Hit the *****: A Domestic Violence Videogame
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
Actually, if you really understand the mechanics of what is being done, the game is really quite compelling.
First, lets deal with some assumptions.
1) In Denmark at least, gangsta lifestyle includes a lot of domestic violence.
2) People pursue the gangsta lifestyle because it is percieved as cool or popular.
3) Ergo, people beat women to be cool or popular.
Alright, so we start playing the game and we notice we're 100% pussy. Also, the chick on screen is kind of mouthy. (I guess? Dont speak Danish... just going off of how things sound/look). So we smack her once.
There isnt a lot of visible damage and she's not hurt too bad, but we're less of a pussy, so, because we're all action -> reward gamers, we hit her again. Repeat this.
Eventually we get to a point where she's really hurting and looks awful and is pleading for us to stop...
and yet, we hit her again, because we're so close to 100% gangsta, and we want to see what happens. We're committed to our previous choices, so we can't turn back. Hit hit hit.
So I think the commentary is that for the people who fall into the gangsta lifestyle, it becomes difficult to stop once they've started because of the way theyre percieved as more gangsta for beating their '*****'. More than that though, I think its pointing out that we're all susecptible to that sort of behavior.
At the end, where you are called a 100% idiot (SPOILER SPOILER), I think the message is that we should change our perceptions of what is cool. "Gangsta" isn't something to be desired, its a bad thing and Denmarkian perceptions of gangsta as cool (or gangsta as women-beaters) needs to change. Its not so much an assault on DV itself, as it is on a culture that perpetuates DV.
First, lets deal with some assumptions.
1) In Denmark at least, gangsta lifestyle includes a lot of domestic violence.
2) People pursue the gangsta lifestyle because it is percieved as cool or popular.
3) Ergo, people beat women to be cool or popular.
Alright, so we start playing the game and we notice we're 100% pussy. Also, the chick on screen is kind of mouthy. (I guess? Dont speak Danish... just going off of how things sound/look). So we smack her once.
There isnt a lot of visible damage and she's not hurt too bad, but we're less of a pussy, so, because we're all action -> reward gamers, we hit her again. Repeat this.
Eventually we get to a point where she's really hurting and looks awful and is pleading for us to stop...
and yet, we hit her again, because we're so close to 100% gangsta, and we want to see what happens. We're committed to our previous choices, so we can't turn back. Hit hit hit.
So I think the commentary is that for the people who fall into the gangsta lifestyle, it becomes difficult to stop once they've started because of the way theyre percieved as more gangsta for beating their '*****'. More than that though, I think its pointing out that we're all susecptible to that sort of behavior.
At the end, where you are called a 100% idiot (SPOILER SPOILER), I think the message is that we should change our perceptions of what is cool. "Gangsta" isn't something to be desired, its a bad thing and Denmarkian perceptions of gangsta as cool (or gangsta as women-beaters) needs to change. Its not so much an assault on DV itself, as it is on a culture that perpetuates DV.
Personally, I think that anyone who gets 100% gangsta should get a cricket bat straight to the 'nads. Or just shot through the head. That's gangsta life for you right there.
Well, if there was any controversy to be found, it should rather be about the sexism of this game - what about the (small amount of) men (manbitches?) getting hit by women, now there's a taboo for you, even in Denmark (which is extremely liberal). Having indiscriminately murdered vast amounts of random bystanders in GTA4, male of female, I don't see any potential for controversy in a game which lets you apply non-lethal violence to one person, then scolds you for doing so in the end. While it is no better to hit a girlfriend than a random equally innocent stranger, it is certainly no worse either.
Why would you punch them in the face? Kidney jabs are more easily concealed...
Doubt it would work though, the kind of people who would hit their partners are the kind of people to find this funny, however it deter the people who wouldn't do it anyway... Making it pointless.
Doubt it would work though, the kind of people who would hit their partners are the kind of people to find this funny, however it deter the people who wouldn't do it anyway... Making it pointless.
There is so much wrong with this. If it's indeed, a sincere attempt at educating Danes and discouraging domestic violence, I don't even know where to begin. It even plays into (hetero)sexist norms by having the woman be attractive and wear sexy clothes, and by using the term "*****" to refer to her.
It's hard to tell from this account, but does she ever fight back or say anything? If she is also voiceless and passive, that's another two layers of wrong.
It's hard to tell from this account, but does she ever fight back or say anything? If she is also voiceless and passive, that's another two layers of wrong.
... This is quite possibly the stupidest thing I have ever heard of.
Excuse me while I go bash my head aganst a wall for six straight hours.
Excuse me while I go bash my head aganst a wall for six straight hours.
Those are my assumptions. I have no idea what gangsta lifestyle is like in Denmark. And if you dont think gangsta lifestyle in the US involves domestic violence and the subjugation of women... well, uh... you're wrong. Really really wrong. Go to a DV hearing sometime and take a look at the 'gangstas' that get called in as defendants.CD-R said:
Wow, I commend foriegn companies for pushing the card but this is just stupid. How can this ever do anybody any good?
When reading this my thoughts were as follows:
1: No Dane should be using the term "Gangsta" ever. The whole idea strikes me as being exactly the message behind those bumper stickers of a 50s-esque "Bob Dobbs" type flashing a gangsign with the words "I'm pretty gangsta myself you know".
All negative comments about the subculture itself, it's painful enough to see everyone trying to act like that and use the word in the US as it is. The last thing we need is this to become even more multinational. The fact that this is a mainstream "message" product makes it even more painful.
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2: This is obviously a joke because it seems to use a very similar system/style to a lot of those old "Erotic torture chamber" games. The kind of thing where you have your sex slave, and a bunch of toys/torture devices in your toolbox on the side of the screen and you regulate what your doing trying to balance bars like "pain", "humiliation", and "sexual pleasure" to see how long you can keep going before one of the bars finally hits the breaking point and then you get a score.
Hey, not everyone is mature, and I've tried a LOT of things over the years, especially when it comes to gaming. My general reaction to such "games" is "what's the point"? But here it just seems a lot like that.
Enough games of that sort (which I guess are minigames in more modern adult products) exist where I'd pretty much guess people would get off on this more than learning anything from it, if it was even possible.
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3: Domestic Abuse is a complicated subject that belies any simple treatment. It's not the kind of thing that is like drugs (for those who agree with the anti-drug stance) where you can just say "Don't do Drugs". Every one of these situations stems from differance causes, women are NOT always the victims, and truthfully a lot of them turn out so totally messed up that there really are no good guys anymore and everyone involved becomes so fixated or dependant on each other that they simply can't just go their own ways anymore.
This is the kind of thing for Counslers, and something you need to head off while it's developing because it can become an irresolvable problem. Simply a "hey kids, don't hit your wife" type message is off kilter to the issue.
Besides which the whole "Gangsta" thing is out of touch. In the Gangsta stereotype women are expected to be submissive to men, BUT in general the whole "slapping the B@tch around" thing usually happens in the context of her being one of his Hos (ie might be his 'girl' but is also merchandise). Differant kind of stereotype/subculture than what most would consider "domestic violence".
Please not that this does not make "Gangsta" okay, quite to the contrary I feel the whole mentality/subculture should be eradicated (an entire differant discussion). I'm simply illustrating in VERY simple terms (yes I know I'm not entirely accurate above) how totally ridiculous this program is just what what is written given the claims.
1: No Dane should be using the term "Gangsta" ever. The whole idea strikes me as being exactly the message behind those bumper stickers of a 50s-esque "Bob Dobbs" type flashing a gangsign with the words "I'm pretty gangsta myself you know".
All negative comments about the subculture itself, it's painful enough to see everyone trying to act like that and use the word in the US as it is. The last thing we need is this to become even more multinational. The fact that this is a mainstream "message" product makes it even more painful.
-
2: This is obviously a joke because it seems to use a very similar system/style to a lot of those old "Erotic torture chamber" games. The kind of thing where you have your sex slave, and a bunch of toys/torture devices in your toolbox on the side of the screen and you regulate what your doing trying to balance bars like "pain", "humiliation", and "sexual pleasure" to see how long you can keep going before one of the bars finally hits the breaking point and then you get a score.
Hey, not everyone is mature, and I've tried a LOT of things over the years, especially when it comes to gaming. My general reaction to such "games" is "what's the point"? But here it just seems a lot like that.
Enough games of that sort (which I guess are minigames in more modern adult products) exist where I'd pretty much guess people would get off on this more than learning anything from it, if it was even possible.
-
3: Domestic Abuse is a complicated subject that belies any simple treatment. It's not the kind of thing that is like drugs (for those who agree with the anti-drug stance) where you can just say "Don't do Drugs". Every one of these situations stems from differance causes, women are NOT always the victims, and truthfully a lot of them turn out so totally messed up that there really are no good guys anymore and everyone involved becomes so fixated or dependant on each other that they simply can't just go their own ways anymore.
This is the kind of thing for Counslers, and something you need to head off while it's developing because it can become an irresolvable problem. Simply a "hey kids, don't hit your wife" type message is off kilter to the issue.
Besides which the whole "Gangsta" thing is out of touch. In the Gangsta stereotype women are expected to be submissive to men, BUT in general the whole "slapping the B@tch around" thing usually happens in the context of her being one of his Hos (ie might be his 'girl' but is also merchandise). Differant kind of stereotype/subculture than what most would consider "domestic violence".
Please not that this does not make "Gangsta" okay, quite to the contrary I feel the whole mentality/subculture should be eradicated (an entire differant discussion). I'm simply illustrating in VERY simple terms (yes I know I'm not entirely accurate above) how totally ridiculous this program is just what what is written given the claims.