MS Bans Indie Dating Game for “Sexual Violence”
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Aug 16, 2009 03:53 JST
- Tags: Censorship, Doujin Soft, Eroge, Feminism, Microsoft, Rape, Visual Novels, Xbox 360
Microsoft has banned a Japanese made dating game from its own Xbox Live “Indie Games” program for a romantic scene in which a girl is pushed onto the ground, showing her pantsu in the process. Microsoft calls this scene “reminiscent of sexual violence,” and so banned the game.
The game in question, それでも、私は愛している / Sore de mo, Watashi wa Aishiteru (“Even So, I Love You”), a short visual novel depicting a school romance, was released onto Microsoft’s Xbox Live distribution service “Indie Games” as an independently developed doujin title.
Not long after release, distribution was suspended and the developer was ordered to stop distribution of the game or have it deleted from the system and have his account terminated.
He managed to extract an explanation from Microsoft’s EU support (US support apparently never bothered informing him of the reasons) regarding the problems with the title:
Event scenes had the following issues:
A girl being grabbed.
A girl being pushed over.
Exposure of underwear.
These are condemned as “reminiscent of sexual violence,” or, in other words, it is a rape scene in the eyes of MS.
You can see the likely scene at issue below, though you will have to excuse the creepy otaku voiceover:
As these scenes are routine in such games in Japan (and indeed in games, movies and so on in the west), he asked if he could not restrict distribution to Japan only (the game is in Japanese only), but was merely told he must suspend distribution or be banned completely from the service (a problem for a publisher who releases other games as he does).
Based on the information at his command, he suspects that a certain feminist inspired furore in the UK has caused Microsoft to become incredibly strict.
The maker is currently working on providing a censored version with no scenes of schoolgirl tipping, which may allow it to resume distribution.
Of course, scenes of bloody carnage perpetrated against both men and women (but not involving anything so depraved as pantsu) are the staple of most major Xbox games, so the fairness of this decision seems questionable…
Via Ore-teki.
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this is why we can't have nice things.. like Idolm@ster.
What the heck is that! they are going to ban vn's because of that?
So if he makes changes like: 'The girl in the picture getting shot and falling to the ground to reveal her underwear' Would that have been okay with MS? How about if a zombie grabbed at her and exposed her pantsu? He just needs to add guns, zombies, and lots of blood and MS will ok it.
HAHAHA this is so fucking funny.
This is the reason why Japanese need to realize they need Microsoft Pedobear 2010.
So this is bad but games where people chainsaw eachother's heads off is totally a-ok.
I have no problem with either (it's a fucking video game) but at least get your priorities straight...
why is it that you can see people get killed in really horrific ways like getting your head decapitated by a chainsaw (Resident Evil 4) but not see something so normal as sexual intercourse? Damn those feminists...
i would disagree.
manhunt was quite controversial. it's either been banned or 18+ in a number of countries. gta is another one.
all the other examples of gore in games i would say is too ridiculously unrealistic to be taken seriously.
what microsoft reasoning for ban though is quite lame
I agree totally. This is stupid.... X-Men Origins (the game version) had scenes where you sliced women up into pieces, and that was okay but this isn't?
Sheer stupidity.
Its okay to blow heads off in first person shooters but too see a 2d girls underwear is bad...okay?
Sakura also wears a school uniform.
Just throw 360 to a recycle bin or send it back to MS and buy a ps3 already.360 is noob.SUCK
A non-technical reason NOT to buy Xbox
This doesn't really make sense if it's compared to fighting games, where you beat up many different women, whom often show panties when they fall down...
This is the sort of shit happens when liberals let conservatives step all over them in social/cultural issues instead of grabbing assault rifles and kicking some ass.
Why can't the Japanese do consensual sex?
I don't think it has nothing to do with Japanese in general. It's just that otaku prefers rape and torture games, because they're sick fucks.
You are not 'sick fucks' for liking those things as long as you keep it in FANTASY!
And, should I point out to you, that rape is a common theme in other higher animals? Lions rape. Panthers rape. Dogs rape. Etc. etc. etc.
Fuck Microsoft!!!
Fucking review was fucking annoying!!!! >_<
And I only downloaded the demo... T_T
Pushing over girls? I never! I bought an XBox for the wholesome, value-filled experience of chainsawing through someone's spine, not this filth! Now if you'll excuse me, I have people to shoot and heads to bash in; and I don't think I even need to state that I'll be partaking in the traditional teabagging.
xbox are doomed, and so are sony.
but at least i can enjoy x-blade without pantsu
Wow every day i get less attracted to xbox and more to ps3 >_>
Are the north-americans stupids???
It is impossible to be called a civilization when we still have censorship.
Fucking protestant values. They haunt us still.
and that's why we need homebrew: simply because it's not the damn business of the system manufacturers what games the customers play.
and the same goes for the internet: it's no goddamn government's business what poeple look at.
there are a few simple basic human rights - each one of them covers protection of the individual from harm and ensures his/her right to prosper.
NONE cover controlling other people's behaviour. why does it occur to me we are steering back into the dark ages where everything is controlled by morale instead of common sense?
fuck you moralists, fuck you politicians, fuck you pseudo-feminists, fuck you world. fuck you.
"and that’s why we need homebrew: simply because it’s not the damn business of the system manufacturers what games the customers play."
+1
MS fucktardism knows no bounds so nothing new here.
I think you all are pointing in the wrong direction. This has nothing to do with evil, feminist conspiracies and everything to do with good, old fashioned values dissonance.
While Schoolgirl tipping scenes may be routine in Japan and indeed seen as romantic, in the west there is a strong cultural intolerance for violence against women and children. I'm not saying the Japanese go around beating up their wives and children, they just aren't as hyper sensitized to it as we are. So, what is intended to be a romantic and close scene ends up horrifying the western viewer. They seen an innocent, childlike woman being attacked. To the western mindset, the attacker MUST be a monster and evil no matter what his intentions may have been.
it's like if i brought over a used girls panties vending machine from japan to the us.
japan, pretty hentai but no one cares.
usa, a lot of people would go apeshit.
Wow, the Brit-fag commentary is super annoying.
Hahaha lol thank god I already got it downloaded and stored on my hdd
That's so fucking retarded! Are they brainwashed by the feminazis?
Horrors! If only another gaming platform, or perhaps even a multipurpose something-or-other could step in to adopt this game among a sizable backcatalog comprising the genre.
Man, I just love this website and all the people on it. I post an unpopular opinion and while simultaneously condemning what I have to say, you attempt to make an argument for "freedom of speech." It's perfectly fine to disagree with what I think and believe, but the moment you begin belittling someone for expressing unpopular thoughts and opinions you're automatically defeating your own point. All you're trying to do is shout me down, not make a valid or compelling argument for your own perspective. It's simple mental masturbation, giving yourself a false sense of righteousness and superiority. Do I think there is a valid case against censorship? Of course, and I usually agree with it (the argument, that is). I love cutting edge shows like South Park, for example, that have actual social commentary. It's certainly intense, scathing, and graphic, but at least the show adds something to the world through its scathing social criticism. What do eroges like Rapelay offer? Absolutely nothing. It's pornography. Pornography is defined as creative activity (writing or pictures or films etc.) of no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sexual desire. Now, I like pornography as much as the next person, but even I'm willing to say that some types of pornography should not be allowed for a number of reasons.
It's the age old debate as to what extent society and government have the right to tell you what you can and cannot do. I honestly think that games like Rapelay might be socially harmful. Yes, games don't turn you into sex-crazed maniacs or violent sociopaths, and I never said that I believed such nonsense. This doesn't mean that these games don't have some sort of negative impact on a person's mind. What worries me is a study I read years ago that basically said that pornography had the effect of increasing a man's tolerance for sexually related violence against women. This is to say that rather than being outraged after learning about a real-life rape, men who daily watch pornography become desensitized and ultimately apathetic to the concept. So, yes, these games may not make someone into a rapist, but they do have the effect of altering an individual's perception of the severity of rape. Have you ever thought that maybe the reason you've never raped anyone isn't because you're "just too good of a person to ever do that" or that "you know deep down that it's wrong," but instead that you know you can't get away with it, or the social and legal ramifications of your actions rather than the sheer immorality of it?
For those wanting to learn more about censorship and perhaps read some of the work that has influenced my acceptance of censorship as a necessary evil, I highly recommend Levi-Strauss' writings on the importance of taboos in structuring and maintaining human societies. Also, for information on the effects of pornography on the human mind and society as a whole, I recommend Media Effects and Society, by Elizabeth Perse.
P.S.> While I love a good intellectual discussion, I'll have to ask everyone here to be respectful and not put words in my mouth. Don't presume that I'm a fascist fundamentalist Christian just because I defend censorship laws. It's small minded, and you wouldn't want to be small minded, would you?
tl;dr
cool story, bro.
"the moment you begin belittling someone for expressing unpopular thoughts and opinions you’re automatically defeating your own point"
I didn't do that, neither did Atma, though you'll have to forgive her that, as a girl who loves eroge, she'll be easily agitated when this tiresome debate comes up here again for the umpteenth time. I'd love to hear an actual answer to my question from you, though. Don't think that question was rage-induced. Pro-censorship "feminists" in my country are actually doing that.
"fascist fundamentalist Christian"
Who said that? And when the hell did Christianity pop up here? You claim to be a feminist. You can hardly be a feminist and a Christian at the same time. Even if that was just a hyperbole to illustrate your point, playing the I-was-accused-of-Christianity card here is a bit much and is putting words in our mouth. If anything, we accused you (rightfully so) of being a radical feminist. Every feminist who supports censorship has to accept being labeled "radical", since that's just what she is. Most radical feminists take great pride in that label anyway.
Now regarding the actual point of your wall of text. Don't think you're presenting a shocking new viewpoint to us we've never even thought of before. I've read the exact same things millions of times over (in fact, I've tortured myself with reading more pro-censorship essays and papers than was good for my mental well-being at the time), and I've graduated past the stage where I bother pointing out the biases, logical fallacies and misconceptions of the writings you people reference, let alone the scientific flaws of the "studies" you rely on, on a site about otaku culture.
You think we don't have countless arguments, studies, hard facts and statistics to counter each and every one of the poorly thought out points you people have kept on passing between yourselves for the last two decades? Well, as I said, I won't bother doing that here. I'll save my energy for doing just that on a scale where it actually matters. You're welcome to face us there.
These little squabbles do work wonders for letting off frustration, though.
One last thing:
"Have you ever thought that maybe the reason you’ve never raped anyone isn’t because you’re “just too good of a person to ever do that” or that “you know deep down that it’s wrong,” but instead that you know you can’t get away with it, or the social and legal ramifications of your actions rather than the sheer immorality of it?"
No. I don't even enjoy dominating others. Way to implicitly call everyone opposing your views rapists.
its not America, it was the UK that initially called the suspension.
It's obvious why these problems are of concern; we obviously have some feminists in microsoft.
A girl being grabbed.
A girl being pushed over.
Exposure of underwear.
Fixed:
A guy being raped with a dildo.
A guy being pushed over.
Penis exposure.
Micro$oft are fags.
I see, they are now following $ony's lead in faggotry... Guess there is no free console land for the young, the bold, and the brave...
Smartest comment so far.
Oh, just figured out why they censored it....cause it's from Japan. >_< Seems that's enough for them. Now just for that one thing, sales for that game are gonna go through the roof for people buying it overseas.
How can they buy it if it was removed for everyone?
And the censored it because of the reasons stated above, video games in the US rarely go there and mainly stick to more gore and mindless plot devices...
Come now...Microsoft hasn't seen anything yet...
This ain't even the tip of the eroge-iceberg...
*sighs*
sooo which eroge DOESN'T have a girl being knocked down or force on upon in some way with their panties exposed?
Leissure Suite Larry.
Oh wait,..
I don't know what more annoying, the way xbox censoring the game completely or that fuckin' guy's voice. Holyshit!
Too late, i already downloaded it.
Ohohohohoho!