I understand that the creatures are fake and all, but the point that I'm trying to make is that while there will be people who have a problem with it, and it isn't necessarily something I agree with myself, I don't think it merits as much attention as it is given, especially when you are more concerned over not getting injured. Another thing I forgot to type was that when she doesn't have as many clothes, it's not that hot anyway unless you are into BDSM, because her body itself is not exempt from damage, so there are bloody cuts and some odd white stuff..... I'm not sure what it is.

I just want people to actually play the game before saying how wrong they think it is, you know? I'm sure there are videos on YouTube, so if people aren't worried over being spoiled, they should check it out to see what is really going on. But thanks for your comment, and for welcoming me back!! I forgot my username, and at the moment, my computer is busted, so let's see for how long. 

Your username appears to be rodrick_rules. Is that all you needed?

Yeah. When I was creating a new account, the registration said that the email was already in use, so I used the "Forgot Password" thing in the hopes that it would tell me what my username was, and it showed up in the email.

Hmm...well if Aya is using some sort of avatar, then the clothes ripping mechanic appears a bit unnecesary. But I'll say this--it's far from gratuitous, especially when compared to "fan service" titles like DOA: Extreme Beach Volleyball, Rumble Roses, or various others.

Oh good, so you've got it all under control now? If not let me know and I'll try to figure it out.

This is going to sound a little strange but i'm just going to say it because it's relevant.

I never did feel that up in arms about visually provacative depictions of the female form in games for numerous reasons, but one of my most simple understandings of the matter is the fact that i'm a guy with gender identity issues. When I look at an attractive woman the fact that they are attractive is a reason why I envy females enough to have issues with my own gender role.

To act as if that showing off the attractiveness of women is always degrading to them never seemed to ring true to me. When I watched the move "Ghost in the Shell" I didn't think the main character the major was any less strong or independant or any more of a sex object dispite nudity being a common theme in that. The theme of the nude female body in that movie was mostly an artistic choice.

I'm not claiming that some depictions of women in scantily clad clothing aren't duhumanizing and insensitive, but it's a two part problem. The sexualization of women combined with the stereotyping of their personalities and disempowering of their importance or ability to do things. The latter of the two is the much bigger problem and much more sexist.

I will take a scantily clad woman that is intelligent and capable over a reasonably dressed woman that is useless and subservient to a man. That's much better progress then dressing all women in t shirts and jeans and still having them be shrill, stupid, envious of men, or weak.

How many male characters lose their clothing in an obviously titillating way? More seriously, though, one could reasonably argue that Aya's depiction in The 3rd Birthday is part of a pattern in video games that embraces "the male gaze." (See: Laura Mulvey's "[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Pleasure_and_Narrative_Cinema]Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema[/url]," which is a cornerstone of feminist film theory and media studies. I offer Metriod: Other M and Bayonetta as recent examples.)

Until the male-to-female ratio of gamers levels out a bit more, we aren't going to see any more sensible depictions of women in games. The largest gaming demographic is males in their mid to late 20's. Now, I'm as hot-blooded of a male as the next guy, so things like these really don't grind my gears all that much. Although, I don't think I've ever found a video game character sexually appealing, quite personally. It's just silly to me, so I ignore it.

What irks me is when the gaming community presumes that the mis-representation of women in games is almost entirely to blame on the casual audience (and the previously mentioned demographic), when there is an equal amount of hardcore gamers that find the same tricks appealing. Hell, even the industry itself gives in to such juvenile imagery; GDC is an event centered around industry folks and yet it's quite common to see "booth babes" around the Moscone Center.

Part of me wonders if the industry only shows "concern" over this in order to distract from the fact that they are the ones perpetuating it.

Also, and an important thing that people forget, is the fact that a lot of these less-than-admirable representations of women come from Japanese games. This is a culture that not only continues to view women as second-class citizens, but also actively belittles and surpresses them on a regular basis in their entertainment and in reality.

Ryan, the demographics are a lot closer than you think. See the ESA's 2009 [url=http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2009.pdf]report[/url]: 40% of players are women; women 18 and older are a larger proportion (34%) of the gaming population than boys age 17 and younger (18%); and 48% of game purchasers are women.

Actually, I take that back. You're right; I seem to keep assuming that women don't play games as much as men, simply because they don't play the same types of games.

What do you know: It's holier-than-thou-Rob spouting some more bullshit. If that many females truly played core games, then where are they? If you've ever been to PAX, you'll notice that there are relatively few females -- I'd say less than 5%. How many females do you see purchasing games at stores such as Gamestop? Not too many. How many women did you know in high school or at your university that played games? I knew none that would openly admit to playing. If that 40% is real (which I don't think it is), these women should start admitting to playing games instead of acting like it's a hobby for anti-social nerds.

Also, if you've taken any statistics classes, you'd know that many studies aren't statistically sound and don't use appropriate sample sizes. Any group can pull something out of their ass to promote a cause.

Go on and give yourself a pat on the back since you're the only man who's never looked at a woman in a sexual way. Maybe you should remain celebate for your life and join the priesthood.

So, Caleb, you criticize the findings of the industry's official trade association...by only offering your own ancedotal observations? Am I supposed to take you seriously?

Yes, I do criticize them because their data isn't verifiable. It's convenient that you ignored my comment about PAX. I've been to the show multiple times and each year the female turnout is pathetically low. If  40% of gamers truly are women, then you'd think a show geared towards gamers would reflect that. I'll take the experience of large groups of gamers over unverifiable data of the ESA anyday. So, do you take US politicians seriously too?

Caleb - Female turnout is "pathetically low" at PAX because the show is completely mobbed by smelly males with poor hygiene who give them far too much unwanted and unsolicited attention. If you were a female, would you want to go there?

Also, this is the second time you've insulted Rob. Feel free to disagree with him, but leave the name-calling back in grade school where it belongs or you're going to lose your posting privileges.

Jay - A reminder of your roots: Before you joined staff, you'd frequently go out of your way to insult people in the comments sections. I guess now that you're high and mighty you can't tolerate dissenting opinions?

But to get to the point -- female turnout is low because of hygiene? So you're saying that there aren't any bad smelling women out there? I beg to differ.

Anyway, I go anywhere I want. It doesn't matter if the people around me aren't like me. I'm not like most of the people who grew up in the suburbs that attend PAX, but that doesn't stop me from going. So there are some smelly-ass people there. So what? I just play games and attend shows. I don't care what other people do.

Not every gamer is a "hardcore" gamer ingrained into the typical PAX culture. The ESA study certainly covered gaming in lots of "untraditional" markets. It probably included iPhone gaming, "social" gaming, and so on.

Maybe a large portion of the people who attend PAX are male, but are they an accurate representation of who actually plays games? I thought places like that were for passionate gamers who love the culture, not a weighted sample of every gamer out there. I'd say your anecdotal evidence is less accurate than the ESA figures, even if they're a bit fluffy and designed to promote the medium as a business, rather than contain hard statistics and well-sourced information.

Why should I care about people who aren't part of the hardcore gamer demographic? Most of those people rejected games until they were popular, so I don't think they should be labeled as gamers since they probably would refuse to use that term for themselves anyways.

I don't see an issue here. Those offended by the aesthetic mechanic can simply avoid purchasing the game, and those that will "fap", as you put it, will buy it and play it. The industry is a business, no matter what anyone says, and sexual representation sells.

Caleb - Apparently you missed where I explicitly stated "feel free to disagree." I'm not sure that equates to me not tolerating dissenting opinions. I'm honestly not sure how I could have made that point more clear.

Since you immediately discount the ESA data for being unverifiable, I think I'll do the same with your accusations against me. Feel free to provide proof; otherwise it's untrue.

Honestly, since it's becoming increasingly clear you're not actually interested in real debate, I don't really care what you say so long as you abide by the rules.

Wow, I had no idea things could get so out of hand here.

Caleb - Besides irrationally attacking the staff, I think you need to take a step back and think about how you're handling a situation that, quite honestly, is not all that important. I can understand if you've already had iffy conflicts with some of them in the past, however Rob did nothing to provoke such behavior. If anything, I should have been the one to attack him, because it was my point that he was refuting. However, I didn't, because he provided substantial evidence and I had nothing short of anecdotal.

Besides, he's right. Both you and I (but mainly you) failed to consider the fact that the "casual" market is more significant to the industry in terms of revenue and numbers than the market everyone here represents. Women make up the majority of the consumer market, in general, so it's only natural that women make up the majority, if not the entirety of the casual gaming market. Hell, The Sims is the best-selling PC game of all time, and its target demographic is middle-aged housewives. Women play a lot of games, just not the types of games we play. I was wrong and I unabashedly admitted it. No offense, you need to stop being such a little girl.

It's okay to disagree with people. Disagreements instigate changes in creative industries such as this one. But, if you hope to someday make an impact, however small it may be, on an industry such as this, you'd best start conducting yourself with a bit more civility and stop shitting your pants like so. Nobody likes a shitty gamer, if you get what I'm saying.

In the last decade (2000-09), the 4 top-selling games (Wii Sports, Wii Play, Nintendogs, and WiiFit) were so-called "casual" titles. The market segment has become a vital part of the industry, and shouldn't be dismissed:
http://www.vgchartz.com/article/6901/the-top-selling-video-games-of-the-2000s-single-amp-multiplatform/
Moreover, the industry has certainly expanded to the point where there's room for all types of gamers.

Ryan, of course it's OK to disagree with people -- even if they happen to think they're enlightened because they're part of the staff of a video game website. I don't need yours or anyone else's permission to do so. And I never said I was trying to have an impact on the industry.

Caleb, I would warn you against the 'it's me vs them' mentailty you've been displaying. If you have a problem with Bitmob theirs plenty of people willing to listen to a reasonably stated grievance. All you do by insulting people and accusing them of being holier then thou is make yourself look spiteful and standoffish. I've had problems with people on bitmob and bitmob itself in the past too. The trick is I actually ended up talking to the other side like human beings and worked a great deal of those problems out in a civil manner. You should try it, it not only gets you less blow back hate, but actually gets across your points better.

Jeffrey, I gotcha, but I wasn't looking to do anything other than say what was on my mind. That's all.

@Jeffrey - WHO IN THE WORLD ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE OLD JEFFREY!!?? :)))

Also, Bitmob Editors, stop letting yourselves get baited so easily, and let people have an opinion without having to interject yours. Those "alternative" opinions get lots of hits!

@Caleb - Personal attacks.......not cool.

That top picture of Aya is pretty damn hot.

Wrong time and place? Sorry. *backs away*

@Caleb I understand that but it's perfectly possible to state what is on your mind without running over people. It's best to assume that everyone has good intentions until they prove that they don't, because the average person has better things to do then do things just to piss people off. Even people who actually wrong you had some reason why in their head it was what they should do.

@Lance Just because i'm opinionated and occasionally gut check people I think are acting improperly doesn't mean i'm purposefully being a dick. *nyaa* I just think people get the wrong impression of me because they don't look past my occasional insensitive remark or odd rant to the apologies or intelligent conversation that happens afterward *chuckle*. Rationality and me have a strong relationship, we just take occasional vacations from each other where I see other mental states.

@Alex If you want to I'd like to talk again sometime. We have a lot of old baggage we need to discuss.

I'm around if you need me. Shoot me an email. If you don't know my personal email just use my Bitmob one - alex.cronkyoung [at] bitmob.

@_@ Wow, I never expected to come back to THIS. People, please don't argue. Most of the women I see at GameStop are usually mothers getting something for there kids, but I have seen women there getting games for themselves, I know women who are playing Black Ops, and have seen women at comic book stores. I don't like labels, but most people would call me a core gamer. Please don't attack each other on an article. 

To everybody else who commented on this article, I agree with much of what you pointed out, it reinforces the general ridiculousness of this when there is no nudity. If it were that one Korean online game where the womens' naughty bits are on display, that's something else, but this fails in comparison to that since it isn't offensive.

Hell, I didn't even know Aya was coming back in a new game. Cool.

I really think the whole issue of nudity in this example is trivial. It's a much different case than, say, Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. In this case, the nudity is more like an atmospheric part of the intense action, rather than intentional fapping material.