Shelby Knox Wants Duke Nukem Forever Out of Walmart

[Andy Chalk]

Shelby Knox Wants Duke Nukem Forever Out of Walmart

Women's rights advocate Shelby Knox has launched a petition at Change.org calling on Walmart to refuse to carry Duke Nukem Forever [http://www.amazon.com/Duke-Nukem-Forever-Pc/dp/B002I0JAJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301680716&sr=8-1] until Gearbox cuts the "babe-slapping mode" out of the game.

"Twitter [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108617-Duke-Nukem-Forever-Multiplayer-Exchanges-Flags-for-Babes] that it's a "love smack on the booty," not a slap in the chops, but the idea of slapping women to calm them down - and hey, let's face it, the whole idea of portraying them as objects to be captured and carried back home in some kind of latter-day caveman ritual - just didn't go over too well with a lot of people.

Enter Shelby Knox, the nationally-known "feminist organizer, speaker and writer" who came to prominence as the subject of the 2005 documentary Change.org [http://www.amazon.com/Education-Shelby-Knox-Rene-Caudillo/dp/B000GG4XYC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1301680817&sr=8-2] calling for the removal of the slapping, and for Walmart to keep the Duke off its shelves until it's gone.

"To be clear, Duke Nukem Forever makes a game out of physical and sexual violence against women. And Randy Pitchford -- CEO of Gearbox Software which is in charge of the game's release -- thinks that's simply hilarious," the petition states.

"The Capture the Babe mode of the Duke Nukem game, which will be played primarily by young people, sends the message that physical and sexual violence against women is normal, acceptable, and even funny. It's not - and we have to say so," it says. "If Mr. Pritchford [sic] thinks violence against women will boost his bottom line, let's show him otherwise. Walmart is set to be one of the primary sellers of the Duke Nukem game when it is released on June 14th. Tell this family friendly retailer to refuse to sell the Duke Nukem Forever game until the 'babe-slapping mode' is removed."

At last count, the petition had amassed over 5700 signatures and although I have no idea how many it will take to get Walmart's attention, I won't be entirely surprised if the company ends up acting on the demand. Despite the fact that Duke Nukem Forever is rated M by the ESRB and is therefore statistically less likely to end up in the hands of "young people" than, say, an Eli Roth flick [http://www.amazon.com/Hostel-Part-II-Unrated-Widescreen/dp/B000UJ48P4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1301680936&sr=8-2], it's an easy, high-profile target whose value as a PR lever with the "thinking of the children" crowd could very well outweigh any losses the company would suffer from its absence.

The irony is that if Walmart does end up banning the game, I'll be compelled to buy it elsewhere even though I have absolutely no interest in it whatsoever, so here's hoping that Shelby Knox doesn't end up costing me 60 bucks as a matter of principle. Duke Nukem Forever is tentatively scheduled for release this summer for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

via: VE3D [http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/59711/Womens-Rights-Petition-Targets-Walmart-CEO-Duke-Nukem-Forever]


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[WanderingFool]

Damn Duke... you're not even trying to piss these people off, are you?

 

[FogHornG36]

Nothing kills a boner like feminism

Also, she makes it sound like the game as based around beating women

 

[Mr.Pandah]

That's mah boyyy! Keep it up Duke. Duke has not given a figurative fuck since he was created.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

?foor eht hguorht selas FND evird dna tramlaW truh lliw siht taht ees yeht t'naC

?yeht dluow ,etah yeht gnihtemos gnitomorp otni troffe hcum taht tup dluow eno-oN ?ti t'nsi looF lirpA na si sihT

 

[Daystar Clarion]

People are so far up their own arses, that they usually can't tell the difference between something being sexist, and something being sexist to the point of poking fun at it.

Feminist = someone who believes in the equal treatment of women in society but doesn't actually lable themselves as a feminist (i.e. most reasonable people, be they men or women).

Shelby Knox = person who hides behind feminism in an attempt to spread her own brand of ignorance.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

I'll repeat what I said in the other thread about this:
And not a single fuck was given at Gearbox this day.

 

[Verlander]

Nothing kills a boner like feminism

That is now my favourite quote of all time. Thank you kind sir

OT: Good to see some non April Fool news. Although, if it is, you've hardly stretched your imagination.

 

[thiosk]

Should I Start a Petition: A flow chart

Spoiler: yes

No.

Spoiler: no

No.

 

[Madara XIII]

BWAHAHAHAHA

This is all I have to say to Ms. Shelby Knox

You silly little activists

All this leaves is to ask what my boy Prince thinks about this.
What do you think about this Prince?

That's what I thought

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

-snip-

why not? people do it all the time. hence the (really f***ing annoying) saying, "All publicity is good publicity." some people never learn.

*edit* apparently the backwards stuff messed with my ability to quote properly...

 

[Colinmac93]

I'm guessing that Duke Nukem Forever will enjoy great sales with the amount of criticism that's being aimed at them. If Bulletstorm is anything to go by, then controversy can be good for a game's sales figures.

 

[jamesmax]

a salp on the ass thats all
wow
they were makeing it sound like you put her on her feet and ***** slap so hard it nocks her out

hell its probably just a pat on the ass

 

[Snake Plissken]

Shit, where shall I ever buy this game if it's not at WALMART?!

If only we lived in the future, a time when some sort of online store existed where you could enter your name, address, and credit card number to purchase some item, like a console game, and have it delivered straight to your doorstep in a few days time.

Better yet, if only Valve would create some sort of online store where you could purchase ONLY games, but you didn't need to have a physical copy. They could provide all the data you needed to download, install, and play the game and cut out nasty things, like games cluttering up your desk or lengthy shipping times.

Man, I can't wait for the future...

Seriously, guys, whatever shall we do without WALMART?!

 

[LiquidGrape]

I love how Pritchford seems thoroughly oblivious to the fact that "a love slap on the booty" is if anything more condescending.
This is a game which should never have seen the light of day. If its development gestation of nearly 15 years is proof of anything, that is it.

That said, I think petitions and the like is the wrong approach in applying criticism. Not to mention silly.
Don't get me wrong, I think Duke Nukem has always been a neanderthal exercise in the most base and worthless qualities of this medium, but I won't deny it the right to be base and worthless.
It can fester in its own infantile corner, and I'll just pretend it never existed.
Those who are actually interested in the tripe get to satisfy some absurd desire to revisit a severely aged concept, and the rest of us can live our lives blissfully unawares.
Win-win?

 

[YawningAngel]

Who the hell would believe that Duke Nukem SUGGESTS anything? It's clearly an outrageous self-caricature, and people actually choosing to enact its content is hardly the developer's fault. You can't censor content on the grounds that people might choose to imitate it.

 

[SNIPERFOX ft. Harry P.Ness]

This just in:


less than two fucks given At gearbox studips

 

[lobster1077]

Ah these petitions just nudge people toward buying the game, these silly feminists man.

 

[ramboondiea]

when ever i see things like this a voice in the back of my head starts shouting fuck-off.
if people want to play the game they know damn well what there getting them selves into, its duke fucking nukem, probly one of the most over the top games there are out their its basically one big joke.
also i always thought it wasnt a really sexist game in the first place like somepeople have said, i remember in the original if you killed a women you were attacked by pig people