the games more as well would be a pretty nice bonus for something that doesn't actually harm or affect me in any way regardless, as that stuff ain't what I like about those games or care about to begin with.
Like.. if I really do want to be aroused or something, just watch porn. That's literally what it's there for. I'm not such a horny animal that not only do I need porn, but I need to be titillated by sexy and arousing designs every time I watch a tv show or movie, or play a game or whatever as well, as if that's the only way to get or maintain my attention. That's not just off-putting and makes those games less welcoming to women, but it really starts to get to me too these days because even putting that entirely aside (which it by no means should be--far from it, but putting it aside regardless for the moment) like what... do the devs really think that my attention will be lost if T&A aren't being shoved into my face? That they don't have enough faith on the game to sell on its own merits, in terms of gameplay, narrative, level design, etc, and that my interest will be lost if I don't have some fanservice design to seal the deal on top of all that?
Or is that just what the devs who make these kind of decisions think and that they're projecting onto their male audience or something? Because either way, I don't get it and it just makes me feel kinda out of sync with the rest of my sex, because I don't care and if anything would prefer for that stuff to be toned down. I just want to play the game; that's way I'm playing a game in the first place instead of just watching porn or something, y'know? If I wanted to be aroused or whatever, I'd just watch porn instead.
I'm choosing to play a game for a reason and getting aroused or seeing hot & sexy women or whatever ain't really it. If anything, that kinda stuff creeping in anyway just kinda gets in the way and completely takes me out of the experience and just reminds me I'm playing a game and stuff, so even as a guy, I struggle to understand why that's stuff there (except when it actually is there for a rather specific story or character reason that actually makes sense, but unfortunately that's not the norm). Like that is, unless.... Do other guys actually take a break to jack it when they see one of these designs or something? I wouldn't think so (god, I hope not at least), but if not, what difference does it make? Like at all? If I want to be aroused, I'll watch porn or something. But when I'm playing a game, I just want to focus on the game itself. And this stuff has nothing to do with whatever that reason is, whether it's the gameplay, the story, the characters, exploration, or whatever. I'd enjoy it just as much whether it's there or not, because that has literally nothing to do with why I'm playing the game in the first place--all that other stuff is why I'm playing the game. Else, I'd just be watching porn or something instead of playing a game. So what would be lost, even if that stuff were to be more toned down? Nothing important, and women would feel more comfortable playing the games as well, so it seem like a net-gain if anything.
I just don't get what the big deal is, and why so many men are so defensive over these designs, when they have so little to do with what makes the games so great to begin with, nothing would be lost anyway, and women would feel more comfortable to boot, which just makes me feel so out-of-sync with the rest of my sex sometimes. I, really, really don't. But either way, that's how I feel about it. I just don't see what there's to be so defensive about in the first place or how the games would suddenly be inferior or what would really be lost at all if this stuff were to be toned down and tweaked, and only see gains if anything, so well.. yeah. That's where I'm at on all this these days. I just feel really out of place for thinking that way sometimes as a man, because it seems like so many other men are just happy to eat that stuff up and happy to be told that they apparently do need that stuff to be able to enjoy something even when they themselves know that's not true and would say as much if really pressed on it (at least, I'd like to think so anyway), but that's how I feel regardless, if that makes sense at all. Apologies if it doesn't.
And thinking about it, as a bit of an aside one last thing that's kinda weird is that a common refrain in threads regarding Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is "so what if the designs of Rex and Pyra are stupid? You going to let that stop you from playing the game? There's so much else to the game than just that! You really going to give it all up just because of that?" Even ignoring the other problems with that argument a moment, doesn't that knife cut both ways? Like, if that's indeed the case, then wouldn't people be able to play the game just as well if Pyra's design wasn't so stupid, that you'd be able to play the game just as well? That there's no real point in her being designed like that, and the game wold end up being just as good as it likely will end up being if she wasn't (particularly when X had already fixed this problem with you being able to choose a cosmetic armor set and 2 is a complete regression from that, creating a completely unnecessary and previously-completely-fixed problem, but I digress)? If not, what's the difference? Why does that knife only cut one way? Because that just seems like it's admitting that the designs don't matter and the game would be just as good if it wasn't like that in the first place, since there's apparently "so much else to enjoy." Or is that not the case after all? I know that's a complete aside, but it still seems somewhat relevant to the topic, and it always bugs me when it comes up, since it seems so self-defeating to me. But I know that's kinda neither here nor there, so I digress. Just needed to get that one of my chest somewhere, and this place seemed as good as anywhere I guess.
Fake edit: And before anyone gets me on this, I don't think this stuff actually needs to go completely 100% away and be completely eliminated or anything of the sort. Far from it. I just don't see any reason for it to be the default or norm, and any reason why we can't have more varied depictions of women in games that don't all revolve around that. More variety. Variety is good. Let's have more of that, so everyone can be happy. That's all I'm getting at, in the end. So please, please, no strawmen about how I actually want this stuff to be completely wiped out, because that's not what I'm saying at all, and not what I'm getting at at all (I'm speaking in terms of individual games like MGS V or FE: Fates, not all games everywhere period that ever had and ever will exist, or anything like that).