This isn't a gotcha thing I'm doing, I was watching this AI vs artist Arch was doing where he did one before with black April O'Neil and he's done another with dark skin Velma this time. Some flaws here and there but a massive improvement over the HBO show, at one point, he puts out the idea with what I like to refer to as 'milfy Velma' was having it that she was detached from the group, is a reporter herself and events brings her back with her old friends, so like the show just, not shit.
One of the immediate things that detached me from even trying to watch it was how ugly the self insert Velma was yet if this AI made hotter Velma was in it, I might at least give it an episode.
But a key part of this is that watching shows is passive, you're not interacting so for games it depends for me. Does it fit the setting as if it's a game about giant mechs then it isn't really a factor. If there's character customisation beyond just selecting outfits, then it becomes a big factor as if I want to create a really hot character, the game itself shouldn't limit me. Same as if there's 'romance' choices and all of them are fugly.
I've gotten to the point where having attractive guys but ugly women in a game is a massive red flag for me as then it means this is a self insert game and there's likely to be a lot of ideology in the narrative too. So just want to hear your guys takes if having attractive female characters even affects the shows and games you play/watch.
Anyone who is saying "I don't buy media for the attractive female characters" is probably naive or lying. The reason such characters are used is obviously because sex sells. It's the easiest and most pervasive form of manipulation of men out there.
Like most forms of such manipulation, it's impossible to not be affected by it except by consciously avoiding consuming such material. It's pretty sad that most men aren't awake to the degree they are being manipulated by sex. In fact, now that there is a drive to remove attractive females from media to push political messages, you can see men fighting for the inclusion of sexualised characters so they can continue being controlled by their sex drives, in other words, fighting to be manipulated by sex (and by implication, women).
When there is a plethora of attractive female characters to go around it becomes the baseline instead of something special. Which means people can say with sincerity and truth they don't buy it because of them, because its simply expected with any package you buy. Like the drink at a restaurant. That's how gaming used to be, and still is outside of parts of the Western AAA/indie scene, so its still the case in a lot of ways.
So when they are saying that, they are simply saying its not enough to sell the game to them not that they have some zen compass above such base impulses.