Video by Matt S.
A new game from the creator behind Senran Kagura launched this week, so of course there is commentary around fan service floating out there. The thing is, while we often attribute “fan service” to mean fleshy anime games, bikini DLC and the like, outside of games and in the broader arts discourse, the term is much, much more encompassing, and there are a lot of games in video games that are hyper-fanservicey without showing a bit of flesh.
Having that broader understanding of fan service will equip us to better analyse and discuss it, so this week I’ve done a video looking at the way we talk about fan service, highlight that the concept goes way (way) back, and discuss how we can have a more nuanced discussion about it in games.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
– Matt S.
Editor-in-Chief
Find me on Twitter: @mattsainsb
