Re: Foul language in videogames is it neccessary or not?

jma1024 · ‎04-10-2009

i think its necessary i mean it would sound stupid if they said freak instead of f@#K butt instead of a$$ etc. and i mean it says M or T on the box and the back of the box says what it contains such as language blood and gore drug useage among other things its the parents job to not let there kids play certain games not developers. if parents dont want there kid exposed to that at 12=13 its called E and maybe some T that arent so bad

Shortguy · ‎03-12-2009

Enzo_man wrote:
It depends on the game. Sometimes I feel language can be excessive in some games. Haze comes to mind, cursing was over-used and sounded like a 12 year old's version of a war movie. But in Uncharted it fit well. But if you're going to ask whether or not foul language is necessary or not in games then you should ask the same question about movies, TV, books... besides, kids will most likely learn that stuff from school and TV more than games anyway.

But I think the real question is what were you doing playing GTA when you were 14 years old?? Kids wouldn't learn the foul language from games if parent's would actually give a damn and read the ESRB labels and not get mad when they find out the game has foul language after they ignore the labels. Don't blame the games, movies, etc. Blame the ignorant and/or inattentive parents.

First point, we do question movies and books in terms of language

2nd, kids learn stuff more from school anyway? I'd argue any adult in the U.S. learned more from school years through life experience than ciriculum about morality and values anyway, that isn't and can never be taught in schools. For example I was taught about "Manifest destiny" which is a code word for white supremecy.

3rd, blame the parents? video games are marketed to kids, it's just fact. it's a relevant discussion.

I respect your opinion but please understand it is not representative of fact or the majority.

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Shikenator · ‎04-25-2009

Shortguy wrote:

Enzo_man wrote:
It depends on the game. Sometimes I feel language can be excessive in some games. Haze comes to mind, cursing was over-used and sounded like a 12 year old's version of a war movie. But in Uncharted it fit well. But if you're going to ask whether or not foul language is necessary or not in games then you should ask the same question about movies, TV, books... besides, kids will most likely learn that stuff from school and TV more than games anyway.

But I think the real question is what were you doing playing GTA when you were 14 years old?? Kids wouldn't learn the foul language from games if parent's would actually give a damn and read the ESRB labels and not get mad when they find out the game has foul language after they ignore the labels. Don't blame the games, movies, etc. Blame the ignorant and/or inattentive parents.

First point, we do question movies and books in terms of language
2nd, kids learn stuff more from school anyway? I'd argue any adult in the U.S. learned more from school years through life experience than ciriculum about morality and values anyway, that isn't and can never be taught in schools. For example I was taught about "Manifest destiny" which is a code word for white supremecy.
3rd, blame the parents? video games are marketed to kids, it's just fact. it's a relevant discussion.

I respect your opinion but please understand it is not representative of fact or the majority.

This is false. Games WERE marketed toward kids in the old days. How many old school gamers saw an abundance of M rated games in the age of the NES, SNES, Genesis, etc. They were very rare at the time because most gamers USED to be kids.

Gaming now is directed toward adults just as much as kids. Do you know why? Because those gamers from back in the day grew up and gaming had become a part of their daily life. Also, there are many adults that have recently gotten into gaming ONLY buying M rated games due to feeling anything less isn't "manly" enough for them to play. Lets face it, gaming has become a big part of our culture these days. Gamers from the past grew up and continue gaming, new gamers emerge as kids are introduced to them through family and friends. In time those new gamers will grow up and the cycle will continue. So no, the gaming market isn't just directed toward kids anymore. In fact, it is very much directed to everyone.

That being said, there are many games of all ratings out there to fill the needs of everyone. AND YES IT IS THE PARENTS RESPONSIBILITY IF THEY DONT WANT THEIR KIDS HEARING FOUL LANGUAGE. The ratings are there for a reason and to ignore them and later complain about the content of that game is just asinine. Asuming something is marketed just for kids and failing to do the research to see that it clearly isn't is also a fault of the parent. I know this because I have 4 kids, oldest being 12. They all play games and do you know how many M rated games they have played? NONE! I make sure the games I get them are appropriate for their age and keep my M rated games tucked away in my room.

You should also question the content of games, or anything else your kids do for that matter.

I believe he was talking about interaction from other students at school is what will teach kids more foul language than anything. I'm living proof of this fact because back in the day I learned just about every sort of foul language from other students at school before I even knew M rated games exsisted.

In the end, the parents have EVERYTHING to do with the issue of kids hearing curse words in games. There are games made for kids and adults alike. It is up to the parent to decide what they want their kids to hear and whether or not they are mature enough to handle it.

Shortguy · ‎03-12-2009

Except for the part where I'm 100% correct. Video games are marketed for kids. It's a new media, but the content is nothing new.

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Natalie445 · ‎12-04-2008

Shortguy wrote:
Except for the part where I'm 100% correct. Video games are marketed for kids. It's a new media, but the content is nothing new.

Some games are, but not all. M rated games are marketed towards a more mature audience. I doubt developers expect games like Heavy Rain to be played by children. The sooner these parents realize this, the better purchase decisions they can make, and the better they'll be at preventing them from "poisoning their child."

Enzo_man · ‎06-21-2006

Shortguy wrote:

Enzo_man wrote:
It depends on the game. Sometimes I feel language can be excessive in some games. Haze comes to mind, cursing was over-used and sounded like a 12 year old's version of a war movie. But in Uncharted it fit well. But if you're going to ask whether or not foul language is necessary or not in games then you should ask the same question about movies, TV, books... besides, kids will most likely learn that stuff from school and TV more than games anyway.

But I think the real question is what were you doing playing GTA when you were 14 years old?? Kids wouldn't learn the foul language from games if parent's would actually give a damn and read the ESRB labels and not get mad when they find out the game has foul language after they ignore the labels. Don't blame the games, movies, etc. Blame the ignorant and/or inattentive parents.

First point, we do question movies and books in terms of language
2nd, kids learn stuff more from school anyway? I'd argue any adult in the U.S. learned more from school years through life experience than ciriculum about morality and values anyway, that isn't and can never be taught in schools. For example I was taught about "Manifest destiny" which is a code word for white supremecy.
3rd, blame the parents? video games are marketed to kids, it's just fact. it's a relevant discussion.

I respect your opinion but please understand it is not representative of fact or the majority.

@1st- I was pointing out that he was singling out video games over those other forms of entertainment (like so many others).

@2nd- I mean't that kids learn all sorts of unfavorable things from their peers not the textbooks. Sure, video games "help" too but I'm sure walking around school or the mall and hearing others use that language will impact them far more.

@3rd- Yes, blame the parents. Many games, on the PS3 and other box at least, are not marketed towards kids. Look at Resistance, Metal Gear Solid 4, God of War, Heavy Rain, Killzone, Bioshock,...the list goes on and on, all rated "M" for 17+. It's another story on the VVii, which is marketed more towards kids so you see far more "E" and "T" games. As I said, that's what the ESRB is for- to protect kids by educating the parents. And if the parents are too lazy to get educated about this super-easy to understand system then they have no one to blame but themselves.

So with the ESRB in place no one should have any reason to complain about language, violence, nudity, etc, in video games getting to their kids. If they do, you should ask them if they read the ESRB labels first. I can guarantee they didn't.

johntown · ‎03-11-2010

I do not think it is needed at all in games. For people who say it is more realistic give me a break.......it is TV, music and movies that have changed the way we speak to make people think that using the F bomb every other word is normal. People who curse a lot do it due to a lack of vocabulary and it just shows how immature someone can be.

Can someone really tell me they will not enjoy a game if it does not use foul language? Would you really not buy GTA if there was not a single F bomb in the whole game? The answer is no and most people probably would not even notice.

The game can still be plenty realistic without cursing littered throughout the game.

Moose-Steak · ‎02-01-2010

Well, I don’t think profanity is ever absolutely necessary. There are always more eloquent ways of making your point. However, I do believe that there is a place for profanity in any mature art form, both in terms of adding realism and/or for the purpose of intentionally shocking or offending the audience.

I tend to believe that less profanity is actually more effective though. If constant cursing is used, it begins to lose its impact. In contrast, if a novel is devoid of profanity, the author could certainly shock the readers by having a character suddenly let loose with a string of obscenities later in the work.

Artists run a couple other risks when they use constant profanity. For one thing, it might turn off some audience members. I personally loved the TV show Deadwood, but had trouble getting friends of mine to watch it because they couldn’t stand all the cursing. Another risk is that inappropriate overuse of profanity might turn the work from something badass into something silly, which is how I felt about the over-abundant cursing in the video game Rogue Warrior.

The other thing I think you have to remember is that profanity is sort of a moving target. The impact of certain curse words changes as society changes, and different people take offense to different types of language. American culture, I think, is moving away from taking offense at moral/religious profanities and instead is giving more weight to social profanities. In other words, nobody cares these days if a celebrity “takes the Lord’s name in vain” but they’ll crucify him if he gets caught uttering a racial slur.

Personally though, supposedly foul language doesn’t bother me, and I don’t believe writers should ever censor themselves from what they feel is the appropriate use of language.

__________________________________________________
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onuosfan · ‎01-22-2007

Moose-Steak wrote:
Well, I don’t think profanity is ever absolutely necessary. There are always more eloquent ways of making your point. However, I do believe that there is a place for profanity in any mature art form, both in terms of adding realism and/or for the purpose of intentionally shocking or offending the audience.

I tend to believe that less profanity is actually more effective though. If constant cursing is used, it begins to lose its impact. In contrast, if a novel is devoid of profanity, the author could certainly shock the readers by having a character suddenly let loose with a string of obscenities later in the work.

Artists run a couple other risks when they use constant profanity. For one thing, it might turn off some audience members. I personally loved the TV show Deadwood, but had trouble getting friends of mine to watch it because they couldn’t stand all the cursing. Another risk is that inappropriate overuse of profanity might turn the work from something badass into something silly, which is how I felt about the over-abundant cursing in the video game Rogue Warrior.

The other thing I think you have to remember is that profanity is sort of a moving target. The impact of certain curse words changes as society changes, and different people take offense to different types of language. American culture, I think, is moving away from taking offense at moral/religious profanities and instead is giving more weight to social profanities. In other words, nobody cares these days if a celebrity “takes the Lord’s name in vain” but they’ll crucify him if he gets caught uttering a racial slur.

Personally though, supposedly foul language doesn’t bother me, and I don’t believe writers should ever censor themselves from what they feel is the appropriate use of language.

I was just getting ready to reply to this thread, but there's no need now - you've pretty much said what I think. Well done.

Dopeboy_8732 · ‎11-16-2008

I like it in video games it shows realism. Really in situation in a game if u where really that person you would be cussing too and I kno I would. I do agree there are some games who do it to much like for one True Crime Streets of LA had unnecessary cussing. At the time that game came out I was too young for it, but I was allowed to play Grand Theft Auto instead of True Crime. One day I got my sister into getting that game for me and I see why my parents didn't want me to get it because it was just pretty unnecessary.