Pregnancy in Video Role-Playing Games

[LadyMilla]

Its fine if the PC gets pregnant, how long are you going to stay alive realistically deep into pregnancy when you are constantly in combat?

 

What would be happening if your a PC (you would probably be somewhat rich) is that you would be in a vault getting things brought to you for months. You don't need armor for that, and it doesn't sound very fun.

 

So its not realistic in my eyes, but I also don't think realism is a problem.

 

Precisely. Realism is not a problem, the problem is that everything is mostly accepted as realistic/plausible that the original game declares realistic/plausible while player mods are arbitrarily declared unrealistic/implausible. Very few people complain about old Agatha, Little Lamplight or many other unrealistic things that are unrealistic even within the context of the unmodded game.

 

In Oblivion, shooting fireballs from your hand without burning it to a crisp is never frowned upon, walking with multiple arrows in your body (sometimes even in your head) is seldom shunned because they are declared to be part of the gameplay... but as soon as somebody uploads a skimpy "armor", the whining starts "nyaaaaaa, it is not realistic, it does not protect the body".

[myrmaad]

I'm a farm girl, the fourth of 7 children. On the day I was born, while having labor contractions, my mother got up at 5 am helped finish milking the cows, at 7 she got my sisters off to school and after she fed the calves, she drove herself 30 miles to the hospital. I was born at 6:25pm, my dad had hurried to get the evening milking done and was at the hospital just in time to put the newborn into his arms.

 

 

I am really disgusted that this topic has yet again become all about judgement and preconceptions that twist something that could add variety, story, and interesting situations has to be made into something dirty by the rigid "puritanicals".

 

This is why we can't have nice things.

 

 

(I'm the third girl, fourth child, and the third survivor. My brother died when I was 13 and he was 15.)

[WizardOfAtlantis]

And in most games the PC is constantly in combat of some sort.

True, and at times I think, most regrettably. However, I see Light on the Horizon...RobCo Certified! This beautiful mod grants the ability to work at building things that do the combat for you. You don't have to fight as you travel the wasteland doing whatever you think is necessary, all you have to do is hide behind your bots when trouble starts and let them do the deeds.

 

Understandably, If a pregnant woman found herself under attack through no fault of her own, then yes she would have to fight or die, but to deliberately seek out combat and danger that would probably kill her and her child she would have to be suicidal or have a death wish. At the least if one wanted to role play a pregnant woman in an intentional combat situation there should be penalties according to the physical condition of the woman, not just that she looks pregnant in a special set of armour. Otherwise I can't see the point in role playing pregnancy in combat.

 

Some of the points being made about relationships, sexual and otherwise, in hostile environments or times of great stress, in REAL life are true enough and part of human nature for reasons of comfort, relief of stress and survival instincts, but I thought this topic was about role playing in games, not reality.

I don't see it necessary to deliberately seek out combat in a game (I am using FNV as my reference here, because it's what I'm playing atm and where the mod that started this thread is for). I think if the PC has goals in life, that PC will go about realizing them. What if the PC gets pregnant and needs to build her own shelter? Stock up on supplies for the months ahead, make technological/repair improvements to the items in her house? Maybe she wants to build a suit of power armor for her kid for those Dark Years coming down the road? Build power weapons so he or she will have a technological edge over the competition by the age of 6? All of those things will require scavenging, looting, and traveling, and it's not like the PC would seek out combat. Combat would seek out the PC. In that case, I again mention (not to harp on it, but it's the one mod that lets you do something like this) RobCo Certified as the means to be a non-combatant in a combat situation (and live to tell the tale).

Now granted, this is a Scientist-type roleplay and not for everybody's tastes, but it is at least a working possibility towards these ends discussed here. All the RL background stories could be easily applied to this theoretical Apocalyptic Scientist gal who finds herself plus-one: she would know what's in store, what she would need to do and what she needs materially in order to get it done, perhaps planning ahead for many years.

 

Well damn I wish someone would have told me and the women in my family this. I would have put my feet up and eaten some chocolates for 9 months.

hahahahaha, http://www.thenexusforums.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/laugh.gif

[WizardOfAtlantis]

I'm a farm girl, the fourth of 7 children. On the day I was born, while having labor contractions, my mother got up at 5 am helped finish milking the cows, at 7 she got my sisters off to school and after she fed the calves, she drove herself 30 miles to the hospital. I was born at 6:25pm, my dad had hurried to get the evening milking done and was at the hospital just in time to put the newborn into his arms.

EXACTLY THIS!!! http://www.thenexusforums.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/dance.gif

Brava, myrmaad, way to cite RL!

@all, I lament the Weakening of the Western World...I think the gritty possibilities that we have within us have become Strange to a great many, a great many who would scarf down countless burgers but not be able to stomach butchering a cow by their own hands, or really be able to get their heads around the why behind having a family of 8 or so kids because there was a time (not so long ago) when you never knew how many of those kids would survive their first years, or the difficulty of finding meat in a war-torn country that leads people to procure it from the most unlikely (?) founts and serve it at restaurants (real life example, btw).....etc, etc.

Not that I'm saying those are necessarily good things, just that they are realistic things as they are based in reality.

[HeyYou]

I am not arguing that pregnancy in a game is unrealistic, I am arguing that anyone making armor, beyond leather, or similar easily workable PLIABLE material, is unrealistic. I could see perhaps a few women that find themselves in dire straights manufacturing their own out of bits and pieces of other armor, (again, something pliable) however, Pregnant Powered armor? No. Not gonna happen.

[WizardOfAtlantis]

[quote name='HeyYou' timestamp='1313417713' post='3492782']

I am not arguing that pregnancy in a game is unrealistic, I am arguing that anyone making armor, beyond leather, or similar easily workable PLIABLE material, is unrealistic. I could see perhaps a few women that find themselves in dire straights manufacturing their own out of bits and pieces of other armor, (again, something pliable) however, Pregnant Powered armor? No. Not gonna happen.

History actually contradicts your opinion. Fitted suits of armor were more often made by request, historically speaking. Measurements were taken and the suit was made for that person and that person alone, as they were very costly things to have. Even cheaper versions of belly armor, basically the "idea" of moulded round bellies themselves, were strapped on over padded clothing or sewn onto chainmail.

So if armor was made to the measurements of the wearer six or seven centuries ago, they can't do the same in the future? Here, we are talking about Super Science, about PC's who can reach the 75 to 100 levels in Science and Energy and Repair skills...we're talking about people who might not even need to ask someone else to make it for them. They could make it on their own, jury rigging a suit of power armor found in the wastes.

Power armor is already quite a lot bigger than the individual. Who is to say that someone with the sufficient science and repair skills couldn't relocate the sensors and equipment located in the belly to another place (like the back) and simply make jury rig a new belly/front piece and "stick it on" by taking materials from another suit?

As an aside, this reminds me of that beautiful suit of Raider Power Armor from FO3...and if Raiders can do it...

Edited August 15, 2011 by WizardOfAtlantis

[grannywils]

I was the second poster on this thread, and I have read every single post since. I am going to repeat myself here. These are role playing games... Why does anyone else care what an individual chooses to do with his/her own character(s) in his/her own role playing game? It is a game. It is fantasy. The whole point of a game is (at least for me) to go away somewhere and be someone else. Whoever that is is my own business. Why would I want to make judgements on what other people choose. I may have opinions, but who the heck cares about my opinions on their games. I sure don't care about their opinions of my games....

I simply stated in my earlier post that there was no reason not to believe that pregnant women should be considered as characters in role playing games anymore than any other character should be considered. I have not heard one intelligent argument to contradict that statement, and have heard many that substantiate it. I'm done now....

[HeyYou]

[quote name='HeyYou' timestamp='1313417713' post='3492782']

I am not arguing that pregnancy in a game is unrealistic, I am arguing that anyone making armor, beyond leather, or similar easily workable PLIABLE material, is unrealistic. I could see perhaps a few women that find themselves in dire straights manufacturing their own out of bits and pieces of other armor, (again, something pliable) however, Pregnant Powered armor? No. Not gonna happen.

History actually contradicts your opinion. Fitted suits of armor were more often made by request, historically speaking. Measurements were taken and the suit was made for that person and that person alone, as they were very costly things to have. Even cheaper versions of belly armor, basically the "idea" of moulded round bellies themselves, were strapped on over padded clothing or sewn onto chainmail.

So if armor was made to the measurements of the wearer six or seven centuries ago, they can't do the same in the future? Here, we are talking about Super Science, about PC's who can reach the 75 to 100 levels in Science and Energy and Repair skills...we're talking about people who might not even need to ask someone else to make it for them. They could make it on their own, jury rigging a suit of power armor found in the wastes.

Power armor is already quite a lot bigger than the individual. Who is to say that someone with the sufficient science and repair skills couldn't relocate the sensors and equipment located in the belly to another place (like the back) and simply make jury rig a new belly/front piece and "stick it on" by taking materials from another suit?

As an aside, this reminds me of that beautiful suit of Raider Power Armor from FO3...and if Raiders can do it...

 

And who were those armors made for? Males..... Haven't seen too many pregnant males of late. :D

 

I was the second poster on this thread, and I have read every single post since. I am going to repeat myself here. These are role playing games... Why does anyone else care what an individual chooses to do with his/her own character(s) in his/her own role playing game? It is a game. It is fantasy. The whole point of a game is (at least for me) to go away somewhere and be someone else. Whoever that is is my own business. Why would I want to make judgements on what other people choose. I may have opinions, but who the heck cares about my opinions on their games. I sure don't care about their opinions of my games....

I simply stated in my earlier post that there was no reason not to believe that pregnant women should be considered as characters in role playing games anymore than any other character should be considered. I have not heard one intelligent argument to contradict that statement, and have heard many that substantiate it. I'm done now....

 

It's something to argue about. Do we need any more reason?? :D

[myrmaad]

Even in the Fallout world, times have changed. The NCR has had a woman president (Tandi).

 

I win.

[marharth]

I lol'd at all the quote fails in this topic.