While many in the videogame and movie industries tout the marriage of Hollywood and games, in some respects, the videogame industry and adult entertainment aren’t always compatible. For developers of adult content, the mantra is “fast and cheap.” In videogames, it’s “time-consuming and expensive.” This summer at the Sex in Video Games Conference, to be held June 8 and 9 in San Francisco, developers of adult content and mature videogames will search for that lucrative middle ground.
Despite their inability to share shelf space at retail outlets with other videogames, sexually themed games such as Playboy: The Mansion, The Singles 2: Triple Trouble, and Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude are becoming increasingly popular. Online sexually themed games were used to promote everything from condoms to deodorant to beer, and free, erotic, flash games experienced millions of downloads. Perhaps 2005’s most significant sexually themed release was the joint venture between 3DXtreme and Jenna Jameson: Virtually Jenna. Ron Jeremy followed suit, releasing his own line of cell phone games earlier this year though Kitten Digital.
And the market shows no signs of slowing. Bolstered by the creation of a Sex Special Interest Group within the International Game Developers Association, better technology, and easy access to broadband Internet, several massively multiplayer online erotic games (MMOEGs) are currently in development, including Naughty America: The Game, whose developers hope to duplicate the success of mainstream games like World of Warcraft.
Most purveyors in the adult industry eventually will reach out to professional game developers and designers in the process of creating adult-themed videogames, says game designer and President of Black Love Interactive Kelly Rued, whose company is making its own MMOEG, Rapture Online. Rued also believes the collaboration will produce unique offerings that can only arise from pairing the two industries. “We might see more interesting FMV and live-action adult content in interactive entertainment experiences online,” Rued says “The webcam space looks particularly ripe for a cam-focused gameplay experience with live pay performers in the mix with virtual lap dances and so on. So, perhaps when skilled game developers are working with adult industry talent, we’ll finally see some live-action interactive titles that deliver on the gameplay side.”
The opportunities for those in adult entertainment are many: games bring tremendous licensing possibilities, a means to sell content to broader markets, and the ability to make content interactive. For game developers, the adult industry offers an endless supply of content and knowledge as well as crossover marketing potential. MMOEG worlds can become portals through which sex toys (both real and virtual) and movies are sold. In some virtual worlds like Second Life, sales of virtual sex toys, objects, and even genitalia are booming.
A veteran of the sex-in-games scene, Peter Payne of JAST USA, has been selling English-language versions of Japanese “dating sim” games for several years. “Ever since the first color computers appeared in Japan, there have been dating sim games,” says Payne. “Basically, [they’re] PC games for adults in which you, the game’s usually-male character, move through the game story and interact with female characters, finding out what to do to make each girl let you have sex with her.” Payne estimates that dating sims account for $6 million in annual sales and are sold primarily through the Internet, anime shops, and comic conventions. “We’re really hoping for growth in the adult retail segment,” says Payne, “since our products are perfect for these shops—an extensive line of PC games in which the customer can play for hours and hours interacting with beautiful anime-style characters, trying to win their hearts and get them in bed. Everyone’s got a PC, everyone in the shop is an adult—it’s a perfect product.”
The merging of industries – be it through licensing, content, development partnerships, or distribution – is perhaps inevitable, and on some fronts, already has begun. While the high cost of creating games remains a big issue, many developers still generate ideas. At the Sex in Video Games Conference, undoubtedly, they’ll develop even more.
Brenda Brathwaite is a 23-year veteran of the videogame industry who has participated in the development of numerous games, including the award-winning Wizardry and Jagged alliance series, as well as Playboy:TheMansion. She is an active member of the IGDA and founder and chair of its Sexuality in Games SIG. Her book, Sex in Video Games, will be released by Charles River Media in the fall. Contact her at [email protected].
