Author: by Beth A.

Course Technology PTR and Charles River Media have announced the release of Brenda Brathwaite's book Sex in Video Games, which provides analysis of sexual content in video games. Author Brenda Brathwaite, who has an extensive video gaming career that spans nearly 25 years, has personal experience in dealing with sex in video games issues. She holds credit for designing and writing Playboy: The Mansion, one of the games used as a case study in chapter content. Further chapter content studies the history of games that feature sexual content on PC and console platforms, explains the ESRB Rating System to provide a framework for the most recent effort at self-governance and regulation of sexual content in games, explores past and present litigation to address efforts at censorship as well as the industry's response, and includes a wide range of interviews with industry leaders and case studies on specific platforms. Publishers introduce the focus of Sex in Video Games as follows: "Since the first computer games became available, sex has played a role in some form. But with the release of games like Playboy: The Mansion, Leisure Suit Larry, and The Singles, sexual content has gained a firm foothold and for the first time, ventured into the mainstream. Even casual games like The Sims have started to rev things up a bit, and in on-line games, tales of cybering have become commonplace. This sexual revolution in games has generated intense scrutiny of the games industry by political watchdog groups and family-oriented organizations. And it has brought the importance of self-regulation and rating systems to the forefront of the industry. Seeking to understand this emerging trend, developers, publishers, retailers, and consumers are asking themselves: When is sex appropriate in a game? How far is too far? What will it mean for the product? For its distribution? For my company? For me? Do games with sexual content sell better? Are they generally profitable? So far, there are no definitive answers to these questions. Sex in Video Games provides insight into this issue and presents guidelines and answers by studying the history of sexual content use in games and within the industry itself. In addition, the book considers ethical issues, parental and retailer responsibility, and explores industry attempts at self-regulation, along with a growing concern about potential censorship." For more information about this new release, interested parties can visit the official website for the book at the Course Technology PTR and Charles River Media website.