Kickstarter, a website that enables crowdsourcing of funding for projects, recently removed funding for a game called “Tentacle Bento” following outrage at the game’s content [1], despite its relative popularity (it exceeded its funding target). The company did not explicitly justify this decision, but it might be speculated that it could be linked to its Guidelines [2]. This is highly reminiscent of the debate that surrounded the withdrawal of the game “RapeLay” from Amazon UK, a few years ago [3]. In the latter, a man graphically assaults and tortures two characters that look like imaginary girls and one that looks like an imaginary woman. In the former, alien monsters with tentacle-like appendages very implicitly sexually assault imaginary characters that bear some resemblance to teenage girls [4], the whole matter being drawn in a cutesy manga style with pastel colours, without any explicit graphic content. In both cases, it is extremely doubtful that the game intends to “promote” actual rape.
Topics such as rape, child abuse and manslaughter are nigh universally considered highly sensitive. Actual rape, child abuse or manslaughter is unambiguously considered immoral and criminal in all vaguely developed societies. There is not the slightest doubt in our minds that this state of affairs is justified.
