"BMX XXX" has many partners in misogyny in the world of video-play. "Grand Theft Auto" has boys genuflecting, parents hand-wringing, and Justin apologizing profusely when he boots up after dinner to deliver virtual hookers to their mob-boss headquarters, occasionally bumping off a few streetwalkers along the way. The new "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball" closely emulates "BMX XXX" with its barely bikini-clad ball-spikers, even outdoing "BMX"'s customizing option with a control that allows you to set the "jiggle factor" of your player's breasts. (The game is rumored to be offering a topless edition next season.) Next year will see the release of what may be the archetype of all subjugation games when Hugh Hefner unveils his game based on life at the Playboy Mansion. But, to date, "BMX XXX" is the industry leader.
In the conclusion to Only Words, MacKinnon imagines a day when "artifacts of these abuses will reside in a glass case next to the dinosaur skeletons in the Smithsonian." With "BMX XXX," sadly, that day seems quite a bit further off. And, when it comes, the glass case will have to fit not just video cameras and tapes but the discarded gaming platforms that delivered gender-training with a virtual dirt bike and a pornographic God complex.