Video Game Lets Players Slap Women

An upcoming video game will allow users to “capture” and slap a woman as part of gameplay. And the game’s manufacturer is totally unapologetic about the simulated abuse.

According to PC Gamer, Duke Nukem Forever, which comes out in May, includes a mode wherein players kidnap a woman and drag her away. If she “freaks out,” they can then slap her on the ass. Randy Pitchford, CEO of Duke Nukem manufacturer Gearbox, says his company’s goal is to “get right up to that edge and then relax enough so people don’t reject it.” And via Twitter, he clarified, “Get it right, folks! In the DNF MP game, “Capture the Babe”, Duke can give the girl a love smack on the booty – not face!”

For many people, this doesn’t exactly make things better — PC Gamer’s Owen Hill says, “Sorry Randy, I just rejected.” And a Change.org petition directed at Walmart, which plans to stock the game, reads,

If Mr. Pritchford thinks violence against women will boost his bottom line, let’s show him otherwise. Walmart is set to be one of the primary sellers of the Duke Nukem game when it is released on June 14th. Tell this family friendly retailer to refuse to sell the Duke Nukem Forever game until the “babe-slapping mode” is removed.

If Gearbox needs some tips on sexual politics, they might turn to Bioware, whose Dragon Age 2 game allows “romances” between characters regardless of their genders. According to After Elton, a self-identified “straight male gamer” complained about dudes flirting with him in the game, and protested “the fact that a “No Homosexuality” option, which could have been easily implemented, is omitted.” A Bioware spokesman responded, in part:

The romances in the game are not for “the straight male gamer”. They’re for everyone. We have a lot of fans, many of whom are neither straight nor male, and they deserve no less attention. […] The “rights” of anyone with regards to a game are murky at best, but anyone who takes that stance must apply it equally to both the minority as well as the majority. The majority has no inherent “right” to get more options than anyone else.

See, it is possible to create a video game where women are equals — not victims to be captured and slapped.

Duke Nukem Forever Multiplayer Replaces Flag With Capturable, Slappable Women [PC Gamer]
“Babe-Slapping Mode”? Tell Walmart To Refuse To Sell Sexist “Duke Nukem Forever” Video Game [Change.org]
Bioware Tells Straight Men To “Get Over” Being Hit On By Gay Men In “Dragon Age 2” [After Elton]