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

[Camaranth]

I'm curious how many people who have responded so far have every actually dealt with a rape victim in their life? It is incredibly damaging, so is witnessing a murder for that matter but normally in the course of a game the player character has the chance to defend themselves, whereas rape leaves the victim pretty much powerless.

If used as a plot point or to add layers to a character then implied or strongly implied would probably do better than actually showing the scene. To be able to play the rapist though, personally I find it a little unsettling but like others have said, we can commit genocide for no reason. I think it may be to do with the murder of NPCs isn't personal, there is no personal or emotional attachment to destroying a bunch of 1s and 0s. Rape is personal, it's all about dominating the victim and being in control.

Basically, if handled right then no not at all too far. if thrown in for shits and giggles then, well it still needs to be handled right...black screen and struggle sounds maybe?

Well it shouldn't be done cos it would fuel the media's crusade against gaming, but maybe it would be interesting to put a rape scene in a mainstream game like COD just to see fox news and daily mail readers go apeshit over it.

In all seriousness that could be really compelling. especially if you want to bring up issues like homosexuality in the regs and women on the front line. needing the other members of your squad to have your back in any confrontation so you can't tell anyone.
Probably asking a bit much from COD though.

 

[Hiroshi Mishima]

As a select few have stated, there is _no justifiable reason_ for the player to commit rape other than to prove they are evil (there's plenty of other ways), or for simple jollies from torturing/humiliating someone. Likewise, as was also stated, murder can justified in several ways, mainly self defence.

There's another thing that I'm not sure was brought up, so I will. When you kill someone in your average video game, they die pretty quickly and the suffering isn't really an issue because of how fast they die. Whether it was due to a shot to the head, having parts blown off, or what have you.

When you rape someone, you're not killing them, it doesn't end quickly, and the entire act is about making someone suffer for your own pleasure.


I personally do not think we need rape in video games as gameplay. If, as has been stated repeatedly, it's handled _very well_ in the storyline or via context, it might be okay. But seriously, look at the game industry today (hell, look at most media) and you'll soon realize they're not ready for such a responsibility. The average internet user probably would get off on raping someone, which just makes me feel more disgusted about Humanity in general...

I dunno, maybe it's because I've always had deep rooted, seething hatred for the act of rape and those who would commit it willingly. Also, I did actually check out RapePlay, and the fact that the player eventually makes them _enjoy_ it is probably worse. It's like the developers knew it was sketchy territory and decided to include a save where the women are already submissive and do whatever with smiles on. Kinda made me sick.

 

[Freeze_L]

In our dnd game this week a large part of the conflict centered around the near rape of one of the characters (who's player was absent).

I bet that'll go down well when the absent player gets back:

'Hey I couldn't make it last week, what happened?'
'Oh, nothing much. Your character got assaulted, trussed up and very nearly raped. No biggie.'
'Oh... Cool.'

It is going to be so much fun out of game...
Psion:"So what happened?"
DM:"well..."
Psion:"Seriously what happened?"
DM:"Well its kinda hard to explain but..."
Paladin: "You almost got @!#!ing raped that's what happened."
Psion: "No really what happened last week."
Ranger: "well you see sometimes bad things happen to good people."
Psion: "are you kidding me I miss one session and my character gets raped!"
Me: "almost raped, I killed the guy!"
DM: "also that pit fiend and those angels from the time before that, kinda destroyed the city."
Psion:"... one week I was gone one week."
DM: "anyways moving on..."

 

[Brainpaint]

Being able to rape characters? Not ok.

Depicting a rape in a cutscene or something else you can't actively participate in? Ok.

Well, not OK. More like more acceptable than active participation in one (or several) ALA "Rapelay".

If movies can and be called "art" then why can't games?

 

[Windcaler]

I can think of many movies that featured a violent rape scene without the actual sex being shown. I can think of a few books that did the same. Perhaps the most in your face example is gangster rap where Ive heard songs about a singer violently raping a woman while he was pimping her out. Why would video games be exempt from that when other mediums have done it?

While it can be done I will add that it shouldnt be done. The violation of the human body by any means is a horrendous crime that leaves lasting mental trauma in the individual. Having that depicted in any medium just seems to be in bad taste but thats purely my opinion

 

[William Dickbringer]

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 and I've seen a review about it (by benzie on that guy with the glasses) it really doesn't seem that bad as it was made out to be I mean it's not like it was very graphic plus I heard the rapist gets killed in one of the endings so it's not completely in the rapist's favor

 

[Therumancer]

In our dnd game this week a large part of the conflict centered around the near rape of one of the characters (who's player was absent).

I bet that'll go down well when the absent player gets back:

'Hey I couldn't make it last week, what happened?'
'Oh, nothing much. Your character got assaulted, trussed up and very nearly raped. No biggie.'
'Oh... Cool.'

Depending on the setting and campaign that might not be uncommon. It also depends on the players, as a GM you should know the people your gaming with and if that is going to be a big deal with them to begin with.

To be honest I've been in games both as a player and a GM where similar things have happened, and even gone further.

The character of a player who is absent being captured "off screen" when appropriate is a good way to explain the character not being around if the GM doesn't want to NPC them. The sex/rape angle is also a way of justifying exactly why the character wasn't killed, while there are other ways of doing it, that one works and it tends to fit with most settings.

Plus let's be honest, characters like Conan having all these hawt babes wanting to turn them into their personal love slaves (and perhaps even succeeding for a time) is a fantasy staple. It's not the kind of thing your going to play out in detail in a typical PnP RPG setting, but really saying that a band of lady drow, or the evil sorceress or whatever abducted and were having their way with someone's character isn't usually going to be opposed as it works with the whole fantasy hero schtick as long as your not turning the game into some kind of porno satire.... it depends on location, length of absence, and similar things.

Of course to be entirely honest, part of such schticks in such books, is that despite the rape the fantasy hero in question usually lets the beauty that ravished them go, especially if he's of good alignment. Those getting into genere RP might also keep that in mind, and depending on the player/character it can also be a way of working towards the survival of a specific NPC/Villan to show up later on.... you know WHY did Nanoc convince his companions let that drow high priestess go after all the things she did that justified the adventure to begin with? ... yeah.

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

snip

um....you seem to be very familiar with the subject. If you don't mind me asking, do you have a personal interest in the "subject"?

snip

Fair enough. I apologize, it was juvenile for me to be so quick to judge you

 

[Excelsior789]

I think that playing games of this nature would do just the opposite for a would-be-rapist. Any attempts that the game made to simulate actual sex would be far from the real thing and only make the person in question more lustful.

 

[Worgen]

Rape is pretty fucked up, but if a game based on rape stops one person from committing a rape then I would say that justifies a game based on rapes existence.

 

[Mikeyfell]

In an answer to your question: No.

Games are protected under the first amendment so they legally can not go "Too far"

As a matter of practicality though, it would certainly liven up the odd match of CoD or Halo.
If you manage to down an enemy with out killing. prepare your anus!

But in a more serious context a Heavy Rain-esque game could pull that off rather responsibly.
Anything sufficiently story driven enough to have that kind of flawed protagonist could potentially be pretty awesome.

Unfortunately I don't see that happening any time soon

 

[Bloody Loon]

Rape should be something that you SHOULD be able to represent, so long as you represent it REALISTICALLY, as the horrible, disgusting experience that it is. I haven't been raped, but close friends of mine have been, and one of them has been severely traumatized by it.

It's not even just limited to the rapee, to anyone who understands the basics of human empathy, being in the position of the rapist would also be a disgustingly traumatizing experience.

It's completely dependent on how it's presented, but it shouldn't be taboo. It can NOT be presented nonchalantly, a la Call of Juarez, or Saints Row, but it SHOULDN'T be off limits for powerful storytelling moments.

 

[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

this and I've seen a review about it (by benzie on that guy with the glasses) it really doesn't seem that bad as it was made out to be I mean it's not like it was very graphic plus I heard the rapist gets killed in one of the endings so it's not completely in the rapist's favor

actually, as far as I remember, he gets killed in almost all the endings, the one in which he doesn't, he ends up in jail

 

[lacktheknack]

I do not see any context in which the player raping someone would be acceptable, unless we're playing A Clockwork Orange: The Game or something.

 

[pppppppppppppppppp]

Well, I support free speech and stuff, but that's not something I'd want to deal with in a game. Yeah, call me a hypocrite since we kill people in shooters and whatnot, but for me, that's crossing the line.

Still, I would never advocate censoring it (although it'd need to have an Ao rating)

 

[Crazy]

Well, we kill people in some games, eat ghosts in others, and stomp on turtles' heads in some other games. You tell me if rape, showed, is a bad thing.

 

[Erttheking]

oh boy, is that a controversial one. Not quite sure to be honest.

 

[Smeggs]

Depends on the way it is presented.

If you have Manly MacManbeard just throw a woman to the floor and have his way with her, that's bad.

If you make the player the rapist in some sort of cutscene, that is bad.

If you do it to inspire outrage, make it a realistic portayal, use it to give the story more meaning or the main character a purpose, then personally I feel it could work.

I'd expect it in a game like Heavy Rain. Hell, you cut off your own damn finger in that game simply because a psychopath tells you to or else.

 

[00slash00]

i always think its crazy when people are okay with violence and murder in video games, but bringing sex into the picture is going too far. naturally im not saying rape is no big deal but if murder is acceptable then it doesnt seem like rape should be "going too far"

 

[DementedSheep]

If it?s meant to be erotic fuck no and allowing the player character to rape someone really does not sit well with me. If rape is part of the plot and has a point fine, in fact there are a number of games that have rape tho its usually not shown. I played 2 recently.
And no it dose not not matter if the person being raped is male or female.

Rape is pretty fucked up, but if a game based on rape stops one person from committing a rape then I would say that justifies a game based on rapes existence.

How do you figure a game based on rape is going stop someone from committing rape?