New Game Allows You To Be Rapist

When asked about "Rapelay," a Japanese rape simulation video game, one Brooklyn College male student playing video games at SUBO and who was wearing foggy Harry Potter character glasses and a baseball cap, timidly replied stretching his arm over his back "No, I never heard of it". After handing him a copy of Metro's early February article about the game being banned from Amazon, the student's eyes expanded and drew the newspaper closer to his face, "What! Oh my god! No way!" The student jumped up and down in what seemed to be both outrage and excitement, calling his friends who were also playing video games to the left corner on the first floor of the game room. He waved the paper in the air and screamed, "Hey, guys get over here! You heard of this? This is crazy."

"Rapelay", an interactive video game which allows the player to undress, fondle, and subsequently rape a mother and her two young daughters by scrolling the computer's mouse wheel, has cause a shock to Brooklyn College students, who feel like it's simply a preposterous release and very offensive.

After completing "RapeLay"s storyline, the player finishes raping all three women from the oldest to the youngest. A whole six modes of game play are available including the two or five player mode to complete this misson. If pregnancy occurs for one of the women along the way, the player has the option to keep the baby or throw the female character onto the train tracks.

Steve Tui, a sophomore Computer Science major who is aware of the game said, "I think it's worse than GTA (Grand Theft Auto) because this game focuses solely on the act of raping women which screams "Yeah, this is okay to handle a serious crime in this fashion."

In the Jefferson-Williams Lounge of the Student Center, a junior majoring in computer science from The Sci-Fi and Anime Club said he played the game three years ago and thinks its not as vicious as it may seem.

"People complain about it and I can see why but it's not a rape simulation game; it's about going along with the storyline and playing scenes," he said, wanting to stay anonymous.

When asked how he found the game, he replied "Through a game forum called Hongfire.com."

"Rapelay" released in 2006 by Illusionsoft, a software company from Yokohama, Japan was recently banned from Amazon and eBay due to complaints on its sexually violent and explicit material. Illusion, known for developing eroge, or anime-style games that feature erotic content, also known as hentai games started in 2004 with other similar games such as the "Biko" series, "Battle Raper", "Artificial Girl," and "SexyBeach." Despite Illusion's policy that it's games are not for sale in foreign countries, "Rapelay" is still available for download on Web sites.

At the Bulletproof Comics & Games store on Nostrand Avenue, near the Flatbush junction, Chris Maguire, a sophomore majoring in business who works as a cashier at the store, nodded his head over the counter in embarrassment when asked if he heard about the game.

"It's an underground niche. I personally would never play that game because it's so obscene to me. It crossed the border for me when it comes to pushing a woman on the (train) tracks," he said.

On February 23, 2009, Harriet Lessel, executive director of New York Alliance Against Sexual Assault and Christine Quinn, City Council Speaker, spoke out against "Rapelay" to boycott not only its product but its message as well in a hearing about the game.

"You cannot take rape or sexual assault and package it into a game. It is a violent crime which destroys women's lives," said Quinn.

Lessel held up the video game while vocalizing the social message that the game represents:

"Video games of this nature are beyond appalling, and people of good conscience need to speak out against them. Sexual violence is a major problem in America and video games like this send the exact wrong message to young people. It tells boys it's okay to sexually assault girls, and it tells girls they are worthless. The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault is hopeful that American distributors will reject this game and the aberrant behavior it promotes," she said.