The+Reality+of+a+Fantasy+World+-+'Rape+Culture'+in+Gaming


 * By Roxanne Hindson**
 * n8875201**
 * Tutor: Steven Badman**

Within this chaotic world of social constructs and the popular themes which arise with it, there derives the wonderful world of gaming and the social concepts which stem from it. The video [|“Do Kids Trivialize the Word ‘Rape’?”] includes a short discussion surrounding the word “rape” and how it is used by young adults of a western society. The group members discuss whether or not the light use of the word as a descriptive term may impact on the real issue of rape itself; as though the overuse of the word within a positive context may reduce its severity within the eyes of young adults. A guest speaker gives the example of an online gaming experience where younger adults tend to use the word quite consistently as a way to describe a variation of the words ‘defeat’ or ‘domination’ when triumphing over the enemy.

This artefact clearly represents the socially constructed ‘rape culture’ we all live within. Although there are many contexts which house rape culture, gaming has been seen as quite a large contributor to the trivialization of rape and its definition. As technology grows and allows for a wider audience to interact, online and console gaming become very much a part of popular culture. Current social theory and research may demonstrate gaming as a contributor to rape culture and its possible impact on younger generations; such as their understanding or lack thereof that rape is bad. Certain policies or programs need to be put in place to ensure younger generations understand the definitions of rape within the real world and rape within the fantasy world.

 The presence of a rape culture within our social world has been known for some time. ‘Rape culture’ refers to an environment or society which is prevalent with the issue of rape, where violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Generally, rape culture is maintained through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies as well as the glamorization of sexual violence (Marshall University, 2013). Within the context of gaming, rape culture is maintained by players using the word “raping” as a describing word for "defeating" enemy players. An example of this includes a video made by an esteemed ‘Call of Duty: Black Opps’ player, who aims to teach others [|how to create a “rape train”] while battling zombies. Within the video he gathers all the zombies in one area and forces them to form a straight line as they chase him. Once he has collected a substantial amount, he turns around and “rapes” them with his powerful automatic weapon. In other words, due to his ability to tactically gather all the zombies, he is able to kill them all off at once; demonstrating the act of a “rape train” (datZOMBIEguy, 2011). Within this example, the word ‘rape’ is used to demonstrate domination, defeat and skilful triumph. Popular culture with relation to gaming would see skills like this as quite impressive, often rewarding it with higher levels and praise by other players. But does the positive influence placed on the word "rape" by the young adults who choose to use it within gaming have a significant impact on the attitudes toward traditional rape itself?

There have been several studies involved with understanding violence against women, and the attitudes which influence that violence. Studies show that among younger people, males generally show desensitized attitudes towards violence (sexual or general violence); in that they see it as less of an issue. The National Crime Prevention (2001) survey, across Australia, held that boys aged 12 to 14 show higher support for violence-supportive attitudes than older males; where other Australian studies show similar results. Another study completed in Melbourne showed that secondary school students had poorer attitudes towards rape victims and women, compared to university students (Flood & Fergus, 2008). There are said to be a range of factors contributing to these types of attitudes; such as the influence of pornography and television. Studies have shown that games which involve sexual violence, misogynist themes and objectification may also influence certain attitudes within young people (Flood & Pease, 2009). The fact that these methodologies are not clearly linked with the issue of rape culture in gaming represents a significant limitation; however, evidence such as this is still important to consider.

Due to recent incidents involving school shootings and related violence within America, an onslaught of research has been done on the effects of playing violent games such as ‘Call of Duty’. Despite this, researchers are yet to find a clear link between gaming and violence, as there are said to be many factors which can contribute; including feeling socially isolated, being bullied etc. Violent media is said by some researchers to be one of those factors. Other researchers, however, believe that it may not be the games but the players themselves. Where the relationship between violence and gaming may be due to the violent attitudes that young people already have, which attract them to these violent games (Carey, 2013).

Females who also participate in online gaming have become targets for those who feel they are better players – these players are often male. Evidence has shown that when their skill is threatened, male players tend to lash out at those female players online (O'Leary, 2012). Things such as “stupid slut”, “you’re too fat to play this game” and “why aren’t you in the kitchen?” are just a small portion of the type of threats and misogynistic language used to personally victimize females within gaming (WordPress, 2013). Renowned feminist Anita Sarkeesian is one of these examples. After her recent work as a researcher of the [|ways women are portrayed in the popular media], particularly within video games (Kickstarter, Inc., 2013), she received a vast [|onslaught of misogynistic threats against her cause]; including “meme” harassment, image manipulation and interactive assault harassment (Sarkeesian, 2012). This only seemed to prove just how serious of an issue this is for women, when trying to be critical of the “male-dominated” gaming industry.

While it is quite apparent that harassment (often sexual) does occur within online gaming, and that there is support for violent attitudes being created through the playing of violent games; it is still difficult to answer whether the evident ‘rape culture’ within games may create a positive attitude toward real-world rape. With significant support regarding the acceptance of violence against women in young boys, it is reasonable to suspect the possibility of an ill-informed young player being exposed to the word rape being used with a positive tone. This could cause him to mix up the real world and light-hearted fantasy definitions of the word and their respective seriousness. As sexual harassment toward females is already evident within online gaming, some often related to rape itself, there is a possibility that attitudes of acceptance can be displayed toward rape in real life contexts.

As change is constantly occurring, it is difficult to state the exact social movement and change that influences or is affected by this issue. However, it is clear enough that the social change which appears to have the most influence includes the women’s movement and the public recognition of rape culture as an existing factor. As gaming becomes a greater part of the social context which much of western society involves itself with, a certain social group or culture is formed; and within it stems its own unspoken rules and behaviors. Those who follow these rules create a social group of ‘gamers’. Although the definition of a gamer may vary, people who consider themselves as a part of this group carry some similar personal characteristics. Although many gamers conform to the current ‘rape culture’, those who may be negatively affected by this issue include the younger generations who enjoy feeling as though they can be accepted by this group, through adopting its rape culture.

When trying to understand this issue of rape culture within gaming, it is important to first understand those who maintain it and why they do so. Young generations constantly create and discard themes related to popular culture; such as mainstream language (ie. “that’s so gay” and “you’re a retard”) (The Young Turks, 2013), music, TV etc. It is almost always regarded as an attempt to ‘fit in’ with the crowd or feel accepted by peers. Gaming and online cultures appear to be quite similar in some regards. An example of one includes the act of [|‘trolling’]. It is known as when a person (the troll), often someone who tends to enjoy conflict, starts arguments or upsets others over the internet by posting rude or conflicting messages or other media directly related to their target (Campbell, 2001). Once a certain norm such as this is established, in this case the use of the word “rape” within the different context of gaming, abiding by it helps players to fit in and feel a part of the gaming culture. This is a crucial thing to understand as it may mean that the use of the word “rape” is simply a fad, and wont impact on their own attitudes towards the accepted definition.

Awareness of this issue is not only important because ‘rape’ is a serious concept, but also because there needs to be a line drawn between the understanding of rape as a vile act which cannot go unpunished and a word used to describe victory within a fictional world. Young adults need to understand that games do not depict real life, that fantasy is simply fantasy and norms which may present themselves within games are different to norms within the real social world. By educating the younger generations on the concept of rape, such as the use of emotional interventions within school and home programs, children can go into a game knowing that rape is still a serious issue as well as a describing word used to illustrate certain aspects of game-play. If young adults understood this difference they would be far less likely to relate the real context of rape with things such as peer acceptance and praise. It may not be the violence and sexual connotations themselves within games which negatively alter the way in which young adults trivialize certain acts, rather their lack of prior knowledge about the real life consequences of violence and sex before playing the games. This can result in negative societal outcomes. Society has been making progress with relation to popular culture having more and more people being critical of the themes involved within it (O'Leary, 2012), yet with relation to this public health issue more research needs to be completed in order to fully understand the mutual relationship between gaming and rape culture, and its impact.



Throughout the completion of this assessment piece, I have learnt a great deal about the scale of rape culture and its impact on society. I feel that rape culture is an important concept to understand and remain critical of when dealing with popular culture and other elements of society. By researching about sexual harassment online and coming across Anita Sarkeesian’s work, I have been helped to clear up a few conflicting thoughts in my mind about the way women are portrayed within video games. It frustrated me to think of the gaming industry as largely male-dominant and created to mainly suit fantasies of a male audience. Being an enthused gamer myself, it has definitely taken its toll on my enjoyment of gaming. Looking at her work, however, not only helped me realise I wasn’t the only person who thought this way, but that it is OK to indulge in fantasy and enjoy a made-up world. I was able to understand that I don’t wish for all games to censor women and their bodies, but being critical and well informed while still enjoying games is good enough, and much better than constant frustration.  There are many things within society that I often find myself irritated by, but doing this assessment showed me that nothing is as negative as it first seems; society is constantly changing for good. The best thing I can do is be critical of what is presented to me, yet pleased with the opportunities therefore provided.

1. DO ME... a favor: http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/DO+ME..+a+favour. 2. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/A+Picture+is+Worth+a+Thousand+Words =References =
 * Reflection: **

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> The Young Turks. (2013, April 13). //Do Kids Trivialize the Word "Rape?"// [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po1X2xgKpeY

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