Gaming and Sex

Rob Gallagher, Ashley ML Brown

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This chapter approaches the topic of digital sexualities via the subject of digital games and sexual activity. Rather than trying to provide a chronological account of the intersections between sex and games, it will address the issue via four thematic sections dealing with important areas of research relating to sex and games: sex-as-play-mechanic; cybersex and erotic role play; sex and the single player; and sex and regulatory boards.

The sex-as-play-mechanic section will look at how sex has been designed into games. Addressing the (over)use of sex as a reward mechanic (Kelly 2015), it will also consider alternate ways sex has been included in games’ economies or gameplay - even including LARP systems like Ars Amandi (Wieslander 2004; Stenros 2013). The following section discusses the ways in which sex and games intersect with groups of players. Looking at the topics of cybersex and erotic roleplay, it will focus on how players use the medium of games to play with sexuality and sexual themes and topics (Brown 2015), and at past research which has conceptualised the ways in which games lend themselves to pushing sexuality to the ‘brink’ of social acceptability (Poremba 2007). The next section will look at studies of sex and single player games, looking at how sex is represented in such games (Gallagher 2013), and at how sexual screen displays affect players (Waern 2015). The chapter will end with a discussion of various controversies over the inclusion of sexually explicit content in videogames (Wysocki 2015; Ruggill and McAllister 2015).
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSex in the Digital Age
PublisherRoutledge Taylor & Francis Group
Pages191-200
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9781315446240
ISBN (Print) 9781138214316
Publication statusPublished - 16 Aug 2017

Keywords

  • Digital
  • SEX
  • Video Games

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