why are you talking like a guy that just found out there's a girl in his valorant lobby? lol

I actually really liked the game on release, despite all the negativity surrounding it. But as someone recently coming back after a loooong hiatus, I absolutely LOVE the game!! They've really outdone themselves, and to see that they're still releasing amazing updates is beyond incredible! I makes me so happy to hear stories about their redemption arc and comeback. It's inspiring for my own little hobbies. This game seriously holds a special place in my heart.

As a woman who played F&H and loved it...The SA wasn't as shocking and uncomfortable to me. I think it's because the game simply shows it as another form of violence that can happen to the character, and it can happen whether the player character is male or female. I also have only seen men complain about this aspect of F&H, and I think it might be because women naturally have to worry about SA as a real possibility in our day to day lives but not so much for men. Thus, when it happens to a woman playing the game it clocks naturally as a form of violence but not so much for male players. I wonder if the SA only happened to the female characters that it wouldn't not be as shocking to male players as much.... but I don't know.

Why the fuck did I had to start the video to now for what S. A. stands for? Something like that should had been written out or at least been mentioned in the video description. 🤬

Everybody's mentioning how games like the Metro Series, Undertale, Metal Gear, GTA IV, Far Cry 3, and RDR2 weren't even brought up in the video, meanwhile Hotline Miami and its story's take on ludonarrative dissonance is being slept on. I remember watching another video like this and in it, it did bring up Hotline and I remember distinctively this one moment where it shows the protagonist puking due to all of the killing he has done throughout the whole game up to that point. Man, did that hit the feels..

me: ooooooo fear and hunger- oh.

Man I gotta buy last us 2 for my ps5 kinda miss it

The camera work in Madison's nightmare sequence says it all about what that scene is for. Cinematography speaks.

God i hate your voice, am sorry i have mysophonia so am very sensitive to sounds like i can here that drawl at the end of thing you say and it drives me mad.

Went from a goal of 200 by the end of the year to 2k before the year end. Proud of you dude!

Baldurs Gate 3 has a very sensible way of dealing with SA in Astarions story. It is not explixitly shown, but the aftermath and dealing with it, is very well done

Ellie in the tv show nearly broke my heart in that scene. Never been so relieved to see someone get hit by a machete.

Coulda had a whole chapter on David Cage.

Good video but how do you make a video about not killing and not talking about Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding, Metro and a lot more examples.

I know King Kong video game did adaptive difficulty

I really respect F&H, but it's too sad for me to play. I like watching Let's Plays of it.

I think in general, video games are expected to be "satisfying" more than other forms of art do, due to it's game nature and the expectations we have of a game : to be fun and bring the player satisfaction for resolving the situations they are faced with. It's interactibility also makes it feel different, as a player of video games has more agency in the story being told than a movie watcher. I am passionate about disturbing art, and adament about the fact art doesn't always have to bring positive emotions. My introduction to this was Otto Dix's Skat Players, a disjointed collage artwork representing injured, amputated, roughly fixed up WWI veterans playing cards. I first hated how ugly it was and how uncomfortable it made me, and grew to love it for the attention brought to details and how these details told a very gruesome, sad, despairing story about these men who lost their ability to enjoy life in a senseless war. Art is about conveying a message, trying on someone else's perspective on a subject, and sometimes these messages are bleak, cynical, desperate. They are hard to take in and yet so true, vivid and important that a good realization of it will feel like a punch to the guts. I guess that's how video games have more expectations put on them when it comes to sensitive subjects, because you can't be as cynical if you want the end result to be somehow satisfying. As a recent art form, it also hasn't yet built as much credibility in the public eye as an interactive form of art that can be used to pass strong messages, rather than just an enjoyable hobby.

Weird to make a video like this without even mentioning Drakengard.

Fear & Hunger is not a good example. The dev himself regrets it. Stop.

I feel Mouthwashing is another good example of nonsexualized, good, realistic display S.A. and it's impact on a victim that isn't said directly, but definitely evident once all the pieces fall into place. Also such a good game generally

As a survivor of multiple CSA's, F&H and Mouthwashing have become very near and dear to my heart. If you haven't already, I'd highly recommend checking out Mouthwashing. That game has one of the best SA depictions I've ever seen and all the characters are extremely well written.

The thing about SA that most people don't think about, is that it's just another way for people to hurt each other. People have been hurting each other since the dawn of time, and we spare no one. Everyone is capable of acting of their own accord, and everyone risks being subjected to someone else's actions. It just... happens. I don't know why people do it, even being a survivor myself. I've only ever known about living with the weight of those experiences. I feel as though people fixate too much on the act itself, instead of the root of the problem. that there is some kind of fascination and intrigue at knowing what people have been subjected too. It feels as though it's perpetuating the issue, instead of addressing how this kind of trauma impacts a person. The emotions are enough to completely rewire you. I STILL feel ghosts of powerlessness, shame, and even shock. Those feelings can come from any trauma that humans are subjected to... the only difference is what we attach it to, and how we adapt afterwards. And that's the issue. It isn't an exploration of trauma for some people, it is an exploration of a compromising situation. Overall: I feel that what I've just said above has been my issue with SA in art for so long. I'm tired of hearing voyeur's ideas of exploring such an invasive trauma- that they themselves were lucky enough to never deal with.

Good video! I'm always interested in female perspectives for this topic of course, but it's clear that you did a lot of research and put a lot of thought into it. Recently (and also not recently), I felt Silent Hill 2 handled it's implied SA with a lot of nuance and care. For one, nothing is ever shown, or even stated outright (although it's obviously a part of a character's backstory), but we experience her trauma through the game's own visual metaphors, meeting her attacker as a monster built from her subconscious memory. But ultimately, it's the care and psychological realism of this character that is so effective. They do not shy away from how it has shaped her life. For another horror game.... there's Resident Evil 2. This time, it's strictly a metaphor for SA, rather than a literal plot point, but it's clear to me -- especially in the original -- that the G-monster's pursuit of Sherry is meant to resemble a father abusing his daughter. The G-virus morphs his brain to want to "infect" his daughter. I don't think this game is particularly deep, and its commentary on SA is basically just, "It's bad." However, I think the use of metaphor here helps it to not feel exploitative, essentially a net neutral. (On the other hand, Resident Evil 3 Remake's little SA in the flea section is completely exploitative and a pretty weird addition.)

Your video reminded me of a specific character in Skyrim. One of the characters and one the Dragonborn's possible followers who is a vampire named Serana is a victim of S.A. Later on in the story, the game acknowledges her trauma and unlike most other female followers in the game, Serana can't be married and when asked about it, instead tells the player she'd feel more comfortable remaining friends. She never explicitly states why, but you can make the connections on your own, plus some other facts about her life. I think this was a good move on Bethesda's part. It would feel crass to have Serana go through all the pain she went through and then end up accepting marriage just like that anyway. On the opposite, it reminds me of how Madison just moved on after getting kidnapped and almost possibly S.A'd. Many people feel sad they can't marry Serana but it just makes sense and is realistic writing by all means.

Another great video essay on a touchy, but important topic; well done

I think what upsets me the most is when comics, games, anime, ect. use SA as personal growth moment. When men need character growth they fight a really hard enemy. But for women it's commonly SA. Then they'll have a scene with the woman staring out into the horizon and maybe cry a little and then they brush it off like it never happened!!! That's NOT how to show a woman growing and developing as a person!

DOL should have at least been quotes in this video

appreciate the intro, you did a lot of work

Evelyn from cyberpunk

Solid video, a great topic to discuss.

Yes Ellie was traumatised from that I mean she killed hunters , FEDRA and other people and I actually felt for her even my grandma was watching gameplay that time she acknowledge how strong that girl is , She is so well written well until part 2 and fear and hunger well its just disturbing fantasy even for a rpg maker like I was shocked when you go to dungeons ... well you know them brutes and debuff

Hey yo! ZZZ! Love the game. God what a topic. The fetish is why I can’t read things like Berserk, it’s portrayed as erotic and the women don’t actually grow at all.

I hope we get another open world simpsons game. Hit and run doesn’t need a remaster. It looks great still.

Omg ive literally looked all OVER the place for this vdeo, I watched it some time ago and then I wwanted to watch it again but I COULD NOT for the life of me find it again!

I was a die hard tomb raider fan until the reboot. And it was the comments of "you want to protect her" that made me never want to support it

One other thing I find curious is how many NSFW indie games and mods (and their players) act towards SA in their media. Skyrim modding community infamously has many sexual mods, and some of them include non consensual encounters not just limited to the possibility of being SA-ed or doing this to NPC's/enemies (the only thing off-limits in most NSFW modding communities is pedo content). Curiously, many of these (in)famous mods were developed (and played) by women. I guess the nuances related to player control and the original design is what really makes depictions of SA either disturbing or acceptable. I know both men and women, straight and lgbt, that either either played nsfw games/mods and/or read novels/fanfics/talked with chatbots that involve non-con content. Unfortunately, some of these people I know went through some form of SA, but it should be stated their reaction towards how it happened in real life is often completely different from what happens in role-playing. I've been through some forms of SA as a kid and consumed some of this media myself as well, and I kinda get or relate to the interest in some tropes while some others just make me sick. One thing that isn't necessarily NSFW but I personally find sickening (as a bi guy) is the over the top sexualization of some female characters or the usage of weird tropes (often called "fan-service"), specially when they are in vulnerable positions (check Eri and Fio's death animations when they die by acid in Metal Slug 3 compared to how Marco and Tarma die by acid.) But going into agency again, two of my favorite characters are Kainé (from Nier Gestalt/Replicant) and Bayonetta, and they are hyper sexualized characters, but they "own" it in their background, design and attitude, as well as the situations that they face.

it's such a hard thing to balance because killing things just feels way more satisfying. i can't roleplay a mean character to save my life, but killing enemies is still a blast. i don't play FPSs so it's a bit easier to fill both niches by just playing games that kill monsters or something else instead. like my favourite game of all time is hades, and basically every enemy is a spirit that'll respawn again later like nothing happened (except some satyrs and rats, but you even get assurance that their spirits go to the underworld too). i'm surprised you didn't talk about baldur's gate 3 considering you showed clips of it! it's certainly not in ludo-narrative harmony but it isn't completely dissonant either. it helps that D&D has extensive lore about the afterlife and numerous ways to resurrect people or make them undead, even if not all present in-game. but what the game seems to focus on it whether or not you kill innocents and non-combatants, with varying levels of consequence. raiding the grove in act one is a huge one, it sticks all the refugees in one room cowering and begging for their lives, and every kill nets you a whopping 1 exp. it's fucking gut-wrenching, and you feel the tieflings absence for the rest of the campaign. there's a lot to say about bg3 in this respect, but i'd be here all night if i kept going! it's interesting though, and the fact that every NPC is killable adds flavour to the whole thing i think, it gives you endless options that'll affect events later on.

I constantly hyperfixate about the Madison portrayal because honestly she’s such wasted potential and The Doc/Sexy Girl are both so abysmal when it comes to trauma and sexual horror. If you want something awesome for Madison, just check out the Taxidermist chapter as that one is somehow peak fiction and covers sexual horror respectfully enough. And not only that but it’s a WAYY better intro for her than Sleepless Night, bc that chapter is just cut content backstory that explains nothing for her (she originally had trauma from being a war journalist which is why she only feels safe sleeping in motels - bc she’s constantly on the move, bc “staying in one place for too long” makes her feel subconsciously unsafe. It MAKES sense but it got cut soooo) I gotta be honest, I don’t hate what the Doc chapter tried to be, as I actually think the fight scene and the concept of making Madison’s journey about trauma and how she can’t stop getting herself involved in these situations is a very interesting idea, but the problem is that it’s always so gratuitous and oddly meaningless, and she never really reflects on those events past a super shallow throwaway line. I think they really needed to keep the Taxidermist chapter in the main game and give Madison survivor’s guilt to fuel her story, so The Doc would awaken the trauma she got from that chapter. Also it really sucks that Madison always has to play dead and bait SA for her to overpower The Doc when she beats the shit out of him in the fight, yet with the Taxidermist - a man twice his size and strength, she simply can use a chainsaw and kill him without any weird gratuitous tricks, which was a pretty unique approach. The deaths in the Doc chapter are also really gratuitous and I think it should’ve been a double kill scenario to make it more tragic and less fetish fuel

How could you not mention Manhunt (2003)

Why aren’t you talking about San Andreas? All I see here are sexual assault victims in video games.

SA? As in San Andreas? GTA already handled that

Like I get wanting to tell a story with sensitive subject matter, but I feel like I've seen "Thing portrays SA really bad" like 500 times and "Thing portrays SA really well" 0 times that I can remember. It just seems like more trouble than it's worth.

No red dead, undertale or far cry 3 ?!??!?

Remake the game🥰💖💕

*The last of us part 2 is wasted potential 👎*

*David is like Joe Biden .*

Misao???

FEAR AND HUNGEEEER

I think the dream from heavy rain was to explain why she checks into the hotel. Idk why it had to be weird tho

It would make sense for tomb raider But Square clearly didn't have what it takes to do it right