There's a difference between slapstick ultraviolence, and slapstick ultraviolence that is almost rape. If the Boss says almost anything or smiles as he or she uses that weapon, it is going to look a lot like rape.
Dev Diary #3: Saints Row IV - The Wheels of the Spaceship Go Round and Round
- Thread starter T0MMY3688
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There's a difference between slapstick ultraviolence, and slapstick ultraviolence that is almost rape. If the Boss says almost anything or smiles as he or she uses that weapon, it is going to look a lot like rape.
Alien Anal Probes have been a thing for years, now it's a problem because you can choose whether you want to shove it up someone's ass and launch them like a firecracker?
Fukityfukfuk I think I might just have found something for my sig.... I'm trying really really hard right now to not fall out of my chair.
I'm sorry, but I consider this hypocrisy of some sort.
You're alright with simulated (slapstick) mass murder, but anal probing within a game that at least in part revolves around aliens is morally objectionable?
Oh and laughing while tossing a grenade in a crowd is fun of course, but when laughing whilst shoving a ridiculous metal shaft with a tongue up an ass is a serious no-no.
You don't find it fun? Sure, to each their own (I probably won't be using it either), but don't go morally superior with 'implied rape' in a game that promotes 'murder time, fun time' to begin with. It's a useless argument unless you object to the game as a whole because of the simulated violence.
That is the reason why i am going use rectifier as my melee weapon. It's funny seeing aliens got launched to the air
![[V] IdolNinja](/forum/data/avatars/m/0/62.jpg?1394026296){kind=avatar}
[V] IdolNinja
Volition Staff
A serious discussion in this thread regarding sex and violence and the weapon is fine. What's not okay is attacking other members for their views, or making rape jokes. One person has already been banned and had their post deleted. I would strongly suggest that everyone involved in this discussion start treating each other with respect, and not making making light of the issue at hand. Or else.
I just consider it a strange place to draw the line. Of course, you're entitled to draw your own personal lines wherever you see fit, but I don't find the 'rectifier' to be all that different in my own mind from the gratuitous and senseless violence, or the idea of simple nudity in a game. I often find myself wondering why we, meaning North America primarily but also most of the western world, as a culture find it acceptable for a video game to involve driving through crowds of innocent pedestrians, glorifying and perhaps even generally celebrating extreme violence, but nipples are bad? What?
Now, I'm not coming down on the violence. I find it wonderfully cathartic, perhaps because I find the line between fantasy and reality is very clearly drawn for me. When I was a kid (I'm 40 now), my parents never actually had to explain to me that Wile E. could survive fall off a high cliff because he was a cartoon; I just knew that pushing my sister off the roof (and damn, was I tempted sometimes...younger siblings, right?) would not work out like it did in the Loony Toons.
Obviously rape in the Real World is a horrible and heinous thing. So is murder. Slow sexual and physical torture leading to death has to be among the worst things I can imagine, and we must all be aware that human trafficking is a very real thing. Why do I bring this up? SR3, but I don't think I've ever read anyone being overly critical of much of the implied sexual violence going on in Safeword, at least before you rescue Zimos and take it over. There were plenty of women in cages there, but I guess it's okay since the Boss and the Saints freed them. Maybe. Is it ever clearly stated? Still, it was in there. Personally, I loved it, I got a kick out of the way Volition handled it and I laughed my way through the mission where Z 'sells' you in order to get the Boss in there.
The Reality of rape and Fantasy of rape aren't even the same thing (just google it, lots of real psychology articles out there on the subject of rape fantasies). I remember seeing Dr. Ruth Westheimer speak about rape fantasy many years ago, but I won't elaborate as it would really drag this already long post out and away from the core topic. I will simply offer this not 2 year old tweet from the ever amazing Dr. Ruth.
What I'm getting at here is that fantasy is fantasy. If it's not happening in reality, then it's not real, therefore it's only fantasy. No real anuses were probed with a real "rectifier" (at least, I sincerely hope not), so it's just really stupid, grimace, grit your teeth and laugh fun. Pixels, just pixels.
Censorship, as always, is a very slippery slope. I am adamantly opposed to it in all forms because of that very reason. Once you start to censor things, especially because it "might" offend "someone", it can become difficult to stop. Naturally, perception and reception are going to be important factors, and I don't mean to suggest that game developers (or movie makers, authors, artists, musicians...you get the picture) should just do whatever, heedless of the ramifications, but they shouldn't let these things hold them back out of fear, either. Sometimes taking a chance is what is needed for progress.
I really want to see this lifelong love of mine, video games, get to the point where it can be treated, and viewed, with the same maturity and breadth as movies and books. I never want to hear about a video game sex scene as a scandal again (Fox news and Mass Effect 3, for anyone who doesn't know). It boggles my mind that Volition 'has' to put those censor bars over the Bosses genitals, and I don't just mean for the women, the men too. When I'm playing a male Boss and he's running around buck ass naked I want to see his junk swinging in the breeze. Sort of. It's a principle thing.
Self-censorship is always the best option. By this I don't mean the creators, I mean the audience. If something offends you, don't view it. Turn off the television, put down the book, don't buy the game, or, as I believe the OP in question already concluded, just don't use the offending 'thing'. No matter what, just so long as there keeps being things out there for us to disagree on and debate with civility, I'll consider myself lucky (not to live in North Korea).
Now, I'm not coming down on the violence. I find it wonderfully cathartic, perhaps because I find the line between fantasy and reality is very clearly drawn for me. When I was a kid (I'm 40 now), my parents never actually had to explain to me that Wile E. could survive fall off a high cliff because he was a cartoon; I just knew that pushing my sister off the roof (and damn, was I tempted sometimes...younger siblings, right?) would not work out like it did in the Loony Toons.
Obviously rape in the Real World is a horrible and heinous thing. So is murder. Slow sexual and physical torture leading to death has to be among the worst things I can imagine, and we must all be aware that human trafficking is a very real thing. Why do I bring this up? SR3, but I don't think I've ever read anyone being overly critical of much of the implied sexual violence going on in Safeword, at least before you rescue Zimos and take it over. There were plenty of women in cages there, but I guess it's okay since the Boss and the Saints freed them. Maybe. Is it ever clearly stated? Still, it was in there. Personally, I loved it, I got a kick out of the way Volition handled it and I laughed my way through the mission where Z 'sells' you in order to get the Boss in there.
The Reality of rape and Fantasy of rape aren't even the same thing (just google it, lots of real psychology articles out there on the subject of rape fantasies). I remember seeing Dr. Ruth Westheimer speak about rape fantasy many years ago, but I won't elaborate as it would really drag this already long post out and away from the core topic. I will simply offer this not 2 year old tweet from the ever amazing Dr. Ruth.
What I'm getting at here is that fantasy is fantasy. If it's not happening in reality, then it's not real, therefore it's only fantasy. No real anuses were probed with a real "rectifier" (at least, I sincerely hope not), so it's just really stupid, grimace, grit your teeth and laugh fun. Pixels, just pixels.
Censorship, as always, is a very slippery slope. I am adamantly opposed to it in all forms because of that very reason. Once you start to censor things, especially because it "might" offend "someone", it can become difficult to stop. Naturally, perception and reception are going to be important factors, and I don't mean to suggest that game developers (or movie makers, authors, artists, musicians...you get the picture) should just do whatever, heedless of the ramifications, but they shouldn't let these things hold them back out of fear, either. Sometimes taking a chance is what is needed for progress.
I really want to see this lifelong love of mine, video games, get to the point where it can be treated, and viewed, with the same maturity and breadth as movies and books. I never want to hear about a video game sex scene as a scandal again (Fox news and Mass Effect 3, for anyone who doesn't know). It boggles my mind that Volition 'has' to put those censor bars over the Bosses genitals, and I don't just mean for the women, the men too. When I'm playing a male Boss and he's running around buck ass naked I want to see his junk swinging in the breeze. Sort of. It's a principle thing.
Self-censorship is always the best option. By this I don't mean the creators, I mean the audience. If something offends you, don't view it. Turn off the television, put down the book, don't buy the game, or, as I believe the OP in question already concluded, just don't use the offending 'thing'. No matter what, just so long as there keeps being things out there for us to disagree on and debate with civility, I'll consider myself lucky (not to live in North Korea).
If by any chance I got off as mocking, I do apologise, while reading my post back, perhaps I might have been a bit too...blunt.
(Before I start let me state something I hope is obvious: the following is all aimed at game-violence, nowhere do I aim to imply that because game-violence is okay with me that real life violence is as well)
But for me, I find it difficult to put any merit to moral objections if you take joy in something that falls in the same (general) category that in itself is already morally questionable (simulated violence).
How do you really justify condemning (simulated) rape, while you're able to take joy in activities that imply you more or less committing acts of mass murder, or since the theme of SRIV is anti-aliens: genocide since everything is pretty much aimed at completely destroying the alien race that invaded earth?
I'm not trying to say these views are petty in itself, if SRIV had any sense of seriousness behind it, I'd be more inclined to dislike such more 'intricate violence' because it'd be trying to make it look and feel real, but I also know that the violence I do enjoy is just a bad as the violence I do not. Just because something is presented with more/less humor, doesn't mean you partake in the very same activity any less (strictly talking about forms of game-violence).
I do not see any way to justify why my joy in tossing fart boms into a mob of people gassing them to death en masse (Yes I'm making that reference) is any better than poking random people up the keester with a metal shaft other than "I just like it more/dislike it less", but my preferences are just that, they are no better or worse than that of someone else unless I'd actually be morally superior and oppose violence in any way or shape.
So what I'm trying to say is: You're free to enjoy or dislike whatever you want, as well it should be. If you wholly oppose the acts of violence, you can climb on a moral high horse and I can respect that.
But I can't take it serious if you morally condemn one act of violence, but take joy in another and somehow try to construct an argument that says that one's okay and the other isn't, both acts in real life would bring significant suffering to people, do not delude yourself that you're any less 'abhorrent' as the poster put it.
So feel free to strongly dislike the rectifier, buy the game or not because of it, that is your right.
But please remember that you are talking about a game that ,if you look at it as seriously as you seem to be, promotes Genocide against an entire species and the many many (possible and impossible) ways in which to achieve that.
(Before I start let me state something I hope is obvious: the following is all aimed at game-violence, nowhere do I aim to imply that because game-violence is okay with me that real life violence is as well)
But for me, I find it difficult to put any merit to moral objections if you take joy in something that falls in the same (general) category that in itself is already morally questionable (simulated violence).
How do you really justify condemning (simulated) rape, while you're able to take joy in activities that imply you more or less committing acts of mass murder, or since the theme of SRIV is anti-aliens: genocide since everything is pretty much aimed at completely destroying the alien race that invaded earth?
I'm not trying to say these views are petty in itself, if SRIV had any sense of seriousness behind it, I'd be more inclined to dislike such more 'intricate violence' because it'd be trying to make it look and feel real, but I also know that the violence I do enjoy is just a bad as the violence I do not. Just because something is presented with more/less humor, doesn't mean you partake in the very same activity any less (strictly talking about forms of game-violence).
I do not see any way to justify why my joy in tossing fart boms into a mob of people gassing them to death en masse (Yes I'm making that reference) is any better than poking random people up the keester with a metal shaft other than "I just like it more/dislike it less", but my preferences are just that, they are no better or worse than that of someone else unless I'd actually be morally superior and oppose violence in any way or shape.
So what I'm trying to say is: You're free to enjoy or dislike whatever you want, as well it should be. If you wholly oppose the acts of violence, you can climb on a moral high horse and I can respect that.
But I can't take it serious if you morally condemn one act of violence, but take joy in another and somehow try to construct an argument that says that one's okay and the other isn't, both acts in real life would bring significant suffering to people, do not delude yourself that you're any less 'abhorrent' as the poster put it.
So feel free to strongly dislike the rectifier, buy the game or not because of it, that is your right.
But please remember that you are talking about a game that ,if you look at it as seriously as you seem to be, promotes Genocide against an entire species and the many many (possible and impossible) ways in which to achieve that.
I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make a rape joke. Just saying that it's a fun weapon.