Every burst of new technology arrives with smut hot on its heels. The invention of film quickly birthed the stag reel; the VCR helped create a porn explosion; the Internet often seems to exist solely for porn. Up until now, though, video games have remained relatively smut free. Outside of a handful of titles over the years (mainly on the PC), it's been violence, not boobies, that have saturated the market.

Times, however, are changing. As video-game consoles begin to make their way into every home in America (and let's not kid ourselves--nearly every home will one day have a PlayStation or Xbox), game developers are beginning to dip their toes into the sinful pool of sex. Take, for example, last year's Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, a wretched mixture of digitized nudity and poor gameplay that existed for only one reason: the promotion of wanking. The stereotype of the typical gamer is one of a socially inept loser; the success of Leisure Suit Larry, sadly, only reinforced that stereotype.

Now comes Playboy: The Mansion, in which players are given the chance to live out what may very well be every boy's dream: to live the life of Hugh Hefner. Essentially a Sims knock-off (both graphically and in gameplay), Playboy places you in control of Hef as he's beginning to build his empire; you begin with only $100,000, a near-empty mansion, and one bunny. Your mission is to hire a staff (writers and photographers), smooth-talk the famous and top-heavy to pose for your cameras, and publish the magazine. Each issue is then graded, with better content providing greater returns.

For all its emphasis on exposed nipples (and the gals are only topless in the game, so horny lads looking for bush will have to look elsewhere), the real focus of Playboy is fairly chaste. Players may be able to shoot their own centerfolds, but the true gameplay is in financial management; the goal is to build an empire, not just party with the topless, and those merely seeking some quick pud-pulling inspiration are sure to be disappointed. Like Playboy the magazine, Playboy the game seems, at first glance, to offer little more than tame titillation, but as you play it you'll find a surprisingly deep experience.

ARUSH/Groove has put much thought into their cheap boob ploy--perhaps more thought than the idea itself deserves--and the end result is an engaging, if not terribly replayable, gaming experience. It's not a great game, by any means, but it's not a complete T&A travesty either. Adult-themed games will surely saturate the video game market one day--probably soon. Hopefully most of the coming deluge will be at least as intelligent and well designed as this is. Sexless geeks deserve nothing less.

brad@thestranger.com