Rape Games Banned in Japan

The Ethics Organization of Computer Software, Japan's PC game rating agency, has called for a halt to the retail sale of videogames that simulate rape.

The ban appears to be the culmination of events that began in February, when two copies of the Japanese game RapeLay accidentally appeared on Amazon.com. Despite its nearly immediate removal and the fact that it was designed exclusively for the Japanese market, outrage quickly followed from sources including British Parliament, the New York City Council and the international women's rights group Equality Now.

Equality Now actually launched a campaign calling for the Japanese government to ban the sale of games that feature "rape, stalking or other forms of sexual violence or which otherwise denigrate women." The group said the games violate Japan's obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women to "eliminate works that normalize and promote sexual violence against women and girls."

Amazingly, according to the Canned Dogs blog (which translated the original Tokyo Broadcasting System report), this particular genre is estimated to make up 10-20 percent of the Japanese PC game industry and the EOCS had not previously considered it a problem. But with the pressure growing, the organization has now decided to comply with the demand and seek a ban not just on the retail sale of such games but also their development by any of its more than 200 members.

The new measures take effect on June 2, although it may not be enough to satisfy critics: Like the ESRB in North America, the EOCS is a voluntary organization and the ban is not legally binding.

via: Gamasutra

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I'm someone who argues in favor 99.99999% of the time for the freedom of expression and that a virtual simulation and real life act are completely separate. But I gotta say, It's about damn time.

this particular genre is estimated to make up 10-20 percent of the Japanese PC game industry[/b]

:facepalms

I imagine this will be among the first news threads about banning games that's not recieved with total damnation.

Good show! There really is no place in a society for cultural material that explicitly and obviously promotes and normalizes rape.

EDIT: Even better is the fact that it's being banned by industry policy and not legislation.

I have mixed feelings about this. Obviously rape is a horrible and hideous thing, but this is fictionalized rape. It doesn't harm anyone at all. I think that it should still be legal for sale to those who want it.

Ok, I guess -I- will be the first to be against this.
Mostly it annoys me cause it seems more like people whining and being huge babies. Now, I know Japan does not have our government and laws (some we put on em yes, but not all) but still. Its like, why is this allowed but this not when it is very similar. So is games where girls are killed gonna be banned too? What about men/boys? Now yes, obviously few if any are playing these games for anything aside from sexual release, but for all we know it is a better outlet for peole with such fantasies. This is just like violence in gaming and is not going to make people who would not already do it start raping people or stalking them.
Equality Now, based on this they seem PETA-like. (Not a good thing)
Thats my view on this.

Here is a question.

Do rape games allow men/women to experience the vile act in a safe, private enviroment which then prevents them from going out and doing it "fo'real"? Do these games act as a curiosity killer?

Although my personal standpoint is that these "games" are massivly badong (bad and wrong), I am still intrested in the opinions of this dear community.

wha..? these games exist?

Japan is such a bizarre country.

Ahahahaha, banning these games, and hentai still exists? The modern world, how much you amaze me... No, wait, you just piss me off.

Can people think? At all? Bleugh, it's either horrific news or stupid news.

Kiutu:
Ok, I guess -I- will be the first to be against this.
Mostly it annoys me cause it seems more like people whining and being huge babies. Now, I know Japan does not have our government and laws (some we put on em yes, but not all) but still. Its like, why is this allowed but this not when it is very similar. So is games where girls are killed gonna be banned too? What about men/boys? Now yes, obviously few if any are playing these games for anything aside from sexual release, but for all we know it is a better outlet for peole with such fantasies. This is just like violence in gaming and is not going to make people who would not already do it start raping people or stalking them.
Equality Now, based on this they seem PETA-like. (Not a good thing)
Thats my view on this.

Actually, you're the second. The guy above you is the first.

I guess I'm the third. All the points I would have made, have already been made, and better than I could have made them.

Kiutu:
Ok, I guess -I- will be the first to be against this.
Mostly it annoys me cause it seems more like people whining and being huge babies. Now, I know Japan does not have our government and laws (some we put on em yes, but not all) but still. Its like, why is this allowed but this not when it is very similar. So is games where girls are killed gonna be banned too? What about men/boys? Now yes, obviously few if any are playing these games for anything aside from sexual release, but for all we know it is a better outlet for peole with such fantasies. This is just like violence in gaming and is not going to make people who would not already do it start raping people or stalking them.
Equality Now, based on this they seem PETA-like. (Not a good thing)
Thats my view on this.

Just a little too late, I beat you.

oh damn and were will i get all my raping needs now?

that was a joke btw

Its odd though, Im guessing that most of us spend a lot of time playing "murder simulators" and we are dead against people trying to ban those, because they dont offend us.

Wheras a rape game offends us so we agree to it being banned.

Good news though.

ArcWinter:
Ahahahaha, banning these games, and hentai still exists? The modern world, how much you amaze me... No, wait, you just piss me off.

Can people think? At all? Bleugh, it's either horrific news or stupid news.

Don't forget that they're aiming to "eliminate works that normalize and promote sexual violence against women and girls", so rape hentai could be next. Roleplayed rape porn also.

To be honest, I don't think banning any type of material is ever a good thing.

If you want to talk strictly pragmatically, making such material more restricted doesn't necessarily equate to making rape less likely (if anything, it's possible to have the opposite effect). While it's definitely noteworthy that these games make up such a large portion of the PC gaming market in Japan, it's also interesting to note that Japan has a very low rape rate in relation to most other nations. Until they can show that these games actually contribute to discrimination or criminality, banning them seems premature.

And, of course, this is not to mention that I'm opposed to all kinds of censorship. It may be about rape, but if that's the story they want to tell, I would call that their right. As gross as I may find it, may tastes can't change their desires, and my taboos should not hold power over their behavior.

DC_Josh:
Although my personal standpoint is that these "games" are massivly badong (bad and wrong), I am still intrested in the opinions of this dear community.

One of my favorite movies ever, and I love you for reminding me of it.

Wait, what? What am I going to play now? My Japanese half suddenly feels empty and downtrodden.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat??? But we rely on Japan for our crazy!

Dude if they get rid of rape porn and hentai and guro I'm never gonna forgive them

Cliff_m85:

Kiutu:
Ok, I guess -I- will be the first to be against this.
Mostly it annoys me cause it seems more like people whining and being huge babies. Now, I know Japan does not have our government and laws (some we put on em yes, but not all) but still. Its like, why is this allowed but this not when it is very similar. So is games where girls are killed gonna be banned too? What about men/boys? Now yes, obviously few if any are playing these games for anything aside from sexual release, but for all we know it is a better outlet for peole with such fantasies. This is just like violence in gaming and is not going to make people who would not already do it start raping people or stalking them.
Equality Now, based on this they seem PETA-like. (Not a good thing)
Thats my view on this.

Just a little too late, I beat you.

Well, I was too busy writing that long thing on something I definatly knew my stance on. Sorry your unsure tiny stance was posted before mine.
Also sorry you are making this a competition instead of a on-topic debate. Ask the banned people who post first on the videos where THAT gets you.

I can't believe that there is even a market for games like this.

Nimbus:

Kiutu:
Ok, I guess -I- will be the first to be against this.
Mostly it annoys me cause it seems more like people whining and being huge babies. Now, I know Japan does not have our government and laws (some we put on em yes, but not all) but still. Its like, why is this allowed but this not when it is very similar. So is games where girls are killed gonna be banned too? What about men/boys? Now yes, obviously few if any are playing these games for anything aside from sexual release, but for all we know it is a better outlet for peole with such fantasies. This is just like violence in gaming and is not going to make people who would not already do it start raping people or stalking them.
Equality Now, based on this they seem PETA-like. (Not a good thing)
Thats my view on this.

Actually, you're the second. The guy above you is the first.

I guess I'm the third. All the points I would have made, have already been made, and better than I could have made them.

Its alot easier to post first when you only write 2 lines. I was too busy writing almost 10. I don't like having to point this out in this matter-of-fact way but you had to make me.

Oh no..they'll have to watch it without pressing buttons... The phase; "pointless waste of gaming industry money", doesn't even begin to describe all this is. But...In retrospect, it does. Japan your crazy was already evident, theres no going back now.

I certainly don't agree with 'rape games' but frankly you're not peddling them to anyone except perverts who do, so I don't really care, it brings home the bread.

Kiutu:

Cliff_m85:

Kiutu:
Ok, I guess -I- will be the first to be against this.
Mostly it annoys me cause it seems more like people whining and being huge babies. Now, I know Japan does not have our government and laws (some we put on em yes, but not all) but still. Its like, why is this allowed but this not when it is very similar. So is games where girls are killed gonna be banned too? What about men/boys? Now yes, obviously few if any are playing these games for anything aside from sexual release, but for all we know it is a better outlet for peole with such fantasies. This is just like violence in gaming and is not going to make people who would not already do it start raping people or stalking them.
Equality Now, based on this they seem PETA-like. (Not a good thing)
Thats my view on this.

Just a little too late, I beat you.

Well, I was too busy writing that long thing on something I definatly knew my stance on. Sorry your unsure tiny stance was posted before mine.
Also sorry you are making this a competition instead of a on-topic debate. Ask the banned people who post first on the videos where THAT gets you.

Woah! Little too defensive there, you think? He was probably just making a joke/ humorous observation.

It's not that I think game is a good idea, but it somehow seems wrong to be able to force it out of existence if it hasn't actually harmed anything. (Although I realize that it's a voluntary organization and they haven't necessarily actually forced it out of existence.)

Keep in mind that if anyone wants to correct me, I never claimed to be an expert on the matter and I don't need to yelled at about how 10 women blame this game for sexual abuse or whatever. I'm more than happy to admit that I was wrong it if I actually was wrong.

Japan is such a suppressed society that it's little wonder their entertainment is completely outlandish. In a way, this reminds me of a Japanese porno producer who thought that the USA was the "Land of Sex" because of all the American porn that was flooding the Internet.

Regarding the 10-20 percent estimate, do keep in mind that the PC game industry is not the same over there as it is North America; traditionally, Japanese erotic games have been PC games. Every once in a while, a particularly popular visual novel with erotic elements will be "cleaned up" for a console port, such as Fate/Stay Night.

Bleh, We can blow heads off in a normal video game but one game trys to simulate rape and we point the finger at it, Dont get me wrong im not for the game but im not against it, Im just saying let people play what they want to play because they will just go out and rape if you dont :)

The Youth Counselor:
I'm someone who argues in favor 99.99999% of the time for the freedom of expression and that a virtual simulation and real life act are completely separate. But I gotta say, It's about damn time.

this particular genre is estimated to make up 10-20 percent of the Japanese PC game industry[/b]

:facepalms

I agree. This is going a bit beyond freedom of expression. What would the maker want to express with this game?

Good morning blues:
Good show! There really is no place in a society for cultural material that explicitly and obviously promotes and normalizes rape.

But promotion of viligantism, murder and war crimes is okay? Don't you think that this is a double standard?

Rape is considered to by many to be the most depraved and heinous of crimes, even more heinous than murder or treason. The act takes away the feeling and basic human right of personal safety. For a victim was violated in a way that was sacred and the rapist uses sex which is normally an act of trust and love into a weapon. These games aren't a good release. The normal human being has a violent fantasy now and again, but most games depict them in an act of defense. Violent video games tend not harbor more of the mentality and promote it. They don't distort the violence as a magical thing where the victim "likes to be killed, or was just asking for it"These games are made for an audience that will continue to harbor these urges after playing. They are simply an excercise in sadism and morally abhorrent beliefs.

One in four women worldwide undergo some sexual abuse or harrassment. In Japan where sex crimes are high, and sexism goes deep into it's very laws, something has to be done.

We also need to draw the line on what we can show in fiction and virtual depictions, so that less controversy hits the mainstream. Art should have no boundaries, and be able to address anything and everything. However this is just immature, depraved trash that addresses the issue of rape in an irresponsible gratuitous pornographic light. We as a community know that the lowest selling controversial game garners an outrage, but rape simulators are estimated to account to 15-20 of the Japanese game market. This is heat we do not need.

We talk about how rape is a hideous thing, and that we need to teach our sisters and daughters how to live. But what do we teach our sons.

As creepy as this game is, I don't think you should ever resort to censorship.

ygetoff:

The Youth Counselor:
I'm someone who argues in favor 99.99999% of the time for the freedom of expression and that a virtual simulation and real life act are completely separate. But I gotta say, It's about damn time.

this particular genre is estimated to make up 10-20 percent of the Japanese PC game industry[/b]

:facepalms

I agree. This is going a bit beyond freedom of expression. What would the maker want to express with this game?

One could say the same thing about GTA or Manhunt.

Ziren:

Good morning blues:
Good show! There really is no place in a society for cultural material that explicitly and obviously promotes and normalizes rape.

But promotion of viligantism, murder and war crimes is okay? Don't you think that this is a double standard?

Hey now, when did I say that? Promotion of vigilantism, murder and war crimes absolutely is not okay.

I don't know what sickens me more, the fact this game exists, or the fact that I actually played it... I'd like to point out, this was at a friends machine, he said "HAY, WATCH THIS" and it disgusted me.