Rape-Themed Video Games (Trigger Warning)
Gwen Sharp, PhD on November 15, 2008
Burk brought my attention to the video game Battle Raper. I found a Battle Raper website, but it was all in Japanese, and I couldn't find an English version, so I will provide you a short description from Wikipedia:
Battle Raper is a 3D fighting game in which the objective is to strip, grope, and sometimes actively rape the female characters, including a special move by the boss character and only male fighter where the female opponent is forced to perform fellatio as the camera zooms in. Like in most Hentai games, however, the penis is rendered invisible or transparent. There is also a feature in the game which allows the player to have sex with the female characters.
Here is a screenshot (found at Something Awful) of a female character crying because she is being forced to perform oral sex on the male character:
You can also damage your opponent by molesting their breasts or crotch. Once you win the game playing each of the different characters, you open a function where you can look at all the rape scenes. Here's a shot of a female character's face as she's being raped:
Apparently in Battle Raper 2, they took out the rape function.
A simple description of this game will have to do, because I just can't bring myself to write any commentary about it.
UPDATE: For the record, I'm not saying a) the Japanese are more sexist than other cultures, b) this game is (or isn't) representative of video games in general or hentai games in particular, c) that video games lead to any particular behaviors or make people act violently, or d) that people shouldn't be able to play these games in the privacy of their own homes.
It was sent to me as a possible post, I thought it was interesting, and I thought the discussion by some gamers I found on different websites was also fascinating: lots of people saying "Oh, I play violent stuff, but this was unacceptable even for me!" and saying how they put rape in a different category than any other type of violence, so these types of games are worse than "regular" violent video games. I thought of it as a case that might be useful for discussions of cultural representations of rape, and particularly how we often treat rape as a "special" type of crime that is somehow worse than any other type, possibly even murder. Why we do that, and what it means (particularly, how does it impact the stigmatizing of rape victims, who are often treated as though they are permanently broken and defiled?), are sociologically interesting questions.
NEW (Apr. '10)! Dmitriy T.M., Beth W., Tom M., Abby D., and Jillian Y. all sent in another game with the same theme. The narrative for this one, called Rapelay, is as follows:
The player plays as a chikan (a perverted man who frequently fondles women) in crowded subway trains. A young woman named Aoi has the player arrested for molesting her. Afterwards, the player plans to exact revenge by molesting and raping her entire family (source).
This is the cover:
A still from the game:
Most media coverage won't offer images, saying that they are too graphic to show.
Joy — November 15, 2008
There was a lot of discussion about this on a Finnish gaming related discussion board. The main arguments were about whether or not it is hypocritical to criticize a game that is about raping when there are so many games about killing.
Is raping worse than killing? Can raping games maybe be considered worse since killing is sometimes altho rarely justified(?) but raping is not?
A number of people also felt that since no real people are harmed, there is no reason to be alarmed. Some even felt a game like this is a safe option for those interested in raping to fantasize without really hurting anyone.
As far as I know, the discussion was mostly divided by gender - women were against such games, men were more open to them.
DG — November 15, 2008
While it's possible that such games could be a "safe option" for those interested in raping women to indulge fantasies without harming a flesh-and-blood person, it's equally possible that these kind of games could inspire people with the desire to perform "actual" rapes.
I can hear the argument coming "well, lots of video games have killing and people don't get inspired to go out an kill other people" this is a) not true and b) possibly not an accurate analogy, since most cultures seek out and punish murderers far more often and far more harshly than rapists. So for killing, I would say there's more perception that a murderer would be caught and brought to justice. I can't say the same for rapists because they are banking on several things making it less likely for them to be caught: most women never report a rape; the crime itself is less likely to be avidly researched by police (or even taken seriously for that matter); trials are more likely to be biased against the victim (ie. "you were dressed provocatively, you were walking alone at night, you were drunk, fill in the blank"); and sentencing for rape is much less harsh than sentencing for murder.
I think anyone who likes these games should be savagely raped themselves, just so they can judge the experience for themselves. I wonder how many men would be in favor of such games after that...
imnotemily — November 15, 2008
Perhaps you should put a warning before this post that it's content may be triggering? It's incredibly disturbing.
Also, hiding those last 2 pictures behind a jump, for those who don't want to be forced to see it as they scroll through.
Gwen Sharp, PhD — November 15, 2008
imnotemily--I just added that. Thanks for the suggestion.
Ranah — November 15, 2008
@Joy
A lot of games are connected with killing, but this killing is usually performed in a battle of skills, and this is usually different from a sadistic or nihilistic murder.
Also, rape is something that you can relate to much more than murder, just like an everyday emotion like embarassment of the main character in a movie is more likely for you to relate to, than, say, for example, fear.
I would also like to note that Japan is notorious for its sadistic cartoon pornography, which often involves rape and in some horrific genres, even mutilation / murder. The Japanese obsession with rape in drawn pornography has reflected into this game as well.
Dubi — November 15, 2008
Why discuss this particular game? Hentai is an entire subculture obsessed with violent sex, often rape in various forms. Is there any reason to mention THIS game in particular, and not the numerous movies, comic books and other games available out there?
Also, DG, your "not true" comment - can you corroborate that?
Dubi--I don't feel knowledgeable enough about hentai games in general to discuss overall themes or elements off the top of my head, so I took the more cautious/easier approach of discussing a particular game that someone suggested for a post. I know a whole discussion of the hentai subculture would be fascinating, I just didn't have time right at the moment to work on a larger discussion of themes in hentai games. I'll keep it in mind as a subject for a post when I have a little more time--if you have particular suggestions, let me know.
E.K. — November 15, 2008
As much as I abhor all forms of violence in today's so-called entertainment, the depiction of rape and sexual violence is particularly disturbing. Scenes of general violence and murder are not directed at any one particular group. Anyone can be beaten, murdered or shot at in these games.
Rape however, is a gendered crime. Females are most often raped by males. Gratuitous depictions of rape, ie. scenes designed to tittilate or 'entertain',whether in games, film or ponrography, therefore veer towards hate speech. An entire class of people are degraded, demeaned and I personally believe put in danger, for mere entertainment, specifically because they are female.
As a female who has been raped I find this indescribably offensive, insulting and a painful kick in the guts. The people who make these games and the people who use them are unethical at the very least. Whatever else you want to call them, well maybe I don't really want to know.
Here are some links to articles I found in which video games are blamed or implicated in violent crimes:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06272008/news/regionalnews/game_boy_havoc_on_li_117455.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1083649/Judge-blames-ultra-violent-video-game-Grand-Theft-Auto-teenage-thugs-sex-assaults.html
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4457144.ece
http://www.bloggernews.net/112576
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_killings#Aftermath_and_the_search_for_rationale
Matt K — November 16, 2008
"I think anyone who likes these games should be savagely raped themselves, just so they can judge the experience for themselves. I wonder how many men would be in favor of such games after that…"
I think it is a very bold statement to connect consumption of a FICTIONAL medium with an endorsement of the depicted activity in reality, and then to state that consumers of a particular product should be punished, somehow. I'm not defending this as art or anything like that, I'm just questioning the extreme (and indeed, violent) response to it.
While admitting that this is far from the dichotomy we often see in condemnation of popular media where violence = okay and depiction of sex = alarms going off, I still think we need some caution.
The idea that a game like this is going to make any person who isn't already considering violent acts to go out and commit them is ludicrous. People don't just assimilate media, they react to it. Besides, popular media is just a reflection of culture. Things like this are produced because there is a perceived demand for them (particularly in Japan, I believe -- although it bears keeping in mind that this is not a game made by or for a popular console, it is a PC game made by a relatively small company). So I think we really need to look at the reasons why something like this has flourished in a particular place. It's one thing to condemn, and another to understand.
Many people have likely noted this already, but this is not a new phenomenon -- this game in particular is six years old.
Ryan — November 16, 2008
I gotta be careful with this response as I don't want to come off as if I'm defending this thing. But as an avid Gamer and sometimes watcher or Anime, you see this kind of thing a lot coming out of Japan.
The Japanese video game industry has a whole sub genre that could only be described as "rape simulators". It is repellent. But I think it is even more so when viewed through the eyes of someone in the united states. I'm not saying that this sort of cultural sexism is acceptable, but reading these comments, they sort of come off to me as Westernized superiority. I know a lot of Japanese gamers who view excessively violent games in the west with the same disgust.
This post just comes off as sort of uninformed and sensationalist. I think what should maybe be examined is the cultural sexism of Japan which would "normalize" this sort of violent imagery.
Not only that, but I often feel like there is a lot of analysis of pornography on this site, that can come off as condesending.
I agree with Matt K, Shouldn't someone be able to play a game like this if they want to? Just being devils advocate here...but just because something is objectionable to us should we vilify it so much. It's not like these images were on a bus stop or bill board. I can understand taking offense to sexism in advertising. But this is a product that someone, who obviously has some serious issues that should be worked out, choose to by of their own volition.
My argument wasn't that people should or shouldn't be able to play such games, and I didn't bring up the Japanese "cultural sexism" issue b/c then I think it often turns into the type of Westernized superiority you mention, Ryan--"What's wrong with Japan that they're so messed up that this would be acceptable there? Thank goodness the U.S. isn't like that!"
My own take on the game is that, while I find it disturbing, I also find it fascinating the way many people (both on this site and on some gaming sites I went to and looked for discussions of the games) talk about how horrible it is because it's not "just violence" or even murder, it's RAPE, which is, in our culture, depicted as a specially horrendous type of crime, such that even lots of gamers were saying "I mean, I play a lot of violent stuff, but THIS is bad!" Just from a sociological perspective, it's interesting to think about why we would see rape as somehow worse than any other type of crime a person could commit or be the victim of. When I thought of using images from the game, that's the context I was thinking of--not about video games per se, or about violence in video games, but about cultural messages about rape, and the way it's sometimes spoken about as though a woman who is raped would almost be better off dead, b/c she's been so defiled. So the game wasn't of interest to me just as a game, but as an example of cultural representations of rape AND people's response to those representations.
I totally agree. It is interesting how sexual violence is perceived as "worse than" murder in some cases, on some understanding of what makes some violent crimes worse than others.
I've heard that even in prisons, rapists (and especially, child abusers) are attacked and treated as deviant by other prisoners convicted of "masculine" crimes like armed robbery and murder. This leads me to believe that dominant masculinity is at work here, as well as your comments about a woman being "defiled".
Rape is indeed about power and not just sex, but I think the view that a woman's sexuality is deeply connected with her personage is involved in the rape/murder comparison. I think this idea is also involved in the characterization of sex workers (although those doing the characterizing don't usually call them such) as "selling themselves" and thus unavoidably damaging themselves in some way.
SarahMC — November 16, 2008
I do think this disgusting game is worse than "regular" violent video games. The normalization of sexualized violence DOES hurt real live women. It's called a rape culture, and it is poisonous.
While misanthropic, perhaps, your run of the mill shoot-em-up games do not target a particular demographic. This game is a celebration of misogyny.
I'd find a "Kill the Japanese" game more offensive than an equal opportunity murder game, too.
Jay Livingston — November 17, 2008
Long before video games, Japanese comic books often contained images of, along with bondage and other forms of sadism. The victim was often a schoolgirl in uniform. You could see men openly reading these books on the subways and commuter trains (maybe you still can). Yet as Matt K points out, there's a difference between the consumption of rape-themed media and the actual committing of rape. Japan has long had a lower rate of rape than the US (by far) or European countries.
napthia9 — November 18, 2008
Ranah: "Also, rape is something that you can relate to much more than murder, just like an everyday emotion like embarassment of the main character in a movie is more likely for you to relate to, than, say, for example, fear."
Um, what? I do not understand this at all. What and who are we relating to when we talk about rape??? And whoa, I do not think it is probably a good idea to compare rape to simple embarrassment
Gwen, continuing your response to Ryan, think of the response to games like GTA:SA. A lot of the criticism wasn't about the fact the game glorifies crime and turns murder into entertainment, but about the so-called "Hot Coffee" patch that revealed hidden content in the game: a sex mini-game where the main character engages in (consensual!) sex with various female characters. the Grand Theft Auto series has always received flak for providing the player with the option of getting the services of a hooker to replenish life points (and then, of course, the ability to kill her and take back your money, but you can kill and get money off of anyone on the street, in the game).
Oh, and to DG:
Pfff.
Katie — November 19, 2008
I just thought I'd mention that feministing and boingboing recently had similar discussions/posts about a "virtual girlfriend" video game (also from Japan): http://www.feministing.com/archives/012145.html and http://www.boingboing.net/2008/11/13/your-virtual-girlfri.html
In a feministing comment, someone brought up the game RapeLay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapelay) which seems really similar to this game, except that the sole purpose is to kidnap and rape a woman and her two daughters and make them your sex slaves.
I think it's pretty messed up that these games exist and that people would find use these as entertaining. I don't know if it's any more likely to cause someone to be sexually violent... but it's still disturbing.
@napthia9
I was comparing the shock value from seeing something on a screen (in a videogame or a movie), not about real life.
The Myths Encompassed by The Rapeman : The Curvature — December 22, 2008
[...] the modern existence of games like Battle Raper (major trigger warning), the idea of rape as entertainment certainly didn't go out of style [...]
Thoughts on the Rapelay Video Game : The Curvature — February 13, 2009
[...] Rapelay is also far from being the only game which revolves entirely around rape. Sociological Images posted about another one called Battle Raper a few months back. [...]
Andrea — June 9, 2009
Back to the kitchen!
shivananda — December 18, 2009
interesting that rape in a game is seen as horrific, whereas violence in a game is usually seen as 'standard'.
however, in the legal system
rapists get away with lighter sentences than murderers
i wonder what could cause this discrepancy???
Making Video Games for Little Girls » Sociological Images — December 28, 2009
[...] that the gaming world isn't particularly welcoming to girls and women, see here, here, here, here, here, and here (NSFW) Leave a Comment Tags: children/youth, emotion, gender, gender: [...]
Monica — February 11, 2010
To the person who said rape isn't that bad and to get over it you obviously need a woman, any woman in your life; mother, sister, grandma? I'm guessing you have none of those. Rape is not something to be scoffed at or looked at as if it is no big deal. Sex to men and women is completely different which is part of why FORCED sex is not "getting some without knowing" its RAPE, which is a violent crime. Secondly, to all the people questioning why rape is looked at more negatively than other violent crimes like murder, that is because the victim is left to deal with the pain of what just happened to them. I once wrote an essay on the effects of rape vs. murder, it was actually a misunderstanding of what the topic was supposed to be on but my ethics teacher gave me full credit for it anyway. When a person is murdered, that is it, they are done, there is nothing left to deal with(besides family grief but I am talking on a personal level). When a person is raped they go through the same thing that a murdered person goes through. Meaning, going through the motions of feeling scared, helpless, pain, and the thoughts that they are about to die. When ANY person, woman or man, goes through rape, they deal with all that, plus the aftermath. Being afraid, dealing with wounds, feeling worthless, loss of faith, loss of desire, no longer wanting social contact, wishing you HAD died, all of which can lead to loss of relationships, romantic and otherwise. It is not something you can just "get over" it is something that must be dealt with, for some it takes years, others their entire lives. Psychologically, it is worse on an individual than murder because it does not end with the single act, it goes on. Death of course is worse than anything, we all(most) want to be here, but when you commit a crime and leave someone feeling empty and lost, that is hell on earth and just as much as murder, NOBODY deserves that. The time spent dealing with the aftermath is death of your entire being. I do not agree that rape is a lesser crime than murder. I don't think the two are even comparable. They are completely different things with outcomes than nobody should ever have to deal with.
Linda — April 6, 2010
We have free speech in US, as long as that free speech doesn't cross the line and interfer with the rights of others. These rape games, if allowed in this country, or downloaded in the US from the internet, is, in my opinion, a violation of my rights. My right to safety, liberty and justice. This gaming, as it is called, is criminal activity in the minds of those who play it. There will be some who will act it out, that is indisputable. Others will be of corrupt mind and will become desensitized to sexual violence to women and children, and their feelings and opinions towards women and children will change for the worst.
Kat — May 3, 2010
Funny how the guys always turn out to defend this stuff.
I — June 27, 2010
Some statistics of rape cases per 100.000 of population in 2002 (UN data):
United States of America - 32.99
Japan - 1.85
So, rape is like saying "hello" in... where, exactly?
Sociology is a statistics in a first place. And statistics clearly shows what "horrible rape simulators" has nothing to do with real life crimes. Some basement dwellers, who mostly playing these games, never has enough courage to even approach to a real girl, let alone to rape her.
Inny — November 26, 2010
I, you are talking about REPORTED rape which is heavily influenced by culture. Statistics are not just dry numbers you can just plant into a comment. You need to look at the context. It could be that in japan there is brought more shame upon the victims, which causes a large amount of unreporting (more undereporting than in the US). I'm not saying that is going on in japan, this is just an example of how numbers can be influenced.
I strongly suggest that you look into the bobo doll experiment and what the outcomes were...
Anon Gamer f — April 25, 2011
I expect this is a bit late to be commenting, but I feel that some explanations for why this is so disturbing have not been adressed and presented well.
As someone who played War Games and games like Unreal Tournament which attempt to make killing into humorous sporting events, but feels appalled by rape games, I want to offer my view on why I, and possibly others, feel this way.
1. Like with the spanking in God Hand, which I find disturbing, the action is sex specific. It is discriminatory because it is a violence towards a certain type of person. Games that are violent towards only one race would be damned without a second thought in most Western countries, I'd guess it'd be the same in Asia and Africa too.
2. The violence is pornographic. The player is meant to derive sexual pleasure from it. This does not happen with murder or any kind of violence in games I have seen before. The closest it gets is in Mortal Kombat or God of War, and that isn't sexualised.
3. In most violent games the opponent is a willing opponent. In war games both sides go in with the intent of killing each other. In Unreal Tournament it is the same. These women do not attempt to harm the player prior to him raping them.
4. In most violent games that do not try to justify violence by presenting it as the only way, the players and opponents are made abstract, like in Unreal Tournament, or more obviously, Quake. The players have no identity other than weapons which will harm the player.
4 is present in this, or, to my understanding, other rape games. This goes beyond 'rape or murder: which is worse?', which is an entirely different debate altogether.
Jam Blair — February 2, 2012
I lived in Japan for six years. I have no problem saying that in Japanese culture, sexism is much, MUCH more normative than it is in Europe or America.
Hugh Myron — May 21, 2012
I think the reason for the discrepancy between acceptance of violence and abhorrence of rape is that usually, the violence is a means to an end (winning a war), whereas rape is the end in itself. I know some game designers try to make rape a means to an end, but all they end up doing is creating contrived, unbelievable plotlines.
wakeup call — November 18, 2013
Kishh is absolutely right; well done pointing out the irony in the fact that sex is seen as more offensive than violence in the warped American public lens.
Both murder and rape are human impulses; we need to get them out somehow.
Rape is the predominant form of sex in the rest of the animal kingdom, has been a part of human culture for millions of years, and is an impulse hardwired into our stimulus / pleasure / reward matrix.
In other words, anyone not turned on by this game is either neutered or a sad, broken, pussywhipped man who is lying to himself deep inside.
Would you prefer that we use REAL WORLD RELATIONSHIPS as an outlet for these inexorable natural impulses? Those in touch with their own sexualities can play this game, have a good fap, and get on with their lives. Hell, I have plenty of female friends who find it kinky, even fascinating.
Those deeply embittered, in-denial "progressives" who knock it are the ones who pretend not to like it, raise themselves up by the sticks of moral rectitude up their own asses, and simmer about it for the rest of their lives; quite the martyr complex, bravo all of your selfless male victims who preach your feminist views hoping to score brownie points with the opposite sex, only to repel any real prospects of sexual fulfillment, then go find a prostitute when no one's looking - good luck with that sexual revolution of yours!
It's a fucking VIDEO GAME.
Pete — August 14, 2020
Games and movies reflect our fantasies of sex and violence. The only people who can be "inspired" by such depictions into actual violence already had a problem. Namely, they weren't cuddled enough as babies so they became sociopaths.
I fantasize all kinds of horrible things, but I would never hurt a person. Not so much because of legal consequences, but because I love people. Both men and women have rape fantasies, being either dominant or dominated. Those fantasies don't make people evil.
Fantasies help us get our rocks off quickly, which helps calm down our selfish and destructive impulses so we can constructively get on with our day.
Our fantasies are our own. Go ahead and have fun in your fantasies. When you return from the dream, know that actual people are as real and valuable as you and me. So when you awaken from the fantasy, be the best person you can be. Harm none.
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