I was at a local Gamestop getting a Wii game for my 11 year old son when I saw the Duke Nukem Forever display pictured.

As the father of a boy, I try to pay close attention to the subiminal messages presented in the media (ex: violence = masculinity).  In so doing, I see the visual messages girls are receiving and I find them deeply disturbing.

I politely (really) mentioned to the 20-something manager and teenage boy employee that the display image not just objectified women in an environment catering to impressionable, pre-teen boys, but the the advertisement bordered on pedophilia, as the female (with no face, just blond hair) was wearing a high school uniform and being groped by a man twice her age. I got blank stares and a shrug in response.

I tried a different tack. I pointed out that they doubtless had classmates and sisters (I stayed away suggesting girlfriends) and said that the poster presents an unrealistic, fetishised ideal of feminine beauty that no real girl could ever live up to. A girl they knew might see this and feel terrible about herself without knowing why. They just ignored me.

I left with my son and felt very sad. Godspeed to all of you raising girls out there.

Oh, and Duke?  Fuck you. Douchebag.

With a long-anticipated release like Duke Nukem Forever, we encourage customers who pre-ordered more than a year ago to verify their reservation with their local store prior to launch. Provided the customer has a receipt, we will honor even those pre-orders taken long ago. At this time, we expect that all pre-order customers will receive Duke's Big Package at time of purchase, regardless of when the reservation was made.