Take a deep breath and relax, it´s just a game

I can´t stay silent anymore, and I can’t just pretend that this doesn´t effect me in any kind of way. As It would be a lie if I stated otherwise. I´m talking about all the times that I’ve seen Koei Tecmo (especially the Europe Twitter account for some odd reason) receive hate, rants and threats of boycotts against the Dead or Alive series. And that happens pretty much every time that Koei Tecmo (or Team Ninja) show something from the world of DOA. It can be everything from a trailer, a brand-new fighter, an unannounced DOA title to some new costumes (25 Outfits got banned from DOA5: LR back in March this year, due to rants from the SJW movement).

And the last time I saw that happen was when Koei Tecmo showed some summer bikini pictures of the female fighters from DOA5: LR (It was meant as a “have a nice summer” kind of thing). Well, people got quite upset over those DOA5:LR pictures. The whole thing actually reminded me the case with Protein worlds “are you beach body ready” ads. As people went nuts over those ads. Here´s the thing though, the Dead or Alive series is not even real (if you don´t count cosplayers and the DOA movie). To be exact, DOA is pure fiction that takes place in a video game world.

And none of the DOA characters are real (they never were and will never be). Still, I keep seeing SJW rants about “sexism,” “sexist game design“and “sex objects” time after time again. First of all, I have said this a million times before. Beauty and sexiness are not the same thing as sexism and sexist game design. In fact. Secondly, you can make the ugliest female (or male) game character you can imagine, and place that person in whatever situation you want. Still it won´t be “sexist” or “sexist game design” until the character gets exposed to that kind of environment or behavior. The very same thing also applies to sexy and good-looking game characters (no matter the gender).

You get my point? It´s not the visual appearance of the character that makes him/her to a “sex object” or a “sexist character.” It´s the situation, the character’s plot, dialog and setting that determine if character in question is of sexist nature or not. You should also keep in mind that many games give you the freedom to dress, create and shape the character (s) as you please. In other words, people can turn the game into whatever they want in terms of sexist game design (none, less Vs more). Just take the DOA5: LR nude mod for PC for example. Which would be a mod that adds (or should I say “removes”) XXX content to DOA5: LR which was not there from the very start.

However, none of this seems to matter all that much to radical feminists or SJWs though. As this has been an ongoing debate for years now. And frankly, I don´t think that there will ever be an end to this “culture war” (or whatever you could call it). Just take Fallout 3 or Skyrime for example. Both games have plenty of mods that allow you to turn the game into a porno experience (pretty much), but was that Bethesda´s original plan and intentions for Skyrime and Fallout 3? The answer is no, as the XXX mods was something which the players (the community) created for themselves.

When hypocrisy and double standards collide

Then we got the part that concerns the male side of the story, in this case, the male fighters of the DOA universe. Because as far as I know, there has been very little (to none) complains about “sexism” and “sexist game design” when it comes to male DOA fighters. And still there´s plenty of nude male skin in DOA5: LR for example. So why is that? Is there a difference between the male and female version of sexism? Or have I missed something along the way? Especially since Good looks, sexiness and nude skin = “Sexist game design” and “sexism”.

Female players LOVE DOA5: Last Round 

Yes, that´s correct. Female players (no matter if they’re gay, straight or bi) really love DOA5: LR. Don´t believe me? Then just check out the #DOA5LR tag on Twitter, and all the DOA5: LR players on Youtube and Twitch. In fact, I know a German female DOA player that has a huge DOA collection (games, posters, cloths, you name it). And she has been a fan of the DOA series for years, and she´s far from the only female DOA hardcore fan there is out there. Want a clue? Just take the DOA cosplay scene, pretty much everyone who cosplays as a DOA character also plays the DOA games as well.

With that said, feel free to speculate and comment on this subject in the comment section. And If you´re interested in the Dead or alive 5: Last Round – Season pass 2 (new costume). Then you can buy Season pass 2 to Xbox One and PS4 for $92,99. Which includes the following:

“Users who purchase the DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round Season Pass 2 will be able to download the following additional costume packs as they are released, for a total of 98 costumes:

– Costumes by Tamiki Wakaki (July 16 costumes)
– August 2015 Costume Pack (16 costumes)
– September 2015 Costume Pack (16 costumes)
– October 2015 Costume Pack (34 costumes)
– November 2015 Costume Pack (16 costumes)

Plus, the ‘Secret Agent Honoka’ costume will be available exclusively for users who purchase Season Pass 2.”

Source:
Team Ninja

Xbox store

Playstation store

***Disclaimer***
This is a personal opinion of the writer, and it doesn’t necessarily represent the other writers (nor The Gaming Ground´s) opinions.

Robin “V-Act” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround

More by Robin Ek:

• The unique horror game ‘Hoarder’ has just been announced for PC
• The story-driven investigative adventure, ‘Rainbow Billy: The Book of Fears’, has just been announced for PC
• The wholesome and story-rich roguelike, ‘Solstride’, has just been announced for PC
• Antstream Arcade just teamedup with Xbox to launch retro classics for game pass members
• The stylish noir stealth action-adventure “The Shadow Syndicate” is coming to PC and consoles in 2026

Tags: Dead or Alive 5, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, DOA5, Koei Tecmo, Team Ninja