Gaming Culture & Rape

Rape (verb): To force to have sexual intercourse. 

Rape is an extremely packed word. It conjures images of violence, aggression, force, and helplessness. It’s a real threat that’s frequent and close to home. In the United States, someone is raped every 2 seconds. Out of these yearly 213,000 rape victims, 60% won’t report the rape to police. Of the rapists that do get reported, 15/16 won’t serve jail time. Rape isn’t something to be taken lightly. 

Why then, has “rape” become a popular slang term in gaming culture? 

 Rape, in gaming culture, means a situation where one side is overwhelmed and powerless. It can be a negative insult (“That guy raped me” = He beat me drastically) or a positive brag (“We totally raped that team” = We were better than them) depending which side of the helplessness one is on. It’s a term that is thrown around carelessly in online multiplayer matches, by gamers young and old. 

Apart from having violent connotations, rape also has serious implications against women. Statistically women are more often the victims of rape than men. When used in the context of gaming,  “rape” is used as a tool to de-masculinate opponents. By “raping” someone, the player is asserting dominance, masculinity, and power.  This focus on masculinity further perpetuates the ideology of a “boys only” gaming environment.

While the slang is usually aimed at men, the tone of “rape” shifts drastically when directed at female gamers. The website Fat, Ugly, or Slutty allows female gamers to send in examples of online harassment (usually from men), which is then posted in a humorous manner. Most of the posts show men asking for sexual favors or calling the female gamer a “whore”, however, the posts that mention raping them often stand out above others. They tend to straddle the line between the slang and dictionary definition of rape. In one post, a male gamer, frustrated about being rejected an online match with a female player, says via Xbox message, “you are a dumb slut, you stupid whore. I would rape you 1V1…” (http://fatuglyorslutty.com/2012/01/13/any-more-would-be-uncivilized/). In this context, he’s using the word rape to describe the action of beating her at 1V1, asserting that he’s a better player at that particular game type. However, the messages quickly change tone when he mentions, “I’m going to do the world a favor and rape you 18 times”. In this message, he is threatening to sexually assault the female gamer. Rapes definitions, and the implications that go along with them,  can easily switch when directed at women. It’s a term that blurs the line between a slang word and a real threat.  

No matter what the definition or use, the word rape encourages violence, creates an unequal power relation, and disempowers women. It is a term that should not be taken lightly. Gaming culture is created by the gamers, so if you want to make a positive influence do not use the word rape as slang. It may seem like you’re not making a difference, but if more gamers stop using the word rape, it will soon diminish. 

Be a conscious gamer. Don’t use the word “rape” casually.