MEET THE AUTHOR - COMMON QUESTIONS
Q: Books and Games Like this should be illegal.
A: If we ever come to the scientific conclusion that committing crimes in video games, significantly increases the chances of committing crimes in real life, then at that point we as a society will have to decide if we want to ban committing some or all crimes in fiction. But you can’t reasonable consider banning rape in fiction without banning murder and torture. Murder has been normalized in fiction, while rape has yet to be normalized.
At some point in the future, game historians will look back on visual novels such as “rape day” as game historians look back on games such as “grand theft auto” now or even the first time nudity was shown on television. Moral out rage does not stop the entertainment industry, it slows it down but in time society progresses and realizes that the purely fictional things they thought would cause moral decay and widespread lawlessness in fact do not.
Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Rape Day?
A: As a child I grew up on horror books. Books like goosebumps, scary stories for sleepovers, and scary stories to tell in the dark. As an adult I enjoy horror and psychological thrillers, and am a big fan of zombies. Zombies on their own, can be boring but they are a fun backdrop to add a bit of danger to the world in which your story takes place. I also really love stories that follow the villain’s perspective, such as “Mr. Brooks” and “Nightcrawler”. Morality is subjective and depends a great deal on our basic perceptions and beliefs on what is happening, and while we think we are fighting great wars against evil villains, they believe the same about us. Movies that show the hero as a villain are more real in that sense, more complete. And as most people, I love porn as well. So I decided to combine all of this, originally I set out to make comics and eventually decided on making this visual novel. I also grew up reading choose your own adventure books, and really loved that form of fiction. Rape Day combines the best of all of this.
Q: But really? What’s up with this game?
A: In some way, every good fantasy is a power-fantasy. Even if it’s some odd-ball story about gaining the acceptance of the loss of control, it’s still a form of power. Porn is even more so about power. Or… maybe it’s me trying to work through my own trauma/PTSD.
Q: What is the underlying theme of Rape Day?
A: Ultimately the theme is that meaning is depended entirely on subjective value systems and that in the end we all die, and life is really pretty pointless, except the points that you choose to give it… which are themselves completely arbitrary, none greater than the other.
Q: Is this game a comedy?
A: Yes, it’s a dark comedy… dark horrific subject matter colored with a sense of joy and a dark purpose. In real life I have an undercurrent of sarcasm and irreverence in nearly everything I say and do and that emanates from the writing of the game as well. I laugh at the most inappropriate times in real life, and this emotional coloring of sensory data bleeds into the subtext of the game. Still, the main character of Rape Day, does not act, talk, or think like I do… he is more evil, brash, and crude.
Q: Are you, or people that enjoy games like this a danger to society?
A: Not any more than people enjoy playing grand theft auto or hitman. Most people can separate fiction from reality pretty well, and those that can’t shouldn’t be playing video games. The point of games is to do things, or experience things that you can’t or shouldn’t in reality. If games and movies were just like real life, they would be pretty boring.
Q: Your game will get banned.
A: I did not set out to upset anyone. I set out to make an entertaining visual novel I would enjoy, and some others would enjoy as well. Moral outrage of a vocal minority may be enough to cause Steam to ban my game and/or myself.
If my game is banned but I am not banned, I may choose to create non-violent porn games, or violent games without a pornographic element to them. I will continue to comply with all of steams new rules or policies, unless I feel those policies become too restrictive on my creative freedom, in which case I will default to solution two (below).
If both my game is banned and I am banned, then I will ensure that a content platform for all kinds of legal, quality porn games exist. I will ensure that it provides the stable foundation for the porn gaming industry to grow and flourish to be the billion dollar industry that basic biology would have it be. Again, if steam chooses to continue to allow this kind of content as the fledgling porn gaming industry starts to emerge, then they will reap the greatest rewards and I will be more than happy for them; myself continuing to build quality niche porn games.
Q: I would like to play your game before it get’s banned.
A: I have not broken any rules, so I don’t see how my game could get banned unless Steam changes their policies. My game was properly marked as adult and with a thorough description of all of the potentially offensive content before the coming soon page went live on Steam.
However, if Steam does change their policy… and it is absolutely their right to do so, as a private company, I will do what I can to try and create/and or find an alternate way of selling and marketing my games.
Q: This is not a Game it’s a glorified slide show (aka it’s a game shaped object)
A: This game includes more pre-rendered, and individually posed 3D images than the majority of visual novels on steam. I have spent the last two years of my life working on it. If you consider it a slide show, then you would have to consider almost all visual novels, slide shows. As a visual novel, it’s focused on story, and there is no fast clicking or keyboard mashing. This is not for everyone. But there is also a good bit of choice in the game. The story is not boring.
I’d estimate it will take about an hour for most people to complete the game. This amount of content is typical for smaller indie games, and the price will reflect this. I’d rather make a small, very fun and entertaining experience of about an hour than a long drawn out one. Especially, as some one who values my time very highly, these are the types of experiences I personally seek out in life.
TLDR: The game has a real story, and real characters, and real choices; it fits under the category of visual novel. If you don’t like visual novels, or don’t think visual novels should qualify as games, you do not have to play them.
Q: I will buy your game, but only out of morbid curiosity.
A: I think you will enjoy it.
Q: I will buy your game, only to down vote it and say it’s trash.
A: I think you’ll find it very entertaining but I will take into serious consideration, everything that is said in the reviews for this game in the making of my next title. I am a life long learner, and I seriously respect and consider every one’s opinion. Buying the game to down vote it, is fully your right to do.
If you do leave a review, I would greatly appreciate it if that review was honest. For example, if the primary issue you have with my game is that you find it morally offensive then you could say that in your review. Honest communication is the most effective for change, as well as harmony.
But again, I have to make games that I find fun and entertaining, so If that’s all of the feed back I receive then I’ll do my best to make my future titles and their presentations on Steam less emotionally obtrusive to those who would not be interested in the type of game I desire to create. But if there is a niche audience that enjoys this game, then they are who I am making it for.
Q: What is up with the baby killing scene?
A: This scene has been removed. I am sorry to anyone whom this scene’s existence caused distress. I am learning to find my artistic balance between producing the games I love, and not causing avalanches of outrage.
