What's up with people dressing up female characters really skimpy?

[shingouki2002]

I know this topic will be really controversial, but I'll ask it anyway.

I've never understood this. A lot of people will complain a lot about realism in their games: They will have realistic looking skin textures, realistic looking armor textures, world textures, water, swords, everything. Then, their characters will be wearing next to nothing/skimpy armors, running around fighting...and I just don't get it.

You have to know realistically that if a person wearing next to no armor goes into a fight they're going to die immediately...right? For me that's a huge immersion breaker. This is not to say that everyone needs to look like some hulking knight covered head to toe in platemail armor...but at the very least, they should be somewhat believably defended for it to not break my immersion.

 

For example: This would be auto-death in my opinion since the vitals are exposed.

 

Now I want to make it clear that I'm not criticizing anyone's preferences, but I want to know from people who use those mods, or people who make those mods. What are your thoughts in relation to it and what are you thinking when you decide to use/make those mods.

I want to be more educated about the mindset, so I can learn more about how others think in relation to female mods of this style. For me it's hugely immersion breaking, and I think "why would you use this/why is this so popular?" So I want to know why exactly individuals might lean in that direction.

Edited July 1, 2014 by shingouki2002

[Ceruulean]

Because guys like it.

 

Luckily for the rest of us more-conservative people, there's this mod. The body is still very idealized, but they have armor conversions that remove the boob plates!!

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/44979/?

 

Even then the user-submitted images are full of half-nude women. Oh well.

[gilaphreak]

I only play male characters, so for me, the mods were about dressing Aela up in something skimpy.

 

Female warriors have always been showcased in skimpy outfits. That's just the way the culture views women. Mainly, the whole "warrior" kind of scene is a male designed form of entertainment; and guys just really like women in skimpy outfits. (Before someone goes off on all of the "THAT'S FEMINIST" BS, males are always portrayed as gleaming muscular hulks; so fair is fair.)

 

I guess, after seeing this so much in popular culture; it really doesn't ruin the immersion for me. Growing up on Xena, and Wonder Woman, you just kind of see it as the standard.

 

Look at Chuck Norris. You always see him running around in nothing but Gi pants, and a headband. Never see him rolling around on the ground from a sword through the chest!

[lofgren]

Hey, look, it's time for this thread again. Once a month seems about right.

 

Sexual fantasies are formed at a confluence of culture, chemical balance, genetic predisposition, and personal experience. They're as varied as human beings in their details, but due to the influence of the first three factors there are certain themes that show up again and again. In the US in general we portray skimpy clothing on a woman as erotic and sexually suggestive. In certain subcultures this is especially true of powerful women like many seen in Skyrim. Sexual stimulation is a positive feedback loop, meaning the more you have the more you want it. Many people find that adding sexual overtones to non-sexual forms of entertainment is arousing, both in the sexual sense and otherwise.

 

Or, in other words, people like hot nekkid chicks. Is this really that hard to understand?

[Ceruulean]

I suppose it depends on what you want from your virtual women. Do you want them to look good, or to look badass? I personally think having realistic armor is more epic and cool, while the skimpy armors are, as mentioned, arousing and pleasing. Interestingly, the Animated Dragon Wings mod has more women in the screenshots, like some kind of temptress race or dragon lady, literally. Lofgren has an accurate observation; for many of the users on this site, powerful women are sexy women. Well, I just realized badass is subjective, since people will think, "Why not both attractive and badass?"

 

Personally I stay away from skimpy armors because I couldn't imagine wearing that in public, neither in Skyrim, and I reckon many women wouldn't either.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Ceruulean

[lofgren]

Oh, another thing, you do realize that those of you who seek what you comically refer to as "immersion" ("personal taste") are actually only a tiny subset of the people who play this game, right?

[documn]

Here are few responses that I've read in similar threads:

• Because it's hot.
• Because it's a single player game and they don't care what other people think.
• Because it's a single player game and other people shouldn't care what kind of mods they like.
• Because they like to play good-looking characters.
• Because they want to roleplay as the kind of character that would wear skimpy clothes.
• Sometimes people get attached to certain armors from other games because they are powerful, or they took a lot of effort to obtain, or it was worn by a badass character, etc. Sometimes said armors just happen to be skimpy (or just the female version happens to be skimpy).
• Because some of these armors are good works of art.

[Shanannigan]

Because some people like it.

 

It's not too complicated. Personally, I like immersion, so I avoid the skimpy outfits, but other people like them. Different strokes right?

It's a simple issue to solve. If you like something, use it, if not, don't.

[KanesGhost]

You have to know realistically that if a person wearing next to no armor goes into a fight they're going to die immediately...right?

 

This is incorrect....Over many eons (since the dawn of mankind in fact) many people of many Cultures have gone into battle or to war wearing very little, in some cases even naked is not unheard of....from what I understand, the nudity was often meant to be a form of intimidation...show no fear, etc...Picts and Celts seeming the most historically documented for such behavior...though I have also found mention of it among the Spartans:

 

http://fsos.com/celtic_history.htm

 

Where as nudity was a rarer event...little to no Armor was much more common...in fact the majority of people going into battle went with almost no Armor, simply for the fact that a) Many could not afford Armor (eg. Medievel Europe)...b) Many Cultures, including Warrior Cultures, did not use Armor or used very little of it (eg. Native American)....For many it was more about strategy rather than protection, take the success of the English Red Coats as an example, they were not armored, but that did not stop them from dominating new lands and holding their own with the French..their strategy was what the key. Mobility was also a major factor in battle, many citing Armor as too restrictive, when agility and mobility are most favored in battle...depending on battle style.

 

As for your question, I am an older female and have used a number of 'Skimpy' Mods (some quite skimpy), though I have a strong preference for the less visually pleasing varieties (not so artistic) and always Light Armor, though never over Leather (aka, never use Glass or Elven, etc...), for both male and female characters...Reason being, I love a strategic play style that favors agility, mobility and stealth in battle....such battle style looks ridiculous and out of place to me with a lot of Armor.

 

Though there are also the odd games I play, when just messing around, then I play for beauty and the Skyrim Mod bodies are beautiful (both male and female), so things get very skimpy then, simply because I think their beautiful.

Edited July 2, 2014 by KanesGhost

[Maverick11]

Male biology 101. Myself, I prefer to immerse in my RPG's as a reflection of myself. So I only play male characters and have a big dislike for video game developers who portray women in unrealistic settings in their video games. For those who like to modifying their game, I see no issue with it.