Some call it "Girls Gone Wild conquers your PlayStation," but others say it might mean 2004 being remembered as the year the video game died. Either way, The Guy Game from Topheavy Studios, hosted by comedian Matt Sadler, is attracting attention – especially because some see it as close enough to soft-core adult entertainment without the adult rating attached.
"There's not much to review, really," said the Associated Press about The Guy Game, which was released September 1. "Players spend the game in the following manner: Guess the answer to a trivia question, and then guess whether a woman in accompanying footage filmed during spring break on Texas' South Padre Island will get the answer, too. If she's wrong, she must remove her top for an excited off-screen crowd. The more often the player predicts her answer, the more the game removes its digital obscurations."
In fact, the AP said, the game exposes a rating system loophole underscoring just how the system needs a change.
"Like the old X label for movies, 'Adults Only' is the quickest way to sink a game's fortunes," the AP said. "Games with less extreme adult content – violence, occasional nudity and foul language – fall under the 'mature' label, technically for people 17 and older but generally considered acceptable and sold alongside all other games. Though some retailers won't sell these games to kids, they lack the stigma of 'Adults Only.’
“By an impressive feat of persuasion," the news wire continued, "Topheavy Studios managed to win a 'Mature' rating for 'The Guy Game,' puzzling because it is no different from the 'Girls Gone Wild' type of soft-core porn sold to adults only."
Indeed. To visit and see facts, figures, and other information about the game on the Guy Game Website, you need to verify your age as 18 or over before you are allowed to enter. And how often will you necessarily see, for example, Mario Kart reviewed by an adult magazine – as The Guy Game was reviewed by Playboy.com?
"Combine a Girls Gone Wild-type video with trivia games like You Don't Know Jack, and you have The Guy Game, a pop culture trivia challenge – shot on South Padre Island, Texas – that combines brain-teasing with breast-flashing," said the flagship Website of the Playboy empire.
"The Guy Game houses more than 1,000 questions spread over 20 episodes. Completing an episode unlocks additional girls, video clips and other rewards, such as personal cheerleaders who root you on throughout each round," Playboy.com added. "The game features more than 60 girls in all, some of whom appear in the 'Hottie Challenge' bonus rounds which include sack racing, a hula hoop event and topless rope jumping… The Guy Game also includes a built-in drinking game and multiple arcade mini-challenges, such as a virtual Skee-Ball table. Those kinds of gimmicks combined with topless girls wouldn't be enough to recommend this game, but its increasingly tough questions and overall polished presentation make The Guy Game a surprisingly good time."
Topheavy chief executive Jeff Spangenberg, for his part, calls The Guy Game "an instant party disguised as a video game. We're confident that it is a cool and absolutely unique experience because it was created by guys, for guys – complete with stylized game play, user-defined parameters, sizzling uncensored video footage that you actually interact with, and tons of hot topless coeds."
