Rape in Hotline Miami 2: Should It Be a Concern?
A simulated rape scene in Hotline Miami 2 made PC Gamer writer Cara Ellison feel “resentment,” according to her preview of the game. This story will be all over the Internet soon, and many people will get upset - some already are (check out Twitter).
The first thing I thought when I read about the rape scene is “What does it actually look like?” Here it is (skip to 1:05). Not as bad as it could have been, right? And the “rape” is part of a fictional movie-in-a-game, right?
Yep, but I’ve also never been raped. I am also not a woman, so I don’t identify with the “victim” of Hotline Miami’ 2′s rape at all.
What if I were a female gamer who had been sexually abused or raped? I can only speculate about how I would feel. The rape in this game can be used as an opportunity for me and everyone to learn how a video game might affect a rape victim. I don’t think learning about how rape victims feel is a bad thing.
It’s a mistake to dismiss this issue from a standpoint of empathy and logic. Some people have dismissed the “rape” because Hotline Miami 2 also contains loads of violence. The idea is that no one should complain about rape if they never complain about the violence. This idea is ridiculous, as it assumes rape and murder are the same. Let me ask you this: will any murder victim ever play Hotline Miami 2? Nope, but a rape victim might. The question then becomes: could a simulated rape sequence in a game transport a rape victim back to his or her real-life rape?
via Rape in Hotline Miami 2: Should It Be a Concern?.