By the time you reach that scene it isn't optional, the trigger point for it is getting on the Paul blackmail path. PG did put in an escape point but I didn't realise the path was going to escalate so rapidly so didn't use it and saved
Adding an escape point makes the scene optional. And there was a warning before the scene that it was going to be intense.
I felt icky about playing so stopped. I deleted my save because there was no way off the Paul blackmail route. I stopped supporting PG because, after 2 months of not wanting to play his game anymore due to the aforementioned ickyness, I decided to spend my money elsewhere
It's your money, and you should spend it as you see fit. I never try to tell people how to spend or not to spend their money, just as I don't tell them how to vote, what entertainment to read/watch/play or not read/watch/play, or what substances to put or not put into their bodies. But I will often comment on their choices, and it still seems like an overreaction to me to stop playing and supporting a game because of content which you can just skip and treat like it doesn't exist.
But, as I said, it's your money, your playtime, and your choice.
I knew that Paul's blackmail path was getting dark, but DwP gave us a gut-wrenching frighteningly realistic set of scenes that really dialed it up to eleven. It didn't feel like non-con fantasy or a rapeplay porn. It was actually painful to watch.
Even as someone who enjoys the non-con fiction genre I had a few days/weeks where I was conflicted.
It felt very much like a non-con fantasy and rape porn - at least, fantasies and porn which I've experienced. There are a great many rape fantasies and a great deal of rape porn out there which are much more severe than this scene was.
Speaking for myself, I didn't find this scene at all uncomfortable to play through. I enjoyed it very much, both as a piece of erotica and as a piece of good writing (in terms of plot and character development, raising stakes, and increasing conflict). But I don't attempt to criticize anyone else for how they felt about it.
The more I thought about it the more I realized this is a really masterful piece of art.
I agree that this scene was very well done.
And for the people who want Lisa and Danny to be together and to have a good relationship, this scene offers an additional emotional impact.
I don't know how many people spotted it, but this scene includes the first time in the game that Lisa says that she loves Danny. Personally, I felt it very strongly that the first time that Lisa fully recognizes and declares her love for Danny is when she knows that she is moments away from being raped. And when a story makes you feel something strongly, that's usually an indication of good writing.
And while I wasn't certain after the DwP scenes, I'm planning to continue down that path to see what happens.
Since I'm not the developer, I can only guess, but I'm thinking that what will happen is that
Lisa will continue to suffer increasing abuse at Paul's hands, and possibly also at the hands of Connor and Mark, but will eventually break free and "get her own back", possibly with an unpleasant end for the guys.
