Rape games will be banned in Japan

Visual Novel Community Visual Novel Talk
#381

Well, no - The particular group of feminists in question would not be made happy. Why would they be? They’re not campaigning to stop hentai from reaching the US. They’re upset about the games being sold in Japan because they believe that it contributes to sexual violence in Japan.

(When told that the rates of sexual violence in Japan are quite low, they insisted that Japanese culture shames victims so much that they dare not report. Which is probably true to an extent, but rape victims have trouble coming forward everywhere.)

That particular group is interested in international issues and is campaigning against various things in lots of different countries. They’re not only interested in their own backyard. And they can’t “charge” people with anything, they’re not a government agency and have no actual power beyond their disapproval. They’d be happy in the sense that they’d see they’d accomplished something, but if the games were still on sale in Japan, they’d want to keep badgering the Japanese - and now with the justification of thinking they’re winning.

Whether or not law enforcement would be ‘pleased’ by a ban on hentai exports is not something I can speak for, I don’t know enough about the inner workings of the agencies involved. I suspect that various child porn task forces would be pleased if all loli exports were illegal because it would make it easier for them to charge people and then search their houses/computers for real pictures. But I don’t know that.

#382

I think you’ve got it wrong. I’ve resigned myself, until I see otherwise, that Japan should protect eroge for Japan. I’m not arguing for a cause - I’m stating what can happen and why things are going down the road they appear to be going, and what can be done to steer it in another direction. No more. No less.

Japan has a solution right in front of them, and quite frankly I’ll take some measure of happiness if I’m forced to destroy my eroge collection, if I know there are people elsewhere who can continue to enjoy them.

#383

No, you’re arguing for nothing. As I said, if you don’t care about what happens to erogee, if you’re telling Japanese companies “It’s your problem, deal with it yourself”, then you’re being inconsistent in complaining about them “xenophobic” when they’re not. People tell them to keep their problems to themselves: it’s what they’re doing.

#384

However they aren’t winning that battle on the political front in Japan, as indicated by the recent Diet arguments. Because the statistics disprove what they’re saying, EN has gained little ground in claiming eroge increases the crime rate in Japan. The accusation is empty. They could claim the mole people are plotting to take over Tokyo: they’ve got as much proof. In fact, the argument drifted away from rape and became a loli issue: which Japan has always been at odds with.

You’re also making this sound like only EN is involved. It’s a bastardized alliance. EN has lost the “spear tip” offensive in all this. The domestic feminist movements and politicians in Japan, Noda Seiko especially, have taken control. Practically everyone made an appearance. They used the EN activities to get to the position they’ve gained. Noda Seiko is no fool: she’s been fighting eroge for a long time now, and she’ll take what prizes she can, then try again in the future when another opportunity hits. Just follow her political activities - it speaks for itself. I agree with you on some aspects: EN can’t do snot on its own, and needs the Japanese politicians who support them. On the same token, Japanese politicians can’t do everything EN wants without repercussions of their own (in various forms and degrees).

The US Department of Justice is quite clear on their stance. They’ve got several PDF’s outlining their goals and objects. You can also follow their activities on the various circuit courts and Supreme Court cases. They’ll be so pleased, they’ll piss on themselves.

Equality Now didn’t have a representative. It’s basically the same gang of anti-eroge politicians and the UNICEF representative.

They faced off with representatives from EOCS and CSA (who are the voices for the eroge developers and distributors more or less) and politicians who do support eroge.

Statistic experts were called in, and they were a neutral power in the battle, but aided in supporting eroge because the statistics disproved what the anti-eroge people were saying about crime rates. That’s what caused the discussion to drift into Japan’s lolicon problems - which was more familiar territory for the anti-eroge crew.

No.

#385

Well, I don’t see how the Japanese feminist groups would be pleased about ending up with only banning exports either, so your original comment that feminists and law enforcement would be pleased as punch is still weird. :slight_smile:

EN (and all other feminists by lazy extension, including me) are the ones people are usually piling death threats on, which tends to make me cranky. For bitchy self-service, it would seem almost fitting to me if we DID end up with an export ban because the westerners wasted all their time bombarding EN and then got bored instead of thinking and doing anything productive. An export ban wouldn’t cost me anything; the only games I’ve actually imported from Japan other than that one through Jlist were non-H, and I generally only even think of buying games off dlsite. I admit this is a thoroughly self-serving opinion, though.

A ban on producing material is far more destructive than a ban on exporting it.

#386

Yea. Going back, I can see why. Personal feelings clouded my thinking (I really dislike Seiko, her pals, and anti-eroge movements). I don’t mean to say they’ll be absolute happy and call for a total victory parade: but they’ll be happy and call for a regular parade, since such a move would be a huge step for their agenda. A kind of visible achievement they haven’t made since the massive lolicon revisions, and the political pressure in not doing it, is practically nonexistent among most retailers, developers, voters, etc.

Naturally they’ll never stop until all eroge production terminated - which probably has as much chance of happening as zero gun restrictions in America - but it’s not a “nothing to sneeze at” move either.

#387

Really sad. That’s all I can really say really. Don’t forget to read the reply comments:

http://suzacu.blog42.fc2.com/?no=42

And while this screwing ourselves activity is going on, I caught on the news that Seiko Noda is set to meet with Japan Committee for UNICEF again, so they can work closer.

#388

Hey, guys. Do you mind to give your vote here?

http://chikorita157.net84.net/anime/blog/?p=1298

#389

The comments reflect what I said. Western “fans” shout at Japan because “it’s Japan’s problem” so they should “deal with it internally themselves”, yet complain that Japanese companies and Japan want to keep it to themselves. That’s hypocritical.
If you consider it’s not your problem, then it’s not your problem how Japan deals with it. If you consider that Japan has to deal with it itself (i.e. you want to be out of it), then don’t complain if it indeed keeps you out of the solution. If you’re concerned with access to erogee, then it is your problem that the current crisis is solved, and how it’s solved, and you’re also to blame if you don’t constructively participate (in the debate) and the resolution isn’t to your liking.

#390

Another tangentially related article, talking about violence in video games and whether the increasing realism of graphics and behavior is making the ‘murder simulator’ theory more accurate:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_i … tory=23844

I don’t know if those games are ‘bad’ for people. I do know that many hyperviolent games do start falling into territory that makes me squeamish and unwilling to play them - rather like some of these violent rape games do. Or horror movies.

#391

I love the disclaimer at the top of that article:

I bring this up, because what he thinks is NOT reflected in the collected data:

http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/ … videogames

The overall research is so shocking, The Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health (Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games), The Journal of Adolescent Health (Video Games and Real Life Agression), and The British Medical Journal (Video Games and Health) – all premiere and top of the line research institutes – are currently reassessing what they thought they knew.

When the evidence doesn’t agree with what they believe, they start appealing to morality and comparative conservative views. If there’s no monster in the closet, they should stop trying to invent one. :roll:

If you read about the research that argues violent video games increase criminality, you’ll note the majority of data examines/polls/researches individuals who are convicted. It’s like polling nothing but white supremacists to determine national opinion if Barack Obama is a good president or not. Unbaised studies are either inconclusive or reveal a decrease in general criminal behavior. I’m not saying violent video games can’t create violent people: I’m sure in special cases it can. However it’s not creating a surge of violent people, nor tearing the fabric of civilzation apart.

It’s fearmongering. In the 60’s it was music. In the 80’s it was pagan religions. In the 2000’s its video games. I wonder what will be the worry in 2020?

#392

AIs.

#393

What scares me, is you might be hitting the bullseye.

The uncanny valley hypothesis holds that when robots and other facsimiles of humans look and act almost like actual humans, it causes a response of revulsion among human observers. The “valley” in question is a dip in a proposed graph of the positivity of human reaction as a function of a robot’s lifelikeness.

“They look too human.”

“We’re playing God.”

I can see that being the new argument.

Naturally 50 feet Gundams and Transformers are fine. :wink:

#394

Well, didn’t I predict the future banning of erogee exports as well? Behold my prophetic abilities!

#395

Unless they are anime-ish (see first criticism).

#396

Well, to get back on the main topic: here is some info on the EOCS ban:

¬ïNew judging criteria will start from October, all sales of older rape games will also have to stop, no matter if they’re downloadable games or physical package games.
•The period from 5th June to 31st September will be the changeover period where rape games will still be allowed to a certain extent, and the new restrictions will go full force starting from October. Games released sometime by the end of the year will most likely still be okay as games go through the judging process earlier before the actual release.
•Shoujo (girl) and school council keywords managed to escape from the list of NG words.
•Normally big decisions like this would need to be done through official meetings where companies can show their disapproval, but the EOCS is really forcing it in this time, and the person leaking the info suspects the EOCS is under huge pressure for them to be doing something like that. However he does not know if there are any other entities pressuring the EOCS other than the politicians.
¬ïCSA’s regulations will be released next week apparently so some are waiting to see how that goes.
•The person who leaked the info says he thought they might be able to do something if he gathers 30 companies that he knows personally, but he contacted 5 companies and they were all talking about quitting the industry.
Source:http://zepy.momotato.com/2009/07/01/new-fax-from-the-eocs-with-schedule/

#397

So its retroactive? There goes Black Cyc, no more Kansen, Anim is history, zero chance for a Mayonaka renewal, Black Lilith is dead, etc, etc, etc.

heh… some of the Zxy games PP has licensed, will now be illegal in Japan.

I suppose that was a plan to go rogue?

#398

Alright, we still got 3 months of good games left, sad news, but I guess that’s the way it’s going to be. :frowning:

#399

So that currently makes the list: Rape, Loli, Gang Rape, Assault, Brutality, “Reverse” Rape, Adultery, “Reverse” Assault, Compulsion, Gangbang, Bestiality, Bondage, Coercion, Train Molestation, Enjo Kousai (Prostitution), Incest, Torture, Binding, Pregnancy, Violation, Slaves, Pregnant Women, Confinement, and Conception… plus the possible threat to non-humans and animal eared characters.

Can’t wait to see the official memo released.

I’ll be done with eroge in 3 months then: no dark side and no twincest. :cry:

#400

Just curious, what’s game is your avatar from? Thanks.