Let's Not Ban RapeLay

[omoto]

like example
someone is stalking jennifer
he cant have her he dont have courage to ask her out
so he photographs her and downloads her image to the game where he rapes her in the game
then he snaps one day and cant tell fantasy from reality and goes and rapes jennifer in real life

Like example
Someone is pissed with John
He can't do anything about it, because he's weaker than John, who beats him regularly
So he photographs him and downloads his image to a game where he shoots him
Then he snaps someday and and can't tell fantasy from reality and goes and shoots John in real life.

We should definitely ban CoD, Battlefield, Gears of War, Halo, CS, (insert FPS here)...
¬¬

You can say rapelay has a disgusting idea for a game, and I agree. But what about a game where you have sex with prostitutes and beat them up after it to get money? That's fine, right?

I don't like the idea of rape game, but its something only sold in Japan, where they have this weird culture on which this game is acceptable. If they can handle it, why should anyone try to impose their will on a sovereign country?

 

[Dr. wonderful]

I WANT TO ASK THIS DONT FLAME ME OKAY
But if it was a rape a child game would there even be any arguement or discussing in favor of why this game should be allowed?

cuz im telling you rape games are the begining we will see child molesting games next

when we do we draw the line?

One: They already exist, Lolicon is pretty much this.
two: We don't need a line, human beings should be able to draw their own lines.

 

[Rafe]

Maybe Rapelay could be a virtual outlet for possible rapists? Or possible an amplifier for desires they already have?

Censorship is never good but a line must be drawn somewhere.

EDIT: Oh wait, the Japanese government could have released the game and placed tracking devices on every disk to expose possible sex offenders in a hope of changing their subway-groping culture! Fine I'll keep my conspiracy theories to myself...

 

[Desworks]

I WANT TO ASK THIS DONT FLAME ME OKAY
But if it was a rape a child game would there even be any arguement or discussing in favor of why this game should be allowed?

cuz im telling you rape games are the begining we will see child molesting games next

when we do we draw the line?

I'd argue it. And depending on your definition, those games are already out there. For further details, just read up on Lolicon and Shotacon (I would suggest using Wikipedia for this if you're easily offended).

This argument pops up all the time on the internet though, and neither side ever changes their view. One side believes games like this are abhorrent, and their very existence is a blight on humanities blood splattered history. The other side may or may not agree with abhorrent part, but believes censorship of something that is not harming, but merely offending, people is a much bigger blight. You pick the side you're on, post your views and we dance this never-ending dance again until someone Godwin's the thread.

Then we all have a good laugh, dust ourselves off and wait until this resurfaces again.

As for me, I'm on the side that is against the censorship. If you feel that means I condone rape, child abuse or whatever, feel free to (mis)judge me all you wish. I will still be arguing the case for these games, movies, books, comics and associated artworks. Because I don't feel that something that offends me or anyone else should be banned merely for causing offence.

 

[Andy Chalk]

movies are rated and 90% of the time they are enforced games are not

Games are rated as well, and actually, studies by the FTC have consistently shown that the videogame industry has a higher rate of rating compliance than the movie, video or music industries.

That is to say, it's considerably easier for a kid to get into an R-rated movie or buy an R-rated DVD than it is to buy an M-rated videogame.

None of which actually has much to do with the question at hand, but those are the facts.

 

[Gildedtongue]

I think Neil Gaiman summed it up best.
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/12/why-defend-freedom-of-icky-speech.html

 

[Altorin]

Maybe Rapelay could be a virtual outlet for possible rapists? Or possible an amplifier for desires they already have?

Censorship is never good but a line must be drawn somewhere.

Once you draw a line, it's easier for them to get you to draw the next line.

 

[deth2munkies]

A good rule of thumb in ethics is that if you have to try really, really hard to come up for a reason that something is ethical, it's probably not.

we don't have to try very hard at all.

1) there is rape everything else, and noone bats an eye
2) it's a game, for the same reason we can say violent video games don't make you violent, we can say a game where you rape someone won't turn you into a rapist
3) The country that the game is ONLY available in has one of the lowest percapita rates of rape and violent crime. Even if the rape number is larger because rapes largely go unreported, that's across the board. Rape is an underreported crime in ALL areas, not just Japan.

1) The only reason this is so is because Video Games are regulated by the ESRB whereas books and adult films are not regulated by the government. Using inconsistencies in regulation is not an excuse for the content.

2) That's beside the point and you know it. Violence is a part of daily life, you can turn on the news or the History Channel and see war scenes and scenes of violence, rape is not. Rape is a fundamentally different crime, as are all crimes involving sex. One could go on a tangent about the repression of sex in our society but that would be off-topic.

3) That's a red herring. Nobody, including me, is arguing that these video games = more rapists.

 

[Mr. Blik]

this is so controversial.....must not contribute....ugh

the logic behind his argument is sound.
i disagree with the premise of the game, greatly.
but my question is WHY this game is OK in japan like he said. What could possibly lead to that mentality?

 

[ethaninja]

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.

Yeah I guess they are just more pissy about the idea of the game. What I don't get is, there are games where you can kill women, torture women and even games with sex in them. But when it comes to rape? I don't get it.

 

[Helba1984]

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

No. They tried and it got shot down; the VOLUNTARY association of hentai game makers banned it, but they can still be made and sold, they just won't have their backing.

It's a way to distance themselves from backlash.

 

[Altorin]

A good rule of thumb in ethics is that if you have to try really, really hard to come up for a reason that something is ethical, it's probably not.

we don't have to try very hard at all.

1) there is rape everything else, and noone bats an eye
2) it's a game, for the same reason we can say violent video games don't make you violent, we can say a game where you rape someone won't turn you into a rapist
3) The country that the game is ONLY available in has one of the lowest percapita rates of rape and violent crime. Even if the rape number is larger because rapes largely go unreported, that's across the board. Rape is an underreported crime in ALL areas, not just Japan.

1) The only reason this is so is because Video Games are regulated by the ESRB whereas books and adult films are not regulated by the government. Using inconsistencies in regulation is not an excuse for the content.

2) That's beside the point and you know it. Violence is a part of daily life, you can turn on the news or the History Channel and see war scenes and scenes of violence, rape is not. Rape is a fundamentally different crime, as are all crimes involving sex. One could go on a tangent about the repression of sex in our society but that would be off-topic.

3) That's a red herring. Nobody, including me, is arguing that these video games = more rapists.

the ESRB is not the government. films and video games are both rated by PRIVATE companies. They are also entirely voluntary, but if you do not get your movie or game rated, it automatically becomes AO or X-Rated in the eyes of retailers. if rapelay were brought to the ESRB, it would get an AO rating. It wouldn't be sold in stores except the very few that do have AO games (IE, Porn stores), along with the rape porn. In fact, I had to read a book in 11th grade social studies that involved male soldiers gangraping another male soldier. It was part of the curriculum. If I had played that scenario as a game, that should cause me to go to jail, but to read it in a book it's required reading?

I don't believe there's a real ethical difference between between murdering someone and raping them. They're both horrible crimes. The fact is, these games do not make you more sexually deviant. Sexually deviant people play them BECAUSE they're sexually deviants.

And finally, yes, most people in this thread are arguing just that. If that weren't the case, and you just think it's gross, that's fine. We can agree on that. I don't play Rape games myself. But to BAN them? Have the government come in and tell us what we can't watch? That's a VERY slippery slope, and not a slope I'd agree with. Once you draw a line and say "Ok, ban this", then it will be easier to ban something else.

Right now, if you get your hands on RapeLay, you're free to play it. That's a freedom. If you give up freedom for protection, get end up with neither.

In short, you have the freedom right now to not play RapeLay, and if you ignore these threats, you can pretend it doesn't exist, and the world will continue the same.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Ok, maybe television was a bad example, but books and film often deal with this kind of material, and are celebrated for it since it shows humanities dark side. The book the bluest eye has a scene where the character gets violently raped by her own father, and we saw that in all he was doing it out of some sick love. Is this book looked down apon? No, it recieved several awards and has been praised numerous times. Scarface? It is all about a drug abusing, murdering, incest wanting pyscho that kills, mains, and climbs his way to the top. We are suppose to root for a guy that keeps several machine guns next to his desk. But it is considered in humane thing from the depths of hades? No, it is considered one of the greatest films and has made several AFI lists. I am just saying, gaming is just looked down apoun simple because we are "toy makers."

I am not trying to cause a flame war with you, I am just trying to say that this is part of our culture and that it is just being rather unfairly critized when it is neither notable for how bad its content is or how many games in Japan (from what I heard) are like it. And think about it, if that was censored, what next? Any game that dippicted murder? It is considered a worse crime in all countries. Say goodbye to GTA. All games that show animal violence? Saw goodbye to mario and Zelda. Games that show theft, crime, or any material that could offend anybody in anyway? Well, we are left with Pong and Barbie's horse adventure.

 

[Brad Shepard]

The finger is on the button to the flood gates of banning, its going to take one little thing right now for the button to be pushed.

 

[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...

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.

that is... pretty much my point...you know who is going to play a game like this... people who enjoy games like that...not children(at least not if they have a half way decent parent around)....on a side note i think that parents who let their under 13 year old kids play whatever games they want completely unsupervised should be heavily fined by local state AND federal governments... it would be a better solution than banning a media because the subject is "controversial"

 

[PS2MAN]

The concept of rape and far worse beyond has been portrayed more graphically in movies/novels and even jokes. So why are games the only medium that ever offends people? Simple answer, they are old feeble minded farts being hypocritical. "Games must be what us corrupting the youths, they did not exist in my generation."

Wrong. Youths are not being corrupted by games, they are being corrupted by the uneducated morons that conceived them. The medium media is distributed is not what you should offend you or the what you should blame, its the media distributed by the medium and vice versa. In the case of content children have no legal way of obtaining your to blame for allowing them to obtain it.

In summery 2 fingers to all. Games have not magically created a new evil, they are simply an alternative outlet for the evils already present that this generation has inherited from you ignorant smegs, such as rape.

 

[RelexCryo]

Let's Not Ban RapeLay

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

Read Full Article

Excellent article, nice job.

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.

Japan has a much lower occurence of rape than the US. What's more, their rate of rape and other sexual crimes actually decreased as they lightened up their porn bans.