Sex in video games is a divisive subject, much like sex in any medium often is. Critics are either too quick to deem video games an unsuitable platform to explore sex, or they damn the scenes depicted for lacking the right kind of sexual content. Herein lies the problem, though – whatisthe right kind of content?
I ask becauseDragon Age: The Veilguardhas received no end of backlash, particularly when it comes to its intimate scenes. Accusations levelled against this aspect of gameplay have remarked on how long it takes to arrive at these tender moments, as well as the significant lack of spiciness.
We’ve been treated to such delightfully raunchy displays in games likeBaldur’s Gate 3that we’ve started believing that sex needs to tick that box to be worthwhile. If we’re not feeling the fur of a bear between our fingers, we’re doing it wrong. As someone who blushed and whooped whenthatscene happened, before giggling like a schoolgirl when the shocked squirrel dropped its acorn, I understand their appeal.
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It’s an iconic in-game moment, as are many of the other sex scenes fromBG3. However, this doesn’t mean that every other RPG needs to mirror it. Quite the opposite, in fact. To simply try to capture the magic ofBG3without offering any substance beyond “oh, look, bare breasts” is a disappointment no RPGer wants to encounter. I speak as someone who is the go-to ‘smut goblin’ of the GAMINGbible team.
Passion runs through Thedas inDragon Age: The Veilguard
Although you may think me a nerdy video games journalist, my writing encompasses far more than reviews and features about popular franchises. Before I joined GAMINGbible, I was a freelancer with fingers in many pies, with one of my preferred subjects being sex. Ergo, the nuances of sex in all its forms is a topic I can cheerfully talk about, debate, and champion. This is why I’ll passionately defend the sex scenes ofDragon Age: The Veilguard.
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SinceBioWare’s newest Dragon Age title has launched, it feels like all I’ve done is defend it, though I have no idea why. It’s a fantastic DA addition that expands on a world we’ve been following sinceOrigins. So what if it isn’t the best of the series (not my opinion)? It doesn’t need to be to be deemed a success. It’s been remarked as being “sanitised”, “boring”, “woke”, and having “mid writing”, yet I cannot fathom how one comes to such conclusions. This isn’t because I’m viewing the game through rose-tinted lenses; I’m more than aware that it has its faults, but so do all the other DA titles. The idea thatInquisitionwas somehow a faultless entry in the series needs addressing because that simply isn’t true.
Furthermore, the notion thatThe Veilguardsomehow lacks enough romance, sex, or nudity is an oversimplified fallacy that stems from this warped nostalgia. None of the DA games have ever been as horny asBG3. Nor do they need to be. Additionally, not every romance option has ended in sex. Solas romancers are in their thousands, yet you never once go to bed with him – the trickster removes your Vallaslin before breaking your heart. There’s no slapping together of naked bodies, just angst that’s sustained us for a decade.
What’s expressed throughout the game is the art of yearning, of passion that pulsates beneath the surface. The kind of aching for someone that never ceases, you merely learn to live with it. You particularly notice this in Lucanis’ romance. Falling for a complicated assassin once assumed dead comes with much baggage, even more so when family secrets come to light that leaves him questioning who and what he once knew. When such domestic chaos is happening during the end of the world, rampant sex at every given opportunity becomes a secondary thought.
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As for the other romances, I’ve yet to play them myself. That said, I’ve seen other players’ Rooks straddling Davrin, having tender pillow talk with Harding, and witnessed Bellara’s overwhelming relief at being reunited with Rook. Each of these scenes is unique to the characters, it isn’t one size fits all. The way they express themselves, either through their words or bodies or sometimes both, reflects their personalities perfectly. It’s no different to how people approach romance in real life. As a species, our love language is varied, to say the least.
I’m all for being horny. Let your freak flags fly, whatever they may be. However, none of us should assume that horniness must play out graphically. Sensuality is as powerful as raw lust; some would argue more so, though they’re not mutually exclusive. BioWare has captured the potency of chaste yearning inThe Veilguardexceptionally well, choosing to emphasise all romantic aspects rather than just the one.
Topics:Dragon Age,Bioware,EA,PlayStation,Xbox,PC,Steam,Features
