Raping Female Characters Is Not Sexist

[LostAlone]

There is nothing wrong with using rape in any fictional work. However, if the creator wants it to come across as anything other than cheap and tasteless (and possibly makes shallow or at least badly defined characters) then it has to be dealt with with empathy. That's the key. It can be a catalyst for almost anything that the creators want it to as long as they contextualize the event and the resultant feelings. You have to go pretty deep on personal development that comes with it.

And that means that it is extremely unlikely that you can put it into a game and make it anything other than tasteless. Games just do not work like that. You can do many shocking things in games, but deep emotional explorations of the nature of self after an extreme trauma of that nature, you cannot do. Mainly because it is impossible to take a trauma like that and have the player feel that because they are too busy searching for medkits.

All of the moment of games that I remember as being shocking, and giving me a genuine pause were in fact disconnected from the plot. That works, it contextualized the brutality of the situations involved, taking the focus away from the rush of action into the results of it. Remember crawling through the wreckage after the nuclear explosion in MW2 ? Perfect example. Everyone who played that section the first time didn't believe they would die. They thought if they could just make it a few more yards they would make it to safety. Through the gameplay, we felt what the character felt.

You just cannot do that with rape. Aside from anything else, the audience is wrong. Men for the most part do not even try to understand why women would find rape to be so damaging, and as such no matter what you do, you cannot project that to almost anyone in the audience.

Personally, I feel uncomfortable that game makers think that its ok to just toss a rape into a game, and particularly to have a gaming icon get nearly raped. Aside from anything else there is a certain... textual problem with that. Seriously... "We rebooted Lara Croft and raped her". That's not what you want to say.

 

[Phasmal]

I never said it can't be done well. (Though I've not read that book so I've no idea).

You certainly implied it couldn't be done well. The statement "it's lazy writing" doesn't leave much room for doubt.

"What do you think of science fiction?"
"It's lazy writing."

I meant that putting it in as an excuse for depth/angst is often lazy writing.
Pardon me for not clarifying, I'll edit my original post.

EDIT: Damn disclaimers. Blah.

 

[Eamar]

I for one am reserving judgement until the game is actually out and we know the scene's full context and impact on the story. How can we possibly know if this is "lazily written," badly handled or offensive until then? Sheesh, this community sure does like getting worked up.

Also, all of this:

Lara is a classically educated, privileged, athletically trained adventurer. She's used to the hazards of the bush. She's educated regarding the territories she travels (though, actually she's an antiquarian hobbyist rather than an academist). Lara has the practiced and drilled cool of a SEAL bomb-disposal expert. She doesn't do "trapped animal." She can handle herself against natural predators far bigger, stronger and more agile than human men.

Rape generally turns one crazy, man or woman. It's the kind of personal event that shapes everything that follows for the character. And through her many adventures, Lara isn't plagued by those kinds of personal demons. Granted, the new design team can change this. They could make a darker edgier adventure girl and name her Lara Croft, but I think such a character would no longer be relatable to the Tomb Raider paradigm, not as its fans know it.

Couple things...

1. Lara wasn't BORN a classically educated, athletically trained adventurer, was she? Surely at some point along the way she BECAME that? I think the game is trying to portray an origin story. I don't find characters who are as effortlessly competent and unassailable as you suggest particularly easy to relate to, on any level. They can be momentarily entertaining in a "whee, I'm such a badass" sense, but they're not very compelling.

2. As I'm sure you have, I've known women who have been raped, and rape does not "generally turn one crazy". I know a few women in particular who would be deeply offended and extremely angry at the suggestion that the trauma they suffered somehow broke them, or that it shaped everything about their life to follow. I don't have an issue with your rape/torture metaphor and I'll readily agree it's not a subject I think the industry is ready to tackle with grace and subtlety, but a blanket statement that victims of rape or near rape are generally crazy is a little off the reservation.

3. The "Tomb Raider paradigm" was a dull, relentless action serial about an affluent adventurer with short shorts and a comically over sized and strangely conical bosom. It was always breathlessly stupid, and rode the thin edge of insulting more than once. I'm not sure I'm prepared to cry hot tears at the thought of it being changed into something its dwindling fan base can no longer relate to.

And if we should be getting worked up about anything at this point it's this:

the fact that they are advertising the rape. They're using rape as a way to stir up useless controversy about their game.

And that is unacceptable.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

To cite an example, it's been commented more than once that we [guys] wouldn't complain if a male protagonist got raped (or just evaded doing so) in the course of a game. Whether or not this is true, this is exactly what occurred to one Vito Scaletta in Mafia II a game about bad people doing bad things.

While it's not as prominent, Male rape is treated more like a joke than the serious issue it should probably be seen as. There's a whole Boondocks episode about the subject of prisons and the effect rape has on the male psychology (i.e. Tom watches a movie with a 'shower scene' when he's a boy and has a deadly phobia of being raped as a result) it's mostly played for laughs but it's generally not taken seriously by society.

Pre-dominantly, I suspect, because it happens in prisons rather than the outside world. Where as Female rape is normally committed in public (not to mention is more prominent as a crime) and is often seen as a far more heinous crime even though, in theory, it should be about as psychologically damaging for either party.

I agree the rape scene isn't sexist, at least not any more than it's sexist to have a woman be attacked by crazy bandits with AKs. To me, violent crime is violent crime, no-one accuses EA of being misandranistic when Isaac dies in a number of UNBELIEVABLY gruesome ways in Dead Space and while it's not in great taste, I guess it's going to depend on the context of the story how stupid it is.

But yeah, sorry, just had to throw out that opinion on how male rape's seen as a joke which it probably shouldn't be. Sexism's bad, Rape's worse.

 

[Xanadu84]

I think that the most relevant argument Ive heard is that in this game, we have confirmed a single incident, in a cut scene, of someone who is trying to scare and hurt Lara mention the idea of rape. If that makes it a game where rape is a major theme, then Mass Effect 1 is pornography.

I think there is some ham-handed approaches to explaining the arc of the new Tomb Raider here, (Like talking about a female protagonist as needing protection), but really, we don't have any where near enough information to make a judgement call. We also know that they have said that sexual assault will not be a major theme.

Honestly, I really like the idea of playing heroes who aren't one man, unflappable armies. Handled well, a vulnerable Lara might inspire some cognitive dissonance in those who know the franchise, but otherwise be a refreshing change of pace.

I feel like im the only person with any optimism regarding this trailer.

 

[Pearwood]

Add rape, instant drama. It's not sexist, it's just lazy, overdone and boring unless you're going to do it properly. And they won't do it properly because it's fucking Tomb Raider not an epic drama.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I'm suprised nobodies mad about the rape thing for the same reasons as me. I don't really care if they put it into a game as a story element but what bothers me is the fact that they are advertising the rape. They're using rape as a way to stir up useless controversy about their game.

And that is unacceptable.

I agree. They're trying to spark controversy. And they're doing it in the most tasteless way one can imagine. RAPE! Are you kiddin' me? I don't care what you put in a video game. I don't care because video games are fiction just like movies, books, comic books, TV shows etc. And I think that games have matured enough to contain more adult material. But actually using rape to advertize your product is insulting.

 

[Fappy]

Good post my good fellow. I agree with most of the points you presented!

 

[veloper]

Add rape, instant drama. It's not sexist, it's just lazy, overdone and boring unless you're going to do it properly. And they won't do it properly because it's fucking Tomb Raider not an epic drama.

Hey I can actually agree with that criticism. It is lazy.

But then again, so is 99% of videogame writing and movie scripts too. Shouldn't upset anyone anymore. Love the internet drama though.

 

[PrinceBuffoon]

I really can't agree with generalizing rape as a lazy storytelling device and I don't think it's fair to pass judgement on a game that no one has played yet. If that part of the game is handled with maturity and is relevant to the story, then I don't think there's any problem.

What I'm curious about is if fewer people would be making a fuss about this if Lara Croft was a new character. Is it possible that the sexist reputation of the franchise is affecting people's opinions? I don't know, that's purely speculation on my part. But what's worse, a strong female character (at least that's what the game devs are saying) that faces a sexual assault, or a female character known for being a sex symbol? I think that should be obvious. That may not be a strong argument, but can't people just be happy about the new approach to the character? I know I am.

I'm suprised nobodies mad about the rape thing for the same reasons as me. I don't really care if they put it into a game as a story element but what bothers me is the fact that they are advertising the rape. They're using rape as a way to stir up useless controversy about their game.

And that is unacceptable.

This is the problem. This is what people should be talking about.

 

[Comocat]

You are being raped! Press X repeatedly and wiggle joystick to evade capture!

You have been raped! Would you like to restart from your last save point or continue with emotional trauma debuff? Kind of lacks emotional punch doesnt it?

Seriously though, come talk to me in 20 years when the most expensive game ever made doesnt have its main selling point as "story" and we can consider using hot button issues as plot devices. Games need to stick to being games and stop trying to be something more than they are.

 

[veloper]

Rape is overdone? I seem to have missed that in gaming.

I forgot it was cliche to have a rape attempt in games. Oh those wacky developers!.

You need to play more Japanese games...

Nah. It's the "implied" rape here that is overdone. There was no rape afteral. Not even any nipples shown.

Some people see a villain and a young woman in the same scene and all their brain cells automaticly scream rape, so implied rape right there.
Villains, women and accomplices in the audience. Way overdone.

 

[RafaelNegrus]

There is nothing wrong with using rape in any fictional work. However, if the creator wants it to come across as anything other than cheap and tasteless (and possibly makes shallow or at least badly defined characters) then it has to be dealt with with empathy. That's the key. It can be a catalyst for almost anything that the creators want it to as long as they contextualize the event and the resultant feelings. You have to go pretty deep on personal development that comes with it.

And that means that it is extremely unlikely that you can put it into a game and make it anything other than tasteless. Games just do not work like that. You can do many shocking things in games, but deep emotional explorations of the nature of self after an extreme trauma of that nature, you cannot do. Mainly because it is impossible to take a trauma like that and have the player feel that because they are too busy searching for medkits.

All of the moment of games that I remember as being shocking, and giving me a genuine pause were in fact disconnected from the plot. That works, it contextualized the brutality of the situations involved, taking the focus away from the rush of action into the results of it. Remember crawling through the wreckage after the nuclear explosion in MW2 ? Perfect example. Everyone who played that section the first time didn't believe they would die. They thought if they could just make it a few more yards they would make it to safety. Through the gameplay, we felt what the character felt.

You just cannot do that with rape. Aside from anything else, the audience is wrong. Men for the most part do not even try to understand why women would find rape to be so damaging, and as such no matter what you do, you cannot project that to almost anyone in the audience.

Personally, I feel uncomfortable that game makers think that its ok to just toss a rape into a game, and particularly to have a gaming icon get nearly raped. Aside from anything else there is a certain... textual problem with that. Seriously... "We rebooted Lara Croft and raped her". That's not what you want to say.

I think that in really good games there isn't a dichotomy between gameplay and plot, they both help each other out. Like how bioshock did it, that was amazing.

Is that the norm for games? No, but I wish it was.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

Sexism: Another thing to complain about for idiot who complain about everything.
Unless it actually affects you please shut up and go about your own god damn life.

 

[Bloodtrozorx]

Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) was one of the titular mobsters in Reservoir Dogs. He didn't like cops much."]Mr. Blonde, aka Vic Vega was hardened by his years in jail, worsened by his refusal to turn state's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_state's_evidence]. His time was augmented by the warden implementing techniques to motivate him to change his mind, including bunking Blonde with the friendly Gorilla. Blonde stayed silent his entire term proving his loyalty to Joe Cabot. During the heist, Blonde unhesitatingly murdered several civilians once the alarm was triggered, but he's most well known for capturing officer Marvin Nash and, once alone with the him, cutting the officer's ear off on screen and burning him to death with gasoline

Actually Mr. Orange prevents the burning of Ofc. Nash by shooting Mr. Blonde only for Nice Guy Eddie to shoot Ofc. Nash when he, Mr. Pink and Mr. White discover Mr. Blonde dead.


Ok well sorry about that.

OT: I agree that the act of rape is not confined to one gender but generally male vs. male rape is not depicted often and really male vs. female rape is not a common theme these days (someone will prove me wrong on that one I'm sure). I think this whole controversy is absurd anyway.