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

[Helmholtz Watson]

My question is that if there can be games like Manhunt, the Punisher(PS2), and Dead to Rights:Retribution which has excessive violence in them where the player can interact and commit such acts, is it acceptable to have games that feature rape cut scenses or options for the player to interact with other characters and rape them? It seems like many games have no problem allowing players the option to stab someone in the throat, and people have expressed desires to have the option to kill children in games like Fallout 3, but few games seem to touch on the subject of rape. So escapist, do you think games that allow you to nuke towns (Fallout 3), graphically depict killing people (Manhunt), should also feature the option to rape people?

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?

Here is a video that touches on the subject:

 

[CthulhuMessiah]

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

 

[teh_Canape]

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

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

Honestly it's down to context, if its meant to be promoting it or using it to entice then no. If its making a valid point or adding to a story then yes.

I always thought that it would be appropriate for D&D/fantasy games because wouldn't an evil character in the Fable series rather rape than have consensual sex? Wouldn't an evil character that worships Sithis, and is payed to kill people also rape people? It could just be one more evil option that players could act upon.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Ah the RapeLay controversy. Good times were had and butthurt ran rampant on both sides of the line. As for the actual subject of rape appearing in games I see nothing wrong with it, so long as it's handled properly mind you. Television, books, and movies all use it as plot devices. Though a playable rape sequence would not sit well with me at all I still believe it could be used to demonstrate the depravity/evilness of a character.

 

[theonecookie]

People getting raped vs the mass murder of hundreds of dudes

Yeah getting raped isn't anyone's idea of a good time but its better then being gutted by some dude with an axe

Granted I would say rape for rapes sake is not a good idea but I would say that for murder too you need some sort of context

 

[Soggy Toast]

Rape makes you look like a bad guy, but goin' into a bar and getting in a Wild Wild West shootout makes you look like a badass mofo. When was the last time you saw a hero rape someone?

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Rape as a plot point? Sure.

Rape as a gameplay feature? HELL NO.

 

[TheScientificIssole]

Yes, yes, yes. Maybe scene could be okay, but a gameplay option. NO WAY THAT SHOULD BE THERE.

 

[Makon]

Honestly? No, so long as there is reason for it. Think about it, this very subject has been around the circuit a few times when it comes to TV and Film, so why should (as a drama piece) rape be any different? Technically it's also been implied in a number of games, though none really come out and say it explicitly.

 

[Hazy992]

This is entirely context dependent. If it's a serious, integral part of the story and they handle it sensitively then it can be justified. But if its things like Rapeplay then it's just weird.

 

[MysticToast]

Well I'm in full support of insane amounts of violence in games, so I'd be a hypocrite if I said it wasn't all right to have rape in a game.

 

[zenoaugustus]

Rape as a plot point? Sure.

Rape as a gameplay feature? HELL NO.

Agreed 100%. I don't think it is in any way acceptable to let the player rape someone. That's just breeding all kinds of bad mojo.

 

[magicmonkeybars]

Either a game forces you to rape someone, in which case you have no choice other than to rape or quit or you could just choose no to rape and carry on without bothering.

Like with most things in games if done right then it could be a powerful and meaningful experience, if done wrong it'll just be cheap and crude, a needless exploitation, like gore for the sake of gore.

 

[Malconvoker]

Rape is a touchy subject in any material. Its just that games, unlike other mediums, are an interactive experience. If the player is in control and they are given the option to do any horrific act, it is still the player choosing that action, where as in films or in a book, it is the choice of a different person.

The thing about rape is that it is always considered a bad thing in any thing. Murder and mass killings can be taken as heroic or horrific, depending on the viewpoint taken. But rape is something that I have not seen depicted as a good thing, ever.

Rape is something that should be depicted in a mature way. It can be used in a plot as a means of moving the story like a murder, but putting it in a game as a choice that the player is given is a big risk.

 

[Ace2401]

Rape and sexual abuse were a major subject touched upon in Silent Hill 2, and Pyramid Head was seen raping the monsters in cutscenes. That all was handled extremely well, and in fact added a layer of depth to the game. So the subject of rape itself isn't the problem, rather it is how it is handled.

 

[faefrost]

Rape as a plot point? Sure.

Rape as a gameplay feature? HELL NO.

Agreed. But even then using it as a plot point would have to be very very carefully done. I could see it being used as a plot point in a very adult story focused game such as Heavy Rain or a gritty crime investigation game. But even then you really have to stop and ask why, and what purpose does it serve other than shock value?

Probably the only time you could see it being used in a way that does not seem sensationalistic or just simply gratuitous is to work it in as a character or NPC's back story. Some hidden and horrifying off camera past event that slowly comes to light. Even then its best impact would probably be when it is implied and not directly said. Let the viewer work out the story for themselves.

 

[krazykidd]

My question is that if there can be games like Manhunt, the Punisher(PS2), and Dead to Rights:Retribution which has excessive violence in them where the player can interact and commit such acts, is it acceptable to have games that feature rape cut scenses or options for the player to interact with other characters and rape them? It seems like many games have no problem allowing players the option to stab someone in the throat, and people have expressed desires to have the option to kill children in games like Fallout 3, but few games seem to touch on the subject of rape. So escapist, do you think games that allow you to nuke towns (Fallout 3), graphically depict killing people (Manhunt), should also feature the option to rape people?

Here is a video that touches on the subject:

I say i wouldn't mind , as long as it isn't graphic and isn't children being raped. The problem is, that we haven't gotten to the point where everyone can accept sex ina game yet (hell some people are still stuck against violence). I personally wouldn't mind , but the industry in my opinion is not ready to venture into that uncharted land .

 

[Hagi]

If a game features actual rape and not 'just' implied rape then I think it's going too far.

What, in my opinion, sets rape apart from the whole killing thousands thing is the reason why you rape.
You're killing those thousands because somehow they're a threat. They fight back, you're not just trying to kill them. They're often also trying to kill you.

With rape there's really only one reason, getting please from inflicting extreme pain and humiliation on another.
As far as I know even games like GTA where you can kill hundreds of innocent civilians who don't fight back I don't think this reasoning exist. You can kill civilians, but you can't really torture them.

And I think rape has much more in common with torture then it does with murder and killing. In a way it even falls short with torture because even for that there are imaginable reasons that aren't completely psychopathic.

But I can't think of a single non-psychopathic reason to rape someone. And because of that I personally think it's just going too far. I really don't think actual rape adds anything at all to a game (implied rape, when used in the right context and handled with care I have zero problems with).

 

[krazykidd]

Rape as a plot point? Sure.

Rape as a gameplay feature? HELL NO.

Agreed. But even then using it as a plot point would have to be very very carefully done. I could see it being used as a plot point in a very adult story focused game such as Heavy Rain or a gritty crime investigation game. But even then you really have to stop and ask why, and what purpose does it serve other than shock value?

Probably the only time you could see it being used in a way that does not seem sensationalistic or just simply gratuitous is to work it in as a character or NPC's back story. Some hidden and horrifying off camera past event that slowly comes to light. Even then its best impact would probably be when it is implied and not directly said. Let the viewer work out the story for themselves.

Isn't earthbound story about rape? ( i think it was earthbound ) anyways that was a NES game . I mean i think we have at least gotten to the point where the gaming industry could handle rape has a plot point with tact ( except EA , please god don't let EA do this,it would set us back a decade).