• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Can we not call objectification and sexualization “fan service”?

tarantullama

tarantullama

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,440
It's a euphemism for something that does not deserve to be brushed off and belittled. Not every fan of a series wants female characters treated this way and many people that may be interested in a series are pushed away as a result of this treatment. It seems to excuse developers as "just giving fans what they want" and not holding them accountable for their sexism.

What are your reasons for using the phrase "fan service" instead of objectification or sexualization?
 
Morrigan

Morrigan

Spear of the Metal Church
Member
Oct 24, 2017
34,305
Agreed. It sure doesn't appeal to me as a fan when franchises I love start pushing this shit onto me.
 
chirt

chirt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,691
The phrase originated in Japan, and everyone knows what it means.
However I agree it's dumb as it's certainly not a service for me.

If you can convince everyone in the world to use a different word/phrase then cool, but until then I will speak to be understood.
 
PurgeVIII

PurgeVIII

Self-requested ban
Banned
Dec 21, 2017
565
United States
I have no problem with attractive or sexy female characters but I highly dislike when the characters are put into a situation where they are clearly uncomfortable. It's doubly as bad when that character is underage.
 
Chudah

Chudah

Member
Apr 23, 2019
301
I missed the day when "fan service" was consider adding easter eggs into something that caters to the fans. Somewhere along the way the term has morphed into gratuitous T&A shots.
 
Van Bur3n

Van Bur3n

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
26,089
I never knew it to be fan service until weebs told me where the term originated from. Before then, it was objectification and sexualization, and it still is and always will be exactly like.
 
BDS

BDS

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,845
I've always given side-eye to people who use this term. "Fanservice" is an inherently positive term. Call it what it is, sexual objectification or sexism.
 
ghibli99

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,700
Chudah said:
I missed the day when "fan service" was consider adding easter eggs into something that caters to the fans. Somewhere along the way the term has morphed into gratuitous T&A shots.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This is still how I use it, like all the original trilogy references/quips they continue to use in modern Star Wars films.
 
Halloumiface

Halloumiface

Member
Oct 29, 2017
59
Yup, games with fan service/ gratuitous objectification = no buy for me.

edit: I'd love for CreepService to catch on.
 

Deleted member 8860

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,525
Fan service can also refer to callbacks, cameos, and plot points that match fan theories/expectations.

It shouldn't be used as a euphemism for objectification/sexualization.
 

Deleted member 5334

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,815
Thinking back on it, I'm not exactly sure what started the origin of it. Someone mentioned it definitely predates Misato's "Service, SERVICE!" lines found in the Next Episode Previews of Evangelion, as there was evidence of the term existing on Newgroups and stuff prior to Evangelion airing. But I do think Misato's line likely populated the term, which... results in us where we are today.

Having said that, I've largely moved away from using it, because I understand the implications behind it.
emag said:
Fan service can also refer to callbacks, cameos, and plot points that match fan theories/expectations.

It shouldn't be used as a euphemism for objectification/sexualization.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, that's actually a rarer usage of the word of "Fanservice" that I almost never see. Shame, because it could have a good intended meaning, but like I mentioned above, unfortunately certain aspects unfortunately popularized the term.
 

Deleted member 11637

Oct 27, 2017
18,204
Aye.

It might still be too much of a euphemism, but I prefer the term "cheesecake."
 
Shingi_70

Shingi_70

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,782
It's the term that's been used since forver, and personally it appeals to me.

I do think there are times when it goes to far or goes in a gross area, but you can enjoy famservice hike still having issues with some of it.
 
Dream Machine

Dream Machine

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,085
But fan service can also refer to other things.

Let's defer to the much creepier "cheesecake" for sexual exploitation, and keep fan service for the other stuff like cameos and callbacks.
 
Kudo

Kudo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,868
I don't think we're the ones to decide that, but you can call it what you feel like.
 
Dark Knight

Dark Knight

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,262
BMW said:
Fan service is for both sexes - it's a generic term.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yeah, and I don't think it always means objectification. Attack on Titan for example has a decent deal of fan service in the way of showing a lot of men's rock hard abs yet I'd have a hard time calling these characters objectified.

Unless you wouldn't call that fan service, I dunno. Someone's enjoying it I bet.
 
SilverX

SilverX

Member
Jan 21, 2018
12,989
Fan service is when something is done as a service to fans. Lets use Dragon Ball Super as the perfect example.

An episode where Gohan doesn't get his ass kicked - That's fan service

Future Trunks returning and getting an entire arc - That's fan service

Vegeta making a speech as he is throwing a hundred punches at an enemy - That's fan service

It doesn't mean always mean something sexual
 
The_R3medy

The_R3medy

Member
Jan 22, 2018
2,839
Wisconsin
Absolutely. It's always been a weird was to describe pervy stuff in games.

Like, Mass Effect 3's Citadel DLC? Now that's fan service. Weirdly pervy stuff like upskirt shots? That's weird.
 

Deleted member 4093

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,671
SilverX said:
Fan service is when something is done as a service to fans. Lets use Dragon Ball Super as the perfect example.

An episode where Gohan doesn't get his ass kicked - That's fan service

Future Trunks returning and getting an entire arc - That's fan service

Vegeta making a speech as he is throwing a hundred punches at an enemy - That's fan service

It doesn't mean always mean something sexual
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This is pretty much what I think of. Shaking ass in front of me aint a service to me lol. I have a girlfriend for that lol.
 
Damaniel

Damaniel

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
6,535
Portland, OR
"Fan service" in the description of a game is a good sign that it's something that I'm not going to want to play. If you have to stuff your game with questionably aged anime tiddies to get people to play it, it's probably not very good.
 
Astral Lovelace

Astral Lovelace

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,722
No.

We just need to remember that fans come in more than one gender and sexuality.

Beefcakes. Everywhere. For everyone.
 
OP
OP
tarantullama

tarantullama

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,440
SilverX said:
Fan service is when something is done as a service to fans. Lets use Dragon Ball Super as the perfect example.

An episode where Gohan doesn't get his ass kicked - That's fan service

Future Trunks returning and getting an entire arc - That's fan service

Vegeta making a speech as he is throwing a hundred punches at an enemy - That's fan service

It doesn't mean always mean something sexual
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, I'm not saying don't use the phrase "fan service" at all. I'm saying it'd be cool if we didn't use it as a euphemism for sexualizing characters for no reason. Your description of fan service is how I always thought of it until it was co-opted to refer to sexism with a wink and nod. I'd be happy if it went back to referring only to things like you mentioned.
 

mrmoose

Member
Nov 13, 2017
21,162
SilverX said:
Fan service is when something is done as a service to fans. Lets use Dragon Ball Super as the perfect example.

An episode where Gohan doesn't get his ass kicked - That's fan service

Future Trunks returning and getting an entire arc - That's fan service

Vegeta making a speech as he is throwing a hundred punches at an enemy - That's fan service

It doesn't mean always mean something sexual
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Hey, hey now, easy with the Gohan stuff. I'm rewatching the end of Cell saga with my son and man I miss that Gohan. Anyway:

I always thought of fan service as something totally superfluous to the main plot, but put in there for the fans (or a segment of the fans). Which is why putting scantily clad character designs in a show that ostensibly can work without that can be considered "fan service." So if you have an entire arc around future trunks, I'm not sure I'd consider that fan service, but I dunno.
 

Deleted member 49438

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 7, 2018
1,473
SilverX said:
Fan service is when something is done as a service to fans. Lets use Dragon Ball Super as the perfect example.

An episode where Gohan doesn't get his ass kicked - That's fan service

Future Trunks returning and getting an entire arc - That's fan service

Vegeta making a speech as he is throwing a hundred punches at an enemy - That's fan service

It doesn't mean always mean something sexual
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Agreed, this is actual fan service is. In that vein I think it's fine to refer to intentionally lewd framings of shots, etc as something else entirely. Creepservice does have a certain ring to it.
 
Komo

Komo

Info Analyst
Verified
Jan 3, 2019
7,110
SilverX said:
Fan service is when something is done as a service to fans. Lets use Dragon Ball Super as the perfect example.

An episode where Gohan doesn't get his ass kicked - That's fan service

Future Trunks returning and getting an entire arc - That's fan service

Vegeta making a speech as he is throwing a hundred punches at an enemy - That's fan service

It doesn't mean always mean something sexual
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yeah well I mean on this forum it's never used for that so most of the users here only experience the one side of it.
 
Radeo

Radeo

Banned
Apr 26, 2019
1,305
Another day, another kink shame

I like fan service as a catch all term for anything superfluous
 
DaciaJC

DaciaJC

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
6,685
emag said:
Fan service can also refer to callbacks, cameos, and plot points that match fan theories/expectations.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This is what I always understood fan service to mean, and it makes perfect sense in that role. Seeing it refer also to sexually objectified characters always seemed odd, and frankly, improper to me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.