Performers working in the games industry have spoken of their distress at being asked to work on explicit content without notice, including a scene featuring a sexual assault.
Sex scenes are common in modern games - and are often made by filming human actors who are then digitised into game characters.
But performers have told the BBC a culture of secrecy around projects - where scripts are often not shared until the last moment - means they frequently do not know in advance that scenes may involve intimate acts.
They describe feeling “shaken” and “upset” after acting them out.
Performing arts union Equity is demanding action from the industry - it has published guides on minimum pay, and working conditions in games, including on intimate or explicit scenes.
Sec scenes are common in modern games?
Y’all I’ve been big into Armored Core 6, Stardew Valley and Factorio lately what have you been up to?
Edit: I’m being flippant, the idea that an actor could have such a thing sprung on them is awful and I hope they get the protections they deserve.
😏 haven’t unlocked the sex scene in Factorio yet I see.
Not only the factory grows!
New NSFW game pitch:
Fucktorio
The bellies must grow
I rail trains every time I play.
Usually the trains are the ones doing the railing at least for me.
Biters want one thing and it’s disgusting
I know you’re being flippant and it definitely is a real issue, but my first reaction was the same. I’ve played plenty of games with some sexual content in them, but never one with sexual violence other than implied, and usually even the consensual scenes were fade to black, or close to fading to black. I was a little surprised to hear that this is going on.
I’ve played GTA: San Andreas, and I don’t think there’s anything overtly sexually explicit in that one (besides the Hot Coffee thing, which still isn’t that bad? It’s simulated sex acts while the characters still wear their clothes). Even Cyberpunk has like two sex scenes (I never went to the joyous besides for that one mission) that you only really see tits from a first-person pov.
Though I realize that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
Baldur’s Gate 3 immediately comes to mind. You can fuck bears and mindflayers in that game.
EDIT: Oh hey, they’re in the article in a good way!
You haven’t lived if you haven’t watched all four sex scenes in Splatoon
If you don’t have mods giving you graphical sex scenes os Stardew Valley, what have you been up to?
Playing path of exile, I’m horrified at the idea of a sex scene
(maven feet though…)
Shadow fucked Piety in lore
Wait wat??
Piety was a prostitute in Oriath. Clarissa tells you about it.
Ooooh, that bitch
For real, this. I’m playing everything from nice fluffy casual games to M rated horrorshows and I don’t remember the last game I played that had a voiced sex scene. A few horror titles or indie games have certainly included sex or even sexual assault, but not voiced.
BG3 is fine and good as noted by another commenter (haven’t actually played it myself), so what games are you guys playing?