I would agree with "most" or "all"; I would disagree with the assertion that there are not a significant number of female characters for whom the author uses rape as a shortcut to character development.

The description of the audio file isn't that she is attacked. It is that she is sexually assaulted. The difference is in the very description that you fail to read properly.

They specifically stated that it was a female being sexually assaulted by male attackers.

They did not say "attacked in a way that sounded sexual" or anything similar. The rating marker is there because there is actual sexual violence depicted in the videogame. Stop your nonsense.

You don't think audio of a struggle, clothes ripping, a female scream, and men laughing and swearing sorta implies a gang rape?

Ever watch an anime called Mirai Nikki? They used rape as a backstory for not one but two characters... you're right it's a far too overused 'training montage'... :(

It was a rhetorical question at the start of my argument, I then presented my opinion on why I felt like it wasn't a cliche or trope.

Having what seems like every on-screen portrayal of rape result in strong character-building is just a fallacy in relation to a lot of what happens in the real world.

Um...what argument are you responding to? Who said anything about "Every female character"?

I mean, seriously, you're refuting an argument that no one is actually making. There's a term for that sort of thing.

"Rape isn't a radioactive spider that bites you and then you get superpowers."

Okay, now I see where you're coming from. It's not that people object to having the story of someone over come sexual assault/rape, what people are objecting to is having yet another story about how sexual assault/rape is used as an easy way to make a female character more complex because the writer is too lazy to…

Way to go full MRA on an article that you didn't bother to read. The scene in the GIF isn't the rape scene. Also, don't you people get tired of hashing out the same stupid arguments that only hold any gravitas when you're talking to other MRA zealots? The rest of us are not impressed.

And yet you never see a story about a male figure being raped and getting stronger because of it. Male rape is seen as something that proves how much of a pussy he is, or turns him into one. You only ever see rape being a part of female characters' backgrounds and making them stronger. If it can't be applied to either…

"what evidence is there of the act of sexual assault?"

Well then why have the rape at all, then? Because "it's just a thing that happens" probably isn't how rape should be used in a story.

Somebody needs to go back and read the article again.

It's a cliche because the vast majority of male-written narratives use rape/assault as a means of "empowerment" for their female characters. Because, you know... The only way a woman is empowered is by sexually assaulting or raping her. It's often insencere, tactless and usually comes off as more fetish than anything…

Trust me, it's a trope. It's the easiest way for a lazy writer to show that a female character became tough. It's as much of a trope as "fridging" someone (male or female), only no-one ever writes a male character getting raped and then suddenly becoming a kickass protagonist because "they had to overcome their…

It's a trope in various media that a woman *always* becomes mentally stronger and a 'better' person after she's been through the ordeal. Your friend did manage to come through the aftermath confidently and that's in no way a bad thing, but it's not representative of every situation.

It does kind of seem like, a lot of the time, rape is used as the female equivalent of the training montage, doesn't it?

When contacted by Kotaku, the ESRB said that only one other game, 2006's Animamundi, have been categorized as having sexual violence. It's not clear if the female character in the audio file described in the rating summary is the controversially attired sniper Quiet. Kojima has remarked that there will be more depth…