[Slightly OT] Does sex really sell RPGs?

[GravyFingerz]

Of course sex sells! It's the stimulation of the crotch that empties the wallet. Take for example an average man at the gaming store looking for something to buy:

[man sees magazine cover]
Crotch: "Oooooooh pretty!"
Man: "You like this magazine?"
Crotch: "Yeah yeah yeah!"
Clerk: "Will that be all?"
Man: "Yes, one magazine for me and my crotch!"

Sometimes my crotch makes some bad decisions, but thats why god gave me a brain - to rectify the decisions my crotch made. It's like this - normally the mayor is in charge, but in difficult situations, the sheriff takes over.

All in all, sex sells.

 

[Fenes 2]

To each his own, I'd say. While I cannot say that a scantly clad woman on a cover is the main reason for a purchase, it does not exactly turn me off either - as long as it does not try to sell such chainmail bikinis as armor in the equipment section.

 

[seasong]

Sex does sell (it's considered a truism), but there are other factors in the Avalanche covers: in addition to sex, they also promote embarrassment and crudity, both of which tend to reduce sales.

That is to say, sex imagery is complex and can be expressed many, many ways. It can be crude, teasing, emotional, beautiful, fleeting, subtle, bold, interesting, boring, etc.

The problem with the Avalanche covers isn't that they utilize sexual aesthetics, it's that their execution is crude and obvious, and we (as intelligent, literate consumers) are embarrassed by the naked attempt to pander. I mean, they don't even make more than a half-hearted attempt to make it topical - they might as well have a lingerie ad on the cover, yes?

With that said, there is an audience for scantily clad women with arched backs and caked-on makeup. I'm just not part of that audience.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Without sales data we've no idea whether sex sells game supplements, but one thing's for sure: the folks on this board certainly don't care for sexy covers. Me included. I like the tome look. Half-naked chicks are embarassing; you don't want your coworkers or girlfriend seeing you read that stuff.

-z

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Doesn't bother me at all. Doesn't make me want to buy it, but if the stuff AP is selling was up my alley I'd buy their stuff without hesitation. Nothing wrong with them, other than they could be done better. I love Boris Vallejo's stuff and he's got all kinds of hot chicks going on.

 

[Gizzard]

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

Mmm, makes me wonder if RPG companies might be able to influence customers with pictures of delicious food on their covers. ;-)

 

[Dark Jezter]

If I see a gaming book with a scantily-clad woman posing on the cover, I'll probably flip through it for a minute or two to see how the content is simply because the cover caught my eye. That kind of art dosen't bother me, because scantily-clad women have always been a staple of fantasy art. Whenever I look at a Boris Vallejo or Frank Frazetta painting, I usually think "Cool!" I don't get all huffy and say "This painting is degrading to women!"

Yes, sex does sell, it's been a hard fact for generations, and anyone who believes otherwise is living in some kind of politically-correct dream world. Using sex to sell things does not just apply to the male demographic either: Have you ever seen those paperback romance novels that are sold in supermarkets that always feature a shirtless Fabio holding a swooning, scantily-clad woman in his arms? Well, the majority of the people who read those are women. There are also women's magazines like Cosmopolitan, which always feature headlines on the cover such as "10 Ways to Improve Your Sex Life!" or "How to Always Get What You Want in Bed!"

Now, back to the RPG question, I will not buy a crappy suppliment just because it has interesting cover artwork. And if the suppliment is good, I'm not going to boycott it simply because there is a scantily-clad woman on the cover. RPG Suppliments are not known for being inexpensive, so I'll only buy ones that I know are worth buying.

 

[Fred Delles]

Near-naked chicks are cool, but they shouldn't be where they shouldn't be.

To me, "sex sells" depending on whether something is mass-market or not, and whether or not the content is sexual in nature.

Romance novels SHOULD have those handsome, (sometimes) shirtless men because they contain sexual tension and are written for a mass market of women. Just about any store (grocery, book, service station) sells 'em.

Playboys and the like for the obvious reasons of being mass-market and sexual in nature. No need to reiterate here.

Boris Vallejo's (an the like) art books are sexual in nature (obviously). Near-naked chicks on the cover are perfect.

Avalanche's books are neither mass-market nor sexual in nature. So they should stop.

I mean, it's like a Victoria's Secret ad in the inner covers of Electronic Gaming Monthly.

 

[Sulimo]

I mean, it's like a Victoria's Secret ad in the inner covers of Electronic Gaming Monthly.

Umm...have you seen some of the ads for video games?