sex and violence in mmorpgs

Sex and the Archetypical Female Gamer
…in which Geekwoman coins the term “game-rape” as “when a character deliberately enters another character's space. This gives a visual depiction of mimicking a sexual act. In some games two characters can actually occupy the same spot, and even walk through each other. This gives creeps a chance to follow female characters around and sexually harass them.”

Andy and I have been talking more and more about the foul language and fouler behavior we’ve come across playing world of warcraft. Andy tends to do more high-lelve instance raids than I, and in doing so, uses teamspeak for more efficient in-game communication. Through this use, he is exposed to 12-35 year olds calling other players pussies, fags, fucks and the like.

We’ve recently switched from sleepless knights to blood of the innocent because I had conflicts with sk leadership and because andy really likes boti – plus bruins and felica are in boti and we love them to pieces. Anyhow, the misogynistic, homo-hate talk that comes through on guild chat is amazing. Is this abuse? Does reading the chat of one player going in to detail about how another player likes to ‘take it in the butt’ do damage to my spirit/pshyche/etc?

Back when and and I’d first started the game, my character was being followed and harrased by another player. This player continued to perform seemingly sexual acts on or near my character. Andy immediately logged his higher level toon and hunted this guy down wanting to duel him. A noble gesture, but the bastard simply logged off.

In world of warcraft a player can type “/me waves goodbye to everyone” and the game will translate that into “Sally waves goodbye to everyone” in a font and color that looks like an actual game emote. A player can also type “/me shoves his dick in Sally’s throat” which is exactly what I encountered while leveling my cooking in an inn the other day. A player hassled me in this way, with assorted lewd emotes for my entire time in the inn. I of course ignored the cunt and kept to my work. Clearly it bothers me to this day.

What can be done about this kind of conduct? Should anything be done at all? Where do you draw the line between what is kids learning about life and what’s plain wrong? How lame would it be to have a guild where you spoke respectfully and decently to your fellow player?

So I want to start a new cult guild called the elitist ninjas. Simply to let others talk all they want and let us respectful, decent folk take down onyxia on our own terms.