Have you ever had a crush on a video game character? A new survey shows that 44% admit they have a crush on a character in a video game they play, and 52% say they are sexually attracted to one.
Maybe it seems weird for anyone to admit they have a crush on or are sexually attracted to an animated character, but when you consider the amount of time many people spend engaging with the characters in video games, then maybe we shouldn't be surprised that some form emotional relationships.
According to Digital Third Coast, Tifa Lockhart from "Final Fantasy" is rated the sexiest character and #1 in crushes among gamers. Yennefer of Vengerberg from "The Witcher" was 2nd - Laura Croft of "Tomb Raider" 3rd - Jill Valentine of "Resident Evil" was 4th, and Princess Zelda from "The Legend of Zelda" was #5.
I am not a gamer so I wouldn't have a crush or understand being sexually attracted to a video game character - but when I think about the intimacy and the realistic visuals of the video game characters I guess I can understand how a gamer could mentally put themselves in the world of the video game and see the characters as real..
While I admit I had a mild crush on Judy Jetson - the daughter in the animated series "The Jetsons" and I thought Betty was hotter than Wilma in "The Flintstones" - my feelings did not reflect any sense of reality that would lead to defining the feelings gamers have about a video character as a crush or sexual attraction.
The fact that so many gamers have a personal relationship with video game characters demonstrates that the fantasy of video games can be very real for some people - but the failure to distinguish between fantasy and reality is not the fault of the video games - it's the fault of parents who have not helped their kids be able to tell the difference. Presumably - adults are aware enough to know the difference and adult gamers with crushes or sexual attractions to video game characters might seek therapy.