Digitally Downloaded writes: There was one of the semi-frequent Internet blow-ups late last week/ early this week, when a games journalist decided to write a review in which he states that fans of a certain game are perverts and perverse. Naturally that didn’t go down so well with aforementioned fans of that game, or games like it, because contrary to popular belief within some circles, liking a game that has bikini girls or even (GASP!) nudity doesn’t turn someone into a ‘pervert’ any more than Call of Duty, or any of the three billion games out there that depict gun death, turn people into mass murderers.
Despite the startling hypocrisy, it does remain a fact that games, particularly those that hail from Japan, are considered to be self-evidently perverse by many journalists, as long as they contain 1) women (or girls) and 2) clothing that doesn’t rival the hijab or nun’s habit for sheer conservatism. Rarely is context considered, so anything subversive, satirical, or empowering (because in Japanese stories, sexuality is often considered empowering) is still dismissed as exploitative and demeaning.
So, anyway, this week I’m listing ten games that got slammed unfairly for their depiction of sexuality, and I love them all. If you think that makes me a pervert, then take your gun games and GTAs and stay the hell away from me, you mass murdering lunatic.
