Here is an excellent article commenting on the psychology of some of the things we are discussing.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/the-needles/6127-You-Cant-Be-the-Hero-If-Youre-the-RapistBasically it states if the action can be justified somehow it is much more palatable that if it is not justified. IE an escape from a concentration camp is much less appalling than creating a concentration camp.
Here is another interesting bit saying the games are banned ->
http://kotaku.com/5275409/rape-games-officially-banned-in-japanAnd how things kind of spill over
->
http://www.destructoid.com/rape-game-controversy-bewilders-developers-131416.phtmlEarlier this month, New York-based women's group Equality Now has started a letter-writing campaign to developer Illusion Software, demanding that they cease sale of the game, even though the game is produced for Japan and has never been officially on sale in America. Illusion Software has issued a quasi-statement, rightly saying it is "bewildered" by the campaign, because the game isn't intended for American audiences.
"We are simply bewildered by the [Equality Now protest]," stated Illusion. "We make the games for the domestic market and abide by laws here. We cannot possibly comment on [the campaign] because we don't sell them overseas."
And the toung in cheek disclaimer from one of the games...
All the characters appearing in this game have gone through special training and all actions carried out are done on the basis of mutual agreement.
Even if you’re a inhuman person who believes that fictional characters in creative works do not have human rights, please do not ignore this.
We also thank all the kind people who see a character in the story saying phrases such as “help me” and take it as a real call for help.
However, even though you are worrying for the characters in the story, these are all lines spoken from a script.
They are not saying all this from the bottom of their hearts. We are sorry that they have put in so much effort into their acting that some people will confuse it as something that is really happening.
This game is a fictional story.
and inside the game:
Surprised Suigen Ninja:
I’ve recently learnt something that surprised me
Listening Suigen Ninja:
What is it?
Surprised Suigen Ninja:
We, fictional characters, apparently have human rights.
Listening Suigen Ninja:
Huh?
Surprised Suigen Ninja:
There are apparently some special people that will get angry and show sympathy for us if we get raped. And they’ll start lobbying for us too.
Listening Suigen Ninja:
Wow, we even can’t do anything ourselves without a creator or a player but we have human rights
Surprised Suigen Ninja:
Surprising isn’t it?
Listening Suigen Ninja:
Yeah. But since they acknowledge that we have human rights, I wonder if they’ll acknowledge that we have the right to vote too. Our creators will work hard to do some political manipulation.
Surprised Suigen Ninja:
We can’t be greedy. But well, since we have human rights we might as well suggest it.
Listening Suigen Ninja:
You’re right
Surprised Suigen Ninja:
We’re doing as we please. Please stop taking unneccessary actions.
Discussions about sex *excluding rape* in video games ->
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/11/lets-talk-about-sex-in-video-games.arsEven in the United States, the rating system reflects the idea that games are for kids. According to its official requirements, the ESRB is open about its preference that applicants have experience dealing with children: "ESRB raters must be adults and typically have experience with children, whether through prior work experience, education or by being parents or caregivers themselves."
"This is the key to medium, in that we're viewing everything through the eyes of a child," Brathwaite pointed out. "It's not that kids don't matter or should be excluded, but our rating system is, by default, a bit reactionary."
For many gamers, the main problem with this concern about sex in games is that it doesn't exist in other forms of media. With books, movies, television, and comics, sex isn't a huge issue these days, but it's still a major concern when it comes to video games. In short, this is a massive double standard, since games containing sex are often slapped with an AO rating and movies with far racier content are allowed on retail shelves. Ars community member Nagumo claims to have "seen Baise Moi in Wal-Mart," a film that "features scenes involving rape that show real penetration and ejaculation! Never mind the sodomy with a .45."
And then there are games meant to educate that are sensationalised by the news and torn apart ->
http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/289083.html#cutid1Here is it's trailer ->
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-846592551728203166&ei=Yqk2S9XVHIXSqgLujeTrCw&q=Super+Columbine+Massacre+RPG!&hl=en#(I would so play this game if I didn't know how it ended.)
I am not actually going anywhere with THIS set of links.. just bringing in points of view.
