Not filtered, but could be very triggering. Use caution.
On gaming and the rampant use of the word "rape" (work in progress)
So you guys know I play World of Warcraft, killing internet dragons and stuff for shiny purple gear and gold (that I wish would translate to the real world OHSOMUCH). This means I on occasion get to group with people who don't share the same beliefs I do (religious, political, moral, etc.. and trust me, it's ALL come up). I can put up with most people from random groups, but what really bothers me, and bothers me more and more as time goes on, is the rampant use of the word rape in this game (and others).
"OMG, I was doing pvp and totally got raped by 15 Alliance!"
"That boss raped us all so badly."
"Deathwing is gonna rape everyone."
Really? 15 players drugged your character, waited for you to get woozy, then disrobed you and forced themselves on you?
That boss mob pushed you down, ripped your skirt off and, in a frenzy of power and control, violated you?
Deathwing wants to terrify you, but not by forcing you against your will to have sex with him.
Gay is a word that has changed over time, and it is continuing to change over time, due to it's use. I don't much like the fact that it's now used to mean stupid, or whatever, but it used to mean "happy" whereas it now refers to homosexuality. I don't associate with people who use gay in this fashion (to mean stupid) because I don't like to. Rape, however, is pretty hard to avoid. A lot of people use it - I had to speak up in Ventrillo one night because someone in my guild (full of adult people - the one who used it was our 41 year old GM!) used it several times while we had a pvp night. It comes up in random PuG groups. It comes up in Trade chat. Everywhere.
Rape, unless you're referring to the grain, means:
1. the unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.
2. any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.
3. statutory rape.
4. an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation: the rape of the countryside.
5. Archaic . the act of seizing and carrying off by force.
It has never meant anything else. I am highly dubious that it will EVER mean anything else. The fact that a lot of people (male and female) who play this game use it in a different fashion disturbs me. The fact that people tell me I'm over reacting to a word infuriates me. I have every right to be upset by it's use in areas other than it's intended definition; by it's use by individuals who think it's a great word to use for explaining how badly they failed at an attempted battleground or boss fight. It is not and will never be an appropriate descriptor for failure in a video game.
I am not the only survivor of rape and child abuse to play World of Warcraft. I am not the only person offended at this usage of the word rape. I play WoW to escape the realities of my life, and so do many other people. I don't need a rude, crass reminder of things that plague me when I close my eyes.
So you guys know I play World of Warcraft, killing internet dragons and stuff for shiny purple gear and gold (that I wish would translate to the real world OHSOMUCH). This means I on occasion get to group with people who don't share the same beliefs I do (religious, political, moral, etc.. and trust me, it's ALL come up). I can put up with most people from random groups, but what really bothers me, and bothers me more and more as time goes on, is the rampant use of the word rape in this game (and others).
"OMG, I was doing pvp and totally got raped by 15 Alliance!"
"That boss raped us all so badly."
"Deathwing is gonna rape everyone."
Really? 15 players drugged your character, waited for you to get woozy, then disrobed you and forced themselves on you?
That boss mob pushed you down, ripped your skirt off and, in a frenzy of power and control, violated you?
Deathwing wants to terrify you, but not by forcing you against your will to have sex with him.
Gay is a word that has changed over time, and it is continuing to change over time, due to it's use. I don't much like the fact that it's now used to mean stupid, or whatever, but it used to mean "happy" whereas it now refers to homosexuality. I don't associate with people who use gay in this fashion (to mean stupid) because I don't like to. Rape, however, is pretty hard to avoid. A lot of people use it - I had to speak up in Ventrillo one night because someone in my guild (full of adult people - the one who used it was our 41 year old GM!) used it several times while we had a pvp night. It comes up in random PuG groups. It comes up in Trade chat. Everywhere.
Rape, unless you're referring to the grain, means:
1. the unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.
2. any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.
3. statutory rape.
4. an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation: the rape of the countryside.
5. Archaic . the act of seizing and carrying off by force.
It has never meant anything else. I am highly dubious that it will EVER mean anything else. The fact that a lot of people (male and female) who play this game use it in a different fashion disturbs me. The fact that people tell me I'm over reacting to a word infuriates me. I have every right to be upset by it's use in areas other than it's intended definition; by it's use by individuals who think it's a great word to use for explaining how badly they failed at an attempted battleground or boss fight. It is not and will never be an appropriate descriptor for failure in a video game.
I am not the only survivor of rape and child abuse to play World of Warcraft. I am not the only person offended at this usage of the word rape. I play WoW to escape the realities of my life, and so do many other people. I don't need a rude, crass reminder of things that plague me when I close my eyes.