Problems with Defiler of Women

It's not entirely about morals.

I've stated that it is acceptable. As long as it is a part of a coherent universe and premiss. There's a reason why some things are not usually approached in games (but are in literature for example). It is not entertaining. While in a novel or movie it might be a strong emotional symbol that helps the story to unfold, it's not in a game like ToEE.

It is not just bad taste. It is bad writing.


There are a ton of games out there that could fit hard, taboo like subjects (not just rape) into their stories and make it entertaining.

In the specific case of ToEE. It just falls out of place and shows lack of taste and common sense.

I have nothing against game violence, gore and shock. I like it. But this specific case is just silly. Hence my original comment that it becomes tragically funny. Troika developers could have done without it and the game would be just as great. (apparently they did not put it in vanilla, but that's beside the point. It was on the original programming).

 

Yeah Gaear, certainly my view is subjective on the point I make about rape not being a suitable subject for a fantasy RPG like ToEE to approach.

I still think there's no reason to poke the bear that hard (not just inserting the subject, but making it so that a character has to "defile" multiple women in order to get a "prize" in the form of an achievement) in a game like this. I still think they overeached in that one.

Something like this would be much more at home in Vampire Bloodlines than in ToEE. Or if we are sticking to medieval... Skyrim is actually one game that i think it could USE some more polemic themes on its quests (even more than becoming a cannibal! Those are the best quests in skyrim IMO)

It seems like they wanted to add some sort of complex moral choice but to me, and I realize that it might be just me, it feels poorly placed and that's why it's in bad taste.


Coincidently, I'm reinstalling Vampire bloodlines with a ton of mods because I just love that buggy game.

 

I'm probably going off tangent here

Wasn't there rape in Fallout 2, and IIRC there was this perk in that game that they reward you for having sex a certain time.

Granted those sex aren't rape in itself, but still... I believe that Fallout is a bit sandboxy in the similar vein as ToEE. Granted that Fallout isn't as rushed as ToEE.

I think the idea itself was probably meant to be done in more detail, but due to ToEE rushed status much of it is probably unrealized. It's mostly optional so it doesn't really bother me much personally

 

I have read that according to one study "approximately 33 percent of men said that if they could get away with date rape without any negative consequences that they would do it."

Of course, that suggests a horribly worded question. If there are truly NO negative consequences than we are basically just left with sex (actually better than sex: because there is no threat of pregnancy or STDs). And sex is fun, so it is not really all that appalling that 33 percent of men like sex.

BUT, such results still might lead one to believe that the option of raping women in a video game (where it is not unreasonable to think there would be no negative consequences) would be considered acceptable to a substantial portion of (male) gamers.

 

If we are talking about video games there's another issue.

Even if the majority of gamers playing ToEE are male. What are women gamers supposed to do? Just accept it?

Is it very gender biased, this theme in a video game. Different from pure violence. It cannot simply be put in the same basket as other types of video game violence like it has been suggested in this thread.

Even if "it is not as bad" as some other themes frequently present in games, it produces stronger reactions and it generates heavily different responses in women and men.

Video game violence cannot be generalized. That's oversimplification.

 

Defiler of women is a negative reputation and the good people will act accordingly.

Myself, I'm yet to experience this rep, but then I don't enjoy playing evil.

 

That is a good point...there should be a "defiler of men" rep to balance things out. I never considered that. lol