« Final Showdown: No to the Dead or Alive Dress Code »

There is no doubt that creator Tomonobu Itagaki wanted sex appeal to be a big part of the Dead or Alive series. With every iteration of the game including Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, that trait has been maintained. It's also acknowledgeable that the fighting game aspect has to be recognized and should be the focus. The sexuality, in that case, is more like icing on the cake.

In reality, however, the general gaming community finds the series less a competitive game and more as a vehicle to see bouncing breasts and revealing dresses. The series' stigmatization has thus limited the player base to a relative few.

Regardless, the players want to show the game beyond the visuals. To that extent, it's very admirable to see them, along with help from series developer Team Ninja, work hard toward that competitive end. Unfortunately, a rule is putting the scene in a position that isn't productive.

The whole DOA5 series of games, including Last Round, has been recognized for a vast amount of downloadable content. A majority of the DLC offers additional outfits for the female characters such as seasonal outfits, swimsuits, maid wear, ninja clothing, etc.

There is a thread on DOA community site Free Step Dodge displaying the rules for DOA5. The most significant change recently applied is a "soft ban" on various outfits of female characters, with the explanation being that they are "over sexualized." An addendum for the rule stated that "we, the community, want people to take [the game] seriously" and to "force people to focus more on the gameplay aspect."

With sexualized characters still very common in gaming, it's understandable that some of the outfits in DOA can cause a possible distraction from the core game. The community just wants people to engage in competition, something that most fighting games request. They believe that the costumes change how people interact with the title.

But the proposal isn't keeping the talk in check, and while it's bringing a lot of attention from various gaming outlets there hasn't been much benefit from the conversation. In a series that has existed for almost two decades, the sex appeal is inescapable. A costume ban won't really do anything to help the community grow or have people talk more about the gameplay. This rule would probably tempt players to use the outfits out of spite.

Moreover, the ban has been left to the discretion of the tournament organizer, even though it was recommended that the marked outfits shouldn't be used on stream. It's not going to stop viewers from talking in stream chat about the series' sex appeal when the game is being played. If the rule is directed more towards not violating Twitch's terms of service, that's understandable, but players shouldn't be restricted from outfit use off stream.

Even worse is that it is hard to see Team Ninja supporting this rule, since DLC provides revenue for the developer and publisher Koei Tecmo. Having the costumes shown on stream is promotion, which can turn into sales. If the outfits were set as hard bans, it wouldn't sit well well the company.

All that being said, it might not be the rule that's the issue, but rather creating it with no community output beforehand. Some significant members of the scene discussed it, but most players were left in the dark until the recent reveal. This situation could have been properly controlled with discussion from the community. The response towards the rule would have probably still been negative, but it would have been communicated in a reasonable manner.

Something as abrupt as this rule won't change people's perceptions. Showing more of the gameplay merits can provide potential players a better perspective and interest in playing. Whether it's through tournaments, streams, tutorials or any other community content, they should be promoted to the nth degree. With the official Battle Royal tournament series underway, this is a great opportunity to introduce people to the competitive world of Dead or Alive. It's going to be a hard challenge, but at least it would avoid another situation like this one.

Growing the community will require more work to show people the real potential of DOA. The players need to leave the outfits alone and find better ways to promote the gameplay. There was an effort made by Team Ninja to make DOA a more competitive-friendly game, and players need to emphasize their appreciation for it.

Final Showdown is an editorial series by The Phantomnaut. The piece doesn't represent tbe overall views of IPLAYWINNER.