While we often make light of reactions to RapeLay from the media and politicians, the recent reemergence of the game into the spotlight has caused a 14-year old victim of sexual assault to come out and publicly denounce the title.
Well-meaning teen Elena Lyons contacted Charleston, South Carolina’s News 2 in order to voice her concerns over the game, saying, “This game is wrong. It needs to be stopped. No game like this should ever be put out there. Rape is not a joke. People seem to think that it is. They don’t take it seriously, but rape isn’t a joke. It is very hurtful.”
Lyons, who says she was sexually assaulted by a non-family member at age eight, has started an online petition against the game and is organizing a walk that she hopes will stop the game.
Unfortunately, short of destroying all the tubes that comprise the Internet, there’s not much that can be done about the availability of RapeLay, perhaps someone should have told Lyons that.
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RapeLay Coverage Hits Home for Teen Girl
April 23, 2010 -
Posted in
Shout box
Monte: trolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm
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Monte: Papa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm
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Papa Midnight: Monte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm
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Avalongod: I think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm
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Avalongod: @Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm
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Wonderkarp: Zippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm
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Monte: Seirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm
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Monte: We have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm
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ZippyDSMlee: Wonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm
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MaskedPixelante: http://store.steampowered.com/app/327940/ Night Dive starts charging for freeware.10/18/2014 - 12:21pm
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Matthew Wilson: the sad thing is there are trolls on both sides of this. people need to stop acting like their side is so pure.10/18/2014 - 12:19pm
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MechaTama31: So, only speak out on a scandal that hasn't attracted trolls? I wouldn't hold my breath...10/18/2014 - 10:49am
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Monte: I feel like GG just needs to die. The movement is FAR to tainted by hatred and BS for it to be useful for any conversation. Let GG die, and then rally behind the NEXT gaming journalism scandal, and start the conversation fresh.10/18/2014 - 10:33am
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quiknkold: and we dont have a Dovakin to call a cease fire10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
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quiknkold: The whole thing is Futile. Both sides are so buried deep in their trenchs that there isnt a conversation. Its just Finger Pointing, Name Calling, Doxxing, Threats. there needs to be a serious conversation, and GG isnt it.10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
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quiknkold: I thought it was a good article. Jeff is right. I feel like GamerGate did destroy its message. I am for Ethics in game journalism, but man. so much hate. and its on both sides. I've seen some awful stuff spewed on twitter. Its a big reason why I exited..10/17/2014 - 7:34pm
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Matthew Wilson: while he focused on gg, he did call out both sides crap.10/17/2014 - 7:18pm
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Papa Midnight: That was a damn good read offered by Jeff Gertsmann.10/17/2014 - 7:17pm
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Matthew Wilson: http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/letter-from-the-editor-10-17-2014/1100-5049/ deferentially a nice write up.10/17/2014 - 6:44pm
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james_fudge: I think Evan killed it. He's a great guy and super smart.10/17/2014 - 6:38pm
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Comments
Re: RapeLay Coverage Hits Home for Teen Girl
Since the chances of her attackers having played a game like this are so remote even a bloodhound couldn't find it, blaming the game is indeed silly, since most games of that nature are NEVER released in the states.
Re: RapeLay Coverage Hits Home for Teen Girl
That one is a victim is never an excuse to try to hurt others.
Looks like this girl has found a socially acceptable way to do the 'abuse victim becomes an abuser' pattern.
Re: RapeLay Coverage Hits Home for Teen Girl
Preventing people from playing a game is hardly comparable to being raped. Gamers aren't being "raped" over a "ban" for this game.
I don't consider this revenge either, she is trying to stop the promotion of rape. I see similar well-meaning campaigns all the time in the UK. Family members of a murder victim look for a cause for the murder and start campaigns to prevent the causes, thus trying to prevent further murder and many other examples. I've seen attempts to ban games (the Manhunt fiasco), car speeding, pornography, etc. They are all well-meaning campaigns that are not based on revenge but on further prevention.
Regardless this game was never available in the US (or anywhere else outside of Japan), one seller on Amazon had it, but that was all. The game is self censored due to its availability, I pretty much consider the game banned in all but name.
Re: RapeLay Coverage Hits Home for Teen Girl
Family members of a murder victim look for a cause for the murder and start campaigns to prevent the causes, thus trying to prevent further murder and many other examples. I've seen attempts to ban games (the Manhunt fiasco), car speeding, pornography, etc. They are all well-meaning campaigns that are not based on revenge but on further prevention.
Then, with all due respect to the families of the victims, they are wasting their time and strength wanting to ban porn or games as cause of crimes. It won´t work ever, even if they succeded.
Blaming a work of fiction or a product for a real life tragedy is irresponsable and delusional and that doesn´t get justice for nobody.
People have to understand that to prevent crime or tragedies they have to take the problems directly. But as always, is always more easy (and profitable) to shift the blame to an inanimated object.
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