Let's Not Ban RapeLay

[zahr]

Ban game -> can't buy in stores -> piracy!

I've never tried RapeLay, mostly because I've yet to see a conclusive reason to touch a game made in Japan, but I don't think anything's wrong with it.

Fucking Prototype pretty much encourages you to slaughter thousands of civilians in hilariously brutal ways; RapeLay cannot compare to that, ever, period.

Rape two women, or have fun massacring the population of Manhattan person by person? Half the abilities in Prototype exist solely for more entertaining slaughter, such as the ability to leap into the air, slam down on someone, and SURF THEIR BODY ALONG TWENTY FEET OF CONCRETE.

 

[mechanixis]

You know, I'm all for freedom of expression, and the ability for people to choose for themselves what they want to be exposed to. But what is the point of a game that simulates rape? I think we can all agree that some thoughts should be expressed, and some should not. Repression is bad if its a natural impulse that causes no harm to anyone, but how about the impulse to rape a girl, her entire family, and then lock them up in your basement as sex slaves? The people who made this game are either purely cynical and exploiting a disturbed demographic, or as sick and disturbed as the clientel their giving it to.

Not every idea and thought has value. Not every fantasy needs to be expressed, and some ideas should be removed. There is no reason to play this game, and the only possible benefits are to pollute somebody's mind into thinking that rape is somehow expectable. We are affected by the media we watch, there's no denying that. A rape video game can only make its players worse people in the long run.

Hey nice bullshit argument let me try something

"Repression is bad if its a natural impulse that causes no harm to anyone, but how about the impulse to mow down innocent civilians with a machine gun or grenades.

Not every idea and thought has value. Not every fantasy needs to be expressed, and some ideas should be removed. There is no reason to play this game, and the only possible benefits are to pollute somebody's mind into thinking that murder is somehow expectable. We are affected by the media we watch, there's no denying that. A murder video game can only make its players worse people in the long run."

Now if I didn't know any better I could've sworn this was an argument that came from Jack Thompson or Hillary Clinton or any of the other trash talking slime that want to ban games like Grand Theft Auto.

And what makes you think that murder is an acceptable thing to simulate in video games either? You all seem to take it for granted that this is all perfectly fine. It probably doesn't have any adverse effects, but does it have any good ones other than immediate gratification of baser impulses?

One can argue that "Grant Theft Auto"'s true purpose is actually to be lawless fantasy. The whole point of the game is to take what you want, do what you want, and be free of every legal authority our society imposes. Typically every person you meet in those games is just as correct and uncaring for the law as you are, if not more so. Nobody is ever portrayed as innocent in the world of GTA, its just scumbags killing scumbags. Notice by the way, that in not a single GTA will you ever find a single child on the streets. Imagine if they did? It isn't just murder for murder's own sake.

"RapeLay" is rape for rape's own sake. There is no justification other than "I'm a man, I want to have sex, and I don't care what the woman has to say. She's going to be slave just because I have a penis." In what universe are thoughts like these ever acceptable? This might come from a different culture, but even in Japan thoughts like this cannot be considered proper. I hate to imagine in what society rape is considered "perfectly fine".

By the way, just because you do not agree with Hilary Clinton or any other politician's views on violent video games, it doesn't make them "trash-talking slime". Most likely they truly believe that removing games like GTA will serve society and make it a better place. Is there something wrong with that motivation? Maybe you think that Clinton isn't being sincere in her activism, I don't know.

PS: Can you please not call my argument "bullshit"? I do not appreciate being insulted on this forum when all I wanted was to have a frank discussion over this issue.

In these situations, I invoke Voltaire. "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it to the death." If that's just a fairweather rule, then it's just an illusion altogether. If you tack a 'unless I really don't like it' on the end, then freedom of speech is essentially dead. RapeLay is a creepy, deplorable creation. I probably wouldn't enjoy the company of the sort of people who unironically purchase it. But if you silence it, then that justifies the silencing of anything that has made anyone upset for any reason.

And frankly, if you're moved to commit any sort of sex crime by RapeLay, or a murder spree by Grand Theft Auto, then you have underlying issues that run far deeper than what videogame you played last.

 

[Bladez]

If they ban Rapelay, then why not Pokemon too? Think about it, Pokemon is practically the same as a cock fight or dog fight. Your capturing animals to use to defeat other animals, make money, oh ya and with that money you get more tools to capture more of them. So if they've made actual stuff like that illegal, why haven't they banned Pokemon, just like they would with Rapelay. (Note: I do not hate Pokemon in anyway, in fact I'm playing HeartGold while Im typing this.)

 

[RootbeerJello]

I have no problem with the game personally. This is conditional on a few levels.

1. No one's being hurt. If anyone was actually being psychologically or physically harmed, I would be looking for an RV I could rent for my cross-country awareness-raising tour to get that shit put in a small metal box and buried. Then set on fire.

2. Games like this act as a release, they don't actually encourage the behavior. Since most studies prove that acting out urges in games actually makes you less likely to do the same thing in real life. Again, if someone could make a legitimate study proving that games like this could cause a mentally stable person to rape someone, I'd be on RentAnRVNow.com.

 

[Toar]

Question, why did they make a game like that anyway? Just to see if the sensor board was awake? Well, whoopty-doo! Honestly, why in the hell was this concieved? Was it like Custers Revenge and made just for giggles?

 

[zahr]

Question, why did they make a game like that anyway? Just to see if the sensor board was awake? Well, whoopty-doo! Honestly, why in the hell was this concieved? Was it like Custers Revenge and made just for giggles?

No, it's because that's a large part of Japanese culture. Are you familiar with the word "hentai"?

Simply put, you might not like that sort of thing, but they do. Are you the right one to make that judgment?

 

[Toar]

Question, why did they make a game like that anyway? Just to see if the sensor board was awake? Well, whoopty-doo! Honestly, why in the hell was this concieved? Was it like Custers Revenge and made just for giggles?

No, it's because that's a large part of Japanese culture. Are you familiar with the word "hentai"?

Simply put, you might not like that sort of thing, but they do. Are you the right one to make that judgment?

I'm not trying to judge, but why THAT subject? They have giant robots, transforming school girls, a vague idea of angels, and a great deal of other generic anime themes. Why rape? I don't say ban it, but why? It's like the game Manhunt. I like Manhunt and play it alot, but it was made to poke the sensors in the ribs to see if they were paying attention.

 

[incal11]

Murder doesn't HAVE to be reported. Rape does.

I don't get your logic, both are crimes, and how their perpetrators are caught and punished or not is unrelated to the nature of the crime.

Also, insisting that most rapes in Japan are unreported because of the great shame they bring there is not a valid argument.
Serious studies do prove that many rapes are unreported everywhere ; don't think women are less ashamed of being raped because thei're not japanese.
http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/reporting-rates
Personally I find this whole "shuned by the whole family" shtick doubtful.

Banning videogames about rape sounds like a good idea. Here's why it's not.

If you are still interested by the subject after writing this article you could go there.
http://yestofreedom.org/

 

[zahr]

I'm not trying to judge, but why THAT subject? They have giant robots, transforming school girls, a vague idea of angels, and a great deal of other generic anime themes. Why rape? I don't say ban it, but why? It's like the game Manhunt. I like Manhunt and play it alot, but it was made to poke the sensors in the ribs to see if they were paying attention.

Rape is related to the others just as much as they are to each other. You have no idea how closely hentai is tied to anime and japanese moviegames, apparently. This is going to make me sound like a massive weeaboo (even though I dislike japan, to say the least) but honestly, learn a bit about their culture before criticizing it.

To answer why: because when America dropped two nukes on Japan, they didn't just break Japanese imperialism, they pushed them all the way to where they are now. Which do you prefer?

 

[dannymc18]

If you are still interested by the subject after writing this article you could go there.
http://yestofreedom.org/

I love how their second post is basically entitled "why we do exactly what we tell you not to". That entire site is immediately declared null and void for me.

 

[John Funk]

Murder doesn't HAVE to be reported. Rape does.

I don't get your logic, both are crimes, and how their perpetrators are caught and punished or not is unrelated to the nature of the crime.

Also, insisting that most rapes in Japan are unreported because of the great shame they bring there is not a valid argument.
Serious studies do prove that many rapes are unreported everywhere ; don't think women are less ashamed of being raped because thei're not japanese.
http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/reporting-rates
Personally I find this whole "shuned by the whole family" shtick doubtful.

Banning videogames about rape sounds like a good idea. Here's why it's not.

If you are still interested by the subject after writing this article you could go there.
http://yestofreedom.org/

...it's fairly easy to determine if someone is alive or dead (barring disappearance), yes? If the death as examined by medical practitioners looks fishy, and foul play is suspected, then a murder investigation can start without any report of a crime. By its nature, rape is only between the victim and attacker unless there's a witness; if the victim does not report it then there is absolutely no way it can be counted.

Rape carries with it a deep sense of cultural shame everywhere, not just Japan - I certainly agree. But Japan is a very patriarchal society, and a society very heavily based around the idea of saving face, etc.

If it weren't a problem at all, then why are there separate women-only train cars to help prevent subway molestation?

 

[madmatt]

i agree the presumption should be its ok until proved otherwise but i disagree with the aticle fundamentally and would not want it here for many reasons:

1) you cannot divorce content from its subject matter and this subject is morally wrong in my view and sexist - true this is just my view but a government has to and should listen to what people are comfortable with - if they are not they are failing their duty, otherwise paedophilia would be ok because a tiny minority enjoy it - and it too has been argued to be an "art" - a disgusting one

2) it damages the reputation of gamers and games - why is obvious - do we want to be set back 10 years of hard earned respectability? Good games will suffer because of this...

3) EVERYTHING is regulated to some degree, nothing has NO regulation. So some censorship is necessary and right, and i suspect films like this would be banned in many nations - lassaiz faire is not a reality it is a balance - and most people see this as going too far

4) Imagining is different to seeing is different to participating - in both legal terms and in our minds - and this is asking you to PERFORM something all decent people see as evil - which is worse than just reading about it

5) There is no such thing as moral objectivity and nor should there be - any society has to say some things are seen as acceptable and some are not. True, there has to be legal limits on this but the alternative seems either anrchical or tyrannical. Most will not see this as acceptable. While you could say how can it be worse than killing npcs, people THINK it is different and this matters - and it moves from something that involves an activity such as killing to main staging it and making it the main basis of the game - there is no more to this game than this premise

6) Just because the usual crowd rail against it doesn't invalidate everything they say - we should not spit at the wind just because it is there.

7) While we should be tolerant of what other people do privately in millite terms (although not utilitarian terms in my opinion), can you completely seperate what people experience in private and in public? Do they not inform each others actions? If so then there has to be limits and "lines" drawn in the sand. Even in a purely hedonistic society they would be there at some point - so the principle of no restrictions is wrong. Thus the subject matter must be defended - something that cannot and should not be done in this place. Even murder has been seen as justified by many under some circumstances but rape is INTRINSICALLY NEVER AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENCE - not of persons or nations or morals or ideals - this makes it in some ways worse than murder which can at least attempt to be justified - this is merely predation.

I therefore respectfully (and most unusually!) disagree

 

[TheodoreLuke]

I am completely disgusted by that type of entertainment, but I don't believe in any kind of censorship EVER.

 

[Gamegodtre]

Question, why did they make a game like that anyway? Just to see if the sensor board was awake? Well, whoopty-doo! Honestly, why in the hell was this concieved? Was it like Custers Revenge and made just for giggles?

Don't know (maybe cause it will sell) but it isnt the first of its kind, i have played some other "rape sims" (dating sims as well) like Tsuki Possession and Virgin Roster (both available in America via internet release from Jastusa.) Also please note these games have been reviewed(I'd put the site but it has pictures from the games and there may be younger readers) getting both 3/5s.
however as for Rapelay i havenot played it mainly because i played artificial girl 3 after importing it (can't import rapelay and i refuse to illegally get it)
and the story was not existent but the character creater was great and offered many options.
as for me i play games like Tsuki and Virgin Roster for the story elements since theres enough to fill a novels worth with the text. and both of these games can take up to 15 hours to fully complete and the ending for all the girls in them ranged from worthwhile to ehh.

but i digress this all come down to personal taste and as Clark said the medium. I have seen so many S&M videos available in ebay and adult stores, and can these be considered anything but virtual rape? or how about erotic novels? for me i prefer Adult games with alot of substance like Yume Miru Kusuri: A Drug That Makes You Dream or Princess Waltz, but to each his own.

 

[Andy Chalk]

in my view

This is where your argument becomes invalid. What makes you the arbiter of what is and is not acceptable?

To touch on another of your points, there's no suggestion here of "no regulation." That was, in fact, a big part of the whole thing: The ESRB already provides age ratings for games. The regulation you seem to think doesn't exist is actually a very prominent part of the industry.

 

[UberNoodle]

Entire thing here QFT. I also live in Japan and not once have I seen an underwear dispenser either. Although these types of games are legal in Japan, that does not mean that they're common, or popular, or even that most people don't have a problem with the content. I can't think of one Japanese person I know who would even think of playing Rapelay at all, much less buying it. When it comes to anime, the average perception I get around here is that it's a kids' thing, and you actually have to search for a while to find an anime that isn't directed at children or families. Most of the popular mainstream anime in America (the ones that used to run on Adult Swim, et al.) are seen as being for tweens and teenagers here. This includes Bleach, Shin-chan, FMA, and so on. The only one I have found any reference to at all over here that would be aimed at adults is Evangelion, which is still really popular here, and the only anime aimed at adults that people seem to know here, and it's probably mainly because there's a hugely popular Evangelion pachi-slot game. Manga aimed at adults, and by that I mean mature themes and not sexual content, is much easier to find, and that is in fact pretty common at least where I live out in the Japanese boonies. If people want "Adult Content", you have to go to an adult bookstore to get it, just like in the West.

In fact, get this: it's actually probably harder to buy a 18+ rated video game in Japan than it is in America. The video game stores I go to usually have 18+ rated games (for violence, like MadWorld, Assassin's Creed, and so on) under lock and key so kids can't even look at the box, and certainly can't buy the game. At one store, if I didn't look real closely, I wouldn't have noticed that they even sold those games there.

Seriously, when will people learn that all of Japan is not like Akihabara?

I completely agree with what you are saying here. Japan is not Akihabara nor the clips you find on Youtube, for that matter. Yet, the people that think so, surely don't define their own cultures by out of context slices of sit-coms and commercials and games. In fact, Japanese games and animations are far more diverse in content, while Western ones remain alarmingly narrow by comparison.

So this debate is being instigated by media grazers who have no real experience with Japan and her culture and poeple other than what they've seen filtered through Western agendas. I can't believe it. Such people would be outraged if their own culture was treated similarly , even if object of outrage isn't to do with their culture at all (remembers the stupidity of the KFC Cricket ad debarcle)

(NOTE) And yes, every store I have been to, have a segregated area for adult games, or have them under lock and key in some way.

(INCIDENTALLY) 'oh it's another crazy Japanese invention' moments in every pop-culture blog and news source: is it better to invent nothing at all? It is a lesser known fact that a modern 'aesthetic' of Japan is to invent something 'useless in its usefullness'. I read a book of photos (oxymoron?) in a cafe here.

 

[Callate]

So, let's see.

"It's disgusting."

Okay, I get that; you don't like having to look at it. Are you seriously of the belief that your not liking to witness something is sufficient reason for it not to exist?

"We have to draw the line somewhere."

Why? Seriously, why? In real life, certainly, for all kinds of reasons. No one deserves to be raped, and the fewer people who are the victims of nonconsensual violence, the better. But in a game? In a book? In a movie? In fantasy? Those aren't real people being hurt. Empathy is admirable, but in this case, it's badly misplaced.

"...If this encourages some sicko to go about such acts in real life..."

Ah, but there's the rub: there isn't any strong evidence that it does. In fact, one study suggests that the availability of pornography can be linked to lower rates of sex crimes. (http://www.physorg.com/news187448961.html)

Arguably, the environment that causes people who have such fantasies to act upon them is one where a) they have no other outlet, and b) they become alienated from society because they believe that no one else is like them.

I've kind of said it before, but... Whatever the subject, no matter how depraved, I'd much prefer that the subjects of violent fantasies be pixels than people. Pixels don't bleed. And no matter how convincing or realistic a simulation is, it remains a simulcrum.

 

[Toar]

I'm not trying to judge, but why THAT subject? They have giant robots, transforming school girls, a vague idea of angels, and a great deal of other generic anime themes. Why rape? I don't say ban it, but why? It's like the game Manhunt. I like Manhunt and play it alot, but it was made to poke the sensors in the ribs to see if they were paying attention.

Rape is related to the others just as much as they are to each other. You have no idea how closely hentai is tied to anime and japanese moviegames, apparently. This is going to make me sound like a massive weeaboo (even though I dislike japan, to say the least) but honestly, learn a bit about their culture before criticizing it.

To answer why: because when America dropped two nukes on Japan, they didn't just break Japanese imperialism, they pushed them all the way to where they are now. Which do you prefer?

What are you on? We weren't talking WWII, we were talking about games. Yes, the US fucked Japan over real bad, and honestly, no one seems to care anymore BECAUSE the US is buying Japanese shit like candy. Sony and Nintendo belong to Japan, but I don't believe this is some payback for WWII.

And what does your first sentence mean? I don't follow.

 

[Yog Sothoth]

...People still watch CNN?

*Ba-dum tish*

 

[Sven und EIN HUND]

Has anyone here ever played Rapelay?

I have. My and mah buddies decided it would be good for a laugh to download it and play it. And it was, that game is impossible to take seriously. Not to mention that the graphics are so basic that the...organs clip through each other in the most ludicrous of ways, it's not even that graphic, nowhere near how bad the media portrays it. Obviously, it's still horrible in places, but it's hardly the bringer of the end times.

And yes, I think it shouldn't be banned. As long as they have proper safeguards so they can't get into childrens hands (although they'd probably find it as amusing as I did) then any consenting adult should be allowed to buy it, should they so wish. Freedom to choose, and all that.

That way, we can gloss over what is really at its heart quite a poor, silly game and promote the good ones.

Finally, someone who has actually played it and can provide an educated opinion. I'm in agreeance that it shouldn't be banned, but only because I believe in the right of choice, and anyone fucked up enough to enjoy playing 'rape games' should be allowed to play rape games; perhaps it provides them with a safe alternative to actually raping people. It should be kept out of children's hands though, of course.