Tentacle Bento, The Card Game About Rape
Posted by Mat on 16th May, 2012
Kickstarter is an important service. It’s one that hasn’t necessarily revolutionised the way that consumers and designers now interact, but it’s shown that if a niche audience wants something enough they now have a significantly improved chance of getting it. It negates the need for publishers to take a risk on an unproven product for a market they aren’t sure exists and it means that if a game has merit, but is unusual, it can still make it into people’s hands.
The lack of barriers in Kickstarter creation unfortunately mean that products like Tentacle Bento can be pitched, funded fully (then exceed their expected tally) and make it into existence. If it weren’t for Kickstarter finally pulling the plug on funding then this game would be shipped out to likely more than 622 backers.
Developers Soda Pop Miniatures pitch Tentacle Bento as a “cheeky satire” of popular anime pornography where women are kidnapped and sexually assaulted by tentacle monsters; this genre is referred to as “shokushu goukan” which translates to “tentacle rape”. Within the game you embody one of these monsters and are tasked with kidnapping as many female university students as you can before time runs out. Allegedly the pitch has been edited slightly since the initial posting, a back-up of the announcement makes reference to how the girls are “quite capable of holding their own against… unwanted advances”.
I’ve approached the company for comment about their use of the term “satire”, but have not yet garnered a reply. From assessment of the Kickstarter page though at no point does the pitch make good on the assertion. It is seemingly not judging the appropriateness of this arm of culture, nor condemning it, nor really making any statement at all. It is not satire of the genre; it is the genre.
This is a card game about kidnapping women, and it’s played for enjoyment.
Since being denied funding through Kickstarter, the company have attempted to garner donations through their own website which I’ve chosen not to link to through fear of accidental promotion. At the time this was posted it has just exceeded half the required donations. Now without anyone to step in and prevent the continued funding there’s a likely chance that Tentacle Bento will soon be available for sale.
Games should not be limited from broaching any topic, if Tentacle Bento were truly make a legitimate statement then it could be applauded. It does not. It attempts to trivialise the act of rape and permit the continuation of rape culture.
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Dammit! Why?! I want to make a salient point but can’t think beyond the desire to punch people. We should make a card game about me punching a dude till his rape-fantasy boner deflates.
I don’t see you complaining about games that trivialize poverty, inequality, murder, torture, homelessness, the exploitation of third world countries by the first world and many other social or global ills. Apparently they get a free pass from your selective moral radar, huh? Oh well, whatever.
bring them to our attention.
that is exactly what this website is for.
Ummm… okay… ALMOST EVERY GAME IN THE BLOODY UNIVERSE.
Go to it.
Good luck, there, crusader rabbit.
Munchkin trivializes violence. CoD/B3 trivialize war. Anything can be called out for ‘trivializing’ something. Unless you’re going to start lobbying ICANN to start banning all rape/murder/tentacle porn, you’re just being foolish and petty.
Four of the games that your group posted on May 10th as things they are currently playing.
I think this is being blown out of proportion, I’ll admit I’m a female with perhaps a darker sense of humor than some, and I played the game and never once felt offended. It poked fun at anime that’s been around for decades. If people find it so bad why didn’t they protest years ago when Blockbuster, Hollywood video, and other Rental places and stores carried the very anime films this game parodies. I guess it would be more acceptable if it was stated the moment the Tentacle Monster captured it’s victim it tore it’s limbs off as opposed to leaving it up for interpretation.
You know that internet white knighting won’t get real girls to sleep with you, right? Get a life.
Lame. Stupid blog makes a big deal over a card game that’s really just go fish with cute girls and some sly winks, and the hysterical masses obediently go for the pitchforks and torches.
Allow me…
http://girls.sodapopminiatures.com/content/fund-tentacle-bento
Just a question: What if it was Go Fish with children and sly winks to rape? Would that be just as fun?
Do the cards actually hurt children? Please come up with a better argument next time. And if you really think it will hurt people then ban all video game, movies, etc. that are harmful to the people.
I’m very sorry that you do not see what is wrong with trivializing rape. I Sincerly hope that the culture this supports does not lead to anyone you care about being victimized.
I’m very sorry that you can’t take a joke at all and think that a card game is going to make people not take rape seriously.
Just like I don’t take killing seriously because of all those damn movies and video game… /sarcasm
The funny thing is this game is still going to get made and they are getting more money since kickstarter isn’t taking a cut…. Good job you silly gooses.
Hey.
People already aren’t taking it seriously. Here’s two examples:
This card game exists. You’re making this argument.
Mat, you, Luke Plunkett from Kotaku, and Brandon from Insert Credit are blowing this card game way out of proportion. Nowhere in the game’s description does it say that the girls are being raped nor does it enforce rape culture. Frankly, I see games like God of War being more terrible than Tentacle Bento. In several of the puzzles throughout that series, you had to kill people in order to get pass a particular puzzle. I remember playing the third game being absolutely horrified that to use a young woman top stop a gear from closing a door. Yet no one complained in the gaming media about it and many in the gaming press praise God of War of being the pinnacle of video games. You and all of the gaming press disgust me with your hypocrisy. How can a game like Carmegeddon and Leisure Suit Larry be perfectly okay with you guys in the gaming press while a silly card game is all of sudden the worst thing that ever happened in entertainment. Mat you are a hypocrite.
This game reinforces rape culture by preserving rape as a punchline to a joke – something vaguely funny but not actually funny. Keeping rape trivialized and “funny” is detrimental to our treatment of rape victims. Additionally, this whole thing is so slathered in female objectification that it should make your skin crawl just looking at it. And this is supposed to be a card game that you play with your friends in physical space! How could you not die of mortification?
I think that marketing your game like this also speaks to a certain lack of faith in your craftsmanship. If this game were about cooking instead (an easy fix: change the suits to flavors, replace girls/venues/snatches with ingredients/broths/cookware) would anybody be interested in it? Would it have raised $30k on kickstarter? Would four creeps have pledged $500 each to get a girl they know included as a playing card? I prefer game developers that don’t need a budget line item for softcore porn actresses – I get my money’s worth that way.
God of War is also pretty repugnant, especially because it does all the same humiliating male sexual power fantasy stuff. Just because the author is jumping on this game doesn’t mean everything else has gotten a free ride.
If you want pornos, go look at porno! Putting this stuff in games is the lowliest, creepiest, lamest form of male nerd pandering. Have some respect for yourselves.
Well, as long as your kind have a new excuse to feel morally superior to other nerds, something good has come from all this.
It’s pretty disgusting that you’re trying to defend what is essentially making fun of rape. Sure, there are plenty of other games that are just as despicable. The especially horrible element of this is not that the game is being proposed, but that there are enough people in the world that are so supportive of making fun of rape that they are willing to pledge actual hard earned money.
I think it’s disgusting to prosecute people for thoughtcrime, but maybe that’s just me.
Prosecute or Persecute?
It’s not just you who feels that way, but I doubt anyone thinks that is the case here.
Making fun of rape? I thought they were making fun of tentacle trope? I guess you can’t see the difference here let me explain imaginary =/= reality. And if you are going to go with “but it supports rape” here video game murder =/= real murder, ban these to then.
I just played Battlefield 3 a couple of hours ago am I going to go out and kill people? No, a game does not turn a sane person into a murderer and neither will this game turn people into rapist.
“if Tentacle Bento were truly make a legitimate statement then it could be applauded. It does not”
You lost it buddy.
You do not get to decide what is and isn’t a “legitimate” statement, because the “legitimacy” and importance of ANY statement or work of art/fiction/entertainment is ENTIRELY arbitrary and solely determined by subjective parameters of value.
Either everyone gets to speak and make art, or NO ONE does, there is no in between.
That’s why they’re allowed to make it and, for the same reasons, I’m allowed to complain.
[...] experiences with the backlash against the dickwolves comic and t-shirts. Last month, there was a Kickstarter for an awful tentacle rape card game called Tentacle Bento that got pulled due to violations of Kickstarter’s TOS. And then Gabe then came out as being [...]
I kinda think it’s hilarious that a bunch of guys here are all steadfastly defending their tentacle porn. What a marvelously wondrous place the internet is, to be sure.
Also, I’d like to point out that the whole point of tentacle rape is that they weren’t allowed to show penises. So what did they shove up the females genitals instead? That’s right! Tentacles! So basically it’s a rape fantasy where you’re the monster. Great job.
To the people saying “I played a game where I ran around killing people and I didn’t go out and kill people” congratulations. However, would you play a violent war game in front of a guy who lost his best friend? Would that dude want to watch you making his trauma a “Game”? One in five women have been raped. Would you want to turn their trauma into a game?
This is what trivialization is. I’m sorry you don’t understand that. And when you trivialize something enough, it happens in real life. I’m sorry you don’t understand that, too.
“However, would you play a violent war game in front of a guy who lost his best friend?”
Yes… Unless he/she says something I’ll keep playing. Hell some of my friends who have been to Iraq/Afghanistan play COD and Battlefield.
If they don’t want to play the game then they don’t have to but for people who do want to play the game let them.
“One in five women have been raped. Would you want to turn their trauma into a game?”
You do know that there are already…
Also the game has been released http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124833/tentacle-bento good job.
[...] Bento – a card game based on a type of anime porn that involve women and particularly inquisitive tentacles – launched with a Kickstarter but [...]
Thanks for posting this matt.
It’s honestly really fantastic to see someone standing up against rape culture and poopie that ruins gamers image. Sorry the interest is full of priviledged jerks and asshats.
But I wanted to comment and say sincerely thanks. Because even most decent people gaming would back down or retract an honest and important post like this when faced with the fall out/trolls, and you didn’t.
It’s nice to not always be alone in the fight.
Cheers