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Anasadi · 02-10-2016, 02:46 PM

Before addressing your question, I'll point out that violence is an acceptable form of interaction in most MUDs, including:
Furthermore, violence is built into virtually all of gaming, from Monopoly (winner take all) and Parcheesi (send your opponent back to the nest) to rugby (tackling and the scrum) and tennis (a volley of balls rather than of arrows) to Mario Bros. (poor turtles) and Assassin's Creed ('nuff said.)

Why?

Because human beings are violent. Simply that. Gaming as a form of play likely developed as a way to redirect those violent (and destructive) impulses which undermine society and culture towards more constructive pursuits that keep society afloat (even if this only means wearing out both audience and participants with relentless drama - less energy to toss over those in charge.)

I'll point out that the kernels of civilization as we know it were planted no more than ten thousand years ago, a mere fraction of humanity's existence (if we count only homo sapiens, who've been around for 250,000 years, we're talking 4% - homo as a species has been around at least ten times as long,) and while culture seems to have softened our violent tendencies, our species still regularly wars, pillages, rapes, tortures and murders. It's doubtful civilization will ever fully check these tendencies (and likely doubtful, as a species, we'll want it to.)

I'll point out that these 'barbarians' who blame and punish the victims of rape are the norm of humanity. Even in 'advanced' cultures such as Western Europe and America, people blame the victim (what clothes were you wearing? why were you out in that neighborhood at that time of night?) and, while not resorting to stones or the gallows, they shun them, or whisper of them, or point at them, or infantilize them, essentially compounding the harm the victim incurred. Why don't rape victims (in the West) come forward more often than they do? By the way, name-calling won't remove the plank out of the Western eye.

The last thing I'll point out is that gaming is a form of entertainment, and like all entertainments it addresses human concerns, including rape. Why do we still have rapes in popular television shows (e.g. Jessica Jones, X-Files - check out the season opener,) in movies (The Revenant, Spotlight, Room - also a book,) in books (too many to count)? Sometimes it's for prurient reasons (adult films, comic hentai, Gorean roleplay in Second Life,) sometimes it's to dramatize the aftereffects of such violence. It really depends on the audience the creators of said entertainments are going for.

So it is with MUDs. The creators who allow rape likely do so for roleplaying reasons - I'm guessing most who allow it aren't in it for arousal, since rape is brutal and degrading, and those who find it appealing likely haven't imagined it out (or haven't watched The Shawshank Redemption/Irreversible to see how truly horrific rape can be.) My guess is, then, rape in these kinds of MUDs is as acceptable a form of play as the use of the N-word is acceptable in certain forms of fiction.

My solution to those certain forms of fiction? Don't read them.

P.S. What I find more interesting is your cavalier attitude towards more 'acceptable' forms of RP punishment, that is, beating, stealing from or maiming a character is a much better way to abuse them. To turn your question back on you - it's 2016, what good does it do in any RP situation to beat, steal from or maim a PC?

02-10-2016, 02:46 PM	#3
Anasadi New Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 25	Re: Why is rape acceptable in some MUDs? Before addressing your question, I'll point out that violence is an acceptable form of interaction in most MUDs, including: Furthermore, violence is built into virtually all of gaming, from Monopoly (winner take all) and Parcheesi (send your opponent back to the nest) to rugby (tackling and the scrum) and tennis (a volley of balls rather than of arrows) to Mario Bros. (poor turtles) and Assassin's Creed ('nuff said.) Why? Because human beings are violent. Simply that. Gaming as a form of play likely developed as a way to redirect those violent (and destructive) impulses which undermine society and culture towards more constructive pursuits that keep society afloat (even if this only means wearing out both audience and participants with relentless drama - less energy to toss over those in charge.) I'll point out that the kernels of civilization as we know it were planted no more than ten thousand years ago, a mere fraction of humanity's existence (if we count only homo sapiens, who've been around for 250,000 years, we're talking 4% - homo as a species has been around at least ten times as long,) and while culture seems to have softened our violent tendencies, our species still regularly wars, pillages, rapes, tortures and murders. It's doubtful civilization will ever fully check these tendencies (and likely doubtful, as a species, we'll want it to.) I'll point out that these 'barbarians' who blame and punish the victims of rape are the norm of humanity. Even in 'advanced' cultures such as Western Europe and America, people blame the victim (what clothes were you wearing? why were you out in *that* neighborhood at *that* time of night?) and, while not resorting to stones or the gallows, they shun them, or whisper of them, or point at them, or infantilize them, essentially compounding the harm the victim incurred. Why don't rape victims (in the West) come forward more often than they do? By the way, name-calling won't remove the plank out of the Western eye. The last thing I'll point out is that gaming is a form of entertainment, and like all entertainments it addresses human concerns, including rape. Why do we still have rapes in popular television shows (e.g. Jessica Jones, X-Files - check out the season opener,) in movies (The Revenant, Spotlight, Room - also a book,) in books (too many to count)? Sometimes it's for prurient reasons (adult films, comic hentai, Gorean roleplay in Second Life,) sometimes it's to dramatize the aftereffects of such violence. It really depends on the audience the creators of said entertainments are going for. So it is with MUDs. The creators who allow rape likely do so for roleplaying reasons - I'm guessing most who allow it aren't in it for arousal, since rape is brutal and degrading, and those who find it appealing likely haven't imagined it out (or haven't watched The Shawshank Redemption/Irreversible to see how truly horrific rape can be.) My guess is, then, rape in these kinds of MUDs is as acceptable a form of play as the use of the N-word is acceptable in certain forms of fiction. My solution to those certain forms of fiction? Don't read them. P.S. What I find more interesting is your cavalier attitude towards more 'acceptable' forms of RP punishment, that is, beating, stealing from or maiming a character is a much better way to abuse them. To turn your question back on you - it's 2016, what good does it do in any RP situation to beat, steal from or maim a PC?