Let's Not Ban RapeLay

[AgentChunk]

Here's the deal Japan, we ban sitcoms and you ban rapelay.

 

[Altorin]

I am a strict constitutionalist, with a heavy emphasis on the Second Amendment. I don't believe ANY form of speech or non-violent expression(and a rape GAME is not violent) should be banned or censored. It's all about personal responsibility folks. If everyone had it, then we wouldn't be discussing this, but because some people can't wrap their minds around the concept, we get 'scandals' like this.

Utter bullshit.

I'll go one step further. Violent protest shouldn't be censored either. If the victim of a Violent protest has to use violence to protect themselves, so be it.

But we should all hear about it.

 

[Dobrev]

Not sure about the laws in your country, but I expect this statement to be the norm: "Child nudity should be depicted only for scientific or artistic purpouses."

Child pornogrophy and games featuing it serve neither. Simple as.

 

[StriderShinryu]

"The perception that because it's a videogame, it must be for kids. No. Wrong. Wrong."

Is there some way we can get this stapled to the heads of all the anti-game idiots out there? No? Hmm.. how about tattooed?

I really just don't understand why something like this that is so blatantly obvious seems to hard for some people to grasp. I mean, the average age of a gamer now a days is what, 28? Argh...

 

[VGFreak1225]

I'm with you 100%. I may not agree what they have to say, but as long as no one is hurt, I will defend to the death their right to say it.

Also, there is a fine line between condoning rape games, and defending them. [http://www.destructoid.com/defending-virtual-rape-not-the-same-as-condoning-it-143025.phtml]

 

[Outright Villainy]

To expand on your point about books:
Ann Rice back in the times of 1983-85 published a series of novels that were, for all intents and purposes, an 'Erotic' (I use the term so loosely, it's libel to fall off) retelling of the tale of Sleeping Beauty.
They were about nothing but rape. There is perhaps 3 cases of consensual sex (1 of male-to-female consensual) in the entire godforsaken series. The entire series is disgusting, and outside of just the pure rape, some more horrifying things happen (I absolutely refuse to write any of them out).
Is Ann Rice forbidden from writing? Are her books banned? No, she's one of the most popular modern novelists, over many more talented individuals.
I am not defending the content of the game or of the books, they are both repulsive to me. I'm merely pointing out that video games seem to have...well a double standard.

This is exactly the crux of the matter. Even films get away with a lot more than games, and that's much more graphic because it's much more realistic. People think because you're "participating" with video games, that it does irreperable damage and makes you into a monster, which is of course total bullshit.

I've read one of those books too (well not all of it because it was so terrible), it was pretty hilarious to me really, how gloriously idiotic this supposed "erotic" book was. On every single page she was crying and the guys in the book found it a turn on? It's not as disgusting as it sounds, because it's way too unintentionally funny to do so, it's just ridiculous.

 

[squid5580]

I'm not talking about the game(probably a bad idea considering the thread).
I'm talking about ACTUAL kiddie porn. Photos and movies. Do you think that's acceptable as long as the kids agree?

Depends. This extreme kneejerk "protect the children" thing is kinda recent. Like, the few decades. Child pornography was legal in the US, pictures and videos. Before that, girls were all but sold for dowry (slight hyperbole) to men of all ages. Arranged marriages between toddlers that were consummated as soon as both were able.

But the abuse of children isn't the subject. Its close, though. Saying that any form of pornography can turn a person into a rapist, pedophile, homosexual, whatever is wrong and insulting... to everyone. Its saying that you are just the slightest push from raping a child of the same sex.

But child pornography bans are justified by the fact a child can be coerced into doing just about anything, and any parent that would coerce his/her child into pornography only has his/
her interests in mind. Rightly so, but eh.

There is a world of difference between Rapelay and Kiddie Porn. It isn't even an arguement. You are trying to connect the dots between something made by adults for adults and something that is harmful to a child. To a person who barely has the concept of right or wrong down. A person who isn't very smart and who can be exploited and manipulated. If the child is infact "willing" it makes no difference. Just like you can't enforce a contract you sign with a minor. If kids were like adults we wouldn't have the ESRB in the first place.

 

[omegatheta]

i find it ammusing that japan has all this wonderful stuff like rapelay and...panty vending machines and EXTREMELY well thought through anime porn(hentai W/E im dumbing it down) and yet whilst they aren't without crime they are definitely not in the top 20 crime infested nations in the world... Banning anything doesn't STOP people from doing it....if that was the case we would no longer have drug addicts... all banning things has ever accomplished is making people do/obtain them more secretively...

 

[Kiefer13]

I agree completely. I think Rapelay and other games like it are disgusting. But censorship is far more disgusting then they could ever be.

 

[Denamic]

Because censorship works.
When people are bleeped out on TV, you totally can't make out what they're actually saying, and your fragile mind is thus safe.
And raging about RapeLay has not made the game 52 thousand times more famous than it was in the first place.
I bet the numbers lie and they really didn't sell several times more copies of the game than they did before.
Yay for imposed morality!

 

[rekabdarb]

Um... yeah, according to Kotaku they officially banned rape games in Japan itself, which is some news...

Not... really.

They're just not calling them rape games anymore. Unless something's changed since then.

Whatever be the case, these games are normally meant to act as 'social valves' to let people live out their fantasies virtually instead of criminally(although the recorded crimes in Japan are beyond sadistic)
What I'll never agree with, though, is kiddie porn.
Japan enforced strict laws on that(outside animation and manga) only after foreign pressure to regulate that content.

doesn't japan actually have one of the lowest counts of rape in the "1st world countries?" where us united statesians have a much higher count

 

[Crunchy English]

One of Andy's best articles ever, because he dealt with a really complicated issue in just 2 pages. Y'know, there's a hidden moral to this story: Why in the Fiery Regions of Hell do we care what CNN thinks? I mean, I'd rather watch them than the bad joke that is Fox News, but aren't they simply proving themselves inconsequential? The game was made 4 years ago! We had these discussions then!

Oh, but now CNN's onboard, so it matters again? When do these major news networks move from "reporting" news to "Producing" it?

 

[dannymc18]

I'm anti-censorship and anti-lazy-high-profile-news-outlets-looking-for-a-cheap-bit-of-scandal-and-controversy, however, a line must be drawn somewhere. Also, you may say that the game exists as a result of the culture in Japan, but I'm afraid I have to say in that case that something needs sorted out in Japan. A country where women need dedicated train carriages just so they wont constantly get groped is a country that has serious problems.

Anyway, yes, I say a line should be drawn, and it should be drawn long before this game. I'm sure if it was a child porn game no one would defend it, why should this be any different.

 

[Altorin]

i find it ammusing that japan has all this wonderful stuff like rapelay and...panty vending machines and EXTREMELY well thought through anime porn(hentai W/E im dumbing it down) and yet whilst they aren't without crime they are definitely not in the top 20 crime infested nations in the world... Banning anything doesn't STOP people from doing it....if that was the case we would no longer have drug addicts... all banning things has ever accomplished is making people do/obtain them more secretively...

I think if I were into rape imagery, banning it would be a really bad idea. instead of just watching porn to get my fix of rape I'd have to.. go out and rape someone.

So that's a scenario that's JUST as plausible as anything they can possibly put out for why it shouldn't be banned.

People have sick urges. It would be good for them to be able to feed those urges without hurting anyone. And if you just say "They should suppress those urges", we all know that doesn't work. It's a compulsion, not a choice. The only choice in the matter for a rapist is NOT to rape. They choose NOT to rape to be part of society.

at least for the ones who have urges to rape. Some guys rape to show dominance. that's an entirely different beast.

 

[Geoffrey42]

Agreed. I may not agree what they have to say, but as long as no one is hurt, I will defend to the death their right to say it.

Also, there is a fine line between condoning rape games, and defending them. [http://www.destructoid.com/defending-virtual-rape-not-the-same-as-condoning-it-143025.phtml]

Along similar lines:
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/12/why-defend-freedom-of-icky-speech.html

 

[BlueHighwind]

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.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I'm sure if it was a child porn game no one would defend it, why should this be any different.

Truthfully? I'm not so sure anymore who would and who wouldn't.

 

[Altorin]

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.

expectable?

The point of the column by the way is that there is rape everything else. You can get rape porn, rape novels, rape art, rape everything else.

For some reason, games are being vilified more then any other medium.

 

[Mokuren]

Enough has been said about how banning "rape games" actually has higher chance of normalizing violence by saying "Hi rapist, it's not your fault, it's the media/games/rock music/dungeons and dragons" than actually playing a game. I agree, banning doesn't solve anything, the only case in which a game could lead someone to commit atrocities would be in extremely rare circumstances where extremely vulnerable and impressionable people are involved and nobody does a damn thing about it in the two-three months of alarms that usually precede the crime.

But I digress. All I wanted to say is: I haven't played Rapelay, but I played Artificial Girl from the same authors and it wasn't much different. Basically, the girls run around at random, sometimes say random lines, and all the interaction you can do is hug them (to which they react like in a poorly written amateur porn) repeatedly until you get into the banging part. Doesn't seem too different from a rape game, does it?

What I'm saying is that most porn games are like most porn movies: bad. And I mean it: bad, but the so bad it's good type, where they actually turn out being absolutely hilarious, albeit that wasn't their objective. Maybe.

As a proof, watch this review of 3Maid Story, one of the first games Illusion came out with.

I wouldn't be surprised if Rapelay had about the same level of ridiculousness.