RAPE DAY [EXCLUSIVE]

Rape Day is a cancelled indie adult visual novel developed by Desk Plant and originally intended to be released in April 2019. The story focuses on a serial killer and rapist who, during a zombie apocalypse, rapes and kills women. The game courted controversy online, where petitions for the game to be removed earned widespread support, and its page was removed from Steam in March 2019 before it was able to be released.

RAPE DAY

Rape Day was a visual novel that used branching dialogues to progress the story, which revolved around a sociopathic serial killer and rapist, controlled by the player, who would be able to harass, rape, and kill various women during a zombie apocalypse.[1] Its developer, a man named Jake who went by the aliases Desk Lamp[2] and Desk Plant,[3] described the game as a dark comedy inspired by various horror books and psychological thrillers.[4] During the development process, he removed a scene in which a baby is murdered in order to avoid having the game labeled as child exploitation. The game's scenes were 3D rendered, and it reportedly had over 7,000 words and 500 images.[5] A warning on the game's Steam page marked the game as having mature content including sexual assault, necrophilia, and incest.[6] Screenshots of the game showed naked women being held at gunpoint and being sexually assaulted, among other things.[2]

On the game's website, Desk Plant wrote that the game was intended for a "niche audience", including the "4% of the general population [that] are sociopaths".[7] In defense of the game, he wrote that "banning rape in fiction" would require "banning murder and torture", adding, "Most people can separate fiction from reality pretty well, and those that can't shouldn't be playing video games." He also listed plans for the game in case it was banned from Steam, which included "reaching out to other quality developers whose game(s) were banned ... to organise a niche site where you can purchase porn games that are too morally reprehensible for Steam".[8][9]

The game received widespread backlash online prior to its scheduled release due to its depiction and apparent promotion of sexual violence against women.[13] Multiple petitions were created on Change.org demanding that the game not be distributed; one petition started by Canadian gamer Cecilia Cosenza eventually received over 128,000 signatures, making it, as of 2022, the fourth most-signed video game-related petition on the website.[14] Another petition received over three thousand signatures and online support from Change.org's executive director Sally Rugg.[15] British Members of Parliament Hannah Bardell and Member of the Scottish Parliament Shona Robison called for the UK government to review how the game made it to development, while the game's Steam page was filled with comments asking for Valve to take action and criticizing its developer.[16][10] Valve reportedly automatically censored the word "rape" in any comments used made on the game's page.[17]

It's been brought to the law enforcement community that there's a possibility of a national rape day, which is supposedly [...] on the date of April 24. Ladies, please, whether it is truthful or not, I implore you to be safe. If in any way you have an uneasy feeling, what I need for you to do [...] scream at the very top of your lungs for assistance, for help. It is better to be safe than to be sorry. [...] Touch not any of our women without permission on this day or any day after this day because, if you do, we're coming for you, and we're going to prosecute you at the fullest extent of the law.

The spokesperson added that any content that "promotes, normalizes or glorifies non-consensual sexual acts or non-consensual touching, including rape and sexual assault" would violate the social network's community guidelines and would be promptly removed.

In short, "National Rape Day" started as a tasteless internet "joke" or "hoax," and there doesn't appear to be an active campaign to promote this holiday in earnest. It is worth repeating, however, that rape and other forms of sexual assault are, and will continue to be, crimes regardless of what an internet meme has to say about it.

It is important, however, not to fall into the trap of assuming a definitive cause-effect relationship. Video games like Rape Day contribute to rape culture, but it joins a raft of other cultural influences.

Rape Day was described by developer Desk Plant as a "a game where you can rape and murder during a zombie apocalypse." Though unreleased, it was listed on Steam for over two weeks with an expected launch next month.

Control the choices of a menacing serial killer rapist during a zombie apocalypse. Verbally harass, kill, and rape women as you choose to progress the story.It's a dangerous world with no laws. The zombies enjoy eating the flesh off warm humans and brutally raping them but you are the most dangerous rapist in town.Rape Day is a choose your own adventure visual novel. It does not include grinding or any other time wasting activities. So skip the foreplay and enjoy your Rape Day; you deserve it.RAPE DAY - THE VISUAL NOVEL GAME CONTAINS:571 Images7,851 WordsEvil Choices

"This game is trivializing an already difficult aspect of life women face on a daily basis, the threat of being assaulted," one wrote. Wrote another: "Anything that makes rape seem like a game needs to be stopped."

"The April 24 national rape day is f--king embarrassing," TikTok user @themisspamelaj said in a 2023 TikTok video. "This is not just disrespectful to women, this is disrespectful to the children that get raped, and this is disrespectful to men that get raped," she continued. 041b061a72