Yahoo News Outcry over PC game where people play ‘serial killer rapist’ and baby is killed on screen
A PC game which casts the player as a ‘menacing serial killer rapist’ has attracted outcry after it appeared on the Steam game store.
The game (which is under review by Valve, owners of the Steam store) is a ‘visual novel’ about events during a zombie apocalypse, and also features babies being killed on screen.
‘Verbally harass, kill, and rape women as you choose to progress the story,’ the game’s description reads, written by developer ‘Desk Plant’.
‘It’s a dangerous world with no laws. The zombies enjoy eating the flesh off warm humans and brutally raping them but you are the most dangerous rapist in town.’
Steam users have been calling for the game to be removed, but the game’s page remains live at time of writing.
Valve’s policies allow for the removal of games which are ‘trolling’ (ie which exist only to generate controversy) and which are illegal.
Platform curation is a huge problem, and it's only going to get more difficult with games like "Rape Day" coming to Steam. It's also a huge issue for me that games with LGBT content are treated basically the same as games like this. https://t.co/5eNzch9KpX
— brandon sheffield (@necrosofty) March 4, 2019
Last year, the company banned a game called ‘Active Shooter’ where players could take the role of a school shooter.
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Some users have suggested that a scene involving a baby dying on screen may be illegal in some territories.
Its developer says that the review porocess for the game is ‘taking longer than expected’.
He wrote in a blog post, ‘I learned that because the game contains sexual content and content that may be illegal in some countries, the review process will take much longer than expected. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a more specific time estimate for you guys.
Tracy King, games culture expert at Custom PC, says, ‘As we saw with the recent ‘Momo’ controversy, there is a tendency to panic about potential harms from digital culture like videogames or YouTube. The resulting hype can make the situation worse, and even end up promoting the game far beyond the reach it would have if we just left it alone.
‘In the case of ‘Rape Day’, the game (or the hoax, if it is one) is designed to provoke controversy. The developer is probably trying to be edgy and push the boundaries of what’s acceptable in society, much like film directors have done for decades.
‘Like heavy metal music and ‘videonasties’ in the 80s, there’s a fear that violent media will corrupt young people, but there is no evidence to show videogames cause violence. Parents should be aware that games have age ratings just like films, and monitor what their kids are playing to ensure it’s age appropriate.’
‘This is not the first rape simulation game, and it won’t be the last. In a society in which one in five women have been sexually assaulted, it’s a shame that anyone would want to make such a game, but perhaps we can use the resulting backlash to forward the debate about rape culture and raise awareness for victims and the charities which support them.’
