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[–] 6 points 9 months ago*

Just for context I'm asexual and that probably colors my answer in some interesting ways, but I say ... just a little?

Less is more when it comes to sex and violence. That might be my most old person opinion yet, but it doesn't come from a place of prudishness or judgment. I just think once the taboo on that stuff was largely broken it became overwhelming. It's a flashy hook to draw you in with no substance and they just hammer that dopamine switch so hard that it loses any impact after awhile.

Additionally, especially when it comes to sex, I feel like a lot of times it's hard to appeal to everyone in satisfying ways. Sex and our relationship with it is deeply personal, the things that appeal to one person might not appeal to another. We're often left disappointed when the net is cast too wide and feels impersonal, or it tries to appeal in ways we're not interested, or (IMHO worst of all) comes off as a flimsily disguised exposure to the creator's unique fetishes. Fine if you're into that, but very offputting if you're not.

I was just reminiscing the other day on the experience of growing up as a teen in the 90's finding some fan translated PC-98 visual novels. You'd play for hours just on the hopes of glancing a single, pixelated boob and end up enraptured in some cyber punk story.


I'm not saying there's a right or wrong here, I don't expect everyone to cater to my toned-down sensibilities, but I do think there has to be a happier medium where the sex and violence have real meaning and impact again and aren't just manipulative marketing. I think that's a lot of what worked well for (at least early seasons of) Game of Thrones. The possibility lurked around every corner, tension in every scene, and when it hit it landed with titillating impact instead of just drowning you in it.

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