Social Justice Warriors have taken aim at Arcane City Game Studios after the independent developer came to the defense of freedom of creative expression following Steam’s ban of Rape Day. Much like how SJWs began harassing YouTuber SidAlpha over his views on defending the right for games to exist that challenge the fabric of our moral standards, Arcane City Game Studios fell under a similar slate of scrutiny by Social Justice Warriors who – instead of opting to harass them – sought to get the game banned from social media services.
It started with a tweet from Arcane City responding to some SJWs who said they felt sick and wanted to ban games like Rape Day.
How about not playing it? Instead of trying to force your views on other people?
— Arcane City Game Studios (@Arcane_City) March 13, 2019
On March 12th, 2019 a former blogger with a decent sized following, going by the handle of Spencer, responded to Arcane’s tweet saying that anyone selling the game deserves bad press and that games like Rape Day shouldn’t be sold. This prompted Arcane to respond by saying that Rape Day was not their game. However, Spencer decided to sift through Arcane’s game catalog and spotted out their title The Virgin.
I’m sorry. I thought that might be yours as this IS one of yours, from your “romantic” visual novel, something you’re promoting on your TL, and some of the most disgusting crap I’ve ever seen. Why make this when you can create something less offensive and disgusting? pic.twitter.com/s9w5IzGYQ1
— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
Others jumped in to congratulate Spencer on his morals and for standing up to games like Rape Day and The Virgin, stating that they understand the issue of free speech, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Arcane responded by saying that the tweet regarding The Virgin was taken out of context and there was more to the story than what was featured in his tweet. Spencer responded by saying that the game was reported to YouTube in hopes of getting the game pulled from the video hosting site after encountering a playthrough from YouTuber Zach TheAvenger that was posted up on February 24th, 2019.
No. But I do have morals.
So I reported it to YouTube, who’ll probably remove it because theyll see it as offensive, and reported your tweets promoting it to Twitter, who could remove them and you too for promoting offensive content.
— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
The video that Spencer is referencing can be viewed below.
This resulted in more people coming into the thread to defend Spencer and argue that fictional violence against fictional women was still bad.
Bullshit is this racism. This is quite simply glorified violence against a woman, glorification of rape and assault. If the woman depicted was any other race, colour, species, it would still be deplorable. If it was a man of any colour etc, it was also be deplorable and vile.
— Duck got fat (@mima83) March 13, 2019
Arcane responded by asking where a real-life woman was harmed or where anyone was actually victimized by the fictional media.
After quipping that maybe they “forgot their meds”, Spencer responded by saying that Arcane was also reported, in hopes of getting them off of social media.
Reported.
Carry on like this and the only person you’ll have to blame is you, and the way you conduct yourself in social media.— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
Others also chimed in to report Arcane City Game Studios and their title The Virgin in hopes of getting the game and the developer removed from social media. Spencer also sent out a rally call, asking if he was actually wrong for calling to action a group to report the game for being offensive, falling back to insults by calling Arcane an “incel game developer”.
Currently in dispute with some incel game developer who has called me the “morality police” for objecting to a game where men brutally murder women. Anyone else think I’m wrong for reporting this vile and disgusting content?
*Graphic content attached to tweet* https://t.co/GvYQL16jZQ
— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
I’ve reported it. Sad that people think that making, distributing and playing this is acceptable.
— Duck got fat (@mima83) March 13, 2019
Thank you. 👍
— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
Object to this and we must object to men killing me etc.. Some games shouldn’t be allowed full stop. I wish you luck
— Lucy (@LucyBirks81) March 13, 2019
No you were absolutely right and thank you. X
— 📚 Fan of David Paisley 📚 (@KarenKts11) March 13, 2019
Arcane attempted to defend the game, saying that if they don’t like it they don’t have to buy it or play it or watch it, and that if they don’t want to encounter the game they should go back to their safe spaces. However, there were various feminists who chimed in to chastise Arcane for even making the game, claiming that the studio had a choice to make the game, and it was a choice they shouldn’t have made.
There isn’t any context where violence against women, promoting it or glorifying it is correct. It’s not about censorship, they’re saying you have the choice to create games without this. However you got all hyped up & defensive, says more about you. Sad, really.
— Cat Deans (@catdeans) March 13, 2019
Others joined in on the debate, claiming that video games cause real life violence and contribute to rape culture, and that is why games like Rape Day and The Virgin must be banned. Arcane responded by saying that there are plenty of studies debunking the notion that video games contribute to rape culture or that video game violence leads to real-life violence.
You don’t even know the plot of it.
Also, there are THOUSANDS of studies that have debunked your bullshit statement about video games and violence.
“Rape Culture” Get on down the road with that Social Justice Warrior buzzword bullshit.— Arcane City Game Studios (@Arcane_City) March 13, 2019
This is true.
There was a study conducted in early 2018 that showed that sexualized female characters in games actually lowered rape myth acceptance. And the recent Oxford study showed that violence in video games does not increase aggression or violent tendencies in adolescents. There were even multiple Danish studies conducted over the last decade that indicated that viewing loli, anime and underage cartoon pornography did not increase real-life sexual contact with minors.
Despite the facts, studies, protests that fictional media doesn’t increase real-life criminal conduct, Spencer held steadfast in his belief that offensive material needs to be banned.
The “oh but you don’t understand the plot” argument falls flat when people have seen enough to know they don’t like what they’ve seen.
You must have enough brain cells to know that such a game is gonna be seen as offensive. Surely that’s not passed you by?
— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
Arcane fell back to the “don’t like it, don’t buy it” argument, but they were having none of it, claiming that some people can’t tell fiction from reality and that in order to protect these people offensive material must be banned.
some people have the inability to know right from wrong and VR from real life . You’re clearly a sociopath, you need help.
— Nicola (@Iamcrabstix) March 13, 2019
I meant because you don’t recognise other people’s opinions…much like a sociopath wouldn’t. YouTube have the final say over content, if they don’t think it violates their policies your ‘free speech’ is intact.
— Nicola (@Iamcrabstix) March 13, 2019
This eventually compelled Spencer to state that he wanted to write a blog piece about Arcane City Game Studios, and that he was looking for some platforms to either host the content or someone willing to write the piece about The Virgin.
I really want to write a blog post about this morning’s hilarious exchange with a game developer promoting violence against women, but I don’t have a blog anymore. Anyone want a guest blog post from me, winner of Britmums Writer category 2013? 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/ybME1wiyd0
— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
Various Social Justice types from around the Twitter sphere came into the thread to announce that they would write something about it.
Write something and I’ll mention it in the post I write, to tie in with your thoughts on the matter.
— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
I got an offer for my ting, but feel free to write about it too. You really should as he insulted you directly! The more people who do the better, IMHO. Unless you’re too busy watching Captain Marvel or something… pic.twitter.com/3Jaky9LcNr
— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
Arcane tried rallying support, which resulted in Spencer replying with a lengthy message about the matter, explaining why games like Rape Day and The Virgin must be banned.
Oh, you’ve unblocked me. And I see you deleted some of your earlier tweets. So much for freedom of expression.
Well then, a few things (see attached). pic.twitter.com/NtoWr2Lbz7— Spencer (@spencerpeegee) March 13, 2019
If you’re unable to view the tweet or the message, it reads…
“You claimed ownership of The Virgin (I have a screenshot of your tweet where you called it “our”) which contains a plot where a character wants to have sex with a female character, but it ends in graphic violence and her brutal murder, while the character is linking this murderous violence to his sexual desire. I objected to this and reported it to YouTube. As I’m entitled to do. I asked followers who felt the same way as I did to do the same. Again, they are free to do so. Or not. The description of it being a “romantic” story is misleading and deliberately so. It’s a depiction of brutal violence.
“Video game characters aren’t real, but a game where it is fun to brutally murder female characters is, in my opinion, wrong. Game developers are smart and creative people, making this sort of crap is such a waste of their talents.
“The person who played it online called it “The Most F**kedUp Game I played Yet”. That does not sound like a ringing endorsement. Fucked Up is not praise. In fact it seems to suggest it’s wrong.
“Is the Lifetime Network where made for TV movies go to die? TV networks have their own complaints structure so when viewers don’t like content they can complain. Besides, isn’t Lifetime Network only watched by old grannies?
“We all have the right to report what we see as inappropriate content. YouTube, Twitter, and all other media platforms welcome reports of content their users find offensive and it is then up to them to decide if it breaches their guidelines and then remove it. Yes, I reported it as I am entitled to do. YouTube will decide if it’s inappropriate.
“As usual? You’re not encountered me before today so you have no knowledge of me, nor do you follow me. So calling me a typical treasonist Communist is a bit wet.”
The exchange would continue to gather fiery debate about the subject matter of free speech versus offensive material.
Many fear that with U.K., politicians looking to regulate video game distribution, it will curtail a lot of creative freedoms in the video game development space. But on the lower level, Social Justice Warriors who find content like The Virgin offensive are simply looking to deplatform the game because it offends their sensibilities.
Ironically, SJWs had no knowledge of The Virgin before the developer chimed in on the thread to defend the right to creative freedom, proving that they were only offended because they sought out a way to denigrate the developer.
Arcane City Game Studios explained that this kind of reactionary Social Justice hurts free speech, saying…
“These kind folks are so righteous until something hurts their feelings or gives them a chance to virtue signal. Then everything must be banned, free speech be damned.”
So far The Virgin is still available for viewing on YouTube, and you can still download the game from over on the itch.io store page… for now.
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