Naked Angry Cartoon Magazines

So whatever, it's game art on the cover and all through the game magazines that come into the house for your gamer. Most game widows just flip these mags cover-down to avoid the aggressive stares of half-naked cartoon characters. Or if that just turns up a fresh beast of some sort with human anatomy barely covered by "armor," the magazine goes under another one, or in another room.

But have you thought about how many of those images are in a single magazine?

Just to be funny, I stuck blank address labels like fig leaves over stuff I "didn't want my husband looking at" right after we were married. He laughed the first time I did it, and told me to cut it out the second time. No longer amusing. But why would he object to having his game art made modest? I wasn't covering any content other than the cartoon bits. Then it struck me. These are girly mags in disguise.

Game art is not innocent imagery, just because it isn't live models with real fleshy cracks. Only a naive person would imagine so. Which for a "consenting adult" is no big deal. Adults controlling what material, pictoral or prose, other adults consume is censorship. However, a parent in a private home choosing what children will be exposed to is not censorship, it is responsible parenting. However, game magazines don't come with a ratings sticker on the mailing label or an ID check at the store. So many parents haven't considered what their children - let alone their spouses - are looking at every new month.

With so many people up in arms about Calvin Klein ads featuring children in underwear, and Victoria Secret ads being treated as porn by young kids, how did game magazines sneak under everyone's radar? Because everyone knows cartoons are for kids...G rated. We assumed, and there, we erred. Time to check the magazine racks, dad, for stuff you don't want your little ones looking at.

And game widows, it's time to have a chat with the adult gamer in your life about those magazines. Especially if you are the kind of girl who doesn't care for competition.

(Wendy Kays' first book, Game Widow, publishes on September 1st, 2008. Sneak preview copies can be purchased at GameWidow.org, and advance orders placed with any bookstore online or off.)