What do women think of female armor in MMORPG's?

MMO.Maverick

It's something that has me curious for a while now: the armor for female characters in MMORPG's.

 

Yes, I know the adagium, 'sex sells', and they're games, not based on reality, but really, when you look at a lot of the skimpy outfits in a lot of the MMORPG's, like also the latest one TERA, then you have to wonder:  what are they protecting against?

The only thing I can realistically think of is mosquitos flying in unwanted holes, but certainly the armor is no real protection against sharp swords and arrows. A few strips of leather or metal as armor is stretching believability, it makes one wonder that with one slash it'd all fall off anyway (now that'd add a new dimension to combat, armor that would get rent and removed when damaged enough in fights).

 

MMORPG's are not that unique in this image of women running around scantily clad, we've grown used to it in all kinds of advertisement, in music video clips (R&B and Britney Spears-type singers), and also in other singleplayer games. You certainly won't hear the majority of men complain about it - although, if the armor for male chars would become as sexy and skimpy so they'd have to run around as gigolo strippers I'm guessing a lot of male players would find it too 'gay' for their taste.

 

But I wonder: what do girl/woman gamers think of it, the female chars often having to run around in armor that's sometimes nothing more than a enhanced bikini set, while the male chars have more suitable armor?

 

And to the male gamers, would you care if the armor of male chars would undergo a 'sexification' and make you run around as a Chippendale stripper, or could you care less since it's pixels, nothing else?

Makikou

Yes, i know this question isnt posted for men to answer, but im still answering.

 

There are two different art styles on MMORPG games, Asian and European. Asian style has always been that better armor = less clothes etc., European is better armor = more armor

I have to admit though i like playing as Female characters because they often look better^^

MMO.Maverick

True, essentially I'm wondering how female gamers see this skimpy-armor phenomenon in MMORPG's - if they'd noticed it at all, if they find it objectifying, or just the usual run-of-the-mill like it is with all other games and advertisments and videoclips and so on.

But I also put in the question how male gamers think of it if it would happen, armor for male characters being made sexy and less covering.

 

So, the thread and poll is not restricted to only female posters all who like can fill it in or post.

Ihmotepp

Originally posted by cyphers

 

 

Yes, I know the adagium, 'sex sells', and they're games, not based on reality, but really, when you look at a lot of the skimpy outfits in a lot of the MMORPG's, like also the latest one TERA, then you have to wonder:  what are they protecting against?

The only thing I can realistically think of is mosquitos flying in unwanted holes, but certainly the armor is no real protection against sharp swords and arrows. A few strips of leather or metal as armor is stretching believability, it makes one wonder that with one slash it'd all fall off anyway (now that'd add a new dimension to combat, armor that would get rent and removed when damaged enough in fights).

 

 

You can shoot lightning bolts from your finger tips. You can fly with wings. You can teleport across the world. You can turn yourself invisible. You can wield a sword that can burst into flames, and kill a dragon. You can mesmerize creatures so they are stopped in their tracks. You can shoot a laser gun, or fly a space ship that can travel across the galaxy.

And you can't make magic armor that protects without covering? Or you can't make armor that produces a forcefield, instead of covering your body with metal?

Bikini Armor is magic, or technology. Just like flaming swords, teleporting, or shooting lightning out of your fingertips, or shooting a laser gun.

 

It's also been around in comics, book covers, movies, etc., long before MMORPGs and the home computer.

 

Cherise

I don't mind a small amount of skin exposed to make it fashionable but I really dislike the Tera "armor" you linked.  I want to be mostly covered as the males are so it feels like actual armor rather than a strip club outfit.

bastionix

I don't care either way.

Treekodar

Guy posting. I must say that while it's never really bothered me it's definitely not something I find interesting to look at. However came up with 'the bigger the boobs the better' must have suffered from a serious case of Oedipus complex.

kikan1

Guy Posting

Well i don't really mind, as long as the avatars look good. But one feature i havn't seen so far, is to change the size of a womens chest and butt. But i have a feeling that wont happen, but i wouldnt mind if it did :P

Senadina

As a female, I am as used to seeing skimpily clad women as the rest of our society. As you pointed out, it isn't just games, but all popular media.

However, occasionally it pushes the boundaries even for a jaded individual like me. Case in point: Aion. The female toons had to fight in high heels for god's sake. And there was no escaping looking like a hooker. Now that was more a consequence of design than amount of armor.

If I had my choice, I would like women and men to look equally protected by armor. But in the end, it isn't worth getting bothered about.

cyrana

I don't mind it for the most part - sexy clothes in a game are fine for me.

However, I hate the high heels and similar stupid stuff in some MMOs lately and I really hate the armour in the TERA game. Oddly enough I didn't mind some of the sexier outfits in Age of Conan though, so just a personal preference of course (no high heels thee tho).

Ihmotepp

Originally posted by Treekodar

Guy posting. I must say that while it's never really bothered me it's definitely not something I find interesting to look at. However came up with 'the bigger the boobs the better' must have suffered from a serious case of Oedipus complex.

 

Just because your Mom has big boobs doesn't mean everyone's Mom has big boobs. If you have an Oedipus complex and your Mom has small boobs, then you'd want a girl with small boobs, just like Mom.

Get your complexes straight.

orangerascal

Protip: Contrary to popular belief, some girls actually like it when you treat them like sex objects and vice versa. It's part of our evolution ... enjoy the ride.

Ihmotepp

The solution is of course adequate opportunity for customization.

Give both men and women the opportunity to customize their characters and look like armored tanks without even their eyes showing, or sex objects with barely the naughty bits covered.

City of Heroes had a great deal of customization, and you saw pretty much everything, but lots, and lots, and lots of skimpy outfits.

Certainly many of those players with female characters in skimpy outfits were guys, but that's also an option of customization that many players like.

Girls can play male toons and cover up with armor, guys can play female toons in bikinis, whatever floats your boat. It's a game after all, not eharmony or match.com.

Qazz

I'm a guy, so take this for what it's worth...my wife is a gamer and I've heard her joke about how little her armor covers, but I can assure you that she doesn't mind looking that sexy in game at all.  It's not offensive to as many women as one might think.

Although skimpy armor is totally unrealistic...I mean, if a REAL ELF WITH MAGIC wore that armor, she'd get hurt real bad.

robprins

A bit of skin or taunting is fine (i can be a flirt..).

Tight pants, hot pants, short skirts are fine (i`d wear them irl) but i wouldnt walk around in just a thong all day now would I?

Aion had lots of armor at the edge of the line for me (just a few over) and seems they might have taken it 1 step further now.

 

I won`t boycot the game for it, but its getting a bit out of hand. Won`t be long till that armor gets replaced with full nudity, from the slutty image towards the cheap desperate whore type..

 

Come on artists, lets have women keep some dignity, or at least the choice!

 

generals3

Originally posted by cyphers

It's something that has me curious for a while now: the armor for female characters in MMORPG's.

 

Yes, I know the adagium, 'sex sells', and they're games, not based on reality, but really, when you look at a lot of the skimpy outfits in a lot of the MMORPG's, like also the latest one TERA, then you have to wonder:  what are they protecting against?

The only thing I can realistically think of is mosquitos flying in unwanted holes, but certainly the armor is no real protection against sharp swords and arrows. A few strips of leather or metal as armor is stretching believability, it makes one wonder that with one slash it'd all fall off anyway (now that'd add a new dimension to combat, armor that would get rent and removed when damaged enough in fights).

 

MMORPG's are not that unique in this image of women running around scantily clad, we've grown used to it in all kinds of advertisement, in music video clips (R&B and Britney Spears-type singers), and also in other singleplayer games. You certainly won't hear the majority of men complain about it - although, if the armor for male chars would become as sexy and skimpy so they'd have to run around as gigolo strippers I'm guessing a lot of male players would find it too 'gay' for their taste.

 

But I wonder: what do girl/woman gamers think of it, the female chars often having to run around in armor that's sometimes nothing more than a enhanced bikini set, while the male chars have more suitable armor?

 

And to the male gamers, would you care if the armor of male chars would undergo a 'sexification' and make you run around as a Chippendale stripper, or could you care less since it's pixels, nothing else?

I just can't stand the sight of it and is one of the reasons i'll never play an Asian art style MMO . It's stupid , makes no sense and tbh takes away any possible RP'ing/immersion . How can you immerse in a world where you have so called armor that doesn't even protect half the body and yet magically manages to be as strong as male armor...

 

"You can shoot lightning bolts from your finger tips. You can fly with wings. You can teleport across the world. You can turn yourself invisible. You can wield a sword that can burst into flames, and kill a dragon. You can mesmerize creatures so they are stopped in their tracks. You can shoot a laser gun, or fly a space ship that can travel across the galaxy.

And you can't make magic armor that protects without covering? Or you can't make armor that produces a forcefield, instead of covering your body with metal?"

And how does that make sense ? Why carry any armor at all than , its just extra bulk and waste of mobility for nothing. And why do male still wear full armor if its magic and so on ?

If what you say would apply every character should be naked  .While it was a nice attempt i don't think there is any possible excuse for the fail female armor in asian MMo's apart from it feeding horny teenagers

error_404

I chose no. 4 "Don't care, fully clothed, barely clothed..."



Gaming is, for me, just an extension of fantasy as a whole. D&D, books, art, most of which have portrayed females in the classic chainmail bikini ever since it began. I don't find it offensive, I don't find nudity offensive, pixel or real. Sure the skimpy gear wouldn't protect in a real battle, but for fantasy purposes most armor would be magical and if someone wanted to run around in a +5 g-string (thong) and pasties it wouldn't bug me.



I play male and female characters, fully clothed, half-naked, big/small, ugly/beautiful. I just go with whatever looks cool to me at the time.



Female gamer btw

xephonics

I know my wife loves the sexy/skimpy armor in games like lineage 2 and Aion.  Hell she really likes the armor in that Blade and Soul game as well.

dlld

Here's some screens of the male of the same race in OP

http://tera-online.cc/uploads/gallery/main/54/castanic_m_l14.jpg

http://tera-online.cc/uploads/gallery/main/54/castanic_m_l05.jpg

 

But i would argue that the males are already "sexified" just as much as the females when they are completely covered in armor. How many males look like budy builders and are able to do the stuff they generally are able to do in games completely covered with probably half a ton of steel? Not to mention the weapons.

Just because they aren't showing skin doesn't mean they aren't "sexified".

Produde

Originally posted by dlld

Here's some screens of the male of the same race in OP

http://tera-online.cc/uploads/gallery/main/54/castanic_m_l14.jpg

http://tera-online.cc/uploads/gallery/main/54/castanic_m_l05.jpg

 

But i would argue that the males are already "sexified" just as much as the females when they are completely covered in armor. How many males look like budy builders and are able to do the stuff they generally are able to do in games completely covered with probably half a ton of steel? Not to mention the weapons.

Just because they aren't showing skin doesn't mean they aren't "sexified".

http://tera-online.cc/uploads/gallery/main/54/castanic_m_l14.jpg

http://tera-online.cc/uploads/gallery/main/54/castanic_m_l05.jpg

scuubeedoo

Originally posted by orangerascal

Protip: Contrary to popular belief, some girls actually like it when you treat them like sex objects and vice versa. It's part of our evolution ... enjoy the ride.

But how does this relate to this thread?

Do you mean that these female characters we are creating, might like us? Or that there is a small minority of real life women that will value more a guy that plays an almost naked female toon on a video game, over a guy that plays a non-naked female toon on a video game?

Cause sorry but i don't think any of these are true. I believe, the last thing that such a woman would had in mind for being treated like a sex object, is watcing a guy playing naked female toons on a video game... I agree with what you wrote, but i don't think it's relevant to the thread and video games.

---

I see it like this: When i watch porn i don't have to play a game, which would be irritating, so why game developers think that i should be watching porn while playing their games? A game is supposed to entairtain yourself, not to sexually arouse you. So let me concetrate on the gameplay please.

Philby

I went with number 4. Dont care.  We are talking fantasy games here.  Healer classes are usually limited to cloth armor anyway. Is a cloth robe going to protect a Priest from a sword or dragon fire damgage anymore than a thong would? 

Lobotomist

I am not woman. But I dont see why would a woman hate sexy/skimpy armor?

You dont like to be sexy (i mean your avatar) ?

If answer is no (and its not for roleplay purposes) than you have some serious self hate issues.

I think that only offended party here are not woman, but puritans.

uquipu

.
LotRO does not have chain mail bikinis, btw

Ihmotepp

Originally posted by generals3

Originally posted by cyphers

It's something that has me curious for a while now: the armor for female characters in MMORPG's.

 

Yes, I know the adagium, 'sex sells', and they're games, not based on reality, but really, when you look at a lot of the skimpy outfits in a lot of the MMORPG's, like also the latest one TERA, then you have to wonder:  what are they protecting against?

The only thing I can realistically think of is mosquitos flying in unwanted holes, but certainly the armor is no real protection against sharp swords and arrows. A few strips of leather or metal as armor is stretching believability, it makes one wonder that with one slash it'd all fall off anyway (now that'd add a new dimension to combat, armor that would get rent and removed when damaged enough in fights).

 

MMORPG's are not that unique in this image of women running around scantily clad, we've grown used to it in all kinds of advertisement, in music video clips (R&B and Britney Spears-type singers), and also in other singleplayer games. You certainly won't hear the majority of men complain about it - although, if the armor for male chars would become as sexy and skimpy so they'd have to run around as gigolo strippers I'm guessing a lot of male players would find it too 'gay' for their taste.

 

But I wonder: what do girl/woman gamers think of it, the female chars often having to run around in armor that's sometimes nothing more than a enhanced bikini set, while the male chars have more suitable armor?

 

And to the male gamers, would you care if the armor of male chars would undergo a 'sexification' and make you run around as a Chippendale stripper, or could you care less since it's pixels, nothing else?

I just can't stand the sight of it and is one of the reasons i'll never play an Asian art style MMO . It's stupid , makes no sense and tbh takes away any possible RP'ing/immersion . How can you immerse in a world where you have so called armor that doesn't even protect half the body and yet magically manages to be as strong as male armor...

 

"You can shoot lightning bolts from your finger tips. You can fly with wings. You can teleport across the world. You can turn yourself invisible. You can wield a sword that can burst into flames, and kill a dragon. You can mesmerize creatures so they are stopped in their tracks. You can shoot a laser gun, or fly a space ship that can travel across the galaxy.

And you can't make magic armor that protects without covering? Or you can't make armor that produces a forcefield, instead of covering your body with metal?"

And how does that make sense ? Why carry any armor at all than , its just extra bulk and waste of mobility for nothing. And why do male still wear full armor if its magic and so on ?

If what you say would apply every character should be naked  .While it was a nice attempt i don't think there is any possible excuse for the fail female armor in asian MMo's apart from it feeding horny teenagers

 

Just because you have  a ring of +1 protection doesn't mean I do.

My plate mail armor made of steel may not protect me as much as your enchanted adamantium with the Blessing from the Goddess of Shutthefuckup.

It's fantasy for God's sake.

StarlightJun

I think the sexy armors in the games is kind of funny. I guess I am used to it so I dont get mad or anything. But its stupid if you wear that for real. But in the game it is kind of funny and my character is hot! Haha. And I think it would be funny if guys had sexy armor in the games too.