Baldur's Gate 3 Actors: Intimacy Coordinators Should Be 'Industry Standard'

[@Cloud-ql3oy]

Its odd that this isn't an industry standard. Kind of scary that it isn't. I would think every actor, and director would want the cordinator to keep everyone safe and comfortable. It prevents alot

[@samf.s.7731]

A lot of psychological trauma

[@MrClonedzero]

I mean alot of games dont have explicate sex scenes that would require one, but ok.

[@Alacaelum]

@@MrClonedzero But many do have heavy emotional moments that having someone to coordinate the comfort of VAs or mocap actors would guarantee much better quality and experience for all. Sure, BG3 has many things most games don't have, but i have heard of attrition between voice actors when they were recording the lines together, and in some of those was because the communication between the parties weren't good, and i think that having a professional which job is to facilitate this communication would help tremendously.

[@ShadoCroc]

Kinda scary? The fact that studios don't have intimacy coordinator makes you scared? Seriously?

[@CrisSelene]

The reason is to save money. One person you don’t have to pay

[@Carolina57685]

i'm so happy that they had a good and healthy workplace, and it's RIDICULOUS that this isn't the standard for any game, movie, tv show, whatever that includes sex scenes!!

[@FrozenAXL]

I think what's mostly amazing about this is Larian studios, because anyone that followed them in the last like 10 years knows that they aren't a massive budget studio, in the past they needed to rely on kickstarter to fund DOS1 and I think 2 also. And all the way, even back then, they were always such a wholesome all the way. Seeing them stick to their attitude AND being such a massive success feels amazing as a fan. Kudos for the amazing Swen for running the studio like this, and of course, everyone in there.

[@miriamweller812]

It's ridiculous how you eat this bullshit. XD Especially the idea that this isn't done when you have sex scenes. Guess why most games don't NEED such things: Because in contrary to BG3 they don't have weird sex scenes in the first place to sell the game to weird people.

[@themeangene]

Dumb. Stop adding unnecessary jobs. This is a grift

[@Swim.Shaaady]

Jesus, you're useless

[@thehippie3610]

Larian is once again, showing the right way to do things.

[@Swim.Shaaady]

You're corny

[@aigledemasyaf]

I hope intimacy coordinators keep becoming more common! I first learned about them from Jennifer Steinrock's channel and I was so pleased to learn that Larian used them -- especially given that sexual trauma is a thing mentioned in more than one storyline.

[@userJohnSmith]

Even if it isn't, people have relationships outside of their jobs. They have religious and personal boundaries.

[@Bhazor]

Oh no. Her natural voice is Shadowheart. I can only be in love with so many people y'know?

[@boiledelephant]

She has also been doing playthrough videos with her and her girlfriend in co-op. It's adorable. You're welcome

[@amoonheart]

omg thank you hihi that sounds so lovely i'm gonna check that out ! /gen @@boiledelephant

[@jmckendry84]

Get a grip

[@boiledelephant]

@@jmckendry84 Imagine being this much of a prick.

[@steelbear2063]

@@jmckendry84 Oh he's gripping something alright

[@feloniousbutterfly]

The minthara storyboards killed me. Every scene deserves that much xD

[@fredfuchs5600]

That was the only "real" thing in the game. And it was done by the Early Access people, not by the Act 3 people.

[@SPMyers92]

They're standard for live action filmmaking so this makes sense!

[@Malkav65]

Not in every country, though. There’s still a long way to go unfortunately

[@miriamweller812]

@@Malkav65 Who cares. It's ACTING. It's not like they are told to f*** in front of the camera and need support for that. And most games don't have it, because most games don't have weird sex scenes in the first place and especially don't do mo cap for it.

[@MekareP]

​@miriamweller812 it's not acting when your genitals are rubbing against each other... jfc.

[@confusedwhale]

​@@miriamweller812: Consent is important. Not violating people is important. Making sure that enthusiastic consent, even when it's not "real", is super important. Our brains are kinda dumb, and protection from fake things that our monkey brain thinks is real is important. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[@magic713m]

@miriamweller812 I've heard that in the past, some actors admitted they were uncomfortable with a scene with sex or nudity but stayed silent in fear of losing a job or being labeled as difficult. So this is a good step to have where everyone feels safe

[@shadowcat1606]

Sounds like a healthy work environment for Mocap- and voice-actors. Good for them. And if that became an industry standard, gamers would benefit, too, because let's face it, a lot of games don't do too well on the romance-scene-front.

[@coyoboyo]

Reason #924 as to why Larian the BG3 staff, and VAs, are schooling the rest of the industry about adding love into games, but also reminding us that a company like Larian should be protected at all costs.

[@rafaela00002]

that's great, it really should be an standard in the industry

[@laura_laura_laura]

I love the cutaway shots to the guy editing the lewd scenes 🤣

[@Starik-1]

Kudos to Larian for such a consideration and for the VAs for their amazing professionalism and hard work

[@Ryan_Thompson_Guitarist]

This comment section is why we need to make Intimacy coordinators the industry standard.

[@jensb9909]

I think it tells that passionate roleplayers do this. Since Pathfinder there are safety tools like the X-card at most tables, and it is okay to talk about these subjects in many session 0's to establish trust and limits, and that it is very okay to have the limits. That draw7ng the x card is fine, and not at any moment questioned by anybody. Any DM worth his salt would rather bite his or her own hand off than making the players uncomfortable and this seems like an extension of that. I am happy that the players in this (the actors) had such a good Gamemaster.

[@svenskhund3603]

God when Kotaku doesnt let its jorunalists talk or write articles they can actually get across some pretty good news.

[@danieladams1752]

HOLD ON PULLING MINTHARAS HAIR WAS NOT IN THE GAME GIVE UP THE GOODS LARION

[@c.karnstein3299]

Touch grass

[@onceonly1111]

Weird how people in the comments are comparing this to QA or HR. They literally describe the kinds of things an intimacy coordinator would do for them during work. Your HR manager doesn't come down to the recording studio and stay on site to make sure things remain appropriate and that people continue to feel comfortable, or ask people how they feel about working with certain types of sexualised content in a shared office environment. HR is an administrative role, and would probably take reports or notes from an intimacy coordinator to pass onto management (assuming management didn't speak to the coordinator directly).

[@slimchelmi6940]

Larian are so great at what they do because they *care*

[@DuctTapePwnz]

I love the fact that a smaller game dev studio is leading the pack on so many levels, including performer's safety and comfort level. Bravo, Larian!

[@jamesrussels2126]

Another reason Larian studios is one of the all the best.

[@thomasr7129]

I assume the actors feeling safe, and not pressured, was part of the reason they did such an amazing job. Way to go Larian. Intimacy coordinators should be the standard,for sure.

[@FallenChocoCookie]

This is so great to hear. Should be a standard in production for every game ❤

[@CptCh4os]

On the list of things I never thought about but make a ton of sense: Intimacy Coordinators I wonder how those people got into that job... it's not something you set your sights on aged 7. Or something the average career counselor recommends I figure

[@5Demona5]

I think it's one of those "I never thought I'd work here, but this is where I landed" moments. Just one job leads to the other

[@failedrevolutionary9497]

Actor here - the intimacy coordinators I have worked with started in theater but also had an interest in psychology or counseling, and managed to find their niche within the industry.

[@CptCh4os]

Cool. Thanks for weighing in @@failedrevolutionary9497

[@5Demona5]

@@failedrevolutionary9497 That's awesome

[@CptCh4os]

Thanks for the insight @@failedrevolutionary9497

[@ArneBab]

Thank you for sharing (and signal-boosting) this!

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

bpLarian just set the new standard really, with so many things.

[@gamergeek7482]

Are these two good friends? They hate each other in the game. Lol. It’s always interesting to see.

[@fredfuchs5600]

They are really good friends. Like almost all of the actors among them.

[@Canthus13]

that's an interesting idea for games. They've been a thing in movies and TV for years.

[@EdesWR]

Awesome!

[@TheChrisLouis]

I have an answer on why it isnt the industry standard. AAA Studios need to churn out games in this day and age for max profit. They will easily forego this position to cut corners and ship a product. Hell its more than likely not even a position on their radar. Most studios barely play test. Do we really think they would take the time for intamacy coordinators? Thats why other devs said not to expect games like BG3 and its a one off. Its not possible with money hungry corporations work flow and it shows in the final product.

[@storms9023]

All the more to sing BG3 praises then.

[@TheChrisLouis]

@@storms9023 indeed 👍

[@bencoomer2000]

This is great to hear and should be a standard.

[@r3tr0_r3dux_2]

I wonder how one becomes an intimacy coordinator...

[@LaPtaVerdad]

That explains why the sex scenes and in general the steamy stuff feels natural and not that forced

[@joshuaDstarks]

Gnome Dome

[@MoonsongReverb]

I wouldn’t mind if they had body doubles, people who do the intimate scenes for them if they want . The technical staff can replace them with the characters in the game anyway

[@srellison561]

They did. None of the VAs physically did any of the love scenes themselves. It was all people especially hired to do the sexy mocap.

[@MoonsongReverb]

@@srellison561 That much i learned by now, thanks

[@ANGRYWOLVERINE2060-ft2nc]

I dont know if Bioware or CDPR had these . Obviously if not they should. Despite BG3s success i doubt there will be much of an increase in romantic content. Josh Sawyer of Obsidian who is a great director hates romances so I doubt he woukd do them for POE 3 if he got MS to greenlight it. Bethesda will never do realistic romances. Bioware will have romances but i doubt they will be very explicit. It shoukd be interresting to see if I am wrong.

[@trey7160]

Pillars of Eternity 2 had romances, but I doubt Obsidian would do any kind of sex scenes. American video game companies rarely do them.

[@fredfuchs5600]

These romantic scenes were done better 10+ years ago without these talentless hacks paid.

[@Mene0]

Awesome to hear

[@ichi_san]

this is very important

[@nesyk1598]

They're not???

[@eternalwanderer8410]

Well if it's a game where you have options...

[@enescustovic1883]

Bethesda Game Studios disliked that.

[@Shrooblord]

Amazing.

[@Marinealver]

So many comments missing

[@Einomar]

Most likely people posting toxic shit. Yes that will get your comment removed duh!

[@elijahdaves1305]

Did the intimacy coordinators recommend forcing romance on every relationship at the drop of a hat? One minute, I'm having a cool bro bonding moment with Gale and the next, he's coming in for a kiss...lol

[@Einomar]

It's not forced in anyway, Gale shoots his shot and you can turn him down. What's you problem mate?

[@mechadeka]

​@@EinomarThat's called S.A.

[@captainholliday3873]

​@@mechadekashooting your shot isn't sexual assault. Gale doesn't touch you or say anything gross at all. In fact id day he is the least obvious about it. He offers a chance to do magic together and when your minds are intertwined you can choose to see him as a lover and he'll start flirting after that. If anyone kinda lowkey sexually assaults, its Lae'Zel. But thats apart of her character and its still not sexual assault its just a straight forward proposition

[@alecchristiaen4856]

Honestly, Larian just keeps raking in Ws. BG3 was a slam-dunk, but the devs' working process and their overall design ethics and philosophy are what I'm most impressed by.

[@robertochacon5338]

kotaku endorses doxxing

[@Einomar]

Sure bub... grow up!

[@PierredeCur]

That will trigger the anti-woke brigade...

[@marcromain64]

"I worked for thirty years as a [insert any job where no one is ever professionally confronted with intimacy] and never needed an intimacy coordinator!!!" incoming.

[@fredfuchs5600]

Meaning this is woke indeed. You played yourself.

[@PierredeCur]

@@fredfuchs5600 not even the anti-woke shirts are able to define their nemesis, but, as they are always a-holes, I'm totally in favour of being called "woke", whatever they think they mean... 😀

[@fredfuchs5600]

@@PierredeCur Thats not good haha, it means you are an extremist who can not be trusted with anything human related, nor has any valuable opinions. Other extremist on the scale is being a nazi, same coin.

[@drockopotamus1]

@@PierredeCur lol did you cry when DEI/Affirmative Action got canned?

[@greyngreyer5]

LMAO Laezel demonstrating how saucy it gets

[@plsrngesus6381]

Shame that they weren't used throughout the entire game. I.E. certain moments with Gale when you're romancing him.

[@FMFvideos]

But how did you train the bear?

[@semiramisubw4864]

The thing that is scareing me isnt that its industry standard but thats its actually needed at all.

[@CrisSelene]

Your brain is smooth or what? They mediate intimate and/or explicit scenes between two people who don't know each other (among other things; like they mentioned they handle the script and more). Imagine if you had to do that at your job. Wouldn't you be glad there was a professional to handle things rather than random people making you do stuff because it's in the script or changing the script on you for their artistic vision?

[@OrangeGenerator]

It's not the industry standard. Reading comprehension fail. That is the whole point of this video.

[@semiramisubw4864]

@@OrangeGenerator yeah bcs i forgot a "not" before that. I have literally never heard of this type of job at all and i dont even understand what its for.

[@Aldaris1234567]

@@semiramisubw4864 Well, the name suggests it's for coordinating intimacy...

[@Ozymandias83]

Intimacy coordinators for voice acting??? They arent actually getting intimate with anyone, are they?

[@storms9023]

They do mocap, so yes.

[@justinhammer3196]

They forked a bear. How do you "coordinate" that? Still they should have one even if they are unsure of the bear stuff.

[@Einomar]

No one forked a bear. There is no bear sex in the game, there is implied sex with a druid in bear form. The scene cuts as the bear walks up to the player laying on the ground. It cuts to a squirrel looking shocked in a tree. That's it, no special coordination needed for that mate.

[@Kaszkieciorz_TG]

How about not doing erotic cutscenes in games?

[@SkyForceOne2]

Why wouldnt they tho?

[@thomasjones4570]

Its funny because the intimacy was the cringiest part of the game. So awkward and unnatural.

[@Kimbie]

It feels a lot like early high-school romance. Who's dating who, "do you wanna be my girlfriend" type of stuff. I needed to engage it at that level, then it felt kind of fine. Though I can't be the only one who isn't in it for the romance options lol

[@thomasjones4570]

@@KimbieI had gale and astarion come up to me out of the blue wanting to have sex...there was no buildup. Shadowheart however took work. The male characters all acted hurt for rejection all the way up to the end of the game. They did not work in dialog for a person not playing an LGBT character so same sex rejection was the same as straight rejection. It was really cringy that a guy rejecting a guy had dialog that matched a girl/guy rejection.

[@hissing3904]

@@thomasjones4570 so you can't even comprehend someone having the same reaction to rejection no matter the gender of the oher person 💀I guess if you're a guy they should get mad and hit you and if you're a girl they should say you're lucky they can't hit you and punch the wall instead

[@mechadeka]

​@@hissing3904Take your meds.

[@Sycokay]

If it makes you feel better, go for it. Still, since I'm old, I think if you are triggered when doing performance capture - meaning you are fully clothed and nobody is touching you, you are just moving by yourself and doing your lines - then acting might not be the best job choice for you. To me that sounds like a musician getting triggered when he has to play a love song that reminds him of a bad breakup - sure, you might feel not that great doing it, but what job doesn't make you feel bad sometimes? Like everything, it boils down to "how much money is available". If you can afford it, you can hire counselors, therapists, or intimacy coordinators to make your staff perform better. If not, well...they either have to make do without them, or you scrap your project or company and your employees don't have a job.

[@TheAleksander22]

I don't know if it's a D&D thing but I thought it was really weird that a romance never gets turned down because the NPC isn't into boys or isn't into girls.

[@marcromain64]

I'd say it's more like a typical role-playing thing. Of course you can give NPCs any preference, but that would also have to add value to the game - for example, by having the constantly horny bard (a classic) run into a wall to the amusement of the entire game group. However, in a CRPG where you neither know the players nor how they play their characters, this is not possible. Limitations on the romances a player could/want to pursue would seem very random and contrived and contradict the freedom of the game. Ultimately, you can still imagine certain characters as aloof/unavailable, not make advances to them and ignore their advances as sarcastic.

[@samarmstrong3651]

The game is about the players, and since the players can be anything, most games with romanceable companions leave most of those romances open to anyone just so they aren't blocking player choice. Its not even a matter of the devs making everyone bisexual or anything, more so that they just leave the question of gender out of it and let players pursue what they want. You can choose to roleplay that any given character is whatever sexuality you choose to assign to them and then proceed accordingly, but thats for you and your game and honestly that system works pretty well. One example of a game where the npcs do have established sexualities that does it pretty well is the Mass Effect series. Most characters are straight and can only be romanced if the player is the opposite gender, but there is both a gay and lesbian companion who will turn down advances from the other side as well as a bisexual companion and a pansexual that can be romanced by anyone.

[@ILoveEvadingTax]

I definitely agree to an extent, but it helps to essentially see it as an unstated sexuality by the NPC until it is expressed through the events of the game. Your game is not the same as someone else's, its the product of your own development within a structured story arc. It is certainly a D&D thing in some respects, as the DM will never be certain whether a throwaway character could become central to a narrative, but I think the presentation of sexuality in the way you describe is well explored in most RPGs with a romance option (including Baldur's Gate 2) whereas BG3 is unique in that there is an agreed understanding that some flexibility to develop a story based on an identification with or a desire for a character that the designers would be aware could happen and could accommodate for.

[@loxodoncyclotis1823]

True. Even Dragon Age Inquisition had some NPCs that were strictly into boys or girls (or elves or humans, or not available for romance at all) though you could always try to flirt with them.

[@kleine_meerkoet]

There's an interesting video essay on yt related to this topic called "How bisexuality changed video games", can recommend

[@angryvaultguy]

I never understood the need for intimacy scenes in the first place like original sins 2 just had the narrator explain everything and that was enough. We already have porn so these scenes in video games don't seem needed for me at least

[@callumjohnston858]

To be fair, the camera/player perspective was wildly different in DOS2, and so a there scene would have just been like watching porn on a laptop at the opposite end of a hallway. Personally I can take it or leave it, but the devs seemed to want it, the actors were on board, and who am I to argue with the mighty perverts of Larian?

[@callumjohnston858]

@@fredfuchs5600 You know they had sensitivity readers and editors for that stuff right? Kinda like a sort of...censorship. The devs wanted an intimacy coordinator to make their talent feel comfortable and allow them to give a better performance. Why are you so against that?

[@Cynistrelle]

Porn is for men and i don't want to see that shit. They are ROMANCE scene not SEX scenes

[@SolCrown80]

This is confusing. Do you also think there is no need for sex scenes in movies because we have porn? The Original Sins have didn't have animated cutscenes or dialogue at all, so it's not really comparable in narrative style.

[@williampalmer8052]

@@SolCrown80 The "sex scenes" in the game are gratuitous and aren't needed to advance the story, and yes, if it was a movie I'd say the same thing.

[@themeangene]

This is a grift. No. This is not necessary

[@pandoraeeris7860]

I need to get me so.e "intimacy coordination" 🤭😉

[@takealilpill347]

An intimacy coordinator will make sure it only looks the part and keep everything professional, I don't think that's what you're looking for lmao

[@mulqueen2023]

Or just get relationship counselling like a normal person.

[@grahamwalker2168]

I completely agree that we should have intimacy coordinators but I don't agree with the statement "you can't do good work if you are feeling uncomfortable"; to me that's a really surprising thing for an actor to say as they are a group who tend to see their jobs as being about pushing boundaries, exploring unexplored grounds and telling important stories. To do that I think discomfort is generally inherent in such a process; I think many actors would say the complete opposite. Did the actors in, say, 12 years a slave feel no discomfort enacting the scenes of that film? I doubt it; does that make their acting worse? No. The point I think is more to explore and understand the discomfort to consider if it is worth rolling with or should be avoided. She is right to note that something may be triggering and there is likely little benefit to triggering someone's past negative experiences for the sake of acting, however being triggered is not the only reason why we may feel discomfort.

[@patrickguyum]

There's a subtext in which the "comfort" or "discomfort" we're discussing is something that is necessary as a *foundation* to do good work. Yes, actors push boundaries, tell important stories, and potentially are demanded to portray very uncomfortable things, but the very reason they can delve into those energies is because the support system is there when the lights go down, the cameras are cut, etc. A ballet dancer can't do good work on a sprained ankle, a boxer can't do good work on a broken wrist, and both of them torture those things in the line of work on good days.

[@grahamwalker2168]

@@patrickguyum I agree with all of this. I guess all I was getting at was that nuance exists and her comment for me did not convey this but maybe it was just how my ear heard it. Thanks for your response

[@5Demona5]

I'm guessing, giving the nature of the scenes, she meant sexual discomfort. If someone has trauma of that type, and have to engage in mocap of these scenes, it might be more than just uncomfortable. Perhaps it could be triggering.

[@grahamwalker2168]

@@5Demona5 I agree and that would feel unnecessary discomfort, but my point is some of these scenes may feel uncomfortable in a way that is not that and if so that there might be a helpful conversation to have about it, which may help the actor, the scene or other things

[@failedrevolutionary9497]

Okay pulling the actor card isn’t much of a flex but here I am - the discomfort she’s describing wanting to avoid isn’t the kind that is beneficial to building a performance. I try to reject the idea that good art needs to come from suffering, but on some level every actor I’ve worked with wants to push themselves as a performer and that means facing discomfort or pain. But I think there’s a misconception that this discomfort needs to be INDUCED by extenuating circumstances, instead of being something that the performer is allowed to push for themselves. Actors shouldn’t be expected to navigate the emotions of a sex scene on their own any more than they should be expected to choreograph it on their own. Acting is already a very emotionally vulnerable state to be in, and you can absolutely end up with lasting trauma if you’re not careful or if there’s no support structure of people who know how to help you build a separation between what the character is doing and what YOU are doing. There are productions I’ve worked on where I really wish we’d had an intimacy coordinator.

[@mindfortress105]

Yeah be more picky and demand more, AI voices will soon be the industry standard

[@johnpaul5316]

An intimacy coordinator? What a laugh

[@JainaSoloB312]

Stunt coordinator? What a laugh. Just let the writers and directors and actors make it up as they go along, who needs safety precautions or expertise? That's you. That's how dumb you sound.

[@UncleDave69]

​@@JainaSoloB312 intimacy is obviously just as dangerous as stunts. You seem like a smart woman with a bright future

[@Kimbie]

@@UncleDave69 This unironically. You've been hired to voice a character and suddenly they ask you to make sexual moans into the mic? Yeah you probably need someone to make sure this situation isn't as fucked up as it sounds.

[@drockopotamus1]

@@Kimbie lol no, intimacy scenes are not as important or even near important as stunt people. We're literally replacing people with AI. Fictional issues are fictional.

[@SkyForceOne2]

@@drockopotamus1 people with your lack of self-awareness are the reason why certain social issues wont get better

[@lukasmocik2820]

a,i.

[@JoelMiller77]

ASSTAKU 😂😂😂 WokeTaku 😂😂😂

[@Kimbie]

You sound like it's been about to a decade since you were in touch with the gaming community

[@drockopotamus1]

@@Kimbie You sound like it's been a decade since you left your house lol

[@ComicsAreEscapism]

yeah, that's called a producer and it already exist. If the producer is not doing this, he/she's not doing its job.

[@fredfuchs5600]

It takes a lot if you have issues with sex scenes, you do not do sex scenes. Making a suprised pikachu face when they ask you to do it makes no sense. Lets have a woman who can stop production if she decides to do that. Reminds me of that chick who complained that working on MK 11 was traumatic for her because as an artist, she had to study gore trough real life. Edit: Another reminder, twitter cut 90 (NINETY) percent of their workforce now it works better than ever. Bloated leftist BS will kill any kind of company in time.

[@Aldaris1234567]

No, it isn't called a producer because they're not trained specifically for this. It's like saying if a producer isn't sorting out stunts, they're not doing their job.

[@fredfuchs5600]

@@Aldaris1234567 Beind a stunt coordinator and being an "emotional support" is 2 different things. You know that.

[@Aldaris1234567]

@@fredfuchs5600 Of course it's two different things, because they're two different jobs. It's still a fucking example of an external expert being brought in for a specific purpose, and why it's being brought up. Do you not understand the concept of examples? Use your brain.

[@fredfuchs5600]

@@Aldaris1234567 >Of course it's two different things, because they're two different jobs. So stop comparing them then. It has nothing to do with each other.

[@Tone32616]

Whoever was the coordinator - fire that hack and hire some QA specialists instead.

[@Aldaris1234567]

The coordinator isn't a hack, and has nothing to do with QA. Firing them won't change QA...

[@onceonly1111]

It's weird to call them a hack when the actors who who did mo-cap and voice work for the game are the ones saying it was really good to have an intimacy coordinator.

[@Tone32616]

@@onceonly1111 what else were they supposed to say?

[@onceonly1111]

@@Tone32616 You think they were on a script? They could say what they wanted.

[@karnagefails333]

​@@onceonly1111 As long as whatever they want to say fits the narrative.

[@Geckotr]

What the hell is an intimacy coordinator?

[@callumjohnston858]

Think of them like stunt coordinators. You may think you don't need one, right up until someone gets hurt and sues you, or the production gets halted while someone recovers.

[@callumjohnston858]

@@fredfuchs5600 Damn dude, you're getting more unhinged as you go. They're not censors, they don't have that power. They're literally just there to facilitate between departments and make sure participants are safe. Seriously, have you touched grass recently?

[@callumjohnston858]

@@fredfuchs5600 Also I know this is the least important inaccuracy in your comment, but it's just kinda funny to me. It's bureaucratic. Comes from French. It's literally just as easy to look up as what an intimacy coordinator does, but hey. Keep spinning conspiracy theories, maybe you'll figure out why the woke left is really ruining games. Hint: it's about garlic.

[@drockopotamus1]

@@callumjohnston858 Seeing as the woke left are also the ones canning the DEI/Affirmative Action programs, that ain't it lol. At the end of the day, the company needs to be profitable. A plethora of nonsensical departments will never be a thing.

[@bertinrow]

Imagine hiring "intimacy coordinators" for characters that aren't real. Just as good of a use of money as DEI Coordinators.

[@onceonly1111]

It's not for the characters, but for the real people who perform their motion capture and voice acting. The actors might not be comfortable with the things they have to do.

[@williampalmer8052]

Well, instead of realizing that maybe they should rework the excessive parts of the script, they have people praising them for hiring what are basically anti-trauma counselors for the voice actors.

[@SkyForceOne2]

bert out here not knowing shit but still talking

[@donglegs]

No characters are real. What would they do, organise your sex life for you?

[@karnagefails333]

​@@onceonly1111 Aw. Then their employer should tell them to go kick rocks so they can go cry about it on Reddit with the rest of you cupcakes.

[@2BAMaster9]

If Baldur’s Gate 3 had an anime art style Kotaku would be bashing it and calling for censorship.

[@tornnpoys9697]

I'm unaware when have they done this?

[@mightycw7309]

local incel still mad about vagina bones

[@Ragnorok657]

Did you not read the word if?

[@Bhazor]

When have they ever called for censorship? You realise criticising something isn't censorship right? Right?

[@2BAMaster9]

@@Bhazor Then why are Kotaku glorifying Baldur’s Gate 3? I thought sexualization in videos games was bad? Right? Right?

[@classicminicooper]

Crazy this co. Supports people unaliving people.

[@Ryan_Thompson_Guitarist]

How on earth did you come to that conclusion?

[@artor9175]

I wish the romancing was something you could turn off as a game option. I'm really not happy having NPCs hitting on me, especially someone as disagreeable as Lae'zel. It was such a bizarre experience, like WTF did that come from?

[@CrisSelene]

I think it's a choice to be more realistic (if you can use that term about a fantasy game). Can you stop people hitting on you in real life?

[@Etheral101]

Aww poor baby. You should make a TikTok about your hurt feelings. From a game

[@callumjohnston858]

Honestly fair to feel uncomfortable about it, especially in the way she goes about it in the early game. Without spoiling too much, she does develop significantly during her plotline, and her manner of flirting and so on changes with her. Personally I'm not too on board with the player-sexualness of it all, but I'd also be lying if I didn't think the whole party exuded queer energy, so hey.

[@Bengeance]

Wow, people are cruel in these replies. I understand your viewpoint as I chose not to push it with the characters as It made me feel quite lonely myself.

[@R4V3NU5]

Imagine not every indie CRPG developer doesn't have 400 employees and unlimited budget for projects

[@Moloch187]

Video game companies need to stop wasting their limited funds on these types of useless jobs and redirect the money into releasing better quality games, like they did before these parasites injected the ideas of uncreative and emotionally weak minds into video games.

[@storms9023]

Get help.

[@Moloch187]

@@storms9023 Samesies. You're responding to an old comment on a dying channel.

[@Moloch187]

@@storms9023 Look at the view count of their recent videos.

[@Moloch187]

@@storms9023 My message about recent channel views was deleted.

[@Moloch187]

I'm not allowed to mention...

[@cole9799]

Anyone else Drop Lae'zel or Shadowheart because of their personal conflict for their play-through

[@HunnysPlaylists]

Perhaps instead of hiring counselors to deal with trauma, they could just not put it in (angry reddit posters coming in hot).

[@SkyForceOne2]

why wouldnt they though? it's a part of human nature and social interactions and fantasies about it

[@HunnysPlaylists]

@@SkyForceOne2 Love, Absolute Truth, Natural Law. Because We know you by your fruits. because forcing people into horrifying situations over "what if I could c*m over this" is s*c*de.

[@mechadeka]

​@@HunnysPlaylistsPlease try speaking like an actual person and not a malfunctioning AI in the future, thanks.

[@HunnysPlaylists]

@@mechadeka What I said is VERY clear.

[@rockgamiasedes677]

Huh! Never knew you needed intimacy co ordinators for voice acting. I thought it was for actors.

[@Seeker7172]

Making sure your voice actors are comfortable saying some pretty saucy lines before it's published and blasted across the world makes sense to me. It's their voice after all.

[@julia___n]

There's also motion capture

[@Aldaris1234567]

The voice actors do the mo cap.

[@drockopotamus1]

@@Seeker7172 Oh, they know the script before they sign up for the job. The only reason they felt they needed it was for the motion capture. It would be like signing up to work on a zombie game when you're grossed out by blood and gore. They knew exactly what they were getting into. Also, Larian is a larger studio. Small to mid-sized studios wouldn't have the budget for the superfluous positions like that.

[@Seeker7172]

@@drockopotamus1 That is ridiculous, you don't get access to the entire script before you sign up for any acting job.

[@TheCr0oked1]

You just changed the name choreographer for clicks and it makes everyone look weak

[@fredfuchs5600]

Producer, agent, talent manager etc, same title but this sounds better.

[@TheCr0oked1]

@@fredfuchs5600 no it doesnt its just more euphamistic corprate talk like calling a janitor "general cleaning operator"

[@Ragnorok657]

Lol this is for people who don't know what in to me I see is 😄

[@TheOldMan-75]

They are wearing full mo-cap suits during these "intimate" scenes. An actor should really be able to handle such a job without an intimacy coordinator.

[@callumjohnston858]

The point of the coordinator is to ensure they're handled safely and respectfully. Kinda like a stunt coordinator makes sure your actors and stunt people do their stunts without breaking anything, the coordinator's there to make sure the actors don't feel pressured into a situation they aren't comfortable with. If you're looking for a cold pragmatic reason, it lessens chances of getting sued for sexual misconduct.

[@fredfuchs5600]

Exactly, actors are TRAINED to become another person via ACTING. If anyone has issue with this, ask the director or talent agency. They will happily fire that person. There were 0 issues of sexual misconduct in the last 10 years, because most of these actors are professionals. If you are lacking the talent or self respect, you will see the intimacy HR lady coordinator who actually decides what gets into the game haha. No matter that over 100 people worked on it, when the woke blue haried plump lady decides its not good, it will get cut.

[@callumjohnston858]

@@fredfuchs5600 And again, you're misunderstanding the role of the coordinator. Which is weird, they kinda spell it out for most of the video. But hey, you already know exactly what the intimacy coordinator looks like, and you clearly know about the bluehair lefitst wokerati conspiracy to ruin games by... making sure people are OK with sexual content they're performing in. Weird take, kinda gives incel vibes, not gonna lie.

[@callumjohnston858]

@@fredfuchs5600 No, you clearly don't value talent. Because you're demanding that they perform without people there to ensure their comfort and wellbeing. If you don't have a stunt coordinator, you don't value their lives. If you don't have an intimacy coordinator, you don't value their emotions. Which is kinda important for an actor, I find. And no, you're not an average guy, you're extremely weird. Average people don't complain on the internet about the woke left ruining games by ensuring their workers are safe. And in the past, it wasn't really handled too well. If you had clout and were important, you could have some influence if you felt uncomfortable. If you weren't, you didn't. That's not valuing your workers or their talent.

[@fredfuchs5600]

@@callumjohnston858 Lol, stunt coordinators? We are not talking about them, you are lost my G. Mo-cap coordinators are integral part of Mo-caps since 1994. And imagine, they were the "Intimacy coordinators" as well. But now the hypersensitive left must make a new paperthin job description to leech on actual talent.

[@tater7105]

Or don't include sex

[@marcromain64]

What's healthier? 1. "Let's see what we can do, how we can do it good and with everyone involved being comfortable with it." 2. "Nah, let's avoid all trouble and controversy and and produce an average, dry game."

[@tater7105]

@@marcromain64 you needn't sex for a good game. Balder's Gate was good as a turn-based rpg. I beat the game without ever seeing a romance scene and was satisfied. Besides, does Mario really need an intimacy coordinator?

[@ILoveEvadingTax]

@@tater7105 You didn't play the second one then I guess

[@tater7105]

@@ILoveEvadingTax no, only the third

[@callumjohnston858]

@@tater7105 Sex, romance and sexuality are aspects that some games include because the developers want to. And if they're going to include it, they might as well do it safely.

[@ghost_java35]

Sounds like cops

[@fredfuchs5600]

They are censors, not cops.

[@TheShanicpower]

Both of you are lame

[@gregorybrown3566]

It's a job as an actor to perform tough scenes. People lose their children, their loved ones, get raped on scene. But at the end of the day it's acting, and you can always say no. I've turned down a role bc of who was the female lead. You could say no too without the help of an intimacy coordinator...

[@Avenray19]

I'm sure there have been instances where it was that easy for people to say No, but I'm positive there have been instances where actors have been pressured to do a role they weren't psychologically comfortable with in order to receive a paycheck. Humans are complex.

[@Einomar]

Or Gregory... you can just have an intimacy coordinator there to see to it that nothing bad happens... it's kind of weird that you are against it so much... hmm

[@hawkname1234]

Or the production could just hire someone with expertise in this type of thing so everyone involved could do a good job?

[@rockytherock]

"We don't need railings, people should know not to fall off"

[@patrickwaldeck6681]

That sounds like what Trump just said about school shootings. They're sad, but we need to get over it. The entire point of an intimacy coordinator is so people don't get uncomfortable or are pushed to do something outside their boundaries. You can't always "say no" in acting, the pressure that Hollywood and other entertainment industries exert to do whatever the director or script call for can be enormous sometimes.

[@kudorgyozo]

imho this is a bit silly

[@flossfish6249]

it probably helps a lot to have someone there coaching you through pantomiming elf sex with essentially a stranger without making you feel too weird

[@loukafuterre2303]

Intimacy coordinator for voice acting, lol pathetic

[@ap4e_941]

Never heard of mo-cap, lol pathetic

[@vee1267]

They used motion-capture from live actors for the animation in BG3. An intimacy coordinator is basically a sex-scene choreographer. Making sure the actors are comfortable is just part of the job, if they’re uncomfortable while performing then the scene won’t turn out as good as it could have.

[@ILoveEvadingTax]

is it? they're actors simulating sex acts, it can be incredibly traumatic for actors that really do not want to be forced into situations like that and directors have lost court settlements because of it.

[@TheOldMan-75]

@@ILoveEvadingTax They are fully dressed. If you get traumatised by dry-humping someone while both are fully dressed, you should really get a grip.

[@fredfuchs5600]

@@ILoveEvadingTax Aint no way, haha. Thanks for the good laugh. Have you seen the scenes? They are in a mocap suit haha. Do not let actors be uncomfortable playing a situation that should make you uncomfortable haha.