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On a more serious note... there actually are lots of fetishist rape games available on the market (rapelay) where you can rape away, all day.
I do think that the question warrants serious consideration and yes, rape does have a place in video games in the same way it has a place in other media. Once example that comes to mind (that was discussed elsewhere) would be a video game interpretation of Lord Foul's Bane (the first in a series of books called "Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever"). In the books, the protagonist is a miserable human being who has leprosy and has withdrawn from society. He has an accident and enters into a fantasy world where he meets a lovely young woman who claims he is their savior. She cures him of his leprosy and he is overwhelmed and proceeds to rape her because he is now healthy.
The thing is that he doesn't believe this world is actually a real world and the rape is simply to him a fantasy in his mind. In the books, the rape solidifies the character as a anti-hero... and establishes a theme that if you become a victim, you may also become a victimizer of others. It's quite a powerful theme that isn't fully realized until the later works.
Anyway... I do think that rape can be a very powerful plot mechanism. It doesn't need to be graphically shown, but it can establish a character that is difficult to play... a villian and hero rolled into one.
I'd love to see this done with a game in terms of the "reality" concept. A reader of the books begins to believe that this alternate land is real long before the character in the book. The question still arises though that rape is an evil act and even if done in a dream, does this make Thomas a bad person? It would be interesting if a game could make you question this concept. You believe it to be a game... but is it possible to make you later regret actions you took in the game because you now believe that there is some reality to the game - even if the reality is a deeper insight into who thet person playing the game is?
Meh... I'm rambling and it's difficult to express my thoughts, but yes. Rape does have a place in video games and not as masturbatory material, but as more serious examinations of victim/victimizer, power issues, gender issues, and other plot and character mechanics treated in a mature manner.
I do think that the question warrants serious consideration and yes, rape does have a place in video games in the same way it has a place in other media. Once example that comes to mind (that was discussed elsewhere) would be a video game interpretation of Lord Foul's Bane (the first in a series of books called "Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever"). In the books, the protagonist is a miserable human being who has leprosy and has withdrawn from society. He has an accident and enters into a fantasy world where he meets a lovely young woman who claims he is their savior. She cures him of his leprosy and he is overwhelmed and proceeds to rape her because he is now healthy.
The thing is that he doesn't believe this world is actually a real world and the rape is simply to him a fantasy in his mind. In the books, the rape solidifies the character as a anti-hero... and establishes a theme that if you become a victim, you may also become a victimizer of others. It's quite a powerful theme that isn't fully realized until the later works.
Anyway... I do think that rape can be a very powerful plot mechanism. It doesn't need to be graphically shown, but it can establish a character that is difficult to play... a villian and hero rolled into one.
I'd love to see this done with a game in terms of the "reality" concept. A reader of the books begins to believe that this alternate land is real long before the character in the book. The question still arises though that rape is an evil act and even if done in a dream, does this make Thomas a bad person? It would be interesting if a game could make you question this concept. You believe it to be a game... but is it possible to make you later regret actions you took in the game because you now believe that there is some reality to the game - even if the reality is a deeper insight into who thet person playing the game is?
Meh... I'm rambling and it's difficult to express my thoughts, but yes. Rape does have a place in video games and not as masturbatory material, but as more serious examinations of victim/victimizer, power issues, gender issues, and other plot and character mechanics treated in a mature manner.
@ Elsa - I was going for a halfway serious point there, believe it or not, by showing that it could happen to male characters too. Even someone as beloved and mainstream as Spider-man. But to be honest, yeah, mostly I was just hoping Occams would get a laugh out of it.
I agree with everything else you said. It needs to be treated as a serious story element if used at all, yet the problem is that it becomes hard to take anything seriously when it's been paraded around as much as the Tomb Raider controversy.
A side note, the story you mention sounds a bit bigoted. Almost as if the message is that monsters are monsters no matter what, and trying to help them is a mistake. Not complaining necessarily, I've not read it myself. Just an observation.
Also, I can relate to what you said about having difficulty expressing your thoughts, at the moment anyway. When it comes to this topic I find it hard to focus. My eyes glaze over a bit every time it comes up. The sad thing is, by the time this game actually comes out, the scene in question is going to be more of a punchline than anything else. Any suspense will have been long gone by then.
I agree with everything else you said. It needs to be treated as a serious story element if used at all, yet the problem is that it becomes hard to take anything seriously when it's been paraded around as much as the Tomb Raider controversy.
A side note, the story you mention sounds a bit bigoted. Almost as if the message is that monsters are monsters no matter what, and trying to help them is a mistake. Not complaining necessarily, I've not read it myself. Just an observation.
Also, I can relate to what you said about having difficulty expressing your thoughts, at the moment anyway. When it comes to this topic I find it hard to focus. My eyes glaze over a bit every time it comes up. The sad thing is, by the time this game actually comes out, the scene in question is going to be more of a punchline than anything else. Any suspense will have been long gone by then.
the message in the book is actually one of redemption! :)
... and exactly what you said about the whole Tomb Raider thing!
... and exactly what you said about the whole Tomb Raider thing!
