Today in class, Cole brought up the point that no one had talked about the “Titillation” chapter from Ian Bogost’s book, and that only several (I believe 20 or so) video games have ever attained the ‘Adults Only’ rating from the MSRP.  More importantly, he raised the question as to whether or not video games will ever get to the point of other pornography medias (such as movies and the internet), or will video game industries continue to strive for the coveted M rating system for their games.  I found this point interesting since pornography is prevalent in all other media types, with the exception of video games.  It makes sense that major video game industries would want to not release any titles with an ‘Adults Only’ rating, as it may sway loyal buyers, especially parents, away from the brand.  However, with pornography being a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States, it is interesting that video games haven’t tried to cash in.

One reason that video games may not have tried to release a pornographic game is that making a video game is much more complicated than making a real life pornographic movie in that it requires much more effort and programming; something that perhaps a whole team of developers would not want to be associated with, especially if they are established.  Also, putting money into a game that may or may not be a success, or rather not even be allowed to be sold, is another inherent risk of making a risqué video game.  However, I believe that pornography will start to spill over into video games (not that I am petitioning for it).  With the vast market of pornographic material already available in other media outlets, it’s hard to believe that video games will not soon be next.  It will take a ‘special’ group of developers, programmers, and a morally loose company to allow such a thing, but pornography will soon be available to play on your home consoles, so make sure to look out for your kids!