The Guy Game: Скандальная викторина с откровенным контентом.

2004 video game

The Guy Game is a 2004 adult video game developed by Topheavy Studios and published by Gathering for Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Presented in a trivia gameshow style, the game allows up to four players to compete in the game by completing multiple choice questions and minigames complemented by filmed live action footage of young women in bikinis on spring break. The game's development was led by former Metroid Prime developer Jeff Spangenberg, who sought to create an interactive game with appeal to men inspired by the Girls Gone Wild series of pornographic videos. The objective of The Guy Game is for players to earn points, as well as accumulate bonus points for a meter, titled the Flash O Meter, that progressively removes censorship of footage of the women exposing their breasts. Upon release, The Guy Game was a commercial disappointment and received negative reviews, with critics critiquing the game's tastelessness, slow pace, and lack of content, although some praised the game as a niche party title for a college age audience. Following release, The Guy Game experienced controversy when a participant filmed exposing her breasts in the game sued the developer and publishers for breach of privacy and emotional distress, and revealed that she was a minor at the time of filming. The plaintiff's lawsuit successfully obtained a temporary injunction against further distribution, after which Topheavy Studios ceased further sale of the game. Due to the ESRB classification of the title as 'Mature' instead of 'Adults Only', authors, groups and legislators in the United States targeted The Guy Game in efforts to restrict minors' access to explicit video games. The Guy Game has been retrospectively assessed as a controversial title in an emergent genre of adult video games receiving a mainstream commercial release on consoles in the mid 2000s in line with other titles including Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude and Playboy: The Mansion.

The Guy Game is a trivia game in which up to four players answer multiple choice quizzes and complete minigames in a series of 'episodes' that feature a progression of four rounds. Most gameplay is complemented by full motion video of comedian Matt Sadler asking trivia questions provided to the player to bikini clad young women ('Hotties') on spring break. Spangenberg stated that the title and concept of The Guy Game was based around creating "a game geared toward guys about things guys like: competing against your buddies, showing up your buddies and topless nudity". The game was inspired by Girls Gone Wild, a direct to video pornographic series with a similar premise. Footage of the game was shot on South Padre Island during the 2003 spring break season. The game featured Matt Sadler, a comedian who had previously appeared on MTV and in a national talent search on HBO. The budget for The Guy Game was estimated by Spangenberg to total $1.4 million. Topheavy Studios previewed the game in January 2004 in search of a publisher, with Take Two Interactive subsidiary Gathering announcing a deal in July 2004 to publish the game. The Guy Game was shipped for release on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox on August 31. A Windows version followed on December 22. falling short of an 'Adults Only' classification that would have seen the game's sale restricted to minors. The Guy Game was cited by several groups and legislators in the United States seeking greater restriction of distribution of sexually explicit video games to minors. In 2004, the National Institute on Media and the Family advised parents that The Guy Game was a 'game to avoid' in its Ninth Annual Video Game Report Card. In December 2004, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich introduced legislation that restricted retailers from selling or renting violent or sexually explicit video games to minors. The Guy Game was one of two sexually explicit titles identified for restriction, along with Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, citing the game's "nudity" and "raunchy exchanges". Illinois legislators submitted footage of The Guy Game in an unsuccessful defense of its legislation in a 2006 lawsuit by the Entertainment Software Association. In March 2005, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm showcased footage of The Guy Game in support of a campaign for increased restrictions on violent and sexually explicit video games, lobbying to the Michigan legislature that Michigan law did not prevent minors from renting or purchasing the game. Author Pamela Paul, who argued that the game was indicative of a greater presence of pornographic content in media targeted to adolescents, appeared before a 2005 U. S. Senate Hearing on pornography, testifying that the game did "not even get an adults only rating" and evidenced how video games "exult the pornographic". The Guy Game is explicitly banned from streaming on the game streaming site Twitch.

The Guy Game was a commercial disappointment, selling a combined 60,000 copies in 2004 on Xbox and PlayStation.

The Guy Game received "generally unfavorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic, scoring 48/100 on the PlayStation 2, Brathwaite noted The Guy Game was the last notable example of the "short lived craze" of interactive full motion video in adult video games. In 2015, The Guardian cited The Guy Game as one of the worst games of all time, describing it as a "salacious" and "misogynist" title overshadowed by the circumstances of its censorship. In 2016, Stace Harman of IGN described the game as a "lacklustre trivia" with "inane" humor.

Following the discontinuation of The Guy Game, Topheavy Studios briefly repackaged footage of the game sold as a DVD titled The Guy Game: Game Over! The DVD contains uncensored footage and outtakes, including from participants not featured in the original game.