Unpacking the intertwined histories of porn and video games
Writer Eli Cugini tracks the shared pasts of adult content and video games, and what this means for X-rated queer representation in gaming.
WRITER ELI CUGINI What do you think of when you think of ‘sex games’? Maybe strip poker. Maybe some of those gimmicky erotic dice couples get each other as stocking fillers. ‘TOUCH’ ‘FEET.’ But what about video games?
Probably not that much comes to mind; maybe a hilariously low-res ‘meet ‘n’ fuck’ Flash game, or a pornographic visual novel.
Erotic games have about as much cachet as ‘mature’ AO3 fanfiction – maybe less, even. We’re in the midst of a Gen-Z driven backlash against sex scenes in film and TV, that questions whether they’re synonymous with misogyny and oversexualised culture; games that focus on sexual content can feel like a relic, something seedy, shallow.
