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Lifestyle Features

Gaming, rape culture, and how I stopped reading Penny Arcade

By MADDY MYERS | March 5, 2011

"Gaming is something a lot of people do, a lot," she adds. "Daily. But we're just going to pretend like it's having no impact on anybody, and that there's really nothing here. It's all fake, all the marriages are fake, all the funerals held in-game are fake, none of that is a real human emotion? Really?"

I wish I could say that the media surrounding me has no effect on my emotions. I wish that now, more than ever, because then I would be able to tell you that I don't get a sick feeling in my stomach every time a friend of mine says, "Hey, did you read Tycho's blog post today?" And that happens to me, almost every day.

The best I can do is to hold them at arm's length, like an ex-boyfriend that all my friends still hang out with. It would be easy for Krahulik and Holkins to say that I could just stop reading Penny Arcade any time I like. But every gaming blog I read — hell, every video game I play — is influenced in part by these two guys and what they write on their Web site that 3.5 million people visit per day. Over the past decade, Holkins and Krahulik have defined gaming culture, and that includes gaming culture's irreverence, its dark humor, its immaturity, its unwillingness to say it's sorry.

After I talked to Stanton, I e-mailed Holkins and Krahulik to ask for their input into this story. I got a response back almost right away.

"No thanks," Krahulik wrote. "We really don't have anything to say."

Maddy Myers can be reached at mmyers[a]phx.com.

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35 Comments / Add Comment

thewbert

First, I'd like to say that this is a very well written piece. I really feel like Stanton has come out of this whole affair sounding mature and respectful where others most certainly have not.

I do wonder about one thing, however. This piece makes it sound like the second dickwolves comic was written as a response the blog post on Shakesville. As a journalist, where is your evidence for this? Just because it was written after the Shakesville post does not mean Mike and Jerry were even aware of the Shakesville post. The only evidence we have is that Mike and Jerry were responding to messages that they actually received. And we have no way of knowing what those messages contained. This piece suggests a false back-and-forth that never happened and exists entirely in some people's imaginations.

It is unfortunate that the incident couldn't have led to better and more respectful communication, but the thing is, there was no communication.

Posted: March 02 2011 at 6:07 PM

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smzilla

re: the question posted above

This page on the Penny Arcade site seems to be from the same date as the second dickwolves comment, the one that suggests that "rapers" should stop.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/2010/8/13/

The first paragraph seems pertinent to me. I think it references "The Sixth Slave" as Wednesday's comic.

"Reaction to Wednesday's comic fell, conveniently for my purpose, into two camps: those who found a phrase like "raped by dickwolves" a stunning return to form, and those who felt that we were somehow advocating the actual rape of human beings. It sounds as though we've already satisfied the first camp, but an effort should certainly be made to assuage the latter."

(However, the link at the end of the paragraph appears to link to the latest PA strip. Presumably it used to link to the "apologize and leave" anti-rape comic.)

Posted: March 02 2011 at 7:52 PM

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Shawn Struck

"I do wonder about one thing, however. This piece makes it sound like the second dickwolves comic was written as a response the blog post on Shakesville. As a journalist, where is your evidence for this? Just because it was written after the Shakesville post does not mean Mike and Jerry were even aware of the Shakesville post. The only evidence we have is that Mike and Jerry were responding to messages that they actually received. And we have no way of knowing what those messages contained. This piece suggests a false back-and-forth that never happened and exists entirely in some people's imaginations. "

Mike Krahulik posted as cwgabriel on the Shakesville post, as well as responded to fans that raised the issue on twitter. A good timeline of events is here:
http://debacle.tumblr.com/post/3041940865/

Posted: March 02 2011 at 10:46 PM

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Sinstarcrafter

I would first like to say that this piece is very well thought out, well written, and well... missing the point. I think everyone misses the point. The ****wolves comic (since the mention of ****wolves upsets some people) was a fictional account of a fictional character, in a fictional video game based on a fantasy video game. There is an immense disconnect from reality here. If you are Jewish, do you not watch South Park because they had multiple episodes with Cartman dressed as Hitler.
It seems to me that the outrage "falls into two camps:" those who are rape victims with PTSD, this is understandable and I feel sorry for those people; the other camp are people who like to feign offense for other people. I see this a lot, because I am a college student. White middle class young people have such comfy lives they have to be offended about something. ****wolves is a great place, because everyone who isn't a jerk on the internet hates rape and rapists. The extent of this faux outrage amongst the middle class white people (Rob Zacny) is what upsets me. This strip is not very offensive, neither is the one after. Fine, you don't want to read their comics anymore... your loss. I just want this to blow over so people will A. stop being pro-rape degenerates, and B. stop trying to make me feel bad for something two rich guys in Washington wrote.
Mainly, I wanted to buy a ****wolves shirt, but then it got taken off their store. I am annoyed at both camps at this point, especially the hypocrisy in PA for taking it down, but keeping the strip up. Either piss on your artistic credibility, or stay consistent.

Posted: March 03 2011 at 1:46 AM

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Anonymous

I find it incredibly frustrating that people still call the Dickwolves comic a 'rape' joke. Rape is used as a vehicle to describe how awful it is that you're letting some slave sit behind while you finish your quest. The humor of the strip comes from how, in the game, you're only allowed to rescue 5 slaves. Shouldn't you be able to stay for more? "Nah, quest is done, I'm out."

I mean...come on, I can't believe how you guys missed the point. It was like if I was reading this article, and I glanced up at the top and saw 'rape culture', and got offended because "OH GOD YOU SAID RAPE!"

Let's just dial back on the drama and look at things fairly, alright?

Posted: March 03 2011 at 9:12 AM

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NEnerd

People are making way to big of a deal over this. Get over yourselves. It was a joke. No one cares if you, your friends or anyone else will stop reading their comics because there will still be millions more with a sense of humor continuing to read, laugh and enjoy.

Posted: March 03 2011 at 9:15 AM

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Anonymous is Legion

Rape is as legitimate a joke as theft, murder, and genocide carried out by the Nazis.

Get over it. Just because you don't find a joke funny doesn't mean it isn't a legitimate joke, nor does it mean it advocates whatever socially offensive action it includes.

Posted: March 03 2011 at 9:43 AM

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CHILDISH AND UNFUNNY

[10 page article]
[After I talked to Stanton, I e-mailed Holkins and Krahulik to ask for their input into this story. I got a response back almost right away.

"No thanks," Krahulik wrote. "We really don't have anything to say."]

Ahahaha, fucking raped.

Wait, shit, my bad.

On a serious note: Should Penny Arcade censor themselves in regards to war jokes or murder jokes? Surely there are ex-soldiers out there with horrible cases of PTSD that don't appreciate their comics that reference Call of Duty or whatever. I'm not sure I understand how this is different. Nowhere in this article did you clearly explain why you found their silly joke so offensive.

Posted: March 03 2011 at 9:54 AM

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reginar

As frustrated as many of you seem to be that people can't understand the original comic, I find it equally appalling that you can't take the events that happened after the comic into consideration.

Yes, I got the original joke, I understood where the irony was, it was a clever send up of something that could be viewed as horrific if it weren't "in game".

Some people had problems with the comic, as is their right. What happened after that, is what widened the circle of people who were offended. The joke is no longer the crux of the issue and quite honestly it hasn't been for a long time. The problem has been the handling of the controversy. In either their silence or immature seeming comments, Mike and Jerry have alienated a segment of their readers. Once again, that is fine, perhaps they will be happier with a smaller audience, one that contains a very vocal minority who don't mind making disgusting threats on real people. I personally wish they had handled things in a way that lead me to believe that they were happier with a larger audience, one that doesn't include that smaller subset, but that's just me.

Posted: March 03 2011 at 10:17 AM

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Mallor11

"He wrote that anyone who asked for a refund would receive one. But they would also be added to a list that would ban them from ever registering for a PAX again."

It's cute that you're immature enough to try to spin their words into the most negative concept imaginable, but here's the real quote:

"My response to them is: don’t come. Just don’t do it. In fact give me your name and I’ll refund your money if you already bought a ticket. I’ll even put you on a list so that if, in a moment of weakness you try to by [sic] a ticket we can cancel the order."

My suggestion to you: stop talking about this. People do not care. Comments towards you and others who've been regurgitating the same tired lines as you are only given in passing; as a form of self-entertainment throughout the day by adding fuel to a pointless fire. Writing a 10-page article summating why you've decided to stop reading PA (plummeting their readership from 3.5 million all the way down to 3.5 million) does nothing at all.

Posted: March 03 2011 at 10:21 AM

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