Hurt Me Plenty

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Hurt Me Plenty
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Developer(s) Robert Yang
Platform(s) Linux, macOS, Windows
Release2 December 2014
Mode(s) Single-player

Hurt Me Plenty is a 2014 video game by independent developer Robert Yang. Described as a "short educational game" by its creator, Hurt Me Plenty simulates a BDSM interaction where players negotiate and perform spanking on a virtual partner, with the player required to respect the boundaries agreed with the partner to replay the game. Upon release, Hurt Me Plenty received positive reviews, with praise directed to the game's tender and mutual representation of sex and communication, noting the game's potential use as a medium for education about consent and boundaries. In 2016, Yang released a revised and updated version of Hurt Me Plenty as part of Radiator 2, a compilation of his previous games.

Contents

Gameplay

A screenshot of gameplay in the Radiator version of Hurt Me Plenty, representing the negotiation of boundaries with the partner. Hurt Me Plenty Gameplay.webp
A screenshot of gameplay in the Radiator version of Hurt Me Plenty, representing the negotiation of boundaries with the partner.

Gameplay in Hurt Me Plenty takes place over three stages, playable using the mouse or with a Leap Motion controller, in which the player simulates a scene of spanking with a computer partner. In the first stage, players "negotiate" boundaries and roles by using the controller to shake hands, providing the player to agree upon with a randomized level of intensity, the level of clothes worn by the partner, and the safeword chosen. In the second stage, players are able to spank the partner by moving the controller back and forth, with the frequency affecting the level of intensity. The player is given feedback from the partner on the level of intensity experienced, with the partner providing enthusiastic responses, pain responses or using their safeword if the intensity exceeds the agreed level. This stage ends when the spanking discontinues or when the player continues to spank the partner after the safeword is used. In the third stage, representing aftercare, the player uses the controller to rub the shoulder of their partner, who provides feedback on the appropriateness of the intensity of spanking given by the player and whether they respected the boundaries agreed at the start of the game. If the player violates the boundaries of the partner by continuing to spank them after the safeword is used, the player is locked out of replaying the game as the partner is "recovering from the previous player's abuse" for a specified time limit of several days. [1] [2]

Development

Hurt Me Plenty was created by New York-based [3] independent developer Robert Yang. Yang designed the game as a response and critique to the representation of sex in contemporary video games, citing the transactional and reward-based depiction of sex in games such as those in the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series as "cold" and based on a culture of "manipulation and perceived entitlement to bodies". In response, Yang intended to create a game simulating sex as "an on-going process" emphasized on "tender interactions" and "intimacy". [2] To design a responsive process, Yang modelled the experience on BDSM due to the emphasis on consent in those communities, [3] integrating concepts practiced in BDSM including theories of consent, soft and hard limits of pain and intensity, and aftercare. [1] Yang noted the game was best played in a group, in the event that players violate boundaries and lock future players out of the game to reinforce the message that "abuse doesn't just hurt an individual, it also hurts a community and makes it less safe of a place." [2] Whilst Yang noted the game was not intended as pornographic and viewed the content as "too formal and distant" to be pornographic, [4] Yang encountered problems with the sale and promotion of Hurt Me Plenty and similar titles due to their violation of content policies on payment and streaming services. [5]

Following release, Yang contributed to presentations and discussions about the game and its themes at the NYU Game Center in 2014, [6] and IndieCade in 2018. [7] In 2016, Yang re-released a revised and updated version of Hurt Me Plenty as part of Radiator 2, a compilation intended to enhance the "accessibility and preservation" of his earlier works, and provided additional graphical and gameplay enhancements to the game in a 2017 re-release of the compilation titled Radiator 2: Anniversary Edition. [8]

Reception

Reception of Hurt Me Plenty was positive, with reviewers directing praise to its intimate depiction of sex and consent. Kat Brewster of Rock Paper Shotgun noted the game's positive representation of "consent and communication" in the game, citing its realism and "attention to care" in its representation of aftercare. [9] Describing Hurt Met Plenty as a "revealing look into how BDSM communities actually tend to work", Nathan Grayson of Kotaku noted the game's use of "intimate interactions" as a gameplay mechanic, contrasting its design with approaches to sex in mainstream games as a transactional reward. [10] Merritt Kopas of Boing Boing praised the game's departure from "competition and domination" and "more about intimacy than conquest", finding the game instilled a "sense of responsibility and care" towards the character. [11] Butt similarly wrote "what make's Robert's game so novel is the way he has built the idea of consent into the virtual play". [12]

Several reviewers noted the game's broader relevance as an educational medium about consent and boundaries. Derrick Clifton of Mic praised the game for "teaching people about why consent matters" in giving players "a hands-on approach to responsibly navigating sexual boundaries", highlighting its focus on demonstrating the "immediate consequences" of violating those boundaries. [13] Merritt Kopas of Boing Boing observed the game's exploration of consent and care pushed players "to reconsider their relationships to games, themselves, and one another". [11] Noting the game raised discussions around the "line between empowerment and subjugation" through its representation of BDSM, David Rudin of Kill Screen observed that the discussions raised by the game "exist in all relationships" and provided a model for conversations around consent. [14] Describing the game as "powerful", Pippin Barr observed that Hurt Me Plenty created a "conversational approach to violence", finding that its design "leaves space for us to speak and act, and for the violence...to talk back." [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BDSM</span> Erotic practices involving domination and sadomasochism

BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged in by people who do not consider themselves to be practising BDSM, inclusion in the BDSM community or subculture often is said to depend on self-identification and shared experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erotic spanking</span> Act of spanking another person for sexual arousal or gratification

Erotic spanking is the act of spanking another person for the sexual arousal or gratification of either or both parties. The intensity of the act can vary in both its duration and severity, and may include the use of one or more spanking implements. Activities range from a spontaneous smack on bare buttocks during sexual activity to sexual roleplaying, such as ageplay or domestic discipline. Erotic spanking is often found within and associated with BDSM, however the activity is not exclusive to it. The term spankee is commonly used within erotic spanking to refer to the individual receiving a spanking.

In BDSM, a safeword is a code word, series of code words or other signal used by a person to communicate their physical or emotional state, typically when approaching, or crossing, a physical, emotional, or moral boundary. Some safewords are used to stop the scene outright, while others can communicate a willingness to continue, but at a reduced level of intensity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bondage (BDSM)</span> Consensual sexual binding or restraining

Bondage, in the BDSM subculture, is the practice of consensually tying, binding, or restraining a partner for erotic, aesthetic, or somatosensory stimulation. A partner may be physically restrained in a variety of ways, including the use of rope, cuffs, bondage tape, or self-adhering bandage.

A rape fantasy or a ravishment is a sexual fantasy involving imagining or pretending being coerced or forcefully coercing another into sexual activity. In sexual roleplay, it involves acting out roles of coercive sex. Rape pornography is literature, images or video associated with rape as a means of sexual arousal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of BDSM</span> Jargon and esoteric terms used in BDSM

This glossary of BDSM terms defines terms commonly used in the BDSM community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominance and submission</span> Erotic roleplay involving the submission of one person to another

Dominance and submission (D/s) is a set of behaviors, customs, and rituals involving the submission of one person to another in an erotic episode or lifestyle. It is a subset of BDSM. This form of sexual contact and pleasure has been shown to please a minority of people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erotic humiliation</span> Consensual use of humiliation in a sexual context

Erotic humiliation or Sexual humiliation is a consensual psychological humiliation performed in order to produce erotic excitement or sexual arousal. This can be for either the person(s) being humiliated and demeaned or the person(s) humiliating, or both. It is sometimes performed before spectators, including through pornography and webcam modeling. It may be part of BDSM and other sexual roleplay, or accompanied by the sexual stimulation of the genitals of one or both parties in the activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Play (BDSM)</span> BDSM term designating a wide variety of activities

Play, within BDSM circles, is any of the wide variety of "kinky" activities. This includes both physical and mental activities, covering a wide range of intensities and levels of social acceptability. The term originated in the BDSM club and party communities, indicating the activities taking place within a scene. It has since extended to the full range of BDSM activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limits (BDSM)</span> Agreed limits to erotic practices

In BDSM, limits refer to issues that participants in a play scene or dynamic feel strongly about, usually referring to prohibited activities. Participants typically negotiate an outline of what activities will and will not take place. The participants describe what they desire, do not desire, will and will not tolerate, including the determination of limits. For example, it is common to set a safeword and to establish certain types of play as prohibited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sensation play</span> Erotic activities meant to impart physical sensations

Sensation play, also known as sensual play or sensory play, is an act where senses are engaged in various ways to heighten erotic pleasure and induce sensuality. As an activity, it is meant to impart pleasurable and arousing sensations upon a partner, usually during an intimate interaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BDSM in culture and media</span> Stories, books and media about bondage

BDSM is a frequent theme in culture and media, including in books, films, television, music, magazines, public performances and online media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legality of BDSM</span> Laws on BDSM

Criminalization of consensual BDSM practices is usually not with explicit reference to BDSM, but results from the fact that such behavior as spanking or cuffing someone could be considered a breach of personal rights, which in principle constitutes a criminal offense. In Germany, Netherlands, Japan and Scandinavia, such behavior is legal in principle. In Austria the legal status is not clear, while in Switzerland and parts of Australia some BDSM practices can be considered criminal.

Feminist views on BDSM vary widely from acceptance to rejection. BDSM refers to bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and Sado-Masochism. In order to evaluate its perception, two polarizing frameworks are compared. Some feminists, such as Gayle Rubin and Patrick Califia, perceive BDSM as a valid form of expression of female sexuality, while other feminists, such as Andrea Dworkin and Susan Griffin, have stated that they regard BDSM as a form of woman-hating violence. Some lesbian feminists practice BDSM and regard it as part of their sexual identity.

<i>Ladykiller in a Bind</i> 2016 erotic visual novel

My Twin Brother Made Me Crossdress as Him and Now I Have to Deal with a Geeky Stalker and a Domme Beauty Who Want Me in a Bind!!, or Ladykiller in a Bind, is a 2016 erotic visual novel by Love Conquers All Games, with writing and programming by Christine Love and art by Raide. It is described as "an erotic romantic comedy about social manipulation, crossdressing, and girls tying up other girls".

Robert Yang is an academic, artist, and indie video game developer, whose work often explores gay subculture and the boundary between video games and art. His work focuses particularly on sociologically deviant and sometimes illegal sexual behavior. His projects include Borges adaptation Intimate, Infinite and The Tearoom, a game that involves soliciting sex in a public toilet. He is a former member of faculty at NYU Tisch School of the Arts's Game Center and curated their annual indie game exhibition in 2015.

<i>Stick Shift</i> (video game) 2015 video game

Stick Shift is a 2015 video game by independent developer Robert Yang. Described by Yang as "an autoerotic night-driving game", the game is an erotic video game and art game in which players "pleasure a gay car". Created following the development of games featuring more "uncanny" characters, Yang aimed to create a game that explored eroticism through the facial expressions of a player character, using the "humorously masculine" innuendo of manual driving as a metaphor. Upon release, Stick Shift received positive attention, with some critics expressing amuseument and bewilderment at the game's absurd and erotic concept, and others praising the game's uniqueness, with several drawing comparisons to the themes of the J.G. Ballard novel Crash.

<i>How Do You Do It?</i> (video game) 2014 video game

How Do You Do It? is a 2014 video game by independent developers Nina Freeman, Jonathan Kittaka, Emmett Butler and Decky Coss. The game is a short browser game in which the player is a young girl who attempts to understand how sex works by experimenting with her dolls. Developed as part of the 2014 Global Game Jam, the subject matter of How Do You Do It? was designed as a short and humorous experience inspired by Freeman's childhood memories of playing with her dolls in the same manner. Upon release, the game received positive reception, with publications praising the game's light-hearted tone and representation of childhood experiences of understanding sexuality. The game was also nominated as a finalist for the Nuovo Award at the 2015 Independent Games Festival.

<i>Rinse and Repeat</i> 2015 video game

Rinse and Repeat is a 2015 erotic video game by independent developer Robert Yang, described as a "steamy first person showering game about giving a hunk a helping hand". Developed by Yang as a "fantasy about consent and safety", Rinse and Repeat features a procedurally generated schedule in which players are only able to interact with their virtual partner at times set by the game. The game received positive reception from reviewers, with praise directed to the game's use of time and waiting to represent consent and respect, and as a homoerotic commentary on the male experience of communal showering.

<i>Cobra Club</i> 2015 video game

Cobra Club is a 2015 video game by independent developer Robert Yang. Players navigate a fictitious mobile application as a nude character standing before a mirror to take and send dick pics as customisable photos of their character's penis. These images, shared initially with other automated users of the platform, are revealed at the end of the game to have been uploaded without the player's awareness to an online page on blogging website Tumblr. Inspired by critiques of mass surveillance and the privacy issues of dating apps, Yang developed Cobra Club to provide players with a "safer space" to simulate taking dick pics and make the player aware of the data and privacy implications of those practices in real life.

References

  1. 1 2 Joho, Jess (5 December 2014). "We Talk to the Creator of the Dude-Butt Sensation Hurt Me Plenty". Kill Screen. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Yang, Robert (27 December 2014). "Notes on sex, consent and intimacy in games and tech". Radiator. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 Dale, Brady (8 January 2015). "Brooklyn game creator asks: How do you code consent?". Technical.ly. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  4. ↑ Warr, Philippa (3 December 2014). "The Politics of Spanking: Hurt Me Plenty". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  5. ↑ Williams, Mike (18 March 2016). "Robert Yang: "The game industry needs to get laid"". Games Industry.biz. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "Indie Tech Talk 23: Robert Yang - Cheeky Designs: How to Make a Video Game About Spanking the Heck Out of a Dude". NYU Game Center. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Explicit Power Dynamics – BDSM in games". IndieCade. 29 September 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  8. ↑ Yang, Robert (16 June 2016). "Radiator 2 as loud and quiet". Radiator. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  9. ↑ Brewster, Kat (23 February 2019). "Priceless Play". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  10. ↑ Grayson, Nathan (2 December 2014). "A Game About Spanking. Consensual Spanking". Kotaku. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  11. 1 2 Kopas, Merritt (11 March 2015). "Edgy sex games highlight intimacy, not conquest". Boing Boing. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  12. ↑ Calvi, Danny (10 December 2014). "Hurt Me Plenty". Butt Magazine. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Clifton, Derrick (9 December 2014). "This Kinky Videogame Is Challenging How We Talk About Rape — One Spanking at a Time". Mic. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  14. ↑ Rudin, David (17 December 2014). "The Year in Ass". Kill Screen. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "Violence". The Stuff Games Are Made Of. MIT Press. 2023. p. 126. ISBN   9780262546119 . Retrieved 27 August 2023.
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