Yesterday’s post got me thinking more generally about the intersection between videogames and kink. Obviously using sex and fetish to sell videogames is nothing new and, like every genre of art, there have been sexually explicit examples from its earliest days. What I’m more interested in are the mainstream games that plug into a BDSM or D/s vibe. The kind that push our kinky buttons without us necessarily being immediately aware of it.
There’s a clear link between topping and playing videogames, in that both are about control, flow and mastery of the local environment. That’s obviously what Gita Jackson in yesterday’s article picked up on. From the submissive perspective it’s a little trickier. For example, I can’t imagine a videogame about being tied up would work all that well. What would the controls be like? Mash Y to moan. Hit X to safeword if pain meter fills up. Wiggle the thumbstick to move your fingers and prevent ‘Game Over’ due to pins and needles. It probably wouldn’t be a bestseller.Â
There are plenty of games that involve rescuing a princess or some equivalent trophy female character, but they’re clearly not femdom. The female character is passive and helpless. There are an increasing number of games with powerful female leads, but they don’t tie to a D/s dynamic. For a game to push my kinky buttons it’d need an active and powerful female character that drives the story, but also the ability for me to have a fun gaming experience acting in support of her. That’s a tricky combination to find.
I’d guess the best place to look for examples would be RPGs. They typically have different characters working together and interesting mixes of genders and power dynamics. For example, both Final Fantasy VIII and IX had feisty female leads (Rinoa and Garnet respectively) with the male lead character working on their behalf. Hunting around online I also came across this video from the game Ni No Kuni 2, which clearly has a femdom slant to it. Does anyone have any other game suggestions? Anything that pushes both their controller and their kinky buttons? I’ve been pondering it all day and haven’t come up with much.
Medieval concepts of chivalry are an obvious dynamic for games with a femdom slant. Just as long as the Queen is the type to charge into battle and not spend all day moping around in her castle.
“There’s a clear link between topping and playing videogames, in that both are about control, flow and mastery of the local environment.”
No doubt. There’s also a clear link between living a submissive lifestyle and ‘not wanting to waste your time on that nonsense, I mean really, do you, darling? Wouldn’t you rather get on with your chores and then run me a bath?’
I used to play a lot of computer games. But shen she thought better of it, and that was that. From what I remember of them (mostly endlessly changing floppy disks – does that still go on?) I did come up with this piece of nonsense, though: https://contemplatingthedivine.blogspot.com/2014/09/high-achiever.html
Floppy disks? Now you’re showing your age. And possible my age, from the fact I know what they are. Although my first games were on tape, so that’s really going back.
I personally don’t get the videogame achievements thing, but your kinky version definitely has more appeal. Although I wonder where she’d store the achievement list? Some sort of permanent recording he can carry with him might be necessary…
-paltego
Tape? Taaape? Bloody luxury, lad! My first Sinclair Spectrum, us ‘ad to type in t’ game programmes with us bloody bare ‘ands, from a printout in t’ monthly magazine.
Ha! I had a Spectrum as well, rubber keyboard and all. There was nothing quite like the frustration of spending hours typing a long program in from a magazine, only to have the power lead get jiggled at the wrong moment and lose the whole thing. Or saving it to tape and then discovering you couldn’t get it to load the next day.
Although I did teach myself programming on those home machines, which ultimately led to my current career, which now pays the money for the nice ladies to beat my bottom. So I guess it was a good investment in the long run!
-paltego
You might want to have a look at the stuff Darktoz produces (darktoz.com and on Patreon). They’re set in fantasy worlds, so don’t have realistic scenes, but you do get to play as a sub. As games they have limitations – Darktoz is a solo developer and learning as they go – but they’re unique and done with enthusiasm.
In terms of mainstream, Bayonetta has a definite domme vibe about her that tickles the kinky part of my brain.
Interesting. Thanks for the pointer. I think I had stumbled across them at some point in the past, but had totally forgotten about them. I’ll take another look. Although at first glance, they seem more like interactive porn rather than a mainstream game with a femdom vibe, which is what I had in mind when originally writing the post.
Bayonetta definitely fits the bill from the domme side. I remember reading an interview with the designers of that, and they were researching Japanese BDSM torture equipment and toys for designing the finishing moves.
-paltego
Play red dead redemption 2 as female character, tie random men on back of your horse and bring them to camp, make them suffer, kick, or burn them in fire