About hot characters in computer games :)

[yung.carl.jung]

You don't have to focus on video games here, you could just point to any media. Attractive and fit people are more visually appealing, whether we like it or not - and will be used in an attempt to increase profits. That has been happening for decades.. er.. centuries?.. millenia??

Have you ever seen an ancient Greek statue of somebody fugly? Sure they all have tiny genitalia for whatever reason, but the rest of their bodies are usually what you might describe as human perfection.

This is actually not true at all. The greeks often depicted overweight or "ugly" people, as did the Romans by the way. This is a statue of Aesop, one of the most revered Greek playwrights. why exactly he is depicted as ugly even though he was beloved, no one really knows:



This is a statue of a drunk old whore:



You will find that especially in the hellenistic period Greek art focussed more on social realism than on ideal forms.

Also, you fundamentally misunderstand ancient greek culture in your interpretation. Ancient people were not depicted as beautiful because it was hot or because those were the body types they admired (I guess that, too), but rather because ancient greeks believed that being beautiful and good looking was a literal blessing of the gods and showed your good character. That's right, it's fundamentally about personality. That is also the reason why most of the heroes were good looking, because they received divine favor and had a good moral character. Consider the fact that even among greek gods, there are uglies: Hephaistos, Priapus, Pan, Geras, Achelous, all of which also had statues.

Even ambiguous moral characters are represented through external beauty/ugliness, for example the Gorgons are clearly considered somewhat evil and described as having hideous faces, so ugly and hideous that anyone seeing them will turn to stone, but still usually depicted with enticing female bodies - After all they are neither completely monster nor human, they are something inbetween.

There is a famous anecdote that a well-known Greek woman defended herself in court by showing her bare breasts and asking the "judges" if a person this beautiful could possibly be bad in character. They agreed with her that the beauty given to her by the gods was a surefire sign of her good character and ended up letting her go unpunished.

So yeah, Greek statues aren't sexy because "sex sells, baby", but because it was a fundamental part of ancient greek culture to portray anyone you believed to be a good, moral person as physically beautiful. Zeus is considered beautiful even when he is a literal bull raping Europa. Greeks weren't zoophiliacs, Zeus just has to be beautiful.

 

[Kyriakos]

^Aesop afaik was said to have been pretty bad looking (and furthermore of unusually dark skin tone). Socrates is another case of someone described as ugly

As for statues, there were two categories. The older ones are called "agalmata" (etymologically this connotes that the viewer is to feel elated by looking at them) and ONLY depict gods. Then came the statues which can be of humans (andriantes, originally, because they were of males). Pheidias is supposed to have been the first sculptor to present a female deity nude (Aphrodite; possibly modeled after the famous hetaira, Phryne).

The statue of Aphrodite at the city of Knidos was so erotic that there were cases of ancient vandalism by people trying to have sex with it

And yes, somatic beauty was a very serious (and good) preoccupation in ancient Greece. People moreover went to the gym for that (Spartan women are a good example).

That said, one could be not good looking and considered moral just fine. In the dialogue about Protagoras, Socrates starts by saying that he was indeed talking with someone beautiful, since ability to think is also that (although he probably meant to indirectly put down Protagoras who he envied for being more famous than him)

PS: It is quite easy to notice that the statues of gods who are symbols of power (Zeus and Poseidon) are different than those who are symbols of Beauty (Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite). The former also always have beards and come across as someone who would break your neck. The latter are sensual and youthful.



(Hermes, by Praxiteles)

 

[warpus]

That's pretty interesting about the statues. Seems like I misjudged the ancients. Nevertheless, their use of beautiful people in their media is something I can use to back up my claims that "this sort of thing" has been going on for a while now.

Is it true that the ancient Greeks used to think that large dongs meant that you were stupid though? So if you showed up to the olympics and were hanging low, you'd get sent to special ed and/or banished from higher society functions, maybe uninvited from the ball? Wouldn't it mean that women at the time would prefer smart men with the tiniest possible genitalia? Wouldn't that get passed on in the genes as a sort of sexual selection trait? Is it odd to wonder if these traits remain with the Greek population of today?

 

[Kyriakos]

That's pretty interesting about the statues. Seems like I misjudged the ancients. Nevertheless, their use of beautiful people in their media is something I can use to back up my claims that "this sort of thing" has been going on for a while now.

Is it true that the ancient Greeks used to think that large dongs meant that you were stupid though? So if you showed up to the olympics and were hanging low, you'd get sent to special ed and/or banished from higher society functions, maybe uninvited from the ball? Wouldn't it mean that women at the time would prefer smart men with the tiniest possible genitalia? Wouldn't that get passed on in the genes as a sort of sexual selection trait? Is it odd to wonder if these traits remain with the Greek population of today?

For a short answer, you can just google "priapos"

For a slightly longer answer: all the plays by Aristophanes had props which were massive penises...

I think that the major statues have genitals which are unrealistically non-erect does indeed symbolize tranquility - these are usually gods, and people were supposed to feel elation, not run and hide to avoid being forced upon ^_^ (which, by the way, at least the later, roman era priapoi were used as: often they would be placed in gardens with ominous messages against thieves, that they would suffer being raped by a priapos if caught!)

 

[Samson]

For a short answer, you can just google "priapos"

For a slightly longer answer: all the plays by Aristophanes had props which were massive penises...

I think that the major statues have genitals which are unrealistically non-erect does indeed symbolize tranquility - these are usually gods, and people were supposed to feel elation, not run and hide to avoid being forced upon ^_^ (which, by the way, at least the later, roman era priapoi were used as: often they would be placed in gardens with ominous messages against thieves, that they would suffer being raped by a priapos if caught!)

They found a roman wang in the UK yesterday.

Spoiler A millstone :

 

[PiR]

Well, that's what a guide told me in a museum but probably there are different theories with different historians.

It seems it's a universal question though:

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/ent...9/why-men-ancient-statues-have-small-penises/

"The ideal Greek man was rational, intellectual and authoritative," explains Oredsson. "He may still have had a lot of sex, but this was unrelated to his penis size, and his small penis allowed him to remain coolly logical."

 

[Kyriakos]

I have to suppose Oredsson wants to project himself there ^_^

 

[Broken_Erika]

This Video game boss seems hot

 

[Kyriakos]

This Video game boss seems hot

Image isn't showing

From the link I see it is from quake, so maybe it is lava-covered or something hot.

 

[Kyriakos]

Another famous (and cool) game with a nice female protagonist, Still Life:

 

[Chicken Pizza]

Have you played Witcher 1 in the last decade?
It was not integrated well. You rescue an elf lady from some thugs, and she goes "Thank you for saving me from those ruffians, I wish I could repay you, u want sum fuk?"

Well, you did save her life.

 

[Chicken Pizza]

Moderator Action: This is where I chime in and ask people to be mindful of their language, please. Thank you.

You.. have this power?

 

[Birdjaguar]

@Chicken Pizza Yes she does. It is always best to pay attention to moderator red type and if you have a question, pm them.

 

[innonimatu]

So yeah, Greek statues aren't sexy because "sex sells, baby", but because it was a fundamental part of ancient greek culture to portray anyone you believed to be a good, moral person as physically beautiful. Zeus is considered beautiful even when he is a literal bull raping Europa. Greeks weren't zoophiliacs, Zeus just has to be beautiful.

PS: It is quite easy to notice that the statues of gods who are symbols of power (Zeus and Poseidon) are different than those who are symbols of Beauty (Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite). The former also always have beards and come across as someone who would break your neck. The latter are sensual and youthful.

That's funny because I can't help noticing that the sculptor of ugly Aesop gave him a big pair, whereas the manly gods are depicted as nearly eunuchs

Back to modernish stuff, anyone remembers Elvis from civ2? The funny ones are better than the hot ones!

 

[Chicken Pizza]

@Chicken Pizza Yes she does. It is always best to pay attention to moderator red type and if you have a question, pm them.

I'm sure that she's capable of dealing with this herself without you playing the white knight.

 

[Ajidica]

Well, you did save her life.

"And your reward is sex" is not exactly a sentiment that should be normalized, and is generally something most people find fairly distasteful.

 

[plarq]

I have to suppose Oredsson wants to project himself there ^_^

So what do you think about the Classical Greek sculptures?

 

[Birdjaguar]

I'm sure that she's capable of dealing with this herself without you playing the white knight.

Of course she is. My heads up to you was merely to save you some grief from what is called PDMA (public discussion of moderator action) which describes your post. Your question is best directed at her through pm. I was an OT moderator here for 5+ years.

EDIT: Or you could pose your question in Site Feedback and ask about the powers of moderators.

 

[Chicken Pizza]

"And your reward is sex" is not exactly a sentiment that should be normalized, and is generally something most people find fairly distasteful.

If the wench wants to have sex with her rescuer, and choose to call it a reward because she wants to be dominated, what's distasteful?

 

[Ajidica]

If the wench wants to have sex with her rescuer, and choose to call it a reward because she wants to be dominated, what's distasteful?

Did your entire knowledge of human sexuality come from 80s exploitation and titty films?
Or perhaps Gor?