Poll: Scary or just morally wrong?

[Muffinthraka]

I think it scarcely matters whether it furthers the story or character development. The nature of video games and movies is gratuitous, for entertainment. Unless the director is trying to make a political or social point the reason for any content is to create an emotional reaction, which this does. The character or story can be developed other ways, but it is always better to show the audience something rather than tell them.
Final point, why are games still the subject of such discussion? A scene like this in a movie would create little comment.

To clarify: scary.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

To be honest, Silent Hill 2 is probably the only game that can get away with this kind of thing. Seeing as the the town Silent Hill itself is a character, everything in that town should be fucked up. It creates that feeling of uncomfortable fear that Japanese horror games are so well known for.

 

[Arkhangelsk]

Pyramid head was the representation of repressed sexual desires in what way was it not fitting? It was perfectly fitting rather what stronger imagrey of pure lust is there than rape? Stifle story and imagrey for political correctness no thank you, you cant handle the fact that such things exist or are free to be represented in the media and art go live under a rock where its safe as far as I'm concerned.

Wasn't he the representation of James's guilt over his wife's death? He felt so bad, in the way that he thought he deserved suffering, and thus came Pyramid Head to fulfill that in a very literal manner.

 

[dsau]

That scene was put in there to be symbolistic, like almost everything else in Silent Hill 2. Pyramid Head is James' punishment manifested, and him raping the two Mannequins (who represent James' natural urges) is like Pyramid Head mocking James, who feels sexual deprivation and anxiety (symbolized by the Nurses) since his wife's death. Silent Hill 2 is a work of art, despite how graphic or vulgar it may be. There was nothing wrong with that scene at all.

your right it is art and art should have no restrictions, dont get me wrong i love art(look at my avatar) but there are things that i just dont wanna see, ie rape

 

[Dancingman]

Frankly, not showing rape does not make it go away, rape is an ugly fact of an imperfect world. Frankly, I think rape should be a topic explored in some games.

 

[Srkkl]

I think it's appropriate if it fits the tone of the game, throwing it in there for no real reason is kinda retarded.

 

[PhiMed]

First off, I'd like to say that it's difficult to tell what the hell is going on in that scene, but if you think it's a rape, then I'm not going to argue with you. It's just not the first thing that jumped into my head.

this is going to start the whole "if there's murder in games, there should be rape too" arguement again, isn't it?

No, but it is going to start the "If it's okay for mainstream movies and other art forms, then it should be okay for games" argument.

The average age of gamers is in the mid thirties. It's time to stop treating this medium like it's strictly for children. Are things like "Rape Lay" appropriate? No, and neither is rape pornography.

Having mature or disturbing content is often an excellent way to provide characterization and provoke an emotional response. If we're really going to contend that this is an art form that can be used as an effective storytelling medium, then arguments like this undermine that assertion. If it's art, then any storytelling device should be okay. If it's not, then I guess we have an eternity of mario repeats and halo throwaway titles.

 

[Nmil-ek]

Pyramid head was the representation of repressed sexual desires in what way was it not fitting? It was perfectly fitting rather what stronger imagrey of pure lust is there than rape? Stifle story and imagrey for political correctness no thank you, you cant handle the fact that such things exist or are free to be represented in the media and art go live under a rock where its safe as far as I'm concerned.

Wasn't he the representation of James's guilt over his wife's death? He felt so bad, in the way that he thought he deserved suffering, and thus came Pyramid Head to fulfill that in a very literal manner.

Ahh your right, it was just about everything else that represented james lust or desires over mary, then again watching the pyramid heads slaughter that one did fufill his masochistic thoughts over her.

 

[AvsJoe]

people don't question what gets put into songs/movies/paintings in the name of art... so why should video games be treated differently? in the name of art i say. so long as it gets the proper esrb rating.

I think it's appropriate if it fits the tone of the game, throwing it in there for no real reason is kinda retarded.

I agree with these two statements wholeheartedly. Video Games are a legitimate art form and the designers/storytellers/whatever can include whatever they wish to achieve the end goal so long as it's coherent and (hopefully) good. So long as the magical supreme beings that control the ESRB don't muck up the rating and cause, as Jim Lahey would say, a sh*tstorm. I also happen to be playing around with using multiple quotes in a reply for the first time. How am I doing?

Pyramid head should have just given them cuddles, or shared some ice-cream.

Sarcasm: the Internet's wonderful, wonderful language. What flavour should the ice cream have been, pray tell?

 

[red the fister]

there should never be any censorship on video games as long as they are rated accordingly to their content.

Q.F.T.

though i would like to see Pyramid Head have his way with Elmo..... but then, i an really creeped out by Elmo. /shiver

 

[Arkhangelsk]

First off, I'd like to say that it's difficult to tell what the hell is going on in that scene, but if you think it's a rape, then I'm not going to argue with you. It's just not the first thing that jumped into my head.

Wasn't the first thing that jumped into my head too. I first thought he was trying to shove the monster down the sink or something. But he who sat next to me said it was rape, and it made most sense. It was symbolic in a way.

 

[UnravThreads]

This is one of those really odd things, where X is fine but Y isn't. I suppose we've been, in gaming at least, nullified over digital murder. We'll laugh our arses off in GTA when running people over, we'll squeal with joy when we cause cranial explosions with a sniper rifle, you get the idea. Murder, and death, are both completely normal things in video games and as such it only really affects us if certain characters die (Imagine if Alyx Vance died ).

Rape, however, is something we're not used to in games. It'll also be different for victims in the real world. A murder victim, for example, would be dead and as such not suffer after the event. A rape victim, however, could have psychological (and maybe even physical) issues after the event that last their whole life. But at the same time, some victims "come to terms" with what's happened and just get on with their lives.

The more we're exposed to it, the less we'll care. I am indifferent to it, as long as it's not too graphic (So, for example, seeing a woman being dragged off by a man and then hearing it, for me, is the "less evil" depiction of it than it happening there and then).

 

[fix-the-spade]

Do you think that scene and scenes like it are appropriate to put in horror games? Or are they not? Do they serve a purpose worthy of putting them in?

Question!

How far are you into the game, do you know what Pyramid Head 'is' yet?

Yes of course things like that should be in horror games (provided there is some kind of reason for it, random acts are rarely more than just gore porn), that's why they are horror games. You are supposed to be horrified!

 

[Arkhangelsk]

Do you think that scene and scenes like it are appropriate to put in horror games? Or are they not? Do they serve a purpose worthy of putting them in?

Question!

How far are you into the game, do you know what Pyramid Head 'is' yet?

Yes of course things like that should be in horror games (provided there is some kind of reason for it, random acts are rarely more than just gore porn), that's why they are horror games. You are supposed to be horrified!

I'm not the one saying it's inappropriate, I think it's perfectly fitting. I have some vague knowledge of what he is in this particular game. Isn't he a manifestation of the protagonists guilt? Haven't gotten that far yet, but I read some, and some others I know have let slip a few spoilers.

 

[Acaroid]

So I was having a discussion with someone after telling about how I played Silent Hill 2, and saw the scene where Pyramid Head rapes two enemies, and we argued whether that kind of thing is okay to put in video games. She said it was disgusting and made no real reason to have it, while I said that it did. It was an introduction to Pyramid Head that gave the real impression that you're supposed to fear him, that if you meet him, he's just not going to kill you, he's going to traumatize you, destroy your mind. It called for great characterization and made me fear him even more.

The question is, do you think that scene and scenes like it are appropriate to put in horror games? Or are they not? Do they serve a purpose worthy of putting them in?

The easy awnser is yes, like movies or books it is all about context. Video games are such a rich media for story telling and giving morre adult themes and situations in games just shows "those" people that games are not just for little kids.

 

[Cxizent]

Sarcasm: the Internet's wonderful, wonderful language. What flavour should the ice cream have been, pray tell?

It is my sincere goal and aim to be so sarcastic that people can hear it through the internet.
Sometimes it's even funnier when it doesn't work. My goals are self-defeating! Hooray!
And OT: I haven't actually played any of the SH games (to-do list ++), but I'm all for the "If you can't handle what occurs in the game, don't play it" methodology. I don't think that I would enjoy very much a game like Rapelay, where rape is used soley as a gimmick and selling point, but I would like to play through the SH games, etc, etc.

 

[Remleiz]

Frankly, not showing rape does not make it go away, rape is an ugly fact of an imperfect world. Frankly, I think rape should be a topic explored in some games.

Exactly, it's not like banning violence in games will make the murder rate drop.

Don't get me wrong, im not suggesting we allow player characters to go off and rape people willy nilly, but if done in the context of horror or general mind fuckery [i.e in the right situation, lets not have the ratchet rapes clank scene] then go for it, it's not going to encourage kids to go off and rape people

though according to the tabloids it might ¬_¬

 

[murphy7801]

Really doesn't bother my mind at all that enemies get raped my him yes iv seen it basically sends a message saying don't fuck with this guy. But for it inducing fear in me well no since its voyeuristic though did bring him out as very masculine character since is a way of asserting ones self over someone basically making him the alpha male of the game.

 

[Haydyn]

Depends. I'd have to see the scene first. These things are not best judged as a whole.

 

[Summerstorm]

You can put anything you want into games. It is (at least sometimes) a storytelling medium. You can depict weird, surreal and horrifying material like you want if it helps bringing a point across or just to entertain.