The Grand Theft Auto and DayZ video-game series have long come under fire for their virtual crimes including looting and murder, but now some players are adding in their own crimes to the rap sheet – virtual rape.
In a new trend being recorded and posted to YouTube, groups of gamers are breaking into the game’s coding and adding in new instructions – allowing them to virtually rape avatars controlled by other people playing games online. They then post the video to YouTube bragging about their dominance.
By modifying the code, gamers are now manipulating how the game can be controlled as well as the actions of the characters around them.
According to the Huffington Post, video-game writer Kim Correa suffered a virtual sexual assault earlier this year, explaining in an interview how she was attacked during zombie apocalypse game “DayZ” by two armed men.
She detailed the attack where two armed men cornered her character, made her strip, killed her and simulated having sex with her body. She also detailed how the players could speak to her through the video game the entire time.
Speaking to WNYC 93.9FM, the gamer said:
“I definitely don't want to say what happened to me verbally is as important as if it had happened in real life. But it means something. And I'm not sure what it means."
