- caption
- A screenshot from the video game “Rape Day,” taken from Steam platform.
- source
- “Rape Day”/Desk Plant
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“Rape Day” is an upcoming indie video game about rape and
murder during a zombie apocalypse. -
The game is scheduled for an April release on Steam, the
most popular platform for PC gaming. “Rape Day” is under
review, but its Steam store preview page features images of
sexual violence. -
Steam sells thousands of games regardless of their
content, including sexually explicit games, as long as they
aren’t breaking the law. The company earns 30% of the revenue
for each sale in the Steam store. - Many are calling for the game to be removed from the store
for glorifying rape, but the creator of “Rape Day” says the game
is within Steam’s rules and is not a danger to the public.
“‘Rape Day’ is a game where you can rape and murder during
a zombie apocalypse.” That’s the no-frills description of “Rape
Day,” a game scheduled for release next month on Steam, the most
popular storefront for PC video games, and the most commonly used
video game platform in the world.
As the name implies, “Rape Day” is centered on graphic
depictions of sexual violence. As a digital-only release, the
game has no official rating, but it would fall deep within the
realm of ESRB’s “Adult Only” rating. Like other games with
explicit sexual content, “Rape Day” is hidden from regular Steam
search results unless the user has allowed those sorts of games
to be shown.
Those without a Steam account cannot see the game at all,
but when logged in, a search of the word “rape” alone will show
that the game has been excluded from the results. Steam gives the
player an option to reveal unfiltered search results and preview
the game for themselves, if they’re of age. The preview page for
“Rape Day” shows 25 screenshots of the game, which include nude
women being sexually assaulted and held at gunpoint.
- caption
- “Rape Day” is a visual-novel game with still images and story choices but no animation or voice acting.
- source
- “Rape Day”/Desk Plant
Members of the press and the larger video-game community
have only recently become aware of “Rape Day,” but the game has
been live on Steam for weeks and is scheduled for an April
release. In the past, Steam’s policy has been to allow games as
long as they work properly and don’t break the law.
A game called “Active Shooter” stirred controversy after
the Parkland shooting last summer for its depiction of a school
shooting. Steam eventually pulled the
game before it was released, but also put out a statement
saying that games that were viewed as problematic would be
reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they
violate international law.
“We’ve decided that the right approach is to allow
everything onto the Steam store, except for things that we decide
are illegal, or straight up trolling,” a company statement read last
June.
- caption
- The creator of “Rape Day” says the game will have more than 500 images, 7,000 words of story and “evil choices.”
- source
- “Rape Day”/Desk Plant
With “Rape Day,” Steam is facing a new wave of criticism
for profiting off a game that glorifies rape and sexual assault.
While the game hasn’t been officially priced, Steam takes 30% of
all sales made on the platform. The game is under review for its
content, but is still available for preview and can be added to a
user’s wish list.
“Rape Day” is a visual-novel game, meaning players choose
from options in a prewritten story to progress through the game.
“Rape Day” isn’t animated either; each scene is told with a
sequence of still images, with written dialogue and story
choices. The game is more like a choose-your-own-adventure book
with multiple paths, compared with a traditional video game in
which a player controls their character.
Steam sells dozens of visual-novel games with a variety of
sexually explicit content. The genre was popularized by Japanese
developers who used the style to weave layered stories on top of
basic dating simulator games. While some visual novels choose to
emphasize the visual rather than the story, the genre has
produced plenty of engaging games.
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- Japanese developers popularized the visual novel with dating simulators and mystery games.
- source
- “CHAOS;CHILD”/Spike Chunsoft
Indie developers can use the visual-novel format to create
compelling mystery or romance games without spending a ton of
extra time and money on animation and voice acting. Others
developers who are more interested in capitalizing on players’
basic desires for raunchy content will use visual novels as a
cheap vehicle for selling pornographic images with fictional
characters.
On the preview page, the game’s creator, who goes by the
handle “Desk Plant,” promises more than 500 images in total, more
than 7,000 words of written story, and “evil choices.” While
there are different story paths, Desk Plant says the game should
take about an hour to complete. The project has been in
development for two years.
On the site, Desk Plant describes “Rape Day” as a
dark comedy and power fantasy. The creator compared the “Rape
Day” to best-selling games like “Grand Theft Auto” and “Hitman”
that glorify violence, stating that most people would not be
influenced by its depictions of sexual assault. The “Rape Day”
site includes a page linking to multiple studies that deny a link
between video-game violence and real-life crimes.
“Most people can separate fiction from reality pretty well,
and those that can’t shouldn’t be playing video games,” Desk
Plant wrote. “The point of games is to do things, or experience
things that you can’t or shouldn’t in reality. If games and
movies were just like real life, they would be pretty
boring.”
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- Steam pulled the game “Active Shooter” ahead of its release last year in response to controversy.
- source
- Revived Games / Acid
Desk Plant said that “Rape Day” followed all of Steam’s
policies and he disclosed the game’s offensive content before it
was publicly listed in the store. The creator understands that
Steam has the right to ban the game if it chooses, and will look
for other ways to sell and distribute the game if that happens.
If Steam bans Desk Plant from publishing other games in the
future, the creator plans to start a new platform for
pornographic video games.
“If both my game is banned and I am banned, then I will ensure
that a content platform for all kinds of legal, quality porn
games exist.” Desk Plant wrote on the “Rape Day” site. “I will
ensure that it provides the stable foundation for the porn gaming
industry to grow and flourish to be the billion dollar industry
that basic biology would have it be.”
“Rape Day” puts Steam in a compromising position; the game
unapologetically glorifies rape, and has little to offer in terms
of actual gameplay. Even if Steam isn’t promoting the game, it
would profit from every sale. While Steam has been reluctant to
restrict content on the grounds of free speech, there’s not much
moral wiggle room left in this situation.
More than 2,000 players are discussing “Rape Day” on the
game’s Steam Community Hub, with clashing opinions on censorship,
free speech, and the overall legitimacy of the game. We’ve
reached out to Steam for further comment on the status of “Rape
Day.”
