When a sex worker getting killed or slapped around is treated as a joke, it reaffirms a mentality that gets real people killed on the daily.
It reflects regressive cultural attitudes towards sex workers, and in some ways, reinforces them. The consequences of depicting sex workers as sexed-up cannon fodder is that it contributes to a widespread disregard for human life. While I'd be remiss to say, 'playing a video game makes you want to kill people,' art does have consequences. Open-world crime games often treat sex workers as props, cannon fodder, or something to be exploited for profit, and even RPGs like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines don't do great jobs, either. And when I say 'mixed bag,' what I'm really saying is, 'Jesus Christ, how is this so bad?' Sex work is not only trivialized in most mainstream games, but stigmatized in largely harmful and insidious ways. Granted, video games have a historically mixed bag when it comes to sex workers. It's also a pretty solid remaster, with a snazzy visual overhaul that adds some stylish new flourishes for modern consoles.īut one part of the game has aged about as well as milk in the open sun: its depiction of sex work. The core game is still a riot and a half, with great mission variety and a compelling city takeover meta-game. I've been digging into Saints Row The Third Remastered over the past week, and it's mostly just as good as I remember it.
