Splash Arts and What WE Can Do
I feel like the splash arts and visualization of champions, of whatever gender, in an oversexualized or sexualized manner has become a larger problem that Riot doesn't seem to be noticing or paying much attention to (or perhaps ignoring for their own benefit).
I can easily understand that since this game is striving towards attracting a younger demographic of young males it is taking the low-hanging fruit of sexually appealing visuals and therefore getting itself the desired attention, no pun intended. However, being such a large platform for gaming, with a game of League of Legends that has millions of users, Riot should be an example of a company and a game that strives to adjust to current tendencies and growing negative influence of oversexualization, instead of sticking with the old tendency of "Sex sells".
It does, of course, but do they HAVE to use it as a tool to sell skins and champions? No. They choose to. Which means they can choose NOT TO.
To dismiss the importance of visual representation of characters is to discredit any claims towards how low and demeaning creators can go before we have barely-dressed champion splash arts. To dismiss the importance of visual representation is to then say that it has no influence on the consumer, which we all know it does. Riot is responsible for what kind of influence it will provide its users with.
No one is to say that nudity is wrong, or that barely-dressed characters are "not supposed to exist". There is a time and place for such things, however, and I simply know that I alongside other gamers am prone to believe that sexual content should not be put out in games. Unless it is a game that is in the adult section, and IF there is a logical reason, a reason that would be very clear to the consumer for WHY the nudity or sexual content is present.
I stand by the opinion that Riot's League of Legends is NOT a place for such content, especially since we are growing closer to an age that refuses to degrade males AND females to simple objects of sexual content. I also believe that sexual content is NOT necessary and it is NOT CLEAR WHY the consumer consumes these images. The characters themselves or the art does not make it clear to me as I look at the image of WHY must this character have her breasts almost completely exposed. The meaning of nudity and sexual content is to arouse, or to shame (f.e. like seeing a character you hate be nude in front of a bunch of people and being laughed at). In a game of champions that we as summoners choose to fight in battles there is no reason for a woman with two pistols to barely have any clothes on. Unless, we once again suspect that the goal of the image is to arouse and attract easily influenced young minds to "consume" this kind of content and bring Riot revenue.
Riot can either be a part of that change and trend to diminish the importance of sexualized content or it can keep creating skins and characters that bend the line of propriety and stick with creating, and I want to stress this, unnecessary sexual content.
