The article is from MMOsite Writer Club member royallush.

One of the most challenging aspects of game creation is finding out what your target audience likes. After finding that out, your second challenge is taking that information and coming up with something acceptable to the masses. With the influx of creating games with a certain tone of realism, most game developers are faced with trying to find a balance between amusing versus downright pornographic. Whether it's the overly reveling armor of female avatars, the use of foul language, the hints of drug use, or sexual innuendo, game companies struggle with not only pleasing their loyal customers, but also the censors, ratings, parents, and everyone else.

Even though adult-themed games have been around since the days of  Leisure Suit Larry, a middle aged man who's missions in life are getting lucky with the ladies (think Quagmire from Family Guy), they have been under heavy fire from large groups of parents, schools, and other pillars of society who are looking for someone to point the finger at. While usually off-line games are targets for slander, such as Grand Theft Auto for it's 'Hot Coffee Easter Egg', MMO's have also been targeted for their addictiveness, scantly clad women, and the community in general. In turn, games often have to cut and tone down their originals so they can receive, at the very least, a M rating. Sadly, that leaves gamers who were looking for that edgy thrill with lukewarm feelings (as if watching the Cartoon Network cut of Naruto).

As the online gaming industry becomes more and more cut throat with the constant arrival of F2P games, developers are straining to compete with each other by offering harder-core themes. While World of Warcraft tries it's best to stay true to it's roots, games such as Age of Conan and Warhammer online offer more violent acts and adult situations in order to draw players. A few MMO's go below the belt, quite literally, with blatantly sex-themed games such as 2Feel. There are also games, who don't even have adult themes, that will advertise with large breasted, hardly dressed, attractive women knowing that sex sells, despite what age group they claim to be targeting.