Poll: Is featuring rape in a game going too far?

[MetallicaRulez0]

I am against anything remotely resembling censorship. I don't care if your game involves murdering babies, ripping off their heads, and raping their neck holes. It may be disgusting, but god damn it, it's your right as a human being to make or play whatever you damn well please. As long as it isn't harming another actual person, then whatever.

I'm of the opinion that if you don't find something suitable to your sensibilities... then stay the fuck away from it. No one is forcing you to view/play/read it.

 

[BlindedHunter]

Additional thoughts to a former opinion:
I think part of the issue is what people think rapists could get from something like this, or indeed what someone with violent intent gets from violent material.
From the understanding I have developed, you can not find a cause-effect relationship or even a correlation between any amount of material depicting rape (or violence) and an increase in the related violent crimes. Nor do you tend to find a negative relationship.
The things found in a game depicting violence or rape are almost certainly not the causes of those things being furthered - that is related to a much more intricate view of psychology and development that "he played RapeLay and that made him think rape was fine". In fact, opinions relating to rape are not simply "it is good" or "it is bad" but a much wider field. Some people will say that it is absolutely not acceptable to do, but it is acceptable to fantasize about.
And the only interactions between a murderer and violent games (which I imagine could be carried over) that I have ever heard of is that some games have been used to plan violent actions, but likely were not the origins of them.

 

[Misterian]

I think the answer is well around the same as whether or not child NPC's should be killable in games: may or may not be too far, but likely isn't worth the risk.

 

[Suicida1 Midget]

Touch subject. (just realized, not an intended pun). In today, it has to be done right. Otherwise what was said in the video is gonna hit the fan. This will later pave the way to the time when is more graphic and accepted (as media, not the acual act). Just like everyother huge, this is morally killing us moment. However i did find it funny how CNN felt like they deserved the governments imput about it. Like it made it a thousand times worse without it.

 

[OldGus]

I played rapelay, it was waaay overblown
and I think rape can be in a game, if handled properly
it could be used as a plot device, like say, murder or treason
it just needs to be handled properly

This. Bluntly, if you take a bad thing, put it in a game, and handle it well, then anything is fair game (in games for adults). Rape, drugs, war crimes, the Holocaust, nuclear war, rampant unchecked corporate corruption, everything. The difference is, I severely doubt it could be handled well as the (enjoyable or humorous)main point of a game, like violence in Serious Sam. In a game that comments on the human condition, yes. In a detective game, yes. In horror, hell yeah! As a way to further develop and give depth to a character, even when not explicitly said or shown, definitely. The big problem is, I don't think anyone out there can ever make the Serious Sam of rape.

As far as something that would be interesting with rape as a central point: A dating game where the main character's girlfriend has a rape fetish, and has to find a way to accept/deal with it, especially if the game shows the line between fantasy rape and real rape as a massive point of personal worry for the main character.

 

[The Gnome King]

EDIT: People seem to be focused on the idea that women would be the one's being raped, but what about the idea of heterosexual or homosexual men being raped? Would you still feels as strongly opposed to the depiction of rape if the victim was male? What about if the rapist was a woman?

I'm actually old enough to remember outrage at Ultima V way, way back having children in one of the dungeons - Wrong, or Shame maybe - I forget. Anyway, the premise seemed to be that some evil wizard or demon or something had children jailed in this dungeon. You could kill them. You could ignore them too, I believe - and I think the children attacked you if you tried to free them. (Personally, the thought of starving, rabid children attacking me in a dark dungeon frightens me way more than, say, orcs. Or trolls. Just saying.)

I read "Lord British's" comments on this and he basically said that even though it ticked some people off, he was leaving the kids in the game because it was his game and he found the moral choice it offered to be interesting.

I honestly, as a man, can say that I'd RATHER another man OR woman rape me - than to be brutally murdered. Not to be crass, but my orifices and my emotional wounds would eventually heal from rape - you don't heal from death last time I checked. (Rape survivors? Lots of them. Death survivors? None I know of.)

Do I think it's tasteful to include rape in a game? Of course not, but including murder and being able to pimp out your wife like in Fallout 2 aren't exactly tasteful either. I say if it fits there's nothing more morally wrong with allowing rape than in allowing other crimes.

To the OP I ask, where do we stop, though? What do you think about allowing, say, child molestation in games? Or bestiality? Is there any line we shouldn't cross or would a game called "Rape-O-Kill-O-dog-O-anything-goes-O" really be an advancement in any way, shape, or form?

Interesting question.

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

To the OP I ask, where do we stop, though? What do you think about allowing, say, child molestation in games? Or bestiality? Is there any line we shouldn't cross or would a game called "Rape-O-Kill-O-dog-O-anything-goes-O" really be an advancement in any way, shape, or form?

Interesting question.

That's a good question. I wondered that too. Is anything truely sacred? Is there a "line" that everybody can agree on that should not be crossed? Something for us all to think about I guess. (I'm talking about video games, I would never rape/murder anybody in real life, just fyi)

 

[OldGus]

No. If it makes people who are about to rape play this game and NOT rape, how is it bad?

lolwut?

RAPIST: i am going to rape someone today.
RAPIST sees "Rapelay" on the counter.
RAPIST: Oooo, just what I needed to counter my urges. I will never rape someone again.

^^^ exaggerated true story ^^^

Ok, there, no argument. Honestly, adults are adults, and making the claim that Rapelay would either cause or stop rape is like saying GTA would have either made Gandhi promote a violent rebellion, or stopped Hitler from invading Poland.

If its making a valid point or adding to a story then yes.

i don't know that i agree with this. i have to wonder sometimes, where do we as a society draw the line between what can be construed as advancing a medium and something that is just plain crass and utterly unacceptable anti-social behavior?

I'm sure as any reasonable human being would, you agree that genocide is "just plain crass and unacceptable anti-social behavior". So,　by this reasoning, would you say then that Life is Beautiful and Schindler's List are unconscionable, unacceptable, and held back the entirety of film, or at the very least, did nothing to advance the medium?

EDIT FOR PERSPECTIVE: Let's say you have two pitches for a game. Here is pitch A:

Ok, so you're a Nazi officer in charge of a concentration camp. Unlike what everyone expects for a movie or game though, you don't have a change of heart. Instead, you're awarded points for both the resources produced by the forced labor, and your creative ways to torture and kill people. Ah, but in order to pass each level, you must kill a minimum number of people in the time limit. Bonus points for efficient disposal/use of bodies!

Here is pitch B:

Ok, you play a medical/police unit that specializes in rape. You must both find a way to convict the rapist in each case, and help the victim/victim's family return to a more normal way of life. On the judicial side: loopholes and human negligence or reluctance based on real-life frustrations in cases! On the human side: obstacles include therapy sessions, avoiding possible relapses with future boyfriends/girlfriends/stressful situations, and helping families realize the difference between justice and vengeance.

Both games are obviously not designed for children. However, I think you can see rather clearly the difference between the handling of these two controversial subjects.

 

[The Gnome King]

To the OP I ask, where do we stop, though? What do you think about allowing, say, child molestation in games? Or bestiality? Is there any line we shouldn't cross or would a game called "Rape-O-Kill-O-dog-O-anything-goes-O" really be an advancement in any way, shape, or form?

Interesting question.

That's a good question. I wondered that too. Is anything truely sacred? Is there a "line" that everybody can agree on that should not be crossed? Something for us all to think about I guess. (I'm talking about video games, I would never rape/murder anybody in real life, just fyi)

I think the interesting thing is that most societies have the "taboos" that are relatively constant:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo

All we learn in anthropology or sociology is basically what Wiki tells us:

No taboo is known to be universal, but some (such as cannibalism, intentional homicide, and incest taboos) occur in the majority of societies. Taboos may serve many functions, and often remain in effect after the original reason behind them has expired. Some have argued that taboos therefore reveal the history of societies when other records are lacking.

And even within societies we have individual taboos. Most of us who would be OK with including rape in a game would still pause to think about raping children in a game, for example. I'm sure some people would be OK with it, even if they were in the extreme minority. It's always been a topic that fascinates me.

What is too far... and why is it too far?

The most common example that I agree with is anything that actually causes harm to another human being is crossing the line. I am all for freedom of speech, but this brings us to the "you can't yell FIRE in a crowded theater" clause, etc. But does simply depicting an act cause harm to humans? Some would argue that violent porn DOES cause harm to humans; others would argue that these are paid actors who have the right to do what they want... and that watching violent porn DOESN'T cause harm to viewers.

These are still arguments psychologists play out to make their soft science relevant.

 

[AKmontalvo]

It would need to be handled with a measure of maturity and sensitivity hat DOES NOT CURRENTLY exist in any studio that is presently operating and shouldnt be touched on until such talent arises

 

[ireskimo]

No I don't. If people want gaming to be respected as a medium then why should it be regarded as too far???
There are books, films, and music with rape as a subject. Yet no one questions whether it should happen or not..

Well, the difference is that games are an interactive medium. Most people wouldn't have a problem with a character in the game raping someone or being raped as part of the story, but when it's actually something the player is doing, that's an entirely new issue.

Of course I understand that it's an interactive medium and that does change things, but it doesn't change my opinion that just because you have the control that serious issues shouldn't be addressed. It's a nasty thing but it happens. I think even just playing an experience would shed a lot of light on the topic and educate people in many areas that are rarely discussed.
Of course. Only in the right situation and context, i'm not talking about bringing out a simulator game for every bad thing a human can do.

 

[SilentCom]

Rape as a plot point? Sure.

Rape as a gameplay feature? HELL NO.

I agree to this. Even in violent shooter games, most of them have some kind of context such as fighting off hordes of monsters/ aliens/ other invaders of some sort as to protect your own survival.

It is rather disgusting if the game is about the player cornering and raping innocent girls in a subway with no context or reason other than rape.

 

[jawakiller]

So it's acceptable to shove a grenade down a human being throat but not a di- Well I guess I see the reasoning.

I think it shows us just how many different double standards we have.

 

[bpm195]

Spoiler: Dead Island Spoilers

Jen is a young woman that accompanies your party as an NPC. She naively offers aide to thugs that have taken over a police station. They capture her and you have to rescue her. When you get her back, it's pretty clear that she's been raped and causes a real change in demeanor and is the pivotal point of her character arc. It's quite posisbly the most important and easily the most memorable plot point in that game, and she becomes the only memorable character because of it.

Rape as a plot device can work. Rape as a gameplay mechanic doesn't sound appealing at all. I could imagine a good game where you play a serial rapist, but that would have to be centered around stalking and capture with any actual rape there just to remind you you're a villain.

Sex doesn't seem like a compelling gameplay mechanic whether consentual or otherwise.

 

[Batou667]

I suppose killing in games is usually justified by the idea (even if it's only very loosely implied) of "kill or be killed" - the people you're killing aren't victims, they're enemy combatants.

It's very difficult to justify rape in the same way. Would it ever be fit content for a game? Well, yes, why not? There are more than a few books and movies that feature rape, either as a subject or a plot device. That's not to say rape is never a controversial, distasteful and uncomfortable subject, but we have proof of how it can at least be handled sensitively. I can't really imagine rape being included in a game, and the act not be either glamourised and sexualised, or simply crass and tastelessly depicted. Maybe one day I'll be proved wrong...