The use of term "rape" in everyday gaming slang

[Space Voyager]

An interesting topic was opened at Kerberos forums. Mecron posted his thoughts on the use of term "rape" in modern gaming slang.

 

I agree with his appeal not to use it.

 

I may be responsible for an occasional use of the term in the past myself, which I am sorry for. I am convinced that the more casually a word is used by this many people, the more relaxed these people are when they hear about actual rape. It starts sounding... normal. And it is far from normal. I can envision a youngster hearing about rape in the news and thinking in the lines of "I too got raped by this dude in WoW...".

 

Being a father of two young girls definitely makes me more edgy about these things and I admit my bias. I'm also not going to make a big deal out of this or try to correct people every time anybody uses it. Just food for thought.

[silencer_pl]

Anal Rapage

 

 

 

 

Sorry - this come to my mind when I hear rape in gaming vocabulary. Normally I've stuck in the era of word PWND!

[FullAuto]

I have used it, but it's never really sat right with me. I think it can be used somewhat accurately, but that doesn't change the fact it's at best grossly insensitive and usually outright cruel. Rape, domestic violence and sexual assault statistics have been well known to me since my early teens, when my interest in crime started, and they're so horrific that I just seem to blank them out periodically. I can't seem to operate with such knowledge in my head. They're so appallingly common it defies belief.

 

Who's committing these rapes and sexual assaults and beatings? It's overwhelmingly men, and it's so widespread it's inevitable that you know some of them. On the flipside, it's inevitable that you know victims of such crimes, which are overwhelmingly women. A lot of this happens because it's...not accepted, but permitted to happen. No-one says anything against it. There's a certain atmosphere. We all have a good laugh at the sexist jokes and stereotypes, and it builds up from there. This atmosphere is especially virulent online. Sexism in the games industry has come to the fore of late, sites like Feminist Frequency have brought the nutters out in force just by existing. Even The Oatmeal, usually a very funny and (I would have said) non-sexist site has got on the wrong side of rape jokes (even assuming there is a right side).

 

Like silencer, I'm still happy with older stuff like "Owned!" and I shall stick to it in future. I cannot imagine what it's like to have daughters and look at some of the repellent thing people sick up online about women, but I do respect, admire and love many women and the thought of any of them being hurt alternately upsets and infuriates me.

[Bomb Bloke]

It strikes me that the use of the term is probably more appealing to youngsters. It's basically a way of showing disrespect, and lots of it; the specifics of that disrespect don't really matter so much as the general idea telling the other guy he sucks does.

 

That is to say, a gamer who avoids the term is probably also gonna finish up a round with a "gg" rather then a "you got pwnzored!". As for gamers who would use the term "rape" in gaming, more'd be achieved by getting them to be polite and respect other people rather then avoiding any particular words. The terminology isn't the root of the problem there.

 

Also, I know I don't get out much, but it seems to me that most instances of rape humour involve a male victim and possible mention of soap. It strikes me that to many (including, I guess, myself), such elements make it more acceptable, hence why there's a lot more of that style about.

 

For example, I find myself wondering if anyone would've complained about that Oatmeal comic if the poor little button had been bending over and holding a bar... it seemed funny to me (Get it? He pokes it in a repetitive manner? Hur hur hur), but then, I see the "victim" as genderless. Likewise, Silencer's video probably wouldn't've gotten anywhere near as many likes if not for the use of the term "anal".

[Space Voyager]

I see the vid Silencer posted more as a satire on wot players and their use of phrases like anal rape. Am known to be frequently wrong though.

[Pete]

The problem with satire is that such a large portion of idiots don't get it. Or sarcasm.

 

You can see all too often when something is said in a very sarcastic tone that people agree with it on the internet purely because you cannot hear that tone.

 

This topic immediately reminded me of this picture that's in a thread on the forums and on the fan art page in the X-COM section on the site so... what do we think of that? Take it down or leave it? The description is 100% accurate, it's not misusing the word I don't think as that's what actually happens with a Chrysalid - it's sure as hell not consensual (although there is the text-speak mis-spelling of the word) but it is intended as humour and I dare say it did cause a flicker of amusement to me and many others first time we saw it, so where do you actually draw the line?

 

It's an obvious play on the dropping a bar of soap in prison humour which gets bandied about quite a bit and I don't think that's as offensive as the real world act, but probably because it's so widely mentioned in terms of humour (albeit in bad taste).

 

https://www.strategycore.co.uk/site/assets/files/1265/pick_up_that_soap_by_ironshrinemaiden.jpg

[Space Voyager]

I wouldn't want to mix humour into this debate. Humour should stay as is, there are jokes on Jews and nazis and rape and so forth... IMO the problem lies in the misuse of term rape, its casual use as a "threat" or description of otherwise normal (gaming) happening as rape. Which "casualizes" the actual rape.

[Pete]

Fair point SV, though I don't think those sorts of jokes are humorous but that's down to the individual.