Well it all boils down to semantics. But I would describe Up! as dealing with mature themes. Showgirls has adult content. But I would not describe Up! as an adult film, it is simple a film that does not dumb down the concepts of coping with aging, loneliness or death for the viewer. But it does portray them in a way that are equally accessible to young children and adults (which is very hard to do in entertainment so kudos to Pixar)

I think that the beginning segment of 'Up' was pretty amazingly effective for what it was. The rest of the film really wasn't quite as effective (the old 'Pixar's Patented Array of Plot Devices' made their appearance, which kinda undermined the whole experience), but still surprisingly moving for a Pixar film (I'm usually not a fan).

You know, I'm seeing a lot more naked teenage girls on the streets than in the games I play, regardless of their rating.

So, how hard is it to move to Macedonia?

Not hard at all. Just find a place to stay!

They have creativity....it's just as others mentioned: Sex/violence sell. It's also a great escape from the mundane world(Imho) to be able to do things(even baser animalistic things) one can't normally do in the real world. Yes, people like exploring more thought provoking worlds as well, or ones without such graphic elements, but that's why we have other types of games out there(and also other forms of media like books and the like.).

I also like a good thought provoking game on occasion, but when I want such things I usually go for a book to accomplish such, whereas I use games mainly for the "shock"/awe value they can provide.


I think the rest of thye film was good as well.....yes there were plot devices, but again this was a comedy film....not a 100% serious film about life's changes and how they affect us. The rest of the film, imo, wonderfully showed(in a silly way.....although with a few serious moments thrown in there) how a grumpy old man beset by many of life's problems started to cope with his issues and open up to the kid(and the world at large) as he went along.

He also learned how to live in the moment and enjoy his life, and care about others once more. Quite a good film, imo.(for a cartoon comedy that is)

I dunno, even in games that aren't all that deep you find stuff that is well handled and an adult theme, without being graphic. In Dead Island you see a person lose her faith and die inside, the implication was that she was raped, probably gang raped, and savagely beaten by people she was trying to help (yes, the violence in that game is pretty high but let's be honest, most people in the US have way more problems with even mild sex than some pretty severe violence, especially if the violence is mostly implied). Dead Island is just a zombie game, it's not that deep, it's pretty, it's fun, but not that deep. Yet even there you see some deep elements because the storyteller wanted to portray how people might act in a situation like that.

I don't find lazily putting sex and violence in a story (in any medium) any more insulting that the deus ex machina most people throw in (and fact I kind of hate deus ex machina at this point). Not everything has to be a masterpiece and even "pulp" works can have meaningful stuff inside. Not everything will be Shakespeare (which ironically was considered low brow back in the day).

I was actually thinking more in terms of the presentation of the whole "tone" of a game, but in hindsight that's probably a little off subject. So point taken.

Also, for the record, I can totally see why Shakespeare would have been considered low-brow.

From my understanding, theatre and everything connected to it was considered "low brow" back in Shakespeare's day. :) However, be that as it may, Shakespeare was respected amongst playwrights and artists of his day - though no where near the reputation he attained in the 19th Century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare#Critical_reputation

I was just pointing those things out for the sake of pointing them out while using them to make my own points. (Which is that using such elements in a game or piece of media, imo, doesn't make them any less creative.......and also that games aren't really[again imo] needed to be thought provoking as we have other forms of media for that. Games are for having fun, imo....mindless senseless fun and escapism. Books(and some film) and other media already do a good job at making us think deeply on various topics.).

Why doesn't world make mature sexual pc game without Japan?

I don't know, but I bet the answer has something to do with cephalopods :>

I think it depends very much on genre. RPGs are mixing in more adult content. Strategy games like Civilization 5 are pretty much sex free but strategy games in general are rare nowadays. Adventures are mostly without sexual content. At least I am not aware of this.

I really appreciate the OP for creating this topic, however I'm afraid I haven't seen much in the way of satisfying answers. Too much of a general debate ensued, I think.

The only recent games (that I'm more aware of -- I may simply need more time to think) which I believe would satisfy your needs are:
- Fate of the World
- Tropico (not a story based game but I think it's somewhat mature, in a silly way)
- Uplink
- Some adventure games (I haven't played enough, but they are out there)
- Historical sims/strategies (aka Paradox)
- Some seafaring games. I'm thinking like Silent Hunter, but again, I don't have enough experience.

There's been games recommended that I don't think would meet your needs:
Braid (it may be that I just don't find it fulfilling)
VVVVV
Fighting games
The Baconing (this game could appeal to a mature gamer, but it's intent isn't to be mature)
Trine (again, just not fulfilling; fun game, though)
Frozen Synapse (great game, no story to speak of)
AI Wars (great game, no story to speak of)
Wii games (I'm not saying there are none, but generally the games don't aim to be "mature")
Monday Night Combat (I'm wondering if some posters didn't read the OP)

I could criticize a lot more choices, but then I would probably classify as someone who is looking too much for high brow content.

I'll try to update this post if I think of more. If we include older games though, I think we could get a much more extensive list.

I have to agree with Jefequeso about Up. Pixar movies are in general aimed at kids, but like any good kid's movie, can appeal to adults. I think the best of the Pixar films for adults would be Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, Monster's Inc. and Wall-E.