The UnHorny Valley
So, lately we came across this shitpost by @wyrmforge which provides us with some helpful vocabulary for a lot of stuff BABD talked about over the years.
While what constitutes "True Pervert Ascension" might vary depending whom you ask (we're partial to the hornyness of Hades games, for example), the UnHorny Valley* is that pit of character design in which "sexy" female character's appearance is dictated by tired tropes/conventions/creepy marketing guys rather then genuine attraction and appreciation of what humans find interesting and hot in others. The moment we slide into this valley is when assumptions of what arouses people are made (like "more tits and ass = sexier") rather than artists genuinely embracing the horny and doing something creative with it.
And as we said many times before, "sex sells" only if you're selling a sexual product, not when using dubiously "sexy" imagery to boost interest in any random thing. So half-heartedly slapping cleavage on a generically pretty action game lady in hopes of selling more copies does read as insincere, manipulative and insulting to the target audience.
~Ozzie
Here's a non-exhaustive list of examples of UnHorny Valley we posted about before: X Blades | Scarlet Blade | Stellar Blade | League of Angels | League of Maidens | Haydee | Applibot games
*The name is a reference to the Uncanny Vallley, a term originating in robotics (and widely used re: character design and computer graphics), which describes something looking close enough to realistic without yet being either real or appealing, creating an eerie sensation in observers (think: robots with mannequin-like faces, overdetailed CGI, AI-generated imagery). For illustrative explainer, check this article: Close But No Cigar by @coelasquid
@wyrmforge (Tart) on: Bluesky/Twitter/Instagram
