The goal of the Sex SIG is to protect the rights of developers to create sexually themed games free of censorship and regulation while also making sure that the maturity level of game content is reflected in its rating and its rating descriptors so that parents can make informed decisions.
The Sex SIG is open to anyone interested in the topic of sexual content in video games, from developers actively creating such content to parents to representatives of organizations that seek to restrict such content.
While the Sex SIG has been in the works since the 2005 Game Developers Conference in March, its development was put on a fast track following the discovery in early July of hardcore content hidden within the top-selling game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.”
That discovery lead to “Grand Theft Auto” being reclassified as an adults-only game, making it off limits to minors. Several mass merchants subsequently removed the game from their shelves.
The controversy also sparked threats from politicians of a complete overhaul of the ratings process for games, music, television, music programming and video content.
IGDA members hope forming the Sex SIG will help them avoid negative bad publicity in the future while still allowing for the development of games geared toward adult, including those that contain nudity and/or hardcore content.
"The Sex SIG will serve as an arena for developers to address the issues and challenges facing the use of adult sexual content in video games," Sex SIG Chair/Founder Brenda Brathwaite said.
"Our main objective is to encourage responsible development," added Brathwaite, who was lead designed on “Playboy: The Mansion” from Cyberlore Studios.
The Sex SIG will serve as a source for relevant industry news and provide an online discussion forum and mailing list to promote developer interaction. The group also is working on several initiatives to present adult content in an appropriate way, including conference lectures and white papers outlining responsible development practices and how to promote age-verified access to content.
"Sexual content in video games is not a new phenomenon," IDGA Executive Director Jason Della Rocca said. "Recent events are merely intensifying the attention to the topic, further validating the need for developers to connect on these issues."
