Some gamers are modifying the code of online games to enable simulated sexual assaults.

These gamers edit the basic code of the game to lock other player’s characters in place, while they manipulate their own characters into sexual positions.



Blogger Sam Maggs explains that offending gamers can also modify the appearance of their characters to make the cyber attack more graphic.



“They can make their character pant-less, while they simulate sexual assault.”





Video of what some are dubbing ‘virtual rape’ reveals the offensive modifications playing out in Grand Theft Auto V, a game already marred by controversy.



A re-release of the latest addition to the Grand Theft Auto series was taken off shelves in Target and K-Mart across Australia, after public outcry against its alleged depiction of sexual violence. According to critics, players could earn ‘health points’ by murdering female characters.



A Change.org petition slamming the game attracted more than 44,000 signatures in December of last year. The petition’s creators described the game as “misogynist” and believed it trivalised domestic abuse.



But defenders of video games have argued that Grand Theft Auto V does not specifically encourage violence against women.



While they say game is inarguably violent, it is equally violent to men and women. Purchasing the game is also restricted by R18+ rating.



It remains unclear as to whether acts of simulated in-game sexual assault are also directed at female gamers.



A major report published in the Journal of Communication in 2014 found there were no lasting connections between playing violent video games and real life violence.



Psychologist Dr Christopher Ferguson studied US crime statistic from the 1920s. He found that by the 1990s, there was an inverse relationship between violence on screens and violence in society.



Police are yet to receive any official reports of simulated sexual attacks online.

Morning news break - May 2