An entire character isn't founded upon open sexuality, therefore they should be a complete nun. There is no middle ground. Happy, bubbly, silly women are clearly incapable of harboring or expressing any sexual tendencies either physically or in speech/action.
In truth, I don't really give a shit. I'm getting Overwatch butt or not, because I'm not buying it for the arse and cleavage; I'm getting it because it looks fun to play. I just think people should care 1000% less. I say sexualise whoever and whatever you like in your creation, be that everyone or no one. If you feel the balance of who is sexualised and who isn't is tipped unfairly, be more willing to show skin/flirtaciousness/libido in male characters instead of advocating for almost right-wing levels of censorship. Sex appeal is not nearly as horrendous as it is painted. Hell, to generalise that all men act like apes in the presence of an arse and cannot see the person it is attached to, or claim that rival female sexuality from a completely fantastical character drives women out of social groups and hobbies is a hugely sexist proposition, depending on which one you take.
That's the principle of it, the way I see it, and I'm not someone who really cares much for fan service. I find it distracting and often transparent. In games like Mass Effect, for example, it hampers a lot of the more emotional conversations with extremely clear examples of "look at this arse, don't you wanna bend her over and have a tea party on it?" in the camera work/character design during very serious and played-straight moments. That being said, what made the romance of Mass Effect so compelling for many players was actually the characters and personalities of the candidates for it. That's all you'll see the players talk about when being serious about who they chose and why, which, to me, kind of shows most people that absorb themselves in any kind of fantasy setting have the brain juice to disassociate sexualisation from character, or take it as part of the character without it conflicting with anything. Despite my complaints, I respect the rights of Bioware to make the game how they see fit, same with Blizzard, and if they are seeing fit to accept this criticism and change it, so be it. All I can hope is that they considered it and agreed with what was leveled at them, instead of having a company meeting with PR staff that advised them to cave into ideas they did not agree with, because having any kind of artistic expression, no matter how tacky or slight, be dictated by outside people with ideology behind them is a sad precedent.
As for Guns of Icarus? Lol. The character models and cosmetics are not nearly appealing enough for sexualisation anyway. And none of the player avatars actually have a personality, so it's a non-issue. If Muse wanted to release a swimsuit pack, why the hell not? Not that I'd really want that, it'd look stupid.
