Last night GamePolitics reported on the outcry over a Japanese rape game offered on Amazon.com.
Among those expressing disgust over PC hentai title RapeLay was British MP Keith Vaz, long a video game industry critic.
At the time we predicted that - since RapeLay was offered as a used product by re-seller Hentaiguy - Amazon likely didn't know about the game and would do the right thing when they found out.
That now appears to be the case.
LifeNews.com reports that RapeLay has been removed from Amazon.com listings:
Amazon.com has dropped its listing for a controversial Japanese video game called Rapelay that involves raping women and forcing them to have abortions. The so-called "rape simulator" game was sold on the web site and included a graphic description of the gameplay.
Although a listing for the product is available through online searches, the link to it on Amazon's web page no longer functions.
We're also not finding any additional sales listings from Hentaiguy. Perhaps Amazon has shown him the door.




Comments
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
As I said before, the game was intended to be sold in Japan only. Making the game was valid in Japan but some hentai fan decided to sell it in his own country, even when he knew that will carry many problems to him, and now, moronic Keith Vaz has a extremely goos scapegoat to keep his mouth busy.
This is a cultural problem too, not a moral one. Is bad to make a game about rape. Yes, in this side of the world. But in Japan this game is protected in their own soil. Morality has nothing to do with this.
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
"But there's just no way you can make rape funny or light-hearted (if you tried, it'd be even worse for you, I'd imagine)."
Sure you can. Unfortunately, the last time I gave an example (in the form of a joke), GP deleted it.
Andrew Eisen
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
George Carlin, who died last year, was a genius, and yes he made rape funny.
I'd give some samples, but judging from Andrew's mention of GP deleting his joke, I won't display it here.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
Happened to me too, in the old story about Kevin McCullough.
"There is no sin except stupidity." - Oscar Wilde
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
This isn't hypocritical at all on the part of Amazon. Yes, they sell porn. They even sell pornographic video games. But they choose to draw the line at rape-based pornography (hereafter referred to as rape fantasy). If you search Amazon, you'll find they don't carry rape fantasy DVDs either.
They're not banning hentai games, they're banning rape fantasy. And don't try to say RapeLay isn't about rape - look it up. The story? You as the main character rape three girls until you "break" them. After that it's free-play. I don't see how you could *not* understand how a company would not want to be associated with that.
And to the people invoking a slippery slope fallacy wondering what Amazon is going to ban next: Amazon just drew the line. They said they don't tolerate rape fantasy being sold through them.
There is no government censorship going on here. You can get this game and many others like it many places, even legitimately - jlist, for example (although even they - known for edgy material - choose not to carry some games, and rapelay might be on that list).
This is a perfectly reasonable, I'd say even extremely lenient, place for a company to draw the line and say no, we will not sell this.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Yep. As I said earlier, Amazon can sell or not sell products as it sees fit. Is it hypocritical? Arguably. They don't seem to be banning "rape fantasy" so much as "rape fantasy games." A quick search shows plenty of movies and books (not familiar enough with the contents of the other hentai games) that could be (and have in the past) be described as rape fantasies.
Even so, it's still within Amazon's rights to single out something that specific and decide not to sell it. Buyers in the market for such games can shop elsewhere.
Andrew Eisen
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
I'm surprised no one has commented how bad this game is for the industry.
No politician or anyone is going to care that it's only for sale in japan. Nobody cared that Hot Coffee could only be accessed with a cheat device (not even just a cheat code) or downloaded mod. All of a sudden ALL games had hidden sex scenes.
The only thing the "think of the children" types will care about is that some game contained this filth and was available on Amazon.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
Porn games have been around in the video game industry ever since the start. I remember a few (horribly programmed/rip off) games for the Atari 2600, like "Beat 'em and Eat 'em"
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
But how could this be bad for the industry? (I assume you mean the US industry.)
It was not developed, rated, or sold by the industry. Or the UK industry for that matter.
Andrew Eisen
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
Because anti-game lobbyists don't care about the specifics. They've been decrying rape sims for years, and that's when they were talking about GTA (which has no rape in it). The fact that there has been no rape in any rated video game since the ESRB started, or that the only western game on record to even depict rape was an 80s game called Custer's Revenge (that nobody played or remembers), didn't matter to them. Now that their attention has been brought to the crapload of rape and lolicon games out of Japan, they're going to raise even more hell. It doesn't matter if they aren't intended for western audiences (some actually are, since they are localized and available for direct download), and it doesn't matter if they aren't mainstream or rated by the ESRB.
If anything, it's going to be bad news when they realize they haven't been rated by the ESRB. The anti-game people have been trying to throw a leash around the ESRB forever. The fact that games are submitted voluntarily and don't require ratings, coupled with the fact that rape games are floating around out there, will only inflame the issue.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
They can yell all they want, it's not going to matter because they will not be able to actually do anything except be vocal.
Andrew Eisen
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
I'm ambivalent. On one hand, a rape game is in terrible taste.
On the other, if this can be banned, what else might Amazon ban in the name of decency? Will they stop selling Harry Potter if the nutjobs who think it's the epitome of evil whine loud enough?
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
In the end, all we can do is hope that one day we'll see the developers on the street and just kick them in the nuts. The gamer feels better and we don't go to war with the censors.
By the way, I found the Wiki article. This game has already been in trouble. Also, the game is called "RapeLay". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RapeLay
I'm an attention whore. So visit my DevaintArt and feed my ego. Feed the whore. http://keaton2008.deviantart.com/
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
In the end, all we can do is hope that one day we'll see the developers on the street and just kick them in the nuts.
Not happening. The game was intended to be used in Japan only and not downladed in other countries via Torrent. In Japan they have many tolerance with this kind of games-anime-manga-porn movies. So they are basically covered with this kind of BS.
In Japan, sadism as part of their sex culture is very normal. They represent it in many forms and is protected by the laws as freedom of speech if they play by the rules (they still have to mosaic genitals or not use real minors on their porn movies).
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
That part of their law doesn't make sense to me... they can depict graphic sexual violence... But they have to censor any genitals.
I was told by woman who did a lot of traveling, their customs agents seem to forbid any, eh... adult toys, that resemble their flesh and blood counter parts.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Very odd indeed, the mind boggles at the inconsistency O.o
------------------------------------
I am a signature virus, please copy and paste me into your signature to help me propagate.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Cultural differences aside, they still deserve a balls-kick in my book. But that's just me.
I'm an attention whore. So visit my DevaintArt and feed my ego. Feed the whore. http://keaton2008.deviantart.com/
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
And only you, it seems. Yes, let's inflict violence upon those who are different because you don't think the same way. Can we send you after JT?
"There is no sin except stupidity." - Oscar Wilde
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
"In the end, all we can do is hope that one day we'll see the developers on the street and just kick them in the nuts."
I find it interesting that your moral code condemns ficticious violence (rape in a video game) yet condones real-life violence.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
What do you want from me? I despise rape; especially in the graphic way that this game depicts it in. For me, nutshots are on a completely different plane from rape.
I'm an attention whore. So visit my DevaintArt and feed my ego. Feed the whore. http://keaton2008.deviantart.com/
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
"For me, nutshots are on a completely different plane from rape."
Sure but we're not talking about real rape here, we're talking about a graphical representation of it. No one is actually being raped. No one is actually being hurt.
Kicking someone in the nuts would truly damage someone. Do you really believe that the guys who wrote a program that allows you to organize a bunch of illustrations in an order that illustrates rape deserve to be physically kicked in the balls?
Andrew Eisen
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Do you really believe that the guys who wrote a program that allows you to organize a bunch of illustration in an order that illustrates rape deserve to be physically kicked in the balls?
You want my god-honest opinion? YES.
I'll concede that it's a cultural difference and i'm speaking from a Western perspective. I'll concede that it's 'just a game'. But that doesn't undermine my disgust that this trash exists.
I'm an attention whore. So visit my DevaintArt and feed my ego. Feed the whore. http://keaton2008.deviantart.com/
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
I appreciate your honesty and I truly respect your feelings and opinion.
Just please don't kick anyone in the balls...
Andrew Eisen
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Very well. Their balls may live.
I'm an attention whore. So visit my DevaintArt and feed my ego. Feed the whore. http://keaton2008.deviantart.com/
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
What, you were seriously going to Falcon Kick someone?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Game on, brothers and sisters." -Leet Gamer Jargon
"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
And now we know how the pregnancies were terminated... >_>
Bet you didn't know Captain Falcon had a medical degree!
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
No, I didn't.
I did know that he has been caricatured as an expert in abortions, but a full M.D.? Not at all.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Game on, brothers and sisters." -Leet Gamer Jargon
"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
It's a smart business decision not to piss off your customers. Although, in Amazon's case this is somewhat surprising because they continue to sell dog fighting videos and books on how to train dogs for the purpose of dog fighting after having this pointed out by animal rights groups. Based on that and other previous decisions, I would have thought that they would have just kept on doing what they were doing.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
Well, by that example, it can just take someone with some political power to remove those videos and they don't even need to be an animal lover to do so, Amazon probably shot their foot with this move since "offensive" content can be removed... note the term: offensive. What if some housemother finds porn on Amazon and demands it removed because she finds it offensive? Amazon may have to cave in and remove that too...
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
i seen the game actually and its pretty sickening tbh. moreover than most h-anime these days.
but forced abortions? can't say i've ever heard of that feature.
the basic premise is though that your some guy who's out to get revenge on a girl who called him out and put him to shame on a train, so you stalk and rape she and her family, then turn them to sex slaves. after the intitial "rape" its pretty much sex slaving where they willingly submit. (still considered rape of course, but its consented rape at that point on.)
theres no forced abortion though unless i missed something.
thats just sickening, and an even more sickening accusation to make by anyone.
but then again, Mass Effect has customizable sodomy, doesn't it?
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
I found a user review for this game. I'm disgusted. The only reason i'm not going into detail is because i'm afraid to. Some users pointed out 'people' may be reading. I won't even give these designers the courtesy of a "fuck you". They didn't even make shit like this up until this game. They know better than that i'm sure.
As for the forced abortions, the review was a little mum on it. However, it did say you can impregnant them but it didn't say how you 'abort' the babies. I'm not even going to imagine it.
EDIT: Oh wait, someone did. Yay for trains.
I'm an attention whore. So visit my DevaintArt and feed my ego. Feed the whore. http://keaton2008.deviantart.com/
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
Yup. It's fairly depraved. I'll point out that somethingawful.com ((Wont give a direct link to it since it's most probably not safe for work places.)) has a great 'review' of the game too. It's maybe two years ago? But they sum it pretty well by describing the graphics of the game, particular the tears that stream down the youngest daughters face...
I sincerely try not to judge, and I don't blame people for playing this type of game... But I'd like to think there's karmic slap in the face of one or two of the devs.
Eh, the more you know, right?
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
I saw the same picture at somthingawfull, plus honest gamers review where the quoted one of the girls in the game saying "Sniff... sniff... I w-w-want to die...". Mabye its that I'm female, and really maternal, but both the screenshot, and quote made me burst into tears. Granted theres that little part of me that is curiouse about how the game works, but its being throttled by the part of me that wanted so badly to run over to that digital girl, and give her a big hug so she would stop crying.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
Yikes... That's... a little screwed up. In my mind anyway. <.<
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
Granted theres that little part of me that is curiouse about how the game works, but its being throttled by the part of me that wanted so badly to run over to that digital girl, and give her a big hug so she would stop crying.
you're not the only one
岩「…Where do masochists go when they die?」
岩「…I can see why Hasselbeck's worried about fake guns killing fake people. afterall, she's a fake journalist on a fake news channel」
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
The bit about 'forced abortions' is if the player chooses to have vaginal intercourse with one of the three women during, my best translation from the game, "danger time" which is represented by the woman's icon having either their eyes closed, or blushing. I don't remember which.
If the player decided to do that, there is a chance the woman will become pregnant. Shortly before the woman would start 'showing' the game features some type of pop-up menu which the player can choose to have her carry on with the pregnacy, or have them abort. However if the player forces them to have the child and he has not 'broken' the will of all three women, the game ends with him getting shoved infront of an oncoming train.
However if all the women are 'broken', which appears to be the only 'gameplay objective', and the player decides to allow them to keep the child it serves only as means for the player to satisfy a fetish for pregnant women...
Other than a 'win', by breaking the will of all three, the only other game ending I think it mentioned was the eldest daughter pulling a knife on the player character and removing a particular male organ.
I came across a wiki on this game a year or so ago.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
never saw nore heard of that before, but now i know.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political ...
Yeah.. I've been noticing over the last few years that concervative blogs and papers have "T"ruth, and thus they don't need to bother with truth.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Good. I like my hentai without rape anyway.
I'm sorry, but I don't get why someone would make such a thing. Guess there's a market for everything.
But this comment is more personal. I'm reading these comments and people are noting the whole "Amazon sells porn" thing, and how this would make them look hypocritical. Also, since they sell hentai DVD that have sequences of rape an' shit of the sort, I think it's the whole "game" aspect that makes it a bad thing... and that is fine with me, because this is where I draw the line.
It's one to thing to watch rape sequences, it's another to orchestrate them. You just don't make a rape simulator! This isn't the 'art', 'political', 'gritty', or other kind of game that we should be defending. Maybe i'm missing the point here but i'm GLAD this game was taken off- whether or not if it was to save face. If anything, this is the kind of game you'll petition to discontinue, by a remaining copy, and then sell it to a museum of video games as an example of bad taste.
I'm an attention whore. So visit my DevaintArt and feed my ego. Feed the whore. http://keaton2008.deviantart.com/
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
What'd the difference between the rape scenes that are already drawn in an animation and the rape scenes that are called dynamically, by an in-game function?
Rape scenes in H-movies can also be done on the spot- it's called "press rewind, pause, play."
GameSnooper
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
"It's one to thing to watch rape sequences, it's another to orchestrate them."
It's a game. It's not real.
"You just don't make a rape simulator! This isn't the 'art', 'political', 'gritty', or other kind of game that we should be defending."
This is exactly what we should be defending. Developers have a right to make such games. Gamers have a right to play such games. Gamers also have the right to not play such games.
You may not like it. You may find it deplorable and disgusting but you should still acknowledge and champion the rights of others to produce and consume this brand of entertainment.
"I think it's the whole "game" aspect that makes it a bad thing... and that is fine with me, because this is where I draw the line."
What exactly do you mean by a "bad" thing? Also, it's fine if rape in games is where you personally draw the line as long as you don't try to draw that line for anyone else (except for your kids of course).
Andrew Eisen
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Totally agree Andrew.
Its like for months gamers have been saying ' We have a right to play GTA and other violent games, if you dont like it then you have the choice not to buy it, but dont restrict it from us. We should have access to any content we like as long as its not harming anyone, its freedom of speech'
Yet when something like this comes along its:
' yeah I dont like this game's content, so I think that it should be banned from everyone'.
Just completely 9001% hypocritical.
Do i want to play this game? No. Do i find this game's content disgusting? yes. Do i have a choice as to wether i purchase and play this game (or dont purchase and play this game)? yes. Is that the way things should be? yes.
If i say that i want this game banned because I think its objectionable.. then what right do i have to EVER complain about somebody trying to ban violent video games? Either games should be protected, or they should not. Its wrong to pick and choose what should be protected based on subjective reasoning.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in, I agree completely with you and AE on this. The content may not be to my taste but I'm not going to support a ban of it as the "right thing" to do. Abosolute hipocracy to want to support free speech in game content and then agree this game needs to be supressed.
Lets be honest, rape in a game, mass murder in a game, which one is morally worse? who is going to try and convince me that being rewarded for killing large amounts of people is somehow OK but rape is OMG wrong ban! I mean I loved FO3, i personally didn't tire of watching VATS in slo-mo vaporizing raiders with my plasma rifle or shooting heads off with the combat shotgun, especially those damn slavers, i dislike slavery so I killed all those bastards :P and i get to loot their corpses for caps and new gear. But man make a game with rape and that things needs to be banned!!!!
In one game, people DIE, the other, rape, but they are all really just games, and no one actually got hurt. Somewhere a bit went from 1 to 0, thats it, end of story.
------------------------------------
I am a signature virus, please copy and paste me into your signature to help me propagate.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
In regards to the first comment, your retort just made me twitch. I don't care if it's "just a game", and it hurts me to be told that. For a second, I felt like one of those know-nothing watchdogs being talked down to by a smartass gamer whose smart-talking and insults are not helping.
Second comment, this is true, sadly. These rights can bring in genius but it also brings in filth. Filth that makes developers on a whole look bad, whether or not if they make GTA or Lego Star Wars. And the people who play them criminalizes those who don't even touch them. BUT you are right.
Lastly, I meant that games, as much as we like to think, are still not globally being accepted as art or a serious form of media. As of today, it's still a kids toy in the eyes of the older generations. We know better, but they hold the controls. This is the kind of game that the Jack Thompsons of the world want to be made. It provides a scare tactic and can be spun that we don't give a shit about what's put out and want to destroy youth and western civilation.
I'm an attention whore. So visit my---- bah screw it. I'm already being pummled.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
''Lastly, I meant that games, as much as we like to think, are still not globally being accepted as art or a serious form of media.''
The first thing i thought of when you brought up art was this... Isnt exploring the contraversial actually a GOOD thing for games to be accepted as art?
I mean its not like traditional 'art' wether that be paintings or sculptures or whatever is completely 100% non contraversial. In face some of the most famous art of the past decade HAS been contraversial. Was it damien hurst (apologies if thats spelt wrong) who achieved fame through his 'art' of dead people and animals sliced and put in jars?
Does everyone like his art? no... Is that acceptable? yes. Often people forget that art actually isnt always about making you feel good things.. its often just about making a person feel a wide range of things, some good (happiness) some bad (disgust, horror). The fact that it can evoke such a strong negative emotion is often sometimes the main purpose of the art... To evoke feeling.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
But isn't that issue with any form of entertainment? As you mention, the producers of this rape game are going to be lumped in with the whole industry and will be pointed at by its critics as a "See! Look at the depravity these people are capable of!"
Literature has the Maquis de Sade's writings as well as other works that I would classify as downright frightening and tasteless. I'm sure others can point to various movies and other forms of art that can fall into such a niche catagory.
But getting back to the topic at hand, I have to agree that it is a slippery slope. It's either all okay or not. I know posters have quoted Neil Gaiman and Frank Zappa but the inspirational speech that came to my mind is Kyle in the South Park episodes "Cartoon Wars." Granted he talks about comedy but I think the belief is analogus here. You have to defend the infantismal bad with the much great good or it all comes crumbling down together.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
I apologize about the first comment. Yes, it comes off as curt and even condescending but I believe it truly is as simple as "It's a game. It's not real."
Andrew Eisen
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Well, Neil Gaiman put it best: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/12/why-...cky-speech.html
"The Law is a blunt instrument. It's not a scalpel. It's a club. If there is something you consider indefensible, and there is something you consider defensible, and the same laws can take them both out, you are going to find yourself defending the indefensible."
To support video games, you need to support all games, otherwise, they can start banning the stuff you like.
Edit: And got ninjaed by the person above me, bravo.
Re: Amazon Pulls Rape Game Following News Report, Political
Or I can do what is right and object to games that cater to some very sick, sick individuals. I can oppose some games and still support video gaming in general. If they pull the stuff I like, I'd just go to another store.
Hey, do you support books? If so, you should support the Bible. If you don't support all books, including the Bible, they might just start banning the stuff you like.