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Female Playboy Game Designer Takes 'High Road'

Posted by simoniker on from the low-road-impassable dept.

Thanks to Warcry.com for its three-part interview with Playboy: The Mansion lead developer Brenda Brathwaite. She discusses the Sims-like gameplay of the multi-platform title in development at Cyberlore, arguing: "I think I have an advantage as a heterosexual woman in that Playboy just wasn't part of my past: I was able to approach it from a brand-new angle... I can flip through those magazines and not have it effect me in the same way that it would clearly affect a heterosexual male." She concludes: "We go through and take a comparatively high road with this game, and show you a little of what it takes to build the Playboy empire, and what has happened historically. That was the challenge."

45 comments

  1. If ever there was one game... by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That could be ruined by heaping on T&A instead of gameplay, it was this one.

    Smart move putting a woman in charge. Actually gives me hope.

    So long as there's a still a "threesome in a hot tub" feature:)

    1. Re:If ever there was one game... by volteface · · Score: 2, Funny

      As long as I can trap the characters between two wooden chairs and have them die of starvation à la The Sims, I'm happy.

    2. Re:If ever there was one game... by Bastian · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It'd be interesting if the boss above her listened to marketing much. I've seen plenty of products that bear the signs of having been a good piece of softwate before the marketroids came along and eviscerated it at the last minute, and they might throw a shitfit if there's not enough T&A in a game bearing the Playboy name.

    3. Re:If ever there was one game... by TheAdventurer · · Score: 1

      nothing, I repeat, NOTHING can be ruined by naked women. Nothing. It makes everything more fun.

    4. Re:If ever there was one game... by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 1

      Unless you're a woman of course.

  2. here goes my Karma... by howman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the game has T&A... It will sell... Highroad, angles or storyline aside...

    --
    flinging poop since 1969
    1. Re:here goes my Karma... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      indeed there goes your karma. clever bait.

    2. Re:here goes my Karma... by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Oh yeah. Just like BMX XXX, right? Oh... wait... I guess gamers *do* have a sense of taste that's more mature than "boobies = good." Don't be such a cynic.

      --
      Comment of the year
  3. yeah, my emotions arfe uncontrollable by DrSkwid · · Score: 2, Insightful


    Good to know that she thinks that it is impossible for me to dispassionately look at pornographic images. Jeesh.

    That must be why the porn industry is run by gay guys and hetro women !

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    1. Re:yeah, my emotions arfe uncontrollable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      All that says is that you've probably looked at so much porn you're desensitized at this point. I imagine you've moved on to snuff films, right?

  4. Hmm by toomin · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I don't know about most of you gamers out there, but running a fictional porn empire kinda sounds boring, to the extreme. I know that i'd never buy the game, T&A or no. It's just stupid, something that a person would make a joke flash game out of. If you buy this game, you're most likely an idiot.

    1. Re:Hmm by Babbster · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Running a railroad sounds even more boring. The Railroad Tycoon series rocks. I think you need to expand your gaming horizons a bit.

  5. Re:a matter of credibility by tvalley000 · · Score: 1

    I think people would have taken the lead developer much more seriously if she hadnt conducted the interview from a hottub wearing only a bathing suit and some bunny ears.

    If you read the interview carefully, you'll notice that she's 9 months pregnant with twins.

    You've got one twisted imagination, my friend. ;)

  6. Re:a matter of credibility by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    If you read the interview carefully, you'll notice that she's 9 months pregnant with twins.
    All the better...
  7. Different Perspective... uh huh by salesgeek · · Score: 3, Funny

    I play the new Playboy game for it's intuitive game play and exciting plot twists...

    I don't play it for the nude scenes... really...

    --
    -- $G
  8. Unaffected? by Reapy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I can flip through those magazines and not have it effect me in the same way that it would clearly affect a heterosexual male.

    Right, women can handle magazine images and models much better then men. Really, they won't think their breasts are too small, thighs too fat, stomach not toned enough. No way, it's not like it might help them along the path to an eating disorder or anything. Yup, most women sure aren't effected by the pictures...

    1. Re:Unaffected? by Chemisor · · Score: 4, Interesting

      > Right, women can handle magazine images and models
      > much better then men. Really, they won't think
      > their breasts are too small, thighs too fat,
      > stomach not toned enough.

      There are quite a few women in this country (US) whose thighs really are too fat and whose stomach has never even heard the word "tone". Being obese and out of shape is much worse for your health than being underweight.

      > No way, it's not like it might help them along
      > the path to an eating disorder or anything.

      Eating disorders are not caused by wanting to lose weight, but by not knowing how to do it. There should be considerably more emphasis on exercise and less on removing fat from your diet (because eating fat does not make you fat, calories make you fat, and you can eat a lot more carbohydrate calories than fat calories)

      > Yup, most women sure aren't effected by the pictures...

      But they should be. Yes, I know you are being sarcastic, but it is far better for women (and men, for that matter) to have a trim and fit body for a goal than to be "content" with all those jiggling extra pounds.

    2. Re:Unaffected? by CaptainFlyingToaster · · Score: 1

      RTFQ (read the freakin quote)! She doesn't say that women arren't affected by such pictures, she's says that they aren't affected in the SAME WAY. In other words, straight women aren't distracted by thoughts of the various ways they'd like to get to know the models; that there may be some envy over body type is irrelevant.

    3. Re:Unaffected? by Jad+LaFields · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And the thing is, other than enormous breasts and perfect skin, Playboy models have body shapes much closer to that of a healthy, 'normal' woman than those stick-thin models that fashion designers love to put on catwalks and splash across the pages of women's magazines.

      I've always found it strange and a bit sad that women seem to put up even more unobtainable goals for themselves than men even want them to.

      Playboy isn't whats turning women into anorexics, its Cosmo.

      --
      [SIG] It's like putting a moose in the blender -- a recipe for disaster!
    4. Re:Unaffected? by RevAaron · · Score: 1

      People don't become healthy- in body and mind- by having those images flashed at them constantly. I couldn't agree more about the health factors- a lot of people are overweight, a problem that should be taken care of. But this is obviously not part of the solution- in fact, it's a big part of the problem. Women see this stuff and they know that can't attain that. Or think they can't. And the downward spiral begins.

      If a kid has a low self-esteem, you don't scream at him "HEY YOU LITTLE FUCKER LEARN TO LOVE YOURSELF." That doesn't work. Yes, this kid *should* have a better self-esteem and should love himself, but guess what? That isn't the way to go about fixing it.

      That said, I'm with the other guy. Playboy isn't doing this, rags like Cosmo are.

      --

      Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
    5. Re:Unaffected? by RevAaron · · Score: 1

      I can flip through those magazines and not have it effect me in the same way that it would clearly affect a heterosexual male.

      Uhhh... Read that again. She didn't say "I can flip through those magazines and not have it effect me at all." She said that it didn't effect her like it does straight men in our society. A lot of straight men flip through a Playboy, get an erection and summarily dismiss said erection. Or, are you saying that when straight guys look at a Playboy they are thinking about their stomach not being toned enough, breasts are too small, etc?

      --

      Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
    6. Re:Unaffected? by TechniMyoko · · Score: 1

      No, but I'm sure some think they're a little undersized somewhere. Or feel bad they have a keg and not a six pack. Or they feel horrible cause they dont even have women hug them on regular basis let alone share an act of love making.

    7. Re:Unaffected? by c3k · · Score: 1

      First of all, any woman who is affected by pictures of models in magazines to think that she isn't "toned enough" or "too fat" has a problem generated by self-esteem and/or an unreal body image (body disphoria). Not only that, but the majority of pictures in any magazine (from Cosmo to Playboy to Vogue) are heavily airbrushed. One of my friends, who was a photographer for NBC, was constantly showing me where body parts had been airbrushed (ie, the "nonlines" around the armpits of models - everyone has them, look closely at any major fashion mag, and the models don't). That said, I think that she meant that as a woman, she doesn't get turned on by the images as men would. However, speaking as a straight woman (and many other women friends who feel the same way), images of women are much more erotic than images of naked men. I think she was being over-general and pandering to the idea that women are not supposed to be aroused by visual stimulus.

    8. Re:Unaffected? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So(as a straight woman) you think a naked picture of say Camryn Manheim is more erotic than Brad Pitt?

    9. Re:Unaffected? by c3k · · Score: 1

      Well, AC, I was specifically speaking to images that one would see in Playboy and/or similiar magazines.

    10. Re:Unaffected? by Colazar · · Score: 1
      Being obese and out of shape is much worse for your health than being underweight.

      That's actually untrue. Until you get to the stage of being morbidly obese (~300+ pounds) it is healthier to be overweight than underweight.

      Eating disorders are not caused by wanting to lose weight, but by not knowing how to do it.

      Actually, an *eating disorder* really has nothing to do with losing weight. The person with the eating disorder thinks that it does, but that's really just a symptom of a different problem. For anorexics and bulemics, it's often about control, and for compulsive overeaters its often an addiction like any other. (I used to think that that addiction claim was overblown, by the way, but the biochemistry on it is really very convincing. Some people's chemistry is such that they have intense endorphin reactions to extremely simple carbohydrates like processed sugar or white flour.) I think what you're really talking about is the kind of stupid dieting that women's magazines write articles about.

      There should be considerably more emphasis on exercise and less on removing fat from your diet (because eating fat does not make you fat, calories make you fat, and you can eat a lot more carbohydrate calories than fat calories)

      I'm repeating this part just cause I agree with it so intensely. Americans obsess too much about food and diets, when we should really be paying attention to exercise.

      But they should be. Yes, I know you are being sarcastic, but it is far better for women (and men, for that matter) to have a trim and fit body for a goal than to be "content" with all those jiggling extra pounds.

      Half right. Having a fit body is important. Having a trim body isn't. What most people think of as an "ideal" body is actually underweight. We're designed to carry some fat. As long as you're getting enough exercise (which most people aren't), carrying some "extra" weight is fine. How much is okay varies widely; everyone has to figure it out for themselves.

      --
      He decided to just watch the government, and kind of scale it down to size, and run his life that way. --Laurie Anderson
    11. Re:Unaffected? by Reapy · · Score: 1

      100% correct about eating disorders having to do with lack of control. I guess when you examine it more, the control word can just turn into a meaningless buzzword.

      If you ever had any intrest in wondering why an 80 pound girl would feel fat, I would suggest taking a look at a book called "Wasted" by Marya Hornbacher. It's an autobiography that details her very destructive life as an anoretic and bulimic. It skips out on the clinical approach, and has a very hard hitting, personal description of the disease and how it effects people.

      Also, for a great online source for support and information about eating disorders, visit something-fishy.org.

  9. Who Runs the Business by 4of12 · · Score: 1

    A number of years ago after pop started to retire to the bedroom in his smoking jacket with a couple of bunnies one third his age, his daughter Christi started running the Playboy empire.

    --
    "Provided by the management for your protection."
  10. Too easy.... by Asprin · · Score: 2, Interesting


    She discusses the Sims-like gameplay of the multi-platform title in development at Cyberlore, arguing: "I think I have an advantage as a heterosexual woman in that Playboy just wasn't part of my past: I was able to approach it from a brand-new angle... I can flip through those magazines and not have it effect me in the same way that it would clearly affect a heterosexual male." She concludes: "We go through and take a comparatively high road with this game, and show you a little of what it takes to build the Playboy empire, and what has happened historically. That was the challenge."

    Duh. I'll tell you what it takes to build the Playboy empire -- a lot of affected heterosexual males flipping through those magazines. That's why this game is going to stink -- you have to know your customer.

    --
    "Lawyers are for sucks."
    - Doug McKenzie
    1. Re:Too easy.... by chris_mahan · · Score: 1

      I would see a game running a whorehouse. That would be more fun. Especially if it included virtual cameras of the bedrooms... Eh!

      --

      "Piter, too, is dead."

  11. Article has nothing on game and a bio on the woman by kabocox · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The woman has been designing D&D type games for 20 years. I think if she's been in the industry that long; she should know what she is doing.

    Actually I could care less about how Play Boy attempts to build a game. Before I ever read Play Boy, I thought that it would be 90% pictures of nude women. I was wrong it was more like 5-10% pictures of nude women. The other 90%-95% was filled with interviews, articles, and ads.

    Let's face it, Play Boy, is a main stream product that is designed with pleasing the wife and/or girl friend in mind.

    She thinks that being a woman gives her an edge because she wouldn't be turned on where most straight men would. I personally think that the folks that would be turned on would get over it if not the first day then in the first week. There is nothing sacred about the female body that makes it turn men on every time.

  12. Two things... by b-baggins · · Score: 1

    ...separate us from animals. One, we use cutlery. And, two, we can rationalize anything.

    High road my Aunt Fanny's Brass Dentures.

    --
    You can tell a great deal about the character of a man by observing those who hate him.
  13. Great way to ruin a game by shaitand · · Score: 1

    Brilliant, put a woman in charge to cut down on the T&A in a game where nobody wants anything but T&A.

    1. Re:Great way to ruin a game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody said there wasn't T&A in the game. However, the whole game isn't just T&A. I think that's the issue.

    2. Re:Great way to ruin a game by shaitand · · Score: 1

      Improving gameplay doesn't mean reducing T&A, male designers could just have easily added gameplay once they wrapped up the T&A.

      Now there are games that shouldn't have nude dancing women contortionists on every screen, but if's a playboy game there damn well better be or it's a flop.

    3. Re:Great way to ruin a game by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      The designer of the Playboy game is the creator of Wizardry.

      I wouldn't have even considered buying it ordinarily, but this is a top-flight designer we're talking about here. I just might get it now.

      But only for the articles!

    4. Re:Great way to ruin a game by shaitand · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't care if it was the best game on earth. It's the principle of the thing.

  14. Re:Literacy by Bastian · · Score: 1

    I believe the words you forgot to read are "in the same way." Here, try it with me.

    I can flip through those magazines and not have it effect me
    I can flip through those magazines and not have it effect me in the same way

    See the difference?

    Here, we'll try it in context so you can see how much these words matter:

    I can flip through those magazines and not have it effect me that it would clearly affect a heterosexual male.

    Notice how without them it isn't even a sentence?

    And here's a simplified example to show how much they change the meaning of a sentence even without that sort of context:

    I don't like foo GUI because it doesn't do drag and drop
    I don't like foo GUI because it doesn't do drag and drop in the same way

  15. Ha! by SageLikeFool · · Score: 1

    People laughed at me when I said I was buying the game for the articles. Well who is laughing now?

  16. Cyberlore or Cyberwhore? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Talk amongst yourselves.

  17. Re:Article has nothing on game and a bio on the wo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's only one word.. Playboy. Like that. Say it with me: "Playboy"

  18. Not knowing your customer has to hurt by redelm · · Score: 1
    Nothing against female involvement. As she says, the detachment can be good for perspective. But success in most business revolves around a very good understanding of customers. Most women have very poor understandings of male sexuality because the media sensationalizes and distorts.

    That's why Hef could build the Playboy empire, and Christine could revitalize it with a new (but not radical) perspective. It wouldn't have worked the other way 'round.

  19. She takes the high road with Playboy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's that suppose to mean? She only does anal if she's drunk?

  20. Re:Literacy by Reapy · · Score: 1

    I got the original meaning. It's pretty clear that she meant she can look at the pictures without an erection and encompass the other aspects of the magazine.

    I found it slightly offensive that she thought men were unable to look at nude photos objectivly without over focusing on the women. I guess I just wanted to show that you can over generalize how women look at photos of models too.