Gooner Games are Awesome, Actually

Storyline / Theme

• The video doesn’t focus on a single game’s narrative. Instead, it argues about a broader gaming trend: “Gooner games”—games (or game elements) that some players and marketing exploit to invoke sexual attraction, often through character design, skins, and presentation.
• The creator frames “gooning” as sexual self-absorption/masturbation, then discusses how games use fan service as a marketing and engagement engine rather than focusing on explicit sexual content in gameplay.

Gameplay / Presentation Highlights Mentioned

Tomb Raider (first major example)

• Presented as an atmospheric third-person alternative to first-person shooters.
• Highlighted elements:
  • Puzzle-solving
  • Ancient exploration
  • Trap/acrobatic action
• Key controversy:
  • Marketing emphasized Lara Croft’s sex appeal
  • The games themselves are claimed to avoid explicit sexual situations, relationships, or sexuality-centered gameplay.

Dark Souls (as a “relief” example, not a gooner game)

• Mentioned as a place to “breathe” because it’s less overtly sexual.
• Includes a joke about seeing “large chest ahead” early in Dark Souls 1.

Bayonetta (2009)

• Described as an action/hack-and-slash with easy controls and rewarding combat compared to rivals like Devil May Cry and God of War.
• The argument is that Bayonetta’s sexuality is “owned” by the character—framed as presentation + character agency, not purely exploitative “slop.”

Resident Evil 2 / Resident Evil 3 (mods and fan reception)

• The video claims the base games have limited sexual content from a gameplay perspective.
• The “gooner” perception is tied to fandom and mods:
  • Mentions a Twitter scenario where someone encounters Leon in revealing attire, and the speaker says they’d download mods.
• Resident Evil 3 (Jill Valentine remake):
  • Described as receiving positive community feedback for Jill’s redesigned appearance.
  • The speaker claims later use of that model in the movie Resident Evil: Death Island caused backlash because it supposedly doesn’t match established lore timing/appearance.

Fortnite (repeated example of sexualized skins + engagement)

• The video argues Fortnite repeatedly pushes bold skins and events to reach broader appeal across ages.
• Examples cited:
  • A “Dylan” skin in the battle pass (described as extremely sexualized)
  • A DC villains event featuring Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman
  • Kim Kardashian being added, framed as a marketing/attention play
• Emphasis: Fortnite uses emotes and presentation to drive engagement.

Marvel Rivals

• Framed as gaining reputation due to skins, physics/presentation, and character focus.
• Cited content:
  • A voice line about escaping “sweaty costumes”
  • Emma Frost as a favorite example, including calls-out for thigh-jiggle physics and coat/animation interactions
• Claim: this creates social media discourse, which then drives attention and sales.

Key Strategies / Claims the Video Makes

• Gooner games as a “necessary evil”
  • The speaker’s stance is that sexualized fan service can increase:
    • funds
    • attention
    • engagement
    • social media presence
• Developers respond to community feedback (sometimes reverting changes)
  • Examples used:
    • Stellar Blade: “nerf the butt” backlash → changes reverted
    • God of War: Ragnarok’s “Ley”: controversy over the character’s attractiveness, framed as comparisons between Western vs. Eastern handling of female characters (attributed to “gooners”)
• Sex sells, but the “quality” of sexualization matters
  • The video repeatedly distinguishes between:
    • Sexualization that feels like character ownership / confident design
    • Sexualization presented as random exploitation meant purely to bait engagement

Key Tips / Takeaways (as discussed)

• Fan service is portrayed as:
  • A revenue/engagement tool rather than a gameplay requirement
  • Something many communities “self-correct” around through backlash/feedback
• The speaker’s personal compromise:
  • They want sexualized content to remain (they don’t think it “hurts anyone”)
  • But they hope some titles would “take a break” to avoid constant “horny triggers”

Gamers / Sources Featured (mentioned at the end)

• Toby Guard (creator associated with Tomb Raider)
• Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
• Bayonetta (Bayonetta)
• Leon Kennedy / Ashley / Jill Valentine / Joe Valentine (Resident Evil)
• Harley Quinn / Poison Ivy / Catwoman / Emma Frost (referenced in the video’s Marvel/DC-related discussion)
• Fortnite (game)
• Doom Eternal (game)
• Stellar Blade (game)
• God of War and Kratos
• DMC (Devil May Cry) and Overwatch
• Dark Souls (game)
• Marvel Rivals (game)
• Kim Kardashian (real-world celebrity referenced as added to Fortnite)
• Twitch streamers / TikTok creators (general category mentioned)
• OnlyFans (platform referenced)