Ben-DutkaHaving the option to turn off blood and gore in video games is relatively new, but it seems Double Fine wants to appease concerned parents even further.
This is quite interesting: according to Joystiq , Tim Schafer was showing off the opening cinematic for Brutal Legend at this year's PAX event. At one point during the cut-scene, roadie Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black, if you didn't already know) finds an unwanted musician sneaking around his music set and says, "I don't know how many times I've told you not to crawl around up there! I don't know what the f—…" At this point, the game stops and a menu screen pops up asking if you'd like to hear the continuation of that obvious swear word. Clearly, this is a new way to censor the bad stuff in games if the person playing is underage, although we have difficulty believing that any 13-year-old is going to say, "oh, no thank you, I shouldn't be hearing any cuss words at my age." But then again, on that same token, we're willing to bet very few people turn off the blood and gore (another option that will be in Brutal Legend ) but…well, it probably makes the anti-game activists happy, or something. Whatever keeps them off our backs, right?
We just hope we don't have to constantly see that selection menu pop up during cut-scenes; we just want to make our choice once and be done with it. We'll assume that this presentation was for the sake of the PAX show and we won't constantly be asked if we want to hear the likes of f*** and sh**.
Related Game(s): Brutal Legend
Interesting. I've always wondered why games don't provide options to filter bad language in the audio. It's like R rated movies on BluRay. It would be great to be able to tell the player you want the PG-13 cut of the movie and have the alternate scenes or bleeped audio taken care of automatically. It wouldn't take a lot of forethought to accomplish this.
It'd be great if this became a normal feature in games. However like you say Ben, let's not have a menu option pop up every time a character swears. A one time option on the audio settings would work nicely.
I'm not for this feature at all, but I can see why they would produce it for the ignorant. If the game already comes with an M rating, and a description of why it is rated M, isn't that enough?
True..
What does it matter as long as the ability to filter language is done as an on/off switch and doesn't constantly intrude into your playing experience?
In all honesty it doesn't really matter. I think its a bit silly for a M-rated game based on heavy metal titled Brutal Legend to have this feature. Why interrupt the game instead of putting it in options menu. I just see this as another everything should be kid friendly agenda.
It matters to those that don't want an intrusion because they know how to read labels. Besides, it's just language. No reason for people to get uptight about it. Read the bible. Amen.
@fluffer-nutter
Once again, what does it matter if it's a one time on/off switch in the audio options?
"It matters to those that don't want an intrusion because they know how to read labels."
Huh? If you want to hear your game characters dropping f-bombs, that is your privilege, however I fail to see how an audio option to filter out f-bombs is an intrusion on your enjoyment.
"Besides, it's just language. No reason for people to get uptight about it. Read the bible. Amen."
I'll assume you're trying to be satirical.
If you're so sensitive that an option to filter language is an issue for you, I suggest putting your therapist on danger money now.
I'm not sensitive and this is why games, such as art, should be left the way the developers intended it. We have an ESRB that was created because of parents not wanting children to be raised properly. Now, that isn't good enough so developers have to compromise the integrity of their art. It's never good enough for that amount of the public that are too worried about the beliefs from society. If they don't like the way something is, don't go changing it. Just don't partake in it and enjoy something else that would cater to their needs. I don't buy rap albums as I prefer music that's intelligent but if others want to listen to that stuff, so be it. It's not my decision to take away from what they enjoy. That's society going backwards.
who says its all about parents? maybe theres some mature people who want to play this game without the f-bombs and blood all over the place?
and as an artist, I'll let you in on a secret, people censor themselves without any big scary company overhead, if a developer does something like this it COULD possibly be their own choice? maybe?
Last edited by n/a on 9/7/2009 3:38:04 PM
I think this would be a great feature for those who don't want to hear all the language and see all the gore(I actually don't really care if my games have language or blood). And to all those who complain about this remember YOU DON"T HAVE TO TURN IT ON!!! so just chill out.
How is an artist's ability to create things the way they want to a secret? LOL
I think it's fine as long as it's TS or whoever wrote all the dialogue wanting it in.
On the other hand should the certification be high enough and someone uses said foul language for an artitic effect and the writer wants it keeping in then the feature should NEVER be allowed. Censorship NEVER helps art and self censorship is only just about workable too!
I write songs and though they rarely contain much swearing I'd hate it to ne cut out by anyon as I'll have put it there as the ONLY word that works in that position-for that piece. Games can be art and I feel the dame applies to them. Start messing with the feel of a play's script and see just what you can lose, yes? So only if the people creatively reposible want the featyre in-and if they do then it seems to me like the swearing wasn't needed anyway so why put it in?
Anyway, noone's going to get hurt here and, I guess, if TS and JG are content who are we to mind if we can have the proper version-I always like to think I'm as close to what a creator intended as possible.
This was a great discussion. I don't agree with some things but it wasn't about that. Much better than the rantings of a fallout boy fan who has lost his favorite mascara.
I think a lot of you are missing the point. This isn't about censorship, nor is it about interfering with the artists intent. This is the game equivalent of having a TV version of an R Rated movie that can be shown on a network channel. But it's not really even that because it's simply a way for the consumer to adjust the presentation of the game to remove a small portion of the audio. That is not a threat to anyone's enjoyment, nor is it a threat to the artistic integrity of the game.
Any type of adjustments, that weren't originally intended, can abruptly change the flow of the story, can take away from what was originally intended, can put off those that want to see the work in the original intention, etc. Mood changers, if you will. I know what you're getting at, TheHighlander, and I'm sure you'd agree that the R-rated for TV adaptation is a bad example. Especially, if it's for network TV as they already cut out so much of the original content for commercial breaks. I always felt so cheated when I had seen the movie, in it's released entirety and then to see the horribly cut version on tv. Just horrible.
i'll prob turn the blood and gore off. something tells me that once i get into the fray theres gonna be a ton of red and no visibility.
It would make more sense if in the options menu at the title screen there was an option for parents to turn off blood/gore and/or inappropriate language and set a password lock so the kids couldn't turn it back on.
Still any kid could go and delete the saved game data to get it back up and running.
Better yet there should be a parental control setting in the PS3 firmware itself. Then all compatible games could automatically be censored for younger audiences. It could even be marketed on games with a parental control sticker or something along those lines.
I don't know if it's still in the settings but I do remember seeing a sort of parental control along with password option but I'm not sure how it worked. My guess would be the simple set of restricting the game completely, based on the rating.
Yeah, I'm pretty certain that it is currently implemented along those lines for games and movies.
@ fluffer
That parental control option locks the browser and movie discs, with a scale of 1-10 for the movies and pin code verification for access to the browser and movies rated above whats allowed.
i could've sworn i read this article earlier this year, and from this website.
i think it's a nice feature and should be added to more games. i for one have no need for it because i believe in playing Dead Space with my cousins and other young people watching as i rip apart a mutilated person, or playing KZ2 with the sound up so everyone can hear Rico say "Fuck you" 20 times. It adds to the experince and it makes for good conversation. lol
thats actually not a bad idea, the amount of times my cuz has turned of either the TV or speakers because his mother would freak if she saw him playing a game with blood or swearing.
kind of funny since hes a massive mortal kombat fan.
even though hes freaking 19.
i feel so sorry for that kid, his parents treat him like a bloody 5 year old.
That's actually a great idea, in my eyes.
Not only for when I'm playing certain titles around the younger or more sensitive types. But for myself.
It seems that this generation has really seen a dramatic rise of poor dialogue, a lot of it stemming from gratuitous expletives. A lot of developers seem to think 'Hey, we're allowed to say fu** 42 times (or whatever) now, so let's be sure to fill our quota!'
Even two of my most anticipated titles ('Heavy Rain' and 'Mafia II') appear to have caught this bug. Both look stellar, but the amount of utterly useless expletives is really distracting and doesn't help the script at all. It's especially disenchanting when one realizes that 'Indigo Prophecy' and 'The City of Lost Heaven' got by without ever resorting to filler words/lines.
Wow, I'm really veering off topic. My apologies.
Anyway, I'm in support of this feature (provided it's not some kind of gag) and hope to see it implemented (in some form) in many more titles.
You'd be suprised with our generation but some people still find it unpleasant….. Not anyone who would buy this game though.
That's fecking awesome for those that want it, I for one like my games uncensored, warts 'n' all.
Just have to walk down any street to hear foul language nowadays.
this seems so stupid if the game says its 17+ you have to be 17+ to buy it every place i go will ask to make sure and some time even need to see an ID
when i bought Afro Samurai i was 17 but the guy at EB didnt belive me so i had to go with a friend and he said that i cant even hold the game in the store so we had to go in the hall of the mall and before i could hold something i payed almost 80 bucks in advance for
also unless your parrents cant read there is no way a 13 year old can get these games and if they do mommy or daddy will here it say f*ck and take it back to the store or just break it so putting all this censor stuff in it is rediculous
my parrents let me play GTA when i was 12 and i got to 100% but i never tried to kill anyone in real life and i have 2 swords and a bunch of huge knifes i could use to do it
seeing cartoon blood and violence dosent make you kill
Last edited by jigokunohoono on 9/7/2009 11:10:40 AM
Wow. You got a thumbs down for that? Pity your parents for raising you to understand things. LOL
F*ck this.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 9/7/2009 1:10:53 PM
I hardly ever curse, but it sure is fun when I do.