Violent video games and real violence: there's a link but it's not so simple We cannot normalize gender violence or rape.”Ĭomments such as these acknowledge the difference between making a game from sexual violence that objectifies women and reinforces sexism, and other violent content commonly present in video games.
“Rape is one of the most serious problems in our society and it needs to stop. This ban elicited positive comments on the Steam website among gamers. After significant fact-finding and discussion, we think ‘Rape Day’ poses unknown costs and risks and therefore won’t be on Steam.” We then have to make a judgement call about any risk it puts to Valve, our developer partners, or our customers. “Much of our policy around what we distribute is, and must be, reactionary – we simply have to wait and see what comes to us via Steam Direct. Steam, owned by a US private company Valve, released a statement on their decision to not distribute Rape Day, saying: It is likely to have contributed to the decision to pull Rape Day from the gaming distribution service Steam Direct. The game went online on March 6, 2019, sparking a petition on, which garnered almost 8,000 signatures. Sexual violence has also led to national strategies to influence societal and individual attitudes, including engaging men in the process of changing gender norms and assumptions.Īnd we see this cultural shift reflected in the widespread public outrage against Rape Day. They used a collective voice to speak out against gendered violence, sharing their experiences of unacceptable masculine sexual domination, and continues to be empowering. The global #MeToo movement resulted in many victims of sexual harassment and violence coming forward. Video games like Rape Day contribute to rape culture, but it joins a raft of other cultural influences.īut we’re seeing a global, cultural shift. It is important, however, not to fall into the trap of assuming a definitive cause-effect relationship.
Violence towards women in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2 evokes toxic masculinityĪnd some studies found playing video games with sexually violent content was associated with rape myth acceptance: “she asked for it” and “no means yes”. Violent video games where sexual assault is the explicit goal should never be allowed. It is a well-established fact that most incidences of sexual assault remain undetected, whereas homicides are commonly uncovered and perpetrators brought to the attention of the authorities. Sexual violence is connected to a complex interplay of societal attitudes and inequality.įor too long, society’s reaction to sexual violence was to ignore the issue. But why do we consider depictions of rape in video games to cross the line, but not other forms of violence? ‘Rape Day’ sparked huge public outcry leading to the game being pulled from Steam.
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