Family problems and cantr

[playerslayer666]

I've seen at least one other person who made a post about how IC relationships were affecting his marriage so he quit and I guess came back with a fresh start.

My family hasn't liked this game since I was in high school. Back then they just thought it was stupid and pointless and just a bunch of made up fantasy BS..... And now they are questioning it in a different way for different reasons. I may be an adult but I'm also a disabled man so my family still thinks of me as a kid.

Has anyone else had a similar problem? How do I explain to them that cantr is safe? They think I might get in trouble but I always ask people to tell me their age. Some of which I even met in the forums.

[Cdls]

I don't get the misunderstanding and hate that these kinds of games seem to generate by those who don't understand them. That being said:

There are a few concepts in the game that are questionable to certain groups. Violence and sex are the two that most instantly think of, but there are others that are less thought about. One example - I got into a debate with a classmate regarding one of my characters being in a made up religion. Apparently, I am going to go to hell since there is only one real religion and partaking in a made up one has sealed my fate. So yay for that.

They think I might get in trouble but I always ask people to tell me their age.

This makes me think that the issue at hand has to do with the more intimate nature of some Cantr relationships? Given that these concepts are in almost every single media outlet and/or form of entertainment there is, being worried about it in Cantr is just ridiculous.

If the problem they are having is you making friends from the game, then the concern could be a bit more justified, but I cannot think of any real reason for them to be concerned enough to think the game to be unsafe.

[JosiahH]

One example - I got into a debate with a classmate regarding one of my characters being in a made up religion. Apparently, I am going to go to hell since there is only one real religion and partaking in a made up one has sealed my fate. So yay for that.

Oh dear... Assuming your classmate is a Christian, allow me to apologise on behalf of my people!

In fact, there is a proud tradition of devoutly Christian fiction writers making up religions, from folks like C.S. Lewis and Tolkien to more under-the-radar Christians like Gary Gygax! Tolkein wrote the Ainulindalë not because he was rejecting his Catholicism in favour of a made-up elf religion, but because it was an interesting way for him to reflect upon the character of God, on the relationship between creatures and Creator, on goodness and evil, etc. through a fictional world. Lewis didn't invent Aslan as a rival to RL Jesus, but as a reflection of Jesus. Gygax's St. Cuthbert and Pholtus don't represent a rejection of authentic religion, just a fun critique of corrupt religion.

I think it makes tons of sense for anyone (Christian or otherwise) who is interesting in religion RL, in its good and its bad expressions, etc. to bring that interest in religion to their roleplay. Playing a character who accepts a fictional religion doesn't mean you the player accept a false religion, any more than Jesus telling a parable in which he imagines a person committing theft makes Jesus a thief!

[hyrle]

I always remind people who tell me I'm going to hell that they aren't God, so I'm not interested in their opinion of what they think my afterlife would be like.

[Wolfsong]

Cantr, and games like Cantr, are great when played casually, with the understanding that they are fictional and nothing that takes place in them is real - that it isn't you having these relationships but characters you happen to write for. If that's what the game is to you, then you need to communicate that better to your family - explain that Cantr is basically an interactive story or novel, and that while you might get invested in the characters in Cantr the same way you do characters in a book, it isn't an addiction any more than reading or watching TV is. It's as safe as any crowd sourced novel might be. It isn't real.

[Marian]

playerslayer, so is it all the rapists specifically your family is concerned about, or just the sex in general?

[Rmak]

Well, if your raping people in game and other nonsense then you family should be worried and if you think that behaviour is normal then you need to talk to someone about it.

Why this game would allow that activity is beyond me.

[Alladinsane]

Well, if your raping people in game and other nonsense then you family should be worried and if you think that behaviour is normal then you need to talk to someone about it.

Why this game would allow that activity is beyond me.

Why someone is unaware that this rule is specifically addressed (in Bold letters no less) is beyond me as well.

You're kind of new to the forum Rmak, so I understand that something might have been missed. No blame here, just trying to help.

There is a rule in cantr that those of us who love acronyms call the NCS rule. (Non-consensual sex).
It can be found about 2/3 of the way down on our primary rules page in the wiki:

http://wiki.cantr.net/index.php/Game_Rules

In short, we wanted to make sure that a culture of rape did not occur and we also want to protect our underage players from being 'raped' at the hands of some god-modding other player.
Hopefully another of our fine player base would step forward and point this out, I just wanted to jump in before the dung forks and torches were lit.

If any confusion about specific rules (what we can say) and specific instances ever arise; we are here to help guide people through and the links to contact us are right on the front page next to the links to such useful tools as the wiki.

Please lets not degrade this into a bevy of name calling.
There are (hopefully) no rapists here.

Be well

[Rmak]

I know the rule is there but I'm looking at the bigger picture.

[sherman]

Stupid question.. Why that rape part exist then? Easier would be just all along block it? I mean NCS rule pretty much does same without that part

[Alladinsane]

I guess you would have to tell us what the "bigger picture' is Rmak.

Please be specific and avoid any direct or oblique references to specific players or characters.
Maybe we could all learn something there.

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It was created in response to some 'rapes' ig. Players came forward with complaints and they were reacted to.

I don't know how you would block it Sherman?

*Unless you blocked all intimate rp?
Do you have any suggestions on how to do this?

* By doing a 'keyword' search maybe?
What would those words be? Lets not forget that an obscenity spoken in one of the countries that play this game is rather innocuous in another.
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I think it might be a relevant discussion for anyone who has suggestions.

[Kyriel]

I don't think the question here was whether or not it was allowed by the game rules, but whether his family would disapprove whether or not it was consensual out of character.

[Marian]

^ this,yes

This thread is about playerslayer's family being concerned about him, presumably about sexual RP, or at least that's what the OP made it sound like. The 'bigger picture' in that case would be is it the sex entirely...in which case tbh they should be concerned about the entire internet...or is it specifically rape RP they take issue with, which would make a little more sense. Cantr may come off like an entirely different game to an outside observer depending on who's playing it and how.

[Alladinsane]

Agreed Kyriel. Good point.

I just jumped on the part of its exclusion from the rules (or not).


What PS6' family thinks should obviously be in the Non Cantr related section of this forum, if even there.

[*Wiro]

Stop treating it like some interesting problem. It's a simple problem with a simple solution.