Here's what I wonder about the whole issue of games letting us act out illegal/abhorrent/socially unacceptable actions: do they serve as 'first base' for those inclined to commit such crimes or actions?
What I mean to say is, lets say I've got a desire to run people over on the streets and speed away. Playing GTA might help me break the ice for this action in an environment where there are no consequences. I can test out how it feels, practice the best speed/turns/whatever that is needed to make a clean getaway, all within the comfort of my living room.
If you take this to a rape simulator, I'm sure the same applies. One can conduct their own tests as to methods or perverse pleasure feedback from the suffering of others, without the full weight of the crime itself, as well as breaking down the fear of committing a crime itself. And perhaps after playing for a while, they are one step closer to actually committing a crime.
Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate censorship for all of us, just to protect the small percentage of the insane who live among us.
But before someone says 'adults aren't that malleable', let me say "bullshit". Every single 'evil' leader in history had a full population of active adults behind them. Its all about power, or being close to it and feeling special as a result. And while 'these games' provide a mere drop in the bucket of the feeling of power that criminals claim exist in capital crimes, the existence of these games may be the drop that causes the whole thing to overflow.
