I am curious what people thought of the interview with the GM and his explanation for what happened?
Without the actual recording it is still very much she said/he said. While his explanation leaves some gaps, it does seem very plausible and could lead to misinterpretation.
What is interesting is where there is a big differences between UK Game Expo's statement, the initial twitter post that lead to the ban, and the press coverage and his side of things.
Initial Tweet
* Have our characters kidnapped and gang raped without discussing it with anyone first.
UK Games Expo
* The scenario included descriptions of sexual violence involving the players. The players were understandably distressed and shocked by this content.
Press BBC and Mirror particularly
* the storyline described sexual abuse
The tweet is open to interpretation, things could have happened off camera, but it does make it sound graphic. The press and UK Games Expo, make it sound like that actual acts of sexual violence were described. If that were the case I think everyone would be right to be upset and a ban justified.
However the GM said they were drugged and kidnapped, that matches the tweet and woke up naked, handcuffed together in a van with sore bums.
So even if the GM is covering now, no description of sexual abuse actually occurred in game. It might have been a misinterpretation by the players in question, or it could have been intentional, if it was intentional then it's pretty dark horror but not as bad as say describing the gang-rape of minors(which some people have been claiming online). If it is as the GM says then it is certainly the sort of humour associated with The Inbetweeners. If it was as bad as the press have made out, I have to wonder why the players all stayed throughout the session and didn't leave or complain at the time.
He had advertised it as 18+ Horror game, and the use of veils (really horrific things happening but not being described, just implied) is pretty standard practice in horror games. If he had actually described sexual abuse in game then I think people would be right to be up in arms, and that's certainly what the press have said, but we know that the BBC for example didn't speak to anyone involved before running with their version of events. The Mirror said was a D&D game with "gang rape scenario", the actual incident was less than 2 minutes within a much larger game that wasn't D&D. (How do these people even call themselves journalists?)
Now a cross-over between The Inbetweeners and Hostel certainly isn't the game for everyone, but it certainly isn't some surprise rape fantasy in a game about minors which a lot of the buzz around this seemed to imply. The game he describes I would say is suitable to some conventions, but probably not run it at something like UK Games Expo which is a big family event with people of all ages, you can't predict who will walk past the table in a open room event.
I think a lot depends on what the blurb about the game was, clearly there has been a clash between player and GM expectations.