No Comment: Duke Nukem Forever

It’s no surprise when new video games are bloody and overtly sexist. Grand Theft Auto drew outrage when players realized they could not only solicit sex but also kill the sex worker (after she’s done, of course). Recently released Duke Nukem Forever may actually one-up Auto, as it’s a game in which objectifying women isn’t just enabled but encouraged–and rewarded with points.

The game’s premise is simple: “The Alien invaders are stealing Earth’s women, especially the hot ones!” It falls on Duke “balls-of-steel” Nukem to win them back. The first-person shooter game has players killing aliens and “rescuing” women. In his scathing review, Ars Technica game editor Ben Kuchera describes the action:

The women in the alien craft are being forcibly impregnated by the aliens, and during your journey, you hear a mixture of screams and sexual noises. After I accidentally blew up a few of these female victims in a firefight, Duke made a joke about abortion.

Another fun feature is “Capture the Babe,” a capture-the-flag-style segment where players have to throw women over their shoulder. If the women seem distressed, players are told to slap the women on the butt as “reassurance.”

Advertisements for the much-hyped game feature Duke sitting atop a throne, with two young women dressed in school-girl uniforms fawning at his feet. (They’re the same females who perform oral sex on the Duke in the opening sequence of the game.) “Kicking @$$ and Taking Dames,” the poster reads.

Thanks for censoring the swear word. Otherwise, this might be offensive.

About

Christie is a senior Journalism and International Studies major at Northwestern University. Recently returned from a semester in India, she is ready to take on international women's issues and the L.A. public transit system.