[Slightly OT] Does sex really sell RPGs?

[Mal Malenkirk]

Re: Re: er, "yes"

There is NO SEX WHATSOEVER in a historical fantasy.

Well, presumably people are still having sex even in a fantasist interpretation of an historical era.

 

[Oni]

I don't have any problem with "sexy" covers as long as they relate to the content of the product, if they don't as far as I'm concerned it's false advertising. For example, if I were to buy a product about say....Conan . One of the Conan collections I've read has a scantily clad sorceress, and the equally scantily clad damsel in distress chained up on the cover, but this is in keeping with the pulp feel of Conan. On the other hand I'm not quite sure what katana wielding, bikini armour wearing asian chicks have to do with Mythic China. One matches the feel of the product, one doesn't, I leave it to you to figure out which is which.


[edit: Thinking about this, I realized that Conan may not be the best example, as that at one time this may very have been considered the same kind of situation using sex to sell stories. However having had that long association and me being that youngin' that I am I really consider the "sexy" art usually associated with Conan to be very much a part of the feel of Conan. (Does any of this make sense, I'm sick and I'm getting the sneaky feeling that I'm not being very coherent)]

 

[Mark Chance]

My point is, does sex sell RPGs?

Sex doesn't sell anything to me. I've progressed beyond the point where masturbatory fantasies hold any real appeal.

 

[Darkness]

Re: Re: [Slightly OT] Does sex really sell RPGs?

Sex doesn't sell anything to me. I've progressed beyond the point where masturbatory fantasies hold any real appeal.

Yeah, internet access makes you jaded about such things after a while.

Seriously, though, for me, if anything, good art would sell - whether that means an armored knight, a scantily-clad woman, a fully-dressed (or armored) woman, a dragon, a demon, a battle, or whatever.
Still, I can't remember when the last time was that a book's art influenced my buying decision even remotely; I want to buy content - and the art matters little in that regard.
Of course, I prefer nice art to bad (or no) art - for example, I'm very happy that Steve Jackson Games nowadays uses a lot of Christopher Shy pictures for their books.

 

[AEtherfyre]

For me? Not in the least. Generally, I decide if I want to get a book or not entirely on reviews, commentary from other people, the authors, and the contents - I rarely see the cover before I've bought the book. If I've never seen the cover, what's on it isn't going to influence me, is it?

 

[jaerdaph]

Yikes! I just had a horrible image of my FLGS sales clerk wearing a nightgown and trying to seduce me into buying a copy of The Foundation...


And he didn't shave his back! Eeeww!

 

[The Kender]

Accually, those kind of covers are books I don't buy (Mostly because parents frown about 13 year olds with near-nude pictures....) I like the tome look anyways.

 

[AngelTears]

Well I can say that yes sex sells especially to men, but there is more going on in an advert then simply beautiful woman, suggestive pose, with a phallic representation refering to a pent up frustration. You have people with degree's creating "art" to make sure that it evokes the right responses.


I find roleplaying games trying to sell itself by bikini babes as cheap. There is also the matter that the style usually applied doesn't really differ from those 60's fantasy books, who were supposed to be read by teenage boys. Not only does it degrade women, as a simple vehicle of lust, but it also detracts from the possible content. The cover page after all is supposed to set the tone of the book.

You know, I look at a book if the art is tasteful I might pick it up. If it isn't, I would rather leave it. One of the reasons I like White Wolf's games, especially Changeling and Exalted. They are beautiful books I would not be unashamed to keep on the coffee table, not the kind I have to keep in a drawer hidden away.

We judge books by their covers, the fantasy market is still directed for the adolescent male teenager. The "beautiful woman" on the cover has ended up like a tradition, there is the obvious implication of titilation, but come across as repugnant mixture lust with hints of masculinity. It detracts from what maybe a beautiful book on the inside.

-Angel Tears

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

...I have a feeling that if covers started having almost nude men (talking slim, attractive men here not Conans) ...

Hey now, personal bias! Some women actually like the Conan-type (thank God) more than the little waif-men. Attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder, and all that...

At any rate, I'm sure that the scantily clad women are selling these books to certain people. Heck, I probably know some of them. We all know it works. The question is that of target audience. Are we the target audience? I don't think so. Companies that prop weak content by sticking a semi-erotic cover on it are targeting the gamer stereotype. Apparently it's working well enough that they don't mind alienating us in the process.

 

[Umbran]

Attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder, and all that...

Well, it certainly isn't in the body of a beholder. I mean, the thing is a sphere with tentacles and a toothy maw on it...

Does sex sell to any particular person? For purposes of this thread, probably not. If nothing else, it isn't like too many people wil be willing to step up to the plate and say "Yes, sexy women on the cover make me more apt to buy." Nobody wants to seem shallow.

Plus, for many folks the effect may be somewhat less than conscious, or less than direct. Maybe some folks have bought due to cheesecake without really realizing it. The cheesecake may lead them to pick it off the shelf and have a look, jmnildly curious to see what the picture is about. Then, upon seeing the contents, even though they don't match the picture, they buy. Think of it as a mere eye-catcher, rather than an actual selling point. You might get a similar effect by making the book safety-orange.

Does sex sell, in general - probably. I mean, it's only one of the top drives of the human species, for crying out loud

Does cheesecake really sell more game products, maybe, maybe not. It may give an edge in sales to male gamers. It probably loses sales to female gamers. My first guess would be that good art without the sex might sell better overall.

Maybe someone ought to do some market research...