Why do Argonian females have briasts? Yeah, I get that games are designed by geeks that hypersixualize women which is why women are running around the frozen tundra in skimpy fur bikinis that couldn't possibly keep them warm let alone protect them from any errant sword thrust, but these are reptilian people. Reptiles do not briast feed. So why the briasts?

sixual differences i suppose, make the males and females look different. Or maybe they evolved to have briasts to attract a mate? And how do you know that they (argonaians) don't briast feed? Its never really brought up

Argonians can both lay eggs and and birth live children, so who's to say? After all, they aren't lizards, they are magical http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Hist lizards

sixual dimorphism.

They're a bit more complex than just lizards (though it was said that they "evolved" from them a long time ago by consuming Hist sap), they're humanoid reptiles blessed with the powers of the Hist tree.
So, they have some humanlike features next to their reptilian ones.

No, that's not boobs that's the twin brains! They're full of brains everywhere.

Argonians have a similar anatomy to humans, but they also reptilian traits. Just like Khajiits have similar anatomy to humans aswell.

It would have been cool that, instead of the classical mammalian male/female sixual dimorphism, you would get some more reptilian one. Meaning males are more coloured and flashy during their reproduction period, or for the sake of the game, always.

For the same reason pretty much every scifi/fantasy race has human characteristics instead of being truly different, lazy writers and artists or lack of imagination on the design teams.

Or maybe they didn't feel the need to make hundreds of new female models when there are only five or so named Argonian females in the game.

Good point, argonians do lay egg's. But there has to be a diffrence between females and males.

I like to think of them as half man, half lizard... they talk, walk on two legs, do have rings to bind them in marriage... so its pretty much a hybrid race. I don't share the OP thoughts about hypersixualization, skyrim is very balanced on this point... having women running in bikinis during a blizzard is just laziness on coding, also, its not that often... Forsworn are mostly found on Reach/Tundra for example, most bandits wear fur armors. Skyrim is much less sixualized than the late television content or music songs... less than it should actually, we find children but rarely couples - Mikael, Delvin Mallory, Haelga - they are alone the bastions of erotism in Skyrim, and we all learn to beat them for that.

argonians are mammals, they have a four chambered heart (which you can see in oblivion if you cut one's heart out for the brotherhood) and can give birth to live children

The problem with this reasoning is that any one with that little clothing would die quickly of hypothermia in that environment. The briarhearts, while also scantily clad, can at least be passed off as a magical creature that is immune to cold.

The fur bikini was just a really bad choice that is difficult to justify without examining the objectification of women in game design.


They hatch from eggs, listen to the dialogue about shadowscales in the brotherhood also in Oblivion.

There is no given reason for argonian briasts in any of the games that I've seen and no reason to rely on human sixual dimorphism to tell the difference.

You guys can theorize Skyrim lore and this topic as long as you want. At the end of the day, it is what is most socially acceptable. This was a huge launch title so some things are set to an immovable standard, no matter how much "sense" is does not make.

I agree with the authors sentiments though. No real point of them having briasts.

I'm sure the devs have thought about this in the past and decided to go with the form that is the most recognizable by the player from a distance you see briasts, you know it's a female.

What about a kitchen apron?

JK!

How about stop staring at our women melons for Hist sake!

Crocodlies have four chambered hearts as well (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilia).
Some snakes (like the Anaconda) can give birth to live children too, its called Ovoviviparity.

The reason argonians have briasts is just to make gender identification easier. In morrowind people complained that the only difference in argonians was that females had red fins, and you had to read a book to learn it (which few players did). Chesty argonian was a popular mod because of this.

This is correct.
Argonians that are in a safe and bountiful environment will lay eggs, while those that are nomadic and further away from the Hist will give live birth, presumably to give the offspring better chance at survival.

http://images.uesp.net/d/d8/MW-npc-Travelling-New-Woman.jpg and as far as I found out in Daggerfall as well.

So your opinion contradicts the lore established by former games, therefore your argument is invalid!

Basically what ToJKa and Merari said.

http://www.imperial-library.info/content/forum-archive-mark-nelson

Do Argonians lay eggs? (11/07/03)
Men and Mer assume much about Argonians, but who among them has ventured deep into Black Marsh and lived to tell about it? They assume that Argonians lay eggs because they resemble the tree-dwelling lizards that scurry about on four legs. Yet they assume Argonians have live births, because the females have briasts with which they might svckle their young. Perhaps it is both, as necessity demands. All live at the whim of the Great Root.

Argonian egg-laying, again (11/10/03)
Never underestimate the adaptability of Argonians, or, more specifically, the power of the Hist to allow Argonians to adapt.

I wouldn't expect to hear an Argonian born in Skyrim (or on Solstheim, for that matter) mention being hatched. Nor would I expect to hear more transient Argonians (say, members of a small, nomadic tribe) speak about laying eggs. However, in warmer climates, in places with established, stable, and permanent communities, you would likely see a great number of eggs.

The briasts are full of hist sap instead of milk

that way if she gives birth outside of black marsh the kid has a chance of not just being a common lizard.

Take a look at these:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/File:MW-npc-Shatalg.jpg
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/File:MW-npc-Hides-His-Foot.jpg

One of them is male and the other female. Can you tell which?. The briast you saw was actually part of the SHIRT texture, not the argonian.
A female human character wearing imperial armor doesnt have briasts either:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/File:MW_Armor_ImperialSteelF.jpg (original game)
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/File:MW_Armor_ImperialSteelF_LF.jpg (using a mod)

Thats because the game originally didnt have separate female texture of the imperial armor for females. Similarly, there arent separate textures for monsters and some clothes take the shape of a human

I can accept the o

I can accept the bad choice for some random generated fur armor types in some areas, although I don't see you arguing about the objectification of men since its fair common to see the fur "skirt" armor model , leaving men chest vulnerable to cold just as well... thats why I call it laziness in code, even this limited armor hasn't their armor rating decreased. I do agree that regular leveled list is very unrealistic in some environments, but that doesn't make Skyrim sixist... I mean, different designed armor models do the job more clearly.

Edit: Actually I wouldn't call it laziness at all, just limited resources and/or time to develop the game... I believe Bethesda did their best to release Skyrim as perfect as they could, but thats what all the companies do, I guess... its hardly a justification for a good game.