MP attacks rape game
A still from the game Rapelay
Unlock Democracy is the joint campaign of Charter 88 and the New Politics Network promoting democratic renewal and active engagement in the political process.
|  |
Find more Opinion Formers in this category:
Ten specially designed stamps have been released by the Royal Mail to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.
|  |
Ashok Kumar MP explains why Darwin should be considered the greatest ever Brit. |  |
Friday, 13, Feb 2009 05:35
By politics.co.uk staff
A controversial Japanese video game that tasked players with carrying out acts of rape has been removed from Amazon following pressure from an MP.
Last night Labour MP Keith Vaz told The Belfast Telegraph he was shocked Amazon.com was allowing consumers to buy the game
"It is intolerable that anyone would purchase a game that simulates the criminal offence of rape," he said.
"To know that this is widely available through a major online retailer is utterly shocking, I do not see how this can be allowed.
"I will be raising this matter in Parliament and hope that action is taken to prevent the game from being sold."
The game, titled Rapelay, involves players stalking a mother in a subway station before violently raping her. The player is then tasked with tracking down her daughters, described in the game as virgin schoolgirls, and then raping them both.
Reviews of the game have expressed horror, highlighting extra features that allow the player to rape any victim in the virtual world and involve other men in the attacks.
One review describes two of the game's "key features"; pregnancy and abortion:
"If she does become pregnant you're supposed to force her to get an abortion, otherwise she gets more and more visibly pregnant each time you have sex.
"If you allow the child to be born then the woman will throw you in front of a train!"
Most of the game's available assets are too graphic for publication.
Last year Mr Vaz was criticised for suggesting that games involving rape existed, when he attempted to overrule the UK's classifications board (BBFC) on a number of violent video games:
"People who are watching a film at the cinema cannot participate in what is happening on the screen, or if they do they are removed from the cinema," he said.
"However...when people play these things, they can interact. They can shoot people; they can kill people. As the honourable gentleman said, they can rape women."
His claims were questioned by Tory MP Edward Vaizey in parliament:
"The right honourable member for Leicester East, who chairs the home affairs committee, mentioned that some video games allow the participant to engage in a rape act," he said.
"I checked the point with the BBFC and found it to be completely unaware of any such video game.
"Is the honourable gentleman aware of any video game that has as its intention the carrying out of rape or that allows the game player to carry out such an act? The BBFC and I are unaware of any such game."
The Belfast Telegraph discovered the Amazon.com listing, pointing out that the game's developer does not intend its games to be sold outside of Japan. Despite this, Amazon.com listed an English version of the game.
Amazon.com has now removed Rapelay from their website, but failed to comment on the matter.