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The definitive answer on sex and drugs in Age of Conan.
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Dissapointing in some ways...
Oh well this was not really the only point I am interested in this game. Pity they didn't push the boundaries a bit more. This is supposed to be a mature aka adult game after all. I mean bejeezus second life scares the *&$" out of me.
Adult game rating = death of the game. Funcom is in this business to make money.
-Atziluth-
- Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
Probably but by god I would like a game with the depth of a adult movie... and I'm not talking about pornoid, some serious hard hitting choices and issues. Give it time and possibly in europe at least.. maybe just maybe.
$%*^in kids...
Adult game rating = death of the game. Funcom is in this business to make money.
Unfortunately, this is absolutely true. Adult rating means that outfits like Wal-Mart will not touch it, which kills retail distribution for all practical purposes.
Funcom is not a charity. It's a business. They're not going to kill their product's mass distribution.
CH, Jedi, Commando, Smuggler, BH, Scout, Doctor, Chef, BE...yeah, lots of SWG time invested.
Once a denizen of Ahazi
Probably but by god I would like a game with the depth of a adult movie... and I'm not talking about pornoid, some serious hard hitting choices and issues. Give it time and possibly in europe at least.. maybe just maybe.
$%*^in kids...
You can have depth and meaningful decisions in a game without getting an adult rating. Drama has nothing to do with adult content as much as situations and environment. I find game communities create more drama then any developer ever could. Join a guild sometime that has been around for a year or more then suddenly breaks up. The range of emotions and the theatrical performances put on by some of the members would rival oscar winners. There are people that go to jail and die over these games... that is hard to top as a developer.
-Atziluth-
- Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
I dont need topless women in a MMO, but i hope they stick with the "R" rated game i have been waiting for. And not begin to take away all kinnda features because some persons (maybe not even players) cant stand the idea of not having control...
I don't need to see boobies either. I just 69'd with a Moonkin the other night. If you want to play around in any game, you can. Of course there is always Red Light Center for those of you who can't find sex in rl.
Yeah ... you can but I would like some specific adult topics explored in games for those gamers that are older. Conan is getting a "mature" rating so why not push the boat out a bit. At the moment many games are like going to see a freaking disney moive (the bad ones) and they dare talk about charector development and plots. Oblivion was a big let down for this and morrowind obviously has a much more dark, mature and complicated plot. Oblivion is plot lite and cliche and rather dull. You dont evern get the option of helping the bad guy unlike morrowind.
I doubt the game will ever has the mass appeal of WoW or War or other some such candyfloss games. I'd would also like to see games with more depth and yeah this doesn't mean adult themes. Though its nice to have the option to move into a darker more adult storyline for some narrative threads.
Internet communities drama.. I think you mean melodrama more like!
It's quite interesting actually.
I know a number of us are looking forward to a game which -is- aimed at adults. Saying an AO rating will kill the game is just plain wrong.
If the game -doesn't- offer more adult content (not just nekkidness) then it won't have any appeal to many and will remain just a nich player.
Who cares if Wal-Mart won't carry it. Big deal. I order most of my games online anyway, saves some money, and I'm not an "impulse" buy gamer.
See, that's what the world really needs. Givf moonkin prOn
I'm a big ol' fluffy carewolf. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
who are these "adult gamers" that you speak of?
I'm sorry but i don't know any adult who would actually care about seeing a bunch of topless women hoping around in their mmorpgs. Sure the female form is attractive, and every guy wants to see it. But the issue is, nudity, and super gore, and all that sort of thing are there to grab teenagers. A game does not need to be overly explicit to be "adult" or "dark". And being overly explicit is just a way to seem "cool" and to draw attention.
It's really easy to make players feel scared when theres blood and body parts everywhere, naked body parts. It's easy to make it feel dark and horrible the same way too. But truely adult/scary/dark games/movies are the ones that make you feel the same way, only without the over the top stuff. Just like sex scenes in movies, personally i find them disgusting. It's a cheap thrill for audiences and it's stupid and over the top.
Now If AoC is using these cheap thrills(i haven't played the full game, as i bet little of you have either) Then it's not going to be something i'm interested in.
ARE YOU CRAZY? Conan is about cheap thrills. I am a 27 year old lawyer and I want topless women running around. I LIKE sex scenes in movies and so do many other adults. Sex sells, there is no denying that, unless your in the bible belt or something.
Are you a Pavlovian Fish Biscuit Addict? Get Help Now!
I will play no more MMORPGs until somethign good comes out!
Hmm... the adult gamers that are fed up of anime type characters/ pointy ears/ female models with "out of this world" boob to hip ratio's - wearing skin coloured gear. You know the ones with huge eyes and the cutsy look set in a cartoon environment.
You must play on your own then if you don't know any adult who would like something different.
Gore, Blood, Scantly Clad women, Prositution, Slavery, War and Ambition are all part of the lore some 75 years old now.
You did read that it isn't explicit? No explicit Sex with other players, no showing of genitals.
3 years ago these were what was said, that Funcom wanted to be included in the game, its no secret. They wanted to do the lore justice. To make a game in this rich and varied world.
Its funny how you think this is all Age of Conan is, it shows your truly lacking in knowledge about the game.
Lets see... Here is a scenario I see happening in AoC;
"You enter a dungeon, its dark, grim, the textures on the walls and rocks are the most detailed you have seen in an mmorpg. A thin veil of light filters through a crack in the ceiling as you walk further, deeper into the dungeon. You pass some torches, you pause to appreciate the detail as the flames flicker, with the ambient fitting music playing.
As you appreciate the environment your in, you suddenly realise you and your party are under attack from a giant demon many times your size. One of your group, a female runs past, sword in hand and she is kitted out in full cimmerian banded armor - not much of it on her! (did that bother you? not me....) I watch in admiration as she pulls off a deadly series of combos against the giant demon boss. Blood splashes from the demons wounds as her sword strikes the final deadly blow. " Did the lack of her clothes really put me off playing? No.
Topless nudity is something quite common in most places in the world. http://www.thesun.co.uk/ UK national newspaper, "Page 3" - topless women every day on page 3, sold on news stands and stores anyone can pick it up. The south of France and Spain have many dozens of miles of nude beaches. Breast shown in Titanic rated PG-13, one the most heavily grossing films ever. We have seen comic books, music and films where by some have raised an eyebrow and might be seen as controversial.
Retailers have sold "R", "NC-17", PG-13 and older PG movies showing nudity for several decades without generating an equivalent level of moral panic in doing so, and the moral problem they claim to have over video games with nudity is seen as hypocritical by alot of people. This is because video games have a rating system pretty much the same as the movie rating system, the two are analogous.
Who are the Adult Gamers?
ESA Facts: http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php
"The average game player is 33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years."
"The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 38 years old. In 2007, 92 percent of computer game buyers and 80 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18."
"Thirty-eight percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (31%) than boys age 17 or younger (20%)."
"In 2007, 24 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999"
"In 2005, only 14% of games sold were rated “Mature (M),” as compared to the 85% of games sold rated “Everyone (E)”, “Teen (T)”, or Everyone 10+ (E10+) [49% rated “E”, 32% rated “T”, and 4% rated "E10+"]."
For PC users - "Fifty-eight percent of online game players are male." "Forty-two percent of online game players are female."
Don't you think that out of those 42% of female PC game players some play mmo's - and might possibly want to take control of a female avatar in a mature rated game (I cant think of many previous mature rated mmorpg's before) in the way that it looks in Age of Conan?
I think so from what I've seen and read. So does my wife and her sister who fits into that demograph as well as thier friends, and some 30 or so females in the guild im in - who are all sick and tired of the cutsy dis-proportioned avatar you commonly see in games today. The Guild Hall in AoC official forums offers quite a few pre established guild / clans already and females of all ages are quite prevalant in the numbers listed on some of the guilds own forums.
Age of Conan even though it is not released yet has caught the attention of the female populous, and those that delve further past all the testosterone to look further - will see that the character customisation screen is very, VERY customisable!
You don't have to have big boobs and a small waist. The point your clearly missing is from the female perspective, and what they want or if they are interested. eg. http://missvideogame.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Age-of-Conan-Beta!.html&Itemid=64
If you want to go back to the rating standard site you will see the facts. Most PC gamers are adults, whether you think that this game appeals to teenagers is fine, but its aimed and will be promoted for the adult gamer. The larger percentage of the PC gamer is Adult, the larger buyer of PC games is Adult, nearly as many women play PC games as Men, 38% of all game players are women and women over the age of 18 represent 31% of the game playing population - with boys aged 17 or younger at 20%. -
The ESA is just a U.S. Organisation. However, say read this a PDF file - Womens and Games study by University of Madrid, Spain and you might see from the findings - "It is possible that some videogames described as violent recommended for people over 18 years old, have some significant scenes, but women have clearly expressed that these contents are not worse than the one contained on TV programs and films (also ranked for people over 18 years old)"
You will also see it says: "Three recent studies referred to the North American market give us information of the increasing importance of women in the videogame sector: In April of 2006, the New York Times published the conclusions of the study of Consumer Electronics Association of the U.S.A., according to which, in spite of the majority of men videogamers, women of ages between 25 and 34 years old are majority (65% are women as opposed to 35% men in that range of age). In October of this same year, a study of the prestigious consulting company Nielsen Entertainment revealed that 64% of the North American online video gamers are women."
In relation to gender swapping in game you guys should read this: Another PDF file Stereo Type of Online Games – Includes Gender Swapping In Game and % amount
The site for Europe: More Date For Europe
Basically I don't give a shit if you read all of this or not - I had it all at hand for something else
But one thing is clear Adult Gamers are out there, and the industy monitors all over the world recognise this. There is also a growing interest in AoC from the female gamer populous - proven to be Substantial numbers. Alot of polled female gamers arent put off by mature themes either comparing them equal to what they see in other media. It's also of my opinion that the market has more adult gamers than kids, kids dressing up in a barbie doll to get kicks will happen but not as much as you or other people think. Taking this approach to "knock" the game kinda shows your immaturity, and lack of knowledge of the female PC gamer population. It's a massive market compared to horny teenage boys...
Apologies for length, Oh and yea, I met my 34yr old wife in an Online Game - an Adult Gamer.
Probably but by god I would like a game with the depth of a adult movie... and I'm not talking about pornoid, some serious hard hitting choices and issues. Give it time and possibly in europe at least.. maybe just maybe.
$%*^in kids...
When you say 'adult movie', what do you mean?
Im sure she looks 21 as well!!!
Point I was trying to make is that the female gamer is a huge percentage of the playerbase for online PC games these days, and when talking specifics about the topless nudity in AoC, we should also especially take into consideration the female perspective. Granted, on the face of it, the game looks very male orientated, however, the lore supports both strong male and female leads.
I think the fact that the female (and male) models are scable in the customisation, to the extent that they are, bodes well in appealing to the other gender here.
Now, lets hope the gameplay is deep and intricate enough to hold us all for a long time to come! Its certainly looking good from my perspective so far, and Im glad there isnt any explicit sex in and that players can't "get it on" with each other.
I think Funcom's depiction of having the ability to have both strong looking female and male characters is awesome!
Conan is a fantasy-world that we know has a very macho appeal, and computer-games are usually predominately male. Putting these two together, we can't say that we expect Age of Conan to be any more successful in attracting female players than other MMOs. Age of Conan does have an age-limit however, which we can hope will ensure a greater maturity of the general player. The fact that the game does not have to cater to everyone of all ages is something we consider to be one of the strongest points of the game. Perhaps having an older host of players will help get the attention of more women.
edit: spell error
In my experience female gamers care more for how the female avatars look than the male ones. Actually i would bet they couldnt care less about how the male models look
I think your right, but this did make me laugh on the official boards: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=39172
Male Gamer:
Plays Male: Natural instinct
Plays Female: Pervert
Female Gamer:
Plays Female: Natural instinct
Plays Male: Doesn't want to be hit on.
Yes I know it's a very broad generalisation, but goddam it's so often true.
O_o o_O
Either sex-
Plays male: Likes to look at male ass for hours
Plays female: Likes to look at female ass for hours
Remember, herr Sigmund Freud believes the human drive is lust, rather than knowledge
On a slightly more serious note; Age of Conan may actually be the first game I will *not* play a female as standard, due to boobs & sex becoming a tad too... "realistic", if you will. And I'm male myself, just for reference
Now playing: City of Heroes/Villains, Age of Conan
Played: Eve, Hg:L, Vanguard, WoW, FFXI, Planetside, Neocron, Battlezone, EQII, AO, CoX, AA, DDO
I win at Vanguard.
Good question cause it threw me. I didn't want to write a massive list but I tried to think of a movie which hit the nail spot on the head. Adult yet fantasy and contextualized to a particular setting.
I 'd really need to gather my friends together and generate a list, might try this on Saturday night. Sadly Hollywood movies are not exactly throwing themeselves at me... afriad the movie I'll suggest is European
. However the movie which are sticking out for being bloody, contextualized, adult themed fantasy which isn't typical tits and boobs is : Pans Labyrinth.
*In some ways an odd choice* BUT its stands out. If AOC could develop *its own* style ( or book related) but at this level of a sophisticated setting along with adult themes not done to hollywood "adult" silliness then I'd be happy.
Anyone thats not seen it and can read subtiles.. yes *read*... its a fantastic movie!
Nice, yes, but I suspect that 90% of AoC’s population will be "female" and that’s kind of ............
Well all i know is that in every single one of the Conan short stories written by howard there is a naked or scantily clad woman in it. So just as long as people dont overdo it, i like the idea of toplessness because it sticks to the lore.
However im sure people will over do it and create a female guild that requires no top or something ridiculous and then name themselves something stupid. That will destroy the conan "feel" for me.