While feminism and objectification are fascinating topics, especially when in conjunction to fanservice, at the end of the day we have to remember that we are discussing video games, and other stories. Outside of blatant cases of misogyny and misandry in various works, as well as flat only-there-for-the-fanservice characters, we must remember that they are just stories, fiction, and should not stress ourselves out over whether or not something is, itself, sexist to either group. Thus, I ask that if you have a knee-jerk reaction to something said or mentioned, pause a moment before you type, then pause afterward. Think to yourself, 'Does this have any actual bearing to the topic at hand, and am I just putting forth my views on everyone, regardless of the topic?' If so, then save it for a relevant topic, or create your own.
That being said, fanservice is a fairly nebulous thing, there isn't strictly an end all be all scenario which is strictly fanservice. Sometimes, people put something in that would normally be fanservice, except played out realistically, and becoming fandisservice. I've had scenarios in my own stories that people have called me out on, regardless of the context. Take for instance, I have a character named Emily. She is described as attractive, but not so much that a large group of guys hound her. She has a small group of men who are interested in her either romantically or sexually. The main thing about her personality is that she is strong, both in will and of body and dislikes when people hit on her.
I've had people call me out on this character because of two opposing ideals. Some people want me to play up her attractiveness, to make her flirty and not punch guys because they become a little too pushy. On the other end, I have people ask me to make her butch or even lesbian and wholly unattractive to anyone but butch lesbians (Or people who are into very butch women). Which I find kind of funny and sad, given that her entire characterization is that she is not Ms. Fanservice, that she is her own person, dealing with her own problems, both biological and external, yet at the same time having realistic views of other guys she deems attractive. She has love interests, but the moment things outside of those love interests goes awry, such as a Werewolf attacking her family or a relatively normal person starts trying to kill her family members, she focuses on the current situation and doesn't spare a second thought to people she's merely attracted to.
But, some people are really adamant about her being sexy or otherwise pandering to their viewpoints of what is attractive and what they want to see rather than what the story needs. Fanservice depends on the character, not the other way around. If you can remove a character entirely from the plot and her only contribution is fanservice, you're doing it wrong, you're providing an empty story. Similarly, I had a fairly innocuous scene in my Game of the Gods story where the main characters are discussing whether or not panties exist on the world they're on. Some people took the scene to be a bunch of guys fantasizing about panties, which it wasn't, as one character brought it up after having a thought. Some thought it was fanservice for them, as a female character had, somewhat jokingly, stated to her brother that she was, indeed, going commando when he asserted she wasn't. These are instances of where fanservice is seen where it actually isn't, just some world building and random conversation.
As for why I bring this up at this point, it wasn't before. Sometimes, what is seen as fanservice wasn't meant as such. Sometimes a random thought is a random thought, sometimes it's actual invoked fanservice. Ultimately, someone is going to find something to be fanservice, even if it's something horrifying, or painful.
I was so immersed reading this! For a moment I felt like I was reading Marvin Harris, but better written and much more interesting because you speak of games and like the psychology aspects of game-making etc. Now I'm curious of what would be your insight regarding more things! For instance: what to think of a game like Lunar and a character like Nash (my favorite, obviously). I think this game was revolutionary in many interesting ways, also sexually speaking, for the time it was made.
That's such a pity
