Sex, lies and video games: China’s heated debate over sexism, misogyny
Controversies ranging from a rape case to a popular game about gold diggers are fuelling intense discussions and ‘gender antagonism’
A young woman expelled from university for having sex with a foreigner. A man jailed for raping his fiancée after paying her the bride price. And a video game portraying women as gold diggers.
The discussion started in April when a court in Datong, Shanxi province upheld the guilty verdict and three-year prison sentence of a man who had raped his fiancée the day after they got engaged.
The case centred on whether the bride price he paid of 100,000 yuan (US$13,900) and a gold ring was considered marital consent and a tacit agreement for sex.
In June, there was anger over stereotyping and sexism after a Chinese online game originally called Revenge on Gold Diggers shot to the top of gaming platforms on day one.
Players of the game are male characters being pursued by manipulative women who only want one thing: their money. The backlash prompted the game’s creators to change the name to Emotional Anti-Fraud Simulator the day after its release.
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