In game swearing

[BarbaricAvatar]

I'm just intrigued by whether it should be frowned upon in game or not.

I have seen a sudden outburst of copious swearing that serves no purpose and just appears to be flexing of the fact that the player knows they can do it without penalty.

My thinking is that because the character automatically knows it's given language word for word, then they'd also know that swearing is bad.
I know that Cantr appeals to a wide variety of people, most of which are too intelligent to stoop to swearing, but there's always the few who are intent on ruining it for everyone else just because they can.

I personally think swearing is bad in game because it doesn't affect just the characters involved, it affects the player too, especially if they're anti-swearing IRL. But is that just me?

[SekoETC]

Some of my characters swear a lot and it fits their personality. Lately I had to stop to think should I put *Censored* or <expletive> instead of "fuckin'" but it felt exaggerated. If people tell me in or out of character that swearing "spoils the game for them" then I stop swearing in their presence, but not for anyone else because it's out of character. I would put *he swears excessively* instead of using the particular words if there was a need to express anger or frustration in presence of such people. But that doesn't point out which words are emphasized with expletives which might lead into the listener missing the whole point of the rant.

Including an optional swearword filter has been discussed before, it doesn't sound like a difficult thing to implement since several chats have them already. I think if a person is oversensitive, that's their own problem and others should not limit their expression just to protect them. The world is not a pretty place and you should just get used to it. Cantr is no carebear online, as one person once wittily exclaimed.

My thinking is that because the character automatically knows it's given language word for word, then they'd also know that swearing is bad.

Yes, they know it's bad. That's why they use it! Because it underlines that the character doesn't give a damn about what other people think or feel.

I know that Cantr appeals to a wide variety of people, most of which are too intelligent to stoop to swearing, but there's always the few who are intent on ruining it for everyone else just because they can.

People are not swearing to ruin the game, their characters are swearing, and their characters are different to make the game more interesting. The game would be a very boring place if everyone was nice. There are no good guys without the bad guys. It would be just a giant dolls' tea party.

And if a character swears, it doesn't necessarily mean that the player was also an awful potty mouth in real life. I swear sometimes but not excessively, unless I'm really angry. Good rp'ers can play characters different from themselves.

Sure some people make it excessive, like this one guy I met on Omeo island but you don't have to take them so seriously and the filter would fix the problem if you can't ignore all the crap.

[Sicofonte]

I'm against filters. My experiences in others games is that filters are always insuficient and/or problematic.
For example, in Spanish "puta" means "whore", and "computación" (computation) was rejected by the filter in certain game, but not "puuuuuuuuta" nor "sucia mujer que vendes tu cuerpo". What would you do with "cock"?.
The filters would hinder harmless words, and bring up lot of work to the Programming and Language Departments.


Instead, you can kill the characters too bad mannered. I have done it frequently.


If some player would be martyring another with his well-armed character and not responding to OOC requests of moderation, the offended player can contact the PD.

[Wolf]

...My thinking is that because the character automatically knows it's given language word for word, then they'd also know that swearing is bad.

Who says swearing is bad?
Let's not forget, many people throughout history benefitted from swearing.
The old trappers who were usually amoing the first to go into the wilderness of wild uncharted lands weren't exactly sitting around sipping tea and brushing up on etiquette.
The soldiers which served in just about any historical campaign would swear - without it they'd be a bunch of uptight prisses who'd wonder what to do if someone was rude to them, instead of cutting down the enemy.
Swearing has been a proud trait of sailors throughout the history of man (and woman).

If we start by editing/censoring/forbidding swearing, then next we'll have to remove all weapons from the game, because frankly, having your character cut down unrightfully after putting in a heap of effort in building him/her, sounds a bit more offensive than someone with a pottymouth.

Also, swearing is part of every society.
Be it in the context of the outcasts, the unadapted, or the up-and-coming despot who wants to verbally whip his followers into a frenzy that will have them beating up those who look, smell, sound or think different from his/her ideals.
In that last example, swearing works better than offering your followers tea and a crumpet, while discussing your feelings about those ungodly heathen dogs.

(edited to provide a shorter answer which covered more points)

[BarbaricAvatar]

I'm no angel myself IRL, i'm just wondering what the point is in game. I'm not directing it at the chars that swear as a point of expressing themselves, it's more the ones that swear just for the sake because they know they can do it, without it actually giving anything to roleplay, development of the char or a situation. People with chars in a large town beginning with 'D' will know what i mean.

[sanchez]

More than one of my chars has the mouth of a sailor, and I think it's important to distinguish bad language from bad roleplay. If someone is using profanity to be disruptive without roleplay intent, report it to the Players Department.

[UloDeTero]

On this subject, I see Cantr kinda like TV. Yes, there're killings, swearing, etc in real life, but when real life is portrayed on TV these things are toned down.

TV has to be acceptable to everyone who watches it, from obscenity-spewing thug to innocent child. Therefore, bad language is generally removed, or changed to more acceptable words. Violence and mature themes are removed, or more usually included by implication. (For example, when a guy and a girl start getting hot and bothered, and the scene cuts to them waking up the next morning. Or when a killer confronts his victim, and the scene cuts to outside the room/building where you can only hear screaming.)

The point is, these things are portrayed, but in a way that's acceptable to everyone. If it's too graphic, the TV company gets complaints. This is why some shows or movies get flamed for showing one gory death, but others can portray an entire battlefield without comment. It's all about the way it's done.

I'm reminded of Red Dwarf, which, being a daytime comedy show, couldn't include swearing. They got around this by making up their own 'curse-word of the future', "smeg", which was used almost exactly like the popular F-word.
Also, in Father Ted they did a similar thing. Father Jack Hackett, the obnoxious alcoholic priest, uses the word "feck", again used in familiar fashion.
Yet another example is the gesture Ross made up in Friends, so that you could "give the finger with actually having to give the finger". In the real world he would just give the finger, but because it's TV they have to work around the fact that they can't show that. Also, Joey's "italian" curse, "Fafa napoli" is meaningless but implies some kind of insult.

We need to remember that all kinds of people play Cantr: Youngsters, sensitive people, maybe even religious zealots. All these people need to be accomodated as much as possible. I guess this is another area of RP challenge.

[SekoETC]

Toned down maybe, but censored no. Well I know that in America they bleep pretty much everything, and in Prison Break they're not allowed to swear or have gay sex which is just totally ridiculous, and when I read about that I decided I'm not going to watch such bull****.

In Finland, pretty much nothing is censored except for humorous purposes. For example if they show someone changing diapers to a baby then they don't blur the genitals. The rest of the world must be full of sick creeps to require censoring the genitals of a little baby. And also sometimes they show people going to the sauna or skinny dipping. Naked men are just humorous (provided that they don't have an erection). Naked women can be ok too, it depends on the pose. But if everything is hidden then people get aroused by seeing people's ankles like in the Victorian ages. And different cultures have different habits: while it might be normal for a Western person to wear a spaghetti strap top or for a Finnish person to be completely naked in front of friends and family, a strict Muslim used to seeing women in hijabs would look at a girl in a tight blouse and think that they must be a whore.

It's cool when series like Farscape or book series like Wheel Of Time make their own vocabulary of curses that sound effective, but they need to be bound to the culture. And Cantr doesn't have much culture. Jaina says "spirits" because she's from Reniov forest and read about the four spirits as a newspawn, but the rest of my characters don't have anything.

[Piscator]

In Finland, pretty much nothing is censored

I heard they censored Tom & Jerry in Finland. Or am I mixing things up?

[wichita]

This is a topic for the gd GD, not the gorram Gen Support.


I say, as with pretty much everything, a little moderation and maturity go a long way. If the kid is dropping f-bombs just because he thinks it's a chat room game safe from all authority, report it. If it is in character and not too obscenely obnoxious, do like real life and try to ignore it if it bothers you. And by the same token, like Seko says, if you know it bugs somebody then PG-13 it. Golden Rule.

[Cdls]

I am in the same town that is being spoken about and it was being used just because it could be, there was no IC reason for that kind of continuous language. The player has stopped however and I assume has gotten the idea that it isnt looked well upon.

[Sicofonte]

I told you.... kill him!

[fuschyou]

I agree with Seko, if swearing weren't allowed...then Cantr would just be a big tea party.

Example of how Cantr would be like without swearing:

Situation: Man #1 is chasing Man #2 and Man #2 just killed Man #1's wife.

Man #1: Dear sir, I must say, I am quite distressed that you killed my wife and I am going to show you my displeasure.

Man #2: Well I must say ol' chap, while I did not know that was your wife, I will not apologize for the actions which I partook in.

Man #1: You are quite the villain aren't you?

Man #2: *smiles* Yes, quite.

Man #1: I hope you enjoy perishing.

Man #2: Cheers!

Man #1 kills Man #2 with a crossbow.

That's just boring!

[Sicofonte]

NO!

xDDDDDD

It is rather funny!

[SekoETC]

lol Indeed. We could use some people like that. Actually the people who just should obscenities got no class. But in some situations, obscenities are needed to emphasize things. It wouldn't be fun if everyone swore, but that ol' chap thing would also get old if everyone spoke like that. Hooray for variety. You know, if Stone Knights taught them kids some knightly manners then they wouldn't have to worry about a certain rebel cutting a dent in their healing food reserves. But it's too late now.

I think people should write in a way that's natural to their character until someone disapproves.

I heard they censored Tom & Jerry in Finland. Or am I mixing things up?

I haven't heard of that. They did censor Donald Duck in the fifties or so because he had no pants. And I think some episodes of Pokemon were not shown for some reason. But for example we got the uncensored Daria: Is It Fall Yet? I read online that they censored it fro some DVD release in a way that takes out the most memorable story line!