Nudity Pack for The Saboteur

Don't worry -- the nudity-free trailer above for The Saboteur is perfectly safe for work.

But here's a link to a video that definitely isn't.

The Saboteur's main character frequents a strip club called Belle de Nuit. The strippers inside will be wearing pasties, unless you choose to download the nudity pack. If you buy the game new, you can download the pack for free. It will cost you $5 if you buy the game used.

To quote a commenter named Tmidiman over at IGN, "Only children and prudes are affraid of nudity. And since this game is for neither we're all set and can move forward."

That's right, Tmidiman. This game isn't for children (it's rated M) or for prudes (the nudity's been well-publicized). But guess who else it apparently isn't for? Heterosexual female gamers, and gay male gamers. According to my calculations (33% of gamers are female, 10% of people are gay), EA is currently neglecting 36% of its customer base.

I don't care that there are nude women in this game. Women have been practically nude in other games that I've loved (at least in The Saboteur, the women in question are actually strippers and are supposed to be nude). Women in games are assumed to be a perk or buying incentive for hetero male shoppers, and they are dressed accordingly.

So, where's my perk? Where's my buying incentive? Where's Chris Redfield's sexy alternate costume?*

EA isn't the only publisher guilty of this oversight, but they've been particularly egregious lately. For example, their lust campaign for Dante's Inferno. They apologized, but I think they (and some of the women who were angry about it) are kind of missing the point, or at least one of the points. According to EA, women are always lusted after and men are always the ones doing the lusting. Oh, and their customer base is all male and all straight. Um ...

Oh, well! I guess I shouldn't expect EA to work very hard for my money, since they don't need it -- oh, wait. They do.

* For the record, there are plenty of hot guys in games noawadays. I made a list of 2008's best last year, and I plan to make one again for 2009 (suggestions appreciated, all you hetero girls and gay guys).