this post was submitted on 19 May 2026
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Everyone knows how to sexualize female characters in video games.
But how to sexualize male characters and do "fan service" for the female audience?

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[–] Klear@piefed.world 70 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] AzuranAurora@piefed.ca 15 points 1 week ago (2 children)

So lots and lots of cocaine. Got it!

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[–] CaliforniaSober@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago

“Gee I don’t know boss, that’s a lot of hair…”

[gunshot]

“The gun shoots death…”

[–] cattywampas@lemmy.world 62 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Same way. Hot bods, tight clothes, show plenty of skin.

[–] velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone 31 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Women enjoying the same things as men? Why, I never!

[–] warmaster@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Says Velma with an oversized sweater, just look at Daphne's outfit... Like, zoinks, Scoob!

[–] velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Velma's short skirt and knee highs though...

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Velma’s short skirt and knee highs though…

On all fours.. looking fo dem glasses..

[–] velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

She was my bisexual awakening before I ever even realized it lol

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[–] ashenone@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Testicle cleavage and beer belly shirts. What's the sluttiest hair style a man can have?

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Not cleavage. Give 'em the moose knuckle.

[–] ashenone@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 week ago

They should be so lucky

[–] abigscaryhobo@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Thinning on top with the "monk ring" style cut. Nothing gets the ladies going more.

But serious advice for guys, know when to just shave your head man. People like full heads of hair, people like bald, nobody likes thinning. Make the call and save yourself the embarrassment. Bald is beautiful.

[–] hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone 32 points 1 week ago (10 children)

To sexualize men for women, you have to understand women.

To men, attraction is largely visual. So to sexualize a woman for a male audience means making her look attractive, and dressed in a revealing outfit. Swapping the genders doesn't work. A visually attractive man in a revealing outfit is far more likely to appeal to either gay men sexually, or men generally as a power fantasy. To appeal to women you need a fundimentially different strategy altogether.

Consider erotic literature. Its a genre that is disproportionately popular with women. Its basically anti-porn, no visuals all story. Male characters in these stories are almost always sexualized by women for women. The attraction mostly from their choices and actions than appearance. You need a completely different approach.

Go read some smut. Talk to straight women about who and what they find attractive. You have to learn a lot about women to appeal to them. What they are looking for, and how they are looking for it is entirely different from men.

[–] bampop@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

I guess that's one of the less-acknowledged reasons why you see more sexualization of women in games. It costs next to nothing in terms of game design. Take any game, slap a scantily clad woman on it and bam, you've significantly increased your appeal to male audiences. To do the same for female audiences you have to build the entire game around that requirement.

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Consider erotic literature. Its a genre that is disproportionately popular with women. Its basically anti-porn, no visuals all story. Male characters in these stories are almost always sexualized by women for women. The attraction mostly from their choices and actions than appearance. You need a completely different approach.

Yes, its no visuals. Thats why there isnt 500,000,000 books with fabio ripped and glistening on the covers.

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[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

For anyone wanting to know more about these books, Reading Smut is a side-project podcast by the hosts of Reading Glasses. It's really interesting, with lots of thoughtful guests and often odd books. One of the first episodes covered a book about a door that comes to life and lusts after the woman who lives inside.

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[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 30 points 1 week ago (1 children)

According to my wife...

Dress shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbow.

Kilts.

[–] GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 week ago
[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Rolled up sleeves. Just trust me.

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[–] velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It depends on the genre of the game.

Fighting games like Mortal Kombat? Put the men in skimpy outfits that show their muscles like the women.

Survival game? I don't need to see the characters sexualized while they're trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. Give me character depth and growth, empathy, and strong story-telling visuals. I'll fall in love with man or woman that way.

[–] warmaster@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago

Nothing like a miniature sized trikini to survive the zombie outbreak.

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[–] silverlightBeing@lemmy.ml 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I'll cite some examples:

Hades and hades 2 (all the characters) supergiant did it right in both fronts.

Khazan. (protagonist)

Elden Ring. Godfrey/ Hoarah Loux & Radagon. (Crumbling or whatever, I don't care)

Or give me a guy in full plate with a sexy gait, see: Demon's Souls Penetrator.

Or without sexy gait. See: DS1 Artorias

I'm sorry I don't make the rules.

ETA: Halsin! (BG3) how could I forget?

[–] velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Geralt from the Witcher fits nicely on this list.

[–] GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago

Of.course, plus Geralt knows how to treat a lady. You know what, let's trow in Eskel as well, for the "rolled up sleeves" people... I see y'all.

[–] Coelacanth@feddit.nu 4 points 1 week ago (5 children)

I can't believe you're into Halsin haha. I don't know how you manage to make a sex crazed man-bear insufferably boring but by gods, they did it!

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[–] cinoreus@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Watch jojo. You are gonna get your answer best way possible

[–] Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago

That's sexualizing men for everybody. He's asking how to do it specifically for women! It may seem like the same thing but it is different.

[–] GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I've tried to get into Jojo so many times for the beautiful men, but I kinda get bored.

Regardless ,thanks Araki. I still love the art.

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[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

I think Hades is an excellent example of a game which just sexualizes everyone.

[–] Aganim@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

But how to sexualize male characters and do "fan service" for the female audience?

Easy, just add Caius Cosades to your game:

[–] LurkingLuddite@piefed.social 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Just have to add on to all the preferences already described... don't make them vapid idiots on top of the physical preferences, and you'll be fine.

As long as they're a cohesive, fleshed out character, they could be an evil pile of shit and quite a few ladies will be thinking, "can I fix him?".

Same could be said for women characters, but it's WAY easier to sell to a horny dipshit than a horny lady, since most said dipshits don't think past hipthrust.

[–] Jolteon@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Just look at the sheer number of women who like Severus Snape of all people.

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[–] mp3@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Borat's mankini. You're welcome.

[–] HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)
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[–] Katana314@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (3 children)

If it’s uncomfortable and disempowering for men, you’re probably doing it right. It’s often a power dynamic.

But to draw back from a sour take: This will also turn off some people. Both ways. For instance: I love sexualized designs, but some games genuinely went too far. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Nier Automata had genuine, serious stories to tell, but fell flat on some people for sexualizing their main (female) characters in such an objectifying way.

I also think for women, the pure visual isn’t quite as important as their movements and actions. That part gets tricky since tastes vary.

There’s a few gacha games out there designed for women that can give an idea of an extreme end to take it to. Again, keep in mind, there’s not one universal appeal for a whole gender (same for guys) so it will often turn out that the most universally appealing designs are the relatively safe ones you already see.

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[–] orenj@leminal.space 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
[–] HuePony@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 week ago

And vampire too

[–] jellyfishhunter@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

I think you need to check out the genre of Otome games. There's hundreds of weird dating sim style games catered to women which feature a male cast.

It's debatable of how sexualized these characters are. But whatever they do appeals to their female audience.

[–] DrPop@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I saw screenshots of the new Resident Evil. Leon Scott Kennedy is definitely showing of for those that are into it. Capcom has at least figured it out.

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[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Was it Captain America Winter Soldier where Cap pulled that helicopter back to the roof, and did all that flexing?

[–] LwL@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Seconding the otome comment, and a link to a relevant tag on vndb - you can probably find anything from not very sexualized to pure smut on that list, and there's often screenshots. https://vndb.org/g542

[–] Bluedragon012@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Oh that's easy, make them vaugly gay and twinky. Now if you are trying to arouse... Make them REALLY gay.

[–] ElectricAirship@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] CommanderCloon@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I like feminine/twink guys, so everyone recommending big buff guys 💀💀

But I'm a gay guy so not the target of OP's question 😅 I just barged in because it's a dry desert in terms of my preferences out there 💀

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