News outlet says Gearbox Software’s M-rated action game “takes sexism to a new level”; Women’s Media Center VP calls game’s depiction of women “extremely harmful.”
In early February, Fox News slammed Bulletstorm, questioning whether it was the “worst video game in the world.” Now, the Rupert Murdoch-owned news outlet is taking up arms against Gearbox Software’s long-awaited Duke Nukem Forever, calling it “awfully sexist.”
According to an article on FoxNews.com, 1996′s Duke Nukem 3D–”which made millions for its developers and transformed the entire world of video games–depicted women as strippers and prostitutes.” And now, according to Fox, Duke Nukem Forever is primed to “take sexism to a new level.”
To illustrate its point, the story says the game opens with a scene where Duke is seen receiving implied fellatio from twins in school getups. This is where Women’s Media Center vice president Jamia Wilson takes severe offense.
“It was offensive then and it’s even more offensive now,” she told Fox News. “These depictions of women are extremely harmful, especially to young women.”
Specifically, the scathing article’s main focus is on Duke Nukem Forever’s Capture the Babe multiplayer mode. This game mode–according to the Official Xbox Magazine (via Eurogamer) — has players carrying a character, the Babe, around. If she yells, players are given the option to slap her.
Fox News also brought up the Entertainment Software Rating Board–which slapped an M for Mature rating on Duke Nukem Forever–and quoted group spokesperson Eliot Mizrachi.
“This game carries a Mature rating indicating that it’s intended for ages 17 and up, and retailers overwhelmingly enforce their store policies requiring that M-rated games not be sold to a customer under that age without a parent’s consent,” he said.
A passage from Duke Nukem Forever’s classification rationale statement reads, “A few sequences strongly imply sexual acts: two women appear to perform fellatio on the central character (e.g., raising their heads from his lap)–though there is no actual depiction of the sex act; Duke moans and leans up against the wall of a bathroom stall (furnished with a hole)–it is implied that a sex act (not depicted) occurs.”
Duke Nukem Forever was originally pegged to debut on May 3, but just last week the long-in-development action game suffered a delay. The game is now due out internationally on June 10 and in North America on June 14. For more on the title, check out GameSpot’s most recent hands-on preview.
