Swearing in games is a modern evil

I'm finding it difficult to enjoy many of the modern games because they are rife with bad language. There is no profanity filter as in on-line games such as World of Warcraft - you have no choice.

This is a new trend by the American manufacturers to introduce a "rap" culture into today's games and perhaps even corrupt our youth into learning to speak that way in normal real-life. It certainly is a deliberate exercise to bring down the morality level in games, some perhaps thinking it gives more "street cred".

Now I am no prude when it comes to swearing or bad language but when I play a game I don't want it thrown in my face or suddenly taken by surprise by it.

Take two examples: I played Dead Space 1 and enjoyed the utter horror and bloodfest of it all to the end. I bought Dead Space 2 a few months later to hear pockets of swearing from various NPCs which distracted my concentration on the horror and spoiled the game somewhat for me.

Another game Red Dead Redemption was being played by a friend and I watched. This is set in the old wild west days so you would think there would be no profanity there or very slight (as they didn't use the modern swear we have today) - wrong! After hours of good gameplay the game went into a cut scene where some villains started using all manner of offensive words totally out of character of the game that far. Was that necessary?

These games would shock many parents and I think many would not all allow their youngsters to play games like this if they knew about the swearing in them. Unfortunately, as with the movie trend, most of today's films made by Hollywood have bad language dotted throughout, even in the mildest of films. It is this that is driving the game industry to mimic the movies and bring society down a notch. Even music now includes swearing!

I'm in my early 30s and I'm concerned this new direction taken by the gaming producers is detrimental and more harmful than the "fake" blood or perceived violence in today's games. The fact that they give you no choice with a profanity censor in any of the myriad of options shows their ill-intent which is spoiling the gameplay of many of my generation.

:lol:whole time reading this:lol: parents are ignorant and tend to ignore a M label and cursing is just for the rap culture as you said.oh well if they curse it isnt a bad thing at all.if you let alittle bit of words ruin a game for you thats abit sad.not like the F-bomb is being dropped every 10 seconds.but guess to each their onw :lol:

While I do think constant in-your face swearing can be quite distracting at times, I believe it can be used to greater effect. Swearing highlights the stresses the character is facing, an almost natural human reaction if you will. If you were to remove swearing completely from a game, the game loses soul as we immediately distance ourselves from the characters as they simply aren't relatable anymore.

Humans aren't perfect by design, and swearing is a good way of showing extreme levels of stress as well as making a character seem more believable.

Of course, my arugement only applies to certain types of games but with a little bit of imagination, I'm sure you can find where it fits elsewhere

When people are dealing with life-and-death situations, they don't usually respond with "Oh darn!" That would be rather comical actually. And the people who are out there dealing with these dangerous situations aren't usually the white-collar office worker types who also serve on the board of directors of their local church. They're the rough-and-tumble types who are a bit more prone to using bad language.

I've certainly heard profanity overused to the point of absurdity in some movies, but so far I haven't heard anything in a video game that sounded out of the ordinary. Of course I'm sure there are some.

Well i find it funny that you play a game like dead space where you can stamp the limbs off your enemies and shoot dead mutant babies but you think its the swearing that will corrupt the children? :D And those shocked parents should look at the age certificate of the game before they buy it for thier youngster. Both of the games you gave as examples were made for adult audience's so you should expect adult content in them.

There's alot of things that go on in this world that i would describe as evil, Adult language in a video game that was made for Adults and clearly says on the packaging is for adults isnt one of them.

3/10

I really like "rap culture" and "street cred".

A ton of parent don't even care when their children themselves swear, why would they be bothered by swearing in a game.
(Play popular online games with the Mic turned on if you want to know why I came to this conclusion)

Whatever you do don't play House of the Dead Overkill. (there's like 121 f-bombs in it)

Not just because the swearing, but the ending will give you nightmares! :cry:

I agree to some extent, some games I just put down because it seems to add profanity just for the sake of it.

However sometimes this is awesome, like in House Of The Dead: Overkill :P

I prefer the swearing in video games, gives the games more character and makes the dialogue more believable.

I think it is so funny that parents/people in general say that swearing should be left out of music/movies/video games, as though 'bad language' isn't being used constantly everywhere else. 12 year olds curse more than frequently in this world, get over it.

I'm pretty sure that if I was on a space station getting attacked by all sorts of horrific monsters, I might have a few choice words to say.rragnaar

You're complaining about profanity in games rated "M" for mature? That's just........extraordinary.:|

Or parents could not buy their kids games with ratings that specificially say they are not the intented age group (i.e. M games say they're for 17+). And "rap" culture, what does that mean? Didn't pretty much every 80s rock band put profanity in their songs just to get the parental guidance sticker to convince kids that it must be good since it has a giant label that says they can't get it? I'm not a huge rap fan but that's just a horribly ignorant statement.

I think if I were in the same situations as the Dead Space games I'd be throwing a bit of profanity around. Don't a lot of those words have old origins?

My main problem with war games last gen was their lack of realism in terms of language. After all, I doubt they're really censoring themselves in the real world, so having a T rated war game could sometimes lead to unrealistic sounding dialouge.

The only type of games that language like that doesn't really fit in are fantasy games, as it just sounds awkward having them curse while walking around in full armour and giant swords and other things of the sort.

Basically, parents should realize that when a game says "strong language" on the box it actually has "strong language." Though, I guess people really do ignore that rating since the ABC News video review of BF3 (which is a horrible review, not because of the score which was good but because of the lack of professionalism) had the two guys reviewing the game in complete shock to hear language in a game that says it has it.

Really, on BFBC2 was annoying with the language since the characters were annoying in general so every time they talked it was aggravating.

theres no swearing cabal. developers are just giving players what they think they want. thats to say, they think we only want to play as a "badass" and they think that sort of language makes the character moreso. that said, there are also many times when swearing is immersive rather than distracting. people swear from time to time and those words can be part of some very naturalistic dialogue.

Reading this thread has reminded of the time the BBC aired a heavily edited version of Robocop. Hardened criminals, cynical cops and corporate slimeballs alike came out with gems like:

"Baloney!"

"Shove it up your big fat nose!"

Classic.

So you are more worried about swearing in video-games than the occasional brutal violence?

And swearing (when used right) can make the game more believable and give the right "feel".

I'm finding it difficult to enjoy many of the modern games because they are rife with bad language. There is no profanity filter as in on-line games such as World of Warcraft - you have no choice.

This is a new trend by the American manufacturers to introduce a "rap" culture into today's games and perhaps even corrupt our youth into learning to speak that way in normal real-life. It certainly is a deliberate exercise to bring down the morality level in games, some perhaps thinking it gives more "street cred".

Now I am no prude when it comes to swearing or bad language but when I play a game I don't want it thrown in my face or suddenly taken by surprise by it.

Take two examples: I played Dead Space 1 and enjoyed the utter horror and bloodfest of it all to the end. I bought Dead Space 2 a few months later to hear pockets of swearing from various NPCs which distracted my concentration on the horror and spoiled the game somewhat for me.

Another game Red Dead Redemption was being played by a friend and I watched. This is set in the old wild west days so you would think there would be no profanity there or very slight (as they didn't use the modern swear we have today) - wrong! After hours of good gameplay the game went into a cut scene where some villains started using all manner of offensive words totally out of character of the game that far. Was that necessary?

These games would shock many parents and I think many would not all allow their youngsters to play games like this if they knew about the swearing in them. Unfortunately, as with the movie trend, most of today's films made by Hollywood have bad language dotted throughout, even in the mildest of films. It is this that is driving the game industry to mimic the movies and bring society down a notch. Even music now includes swearing!

I'm in my early 30s and I'm concerned this new direction taken by the gaming producers is detrimental and more harmful than the "fake" blood or perceived violence in today's games. The fact that they give you no choice with a profanity censor in any of the myriad of options shows their ill-intent which is spoiling the gameplay of many of my generation.

sorello

There is a great deal fundamentally wrong with your arguments as you've chosen to present them here.

Firstly, there is no conspiracy to corrupt youth by way of implementing profanity into gaming. Profanity is a part of any culture and an ancillary addition to the lexicon of any language. Furthermore it is unlikely that any child had learned a new cuss word from playing a game. I would go as far as to call such an assertion naïve.

You also erroneously align profanity with rap and hip hop culture, which is historically incorrect. Profanity transcends culture and is rather formulated and utilized by the populace as a whole, with each subset tweaking and modifying these words for their own distinct uses. The etymology of a word is a complex thing and to attempt to tether profanity to one specific culture or group is intellectually dishonest.

Also, your talk of morality is far too abstract to be taken seriously on any type of philosophical or intellectual level. The notion that profanity is linked to morality isn't something that is universally agreed upon, either from a secular position or when viewed through the lens of organized religion. You clearly have your own set of values that may or may not be predicated upon some sort of religious ideology but without a clarification of what that ideology is there is no way to even discuss the matter because you have opted to present your argument as some sort of universally accepted notion of moral behavior, which clearly isn't the case. Many people don't see profanity as a moral issue but rather an issue of manners and etiquette linked intrinsically to the established norms of a society.

I would also be remiss not to cite the clear hypocrisy in your own moral ethos, vague as it may be. You allude to games like Dead Space and the sequel and seem offended by the prolific use of profanity yet are clearly unmoved by the gruesome depictions of violence in those games, which are among the most graphic and gory in the medium. I would question the moral ideology of anyone who finds profanity offensive but makes no moral objection with a person (or Necromorph) being torn asunder in grisly detail. (To be clear I find neither objectionable)

What's fascinating about this hypocrisy is that it belies logic entirely when considering that profanity is limited in scope by both language and social conditioning; we respond to certain words because we have been trained to do so where by contrast violence is universally understood and, theoretically speaking, should be quicker to offend. If you utilize a bit of profanity to a non-English speaker, they probably won't take offense at all. Show them a person being dismembered and they'll have a clear reaction because such images transcend culture and language barriers.

As to Red Dead Redemption, your belief that the profanity in that game was thematically inaccurate is simply wrong. Profanity was widely used in that era; especially considering how uncivilized and uneducated many people were at that time. You should also bear in mind that this game clearly drew inspiration from various contemporary westerns, including the film Unforgiven and the HBO series Deadwood, both of which contain profuse amounts of profanity and are continuously praised for their authenticity.

Another issue I have with your postulation is that you never bother to explain how the proliferation of profanity in popular culture is detrimental to our collective society as a whole. It strikes me as an incredibly tenuous argument and given the socio-economic turmoil in our nation - compounded by the erosion of the educational system and the widespread degradation of parental skills - that laying the blame on something as benign as profanity is to oversimplify if not outright ignore the much larger problems facing our country. If you believe that profanity is a significant threat, the onus is upon you to clearly demonstrate why that is.

Lastly, the lack of a profanity filter in games does not prove some conspiracy to warp the minds of America's youth. What it suggests is that game developers, like any other artist, make creative decisions as to what type of experience they want the player to have and in making those choices they opt to preserve the integrity of their vision by not adding filters. There's a reason why directors often take their names off films when they are edited for television and that is because most creative people want their vision to be delivered fully and without impediment.

There is a well-defined rating system in place and that serves to warn consumers (and their children) of the potential content of any game. If that system isn't enough then perhaps people should find something else to do, though watching film or reading literature may also expose them to those bits of profanity that you allege harm society.

Personally, I think profanity is the least of our worries.

You should try No More Heroes.

It's just the good 'ol wholesome time you're looking for.

I'm finding it difficult to enjoy many of the modern games because they are rife with bad language. There is no profanity filter as in on-line games such as World of Warcraft - you have no choice.

This is a new trend by the American manufacturers to introduce a "rap" culture into today's games and perhaps even corrupt our youth into learning to speak that way in normal real-life. It certainly is a deliberate exercise to bring down the morality level in games, some perhaps thinking it gives more "street cred".

Now I am no prude when it comes to swearing or bad language but when I play a game I don't want it thrown in my face or suddenly taken by surprise by it.

Take two examples: I played Dead Space 1 and enjoyed the utter horror and bloodfest of it all to the end. I bought Dead Space 2 a few months later to hear pockets of swearing from various NPCs which distracted my concentration on the horror and spoiled the game somewhat for me.

Another game Red Dead Redemption was being played by a friend and I watched. This is set in the old wild west days so you would think there would be no profanity there or very slight (as they didn't use the modern swear we have today) - wrong! After hours of good gameplay the game went into a cut scene where some villains started using all manner of offensive words totally out of character of the game that far. Was that necessary?

These games would shock many parents and I think many would not all allow their youngsters to play games like this if they knew about the swearing in them. Unfortunately, as with the movie trend, most of today's films made by Hollywood have bad language dotted throughout, even in the mildest of films. It is this that is driving the game industry to mimic the movies and bring society down a notch. Even music now includes swearing!

I'm in my early 30s and I'm concerned this new direction taken by the gaming producers is detrimental and more harmful than the "fake" blood or perceived violence in today's games. The fact that they give you no choice with a profanity censor in any of the myriad of options shows their ill-intent which is spoiling the gameplay of many of my generation.

sorello

I think swearing in games is necessary for realism. Trust me, in the middle of a firefight there are going to be curse words flying left and right. I remember when someone reviewed kane & Lynch and said there were too many curse words... well, someone needs to understand that's how that sort of people talks. Having hardenened criminals stick to mild words like 'damn' or 'bastard' just doesn't cut it.Black_Knight_00

Yeah, but I don't want to hear the F-Bomb being dropped in every sentence in a game. I was literally disgusted by the dialogue in the Kane & Lynch games because of it. It has been abused to death and is completely necessary. Swearing is an art in itself, in my opinion, and should be used sporadically and have more meaning and impact overall, just not all the time.

[QUOTE="Black_Knight_00"]I think swearing in games is necessary for realism. Trust me, in the middle of a firefight there are going to be curse words flying left and right. I remember when someone reviewed kane & Lynch and said there were too many curse words... well, someone needs to understand that's how that sort of people talks. Having hardenened criminals stick to mild words like 'damn' or 'bastard' just doesn't cut it.Metamania

Yeah, but I don't want to hear the F-Bomb being dropped in every sentence in a game. I was literally disgusted by the dialogue in the Kane & Lynch games because of it. It has been abused to death and is completely necessary. Swearing is an art in itself, in my opinion, and should be used sporadically and have more meaning and impact overall, just not all the time.

[QUOTE="Metamania"]

[QUOTE="Black_Knight_00"]I think swearing in games is necessary for realism. Trust me, in the middle of a firefight there are going to be curse words flying left and right. I remember when someone reviewed kane & Lynch and said there were too many curse words... well, someone needs to understand that's how that sort of people talks. Having hardenened criminals stick to mild words like 'damn' or 'bastard' just doesn't cut it.El_Zo1212o

Yeah, but I don't want to hear the F-Bomb being dropped in every sentence in a game. I was literally disgusted by the dialogue in the Kane & Lynch games because of it. It has been abused to death and is completely necessary. Swearing is an art in itself, in my opinion, and should be used sporadically and have more meaning and impact overall, just not all the time.

I agree. Brutal Legend made swearing a funny thing and used it just as well, so that one I didn't mind as much.

It's only bad when it's way too overdone and out of character. I didn't feel like it was in those games you mentioned. If in RDR the characters only spoke in language appropriate for the day, probably half of the gamers wouldn't understand what they were saying.

Some people are ridiculous though claiming 'trust me, that's what would happen.' Most people in a real life firefight probably wouldn't step out of the fight for a moment to deliver a salty monologue and then jump in killing again. Even among people who curse liberally, I've never heard one try to fit as many curses into a small amount of time like you hear in games. Most scientists and academics wouldn't automatically become a curse machine just because things turned bad. Most religious personnel wouldn't toss you a shotgun and tell you to blow their ******* heads off when a zombie apocalypse started up. All of these situations would be a somewhat 'normal' occurrence in games.

That said, games are theater, and people play them to be entertained. If this is what most people find entertaining, I guess they should keep it up. I suspect many people would like certain things about games to be more consistent and relatable though.

It's all in the delivery. Sometimes it's grating, but a lot of the time I love swears in sitcoms. There are certain types of people who can make those words work, and it feels completely natural to my ears.

Mafia 2. Fantastic dialogue, fantastic voice acting. The game was deeply flawed, but I loved the story and characters. Swears more than House of the Dead: Overkill, I believe.

AcidSoldner Profanity is very much a part of our vocabulary

May be yours but not mine and most people I know don't use profanity in public which video games do.

blueboxdoctor The only type of games that language like that doesn't really fit in are fantasy games, as it just sounds awkward having them curse while walking around in full armour and giant swords and other things of the sort

Exactly what I thought although I'm sure Hollywood and the gaming industry will ruin them soon too.

Am_Confucius And swearing (when used right) can make the game more believable and give the right "feel"..

Why not go the whole hog and include going to toilet. Surely it isn't realistic for the "hero" in a game to never take a dump or even have a pee... I want games to be an escape from reality, not reminded of how rotten it is.

Grammaton-Cleric Also, your talk of morality is far too abstract to be taken seriously on any type of philosophical or intellectual level. The notion that profanity is linked to morality isn't something that is universally agreed upon, either from a secular position or when viewed through the lens of organized religion. You clearly have your own set of values that may or may not be predicated upon some sort of religious ideology but without a clarification of what that ideology is there is no way to even discuss the matter because you have opted to present your argument as some sort of universally accepted notion of moral behavior, which clearly isn't the case. Many people don't see profanity as a moral issue but rather an issue of manners and etiquette linked intrinsically to the established norms of a society.

Because some acedemics in America don't regard this as anything doesn't mean it isn't true. Why is the behaviour of young people today worse than those of say the 60s and 50s? Many people in society don't use profanity and when they do it is regarded with distain. In the end it shows your ignorance lacking communication levels to better express yourself rather than just saying oh "F### it". Its nothing to do with religion pal, its to do with modern games versus the games of equal voracity played only 2 years ago with NO SWEARING in them!

Grammaton-Cleric I would also be remiss not to cite the clear hypocrisy in your own moral ethos, vague as it may be. You allude to games like Dead Space and the sequel and seem offended by the prolific use of profanity yet are clearly unmoved by the gruesome depictions of violence in those games, which are among the most graphic and gory in the medium. I would question the moral ideology of anyone who finds profanity offensive but makes no moral objection with a person (or Necromorph) being torn asunder in grisly detail. (To be clear I find neither objectionable)

Games as in movies show explosions, gore, etc, but these I feel are hard to relate to in RL. One doesn't leave a cinema wanting to rip out somebody's heart because you saw that in the film. Naturally someone who has a violent nature may be influenced, but that could also occur through any visual stimulation. Swearing on the other hand is easy to imitate, and as some have suggested in this forum is fine by them. Of course Americans swear the most, something you lot seem to be proud of.

meetroid8 Cursing is a necessary part of language, there are things you can do and emphasize with curse words that you could never do with any other words.

This is better answered by the next quote.

guynamedbilly Some people are ridiculous though claiming 'trust me, that's what would happen.' Most people in a real life firefight probably wouldn't step out of the fight for a moment to deliver a salty monologue and then jump in killing again. Even among people who curse liberally, I've never heard one try to fit as many curses into a small amount of time like you hear in games. Most scientists and academics wouldn't automatically become a curse machine just because things turned bad. Most religious personnel wouldn't toss you a shotgun and tell you to blow their ******* heads off when a zombie apocalypse started up. All of these situations would be a somewhat 'normal' occurrence in games.

Cursing was never necessary until 2 years ago in computer games. I remember an article by Gamespot on whether swearing in games is good or bad. At the time it received a 50-50 split. That vote would probably been largely by younger people who play these games, and not representative of those of more maturity or elder people and parents.

The fact you believe swearing is necessary and/or 'right' for a modern game shows how limited your imagination is and the pathetic uninspired direction and production of games (and movies) is today. Just around 2 years ago there was no or very little swearing in games and we loved them! Now one may love them for the game itself, such as Crysis 2, but the swearing does NOTHING to enhance the game or atmosphere therein. And in my case and many others I feel, it spoils them.

Many parents will be shocked by the propensity of bad language in games that carry Mature ratings (which could mean any number of Mature themes) - if your family swears all the time then thats your world which I'd rather not be forced to be in.

But why not allow people the option to "bleep" these words out or "blank" them. I played Need For Speed and wasn't even aware that several of the rap songs had swear words 'blanked' out. The game was terrific, so why was that ok then and not anymore?

For the people who like swearing in games, good luck to you. For those who don't, give us the option in the game to blank out swear words, not force us to listen to your crap until this latest fad dies out.

There is nothing 'hard' or tough about swearing in any situation. The dog that barks the loudest usually has the smallest bite...

This thread is sad, and makes me glad that the internet is still deemed too complicated for the soccer mom community.

Nothing has been presented as to how swearing is "evil"; you've simply presented your opinion that swearing is "unnecessary", which, while debatable, is something that is better suited to your blog. At least that way the rest of us wouldn't have to read it.

You'd have an easier time finding scientific studies suggesting that the violence of video games is far more detrimental to society, but even then, none of those studies can be verified simply because of the indeterminate factors of causation and correlation. Present something here that extends beyond "people act worse than they did in the 50's", especially considering you weren't even born yet.

"Evil" is an extraordinary claim, and you haven't provided any extraordinary evidence. This is the type of hypothesis that gets thrown out instantly after being subjected to any skeptical investigation.

Grammaton-Cleric Also, your talk of morality is far too abstract to be taken seriously on any type of philosophical or intellectual level. The notion that profanity is linked to morality isn't something that is universally agreed upon, either from a secular position or when viewed through the lens of organized religion. You clearly have your own set of values that may or may not be predicated upon some sort of religious ideology but without a clarification of what that ideology is there is no way to even discuss the matter because you have opted to present your argument as some sort of universally accepted notion of moral behavior, which clearly isn't the case. Many people don't see profanity as a moral issue but rather an issue of manners and etiquette linked intrinsically to the established norms of a society.

Because some acedemics in America don't regard this as anything doesn't mean it isn't true. Why is the behaviour of young people today worse than those of say the 60s and 50s? Many people in society don't use profanity and when they do it is regarded with distain. In the end it shows your ignorance lacking communication levels to better express yourself rather than just saying oh "F### it". Its nothing to do with religion pal, its to do with modern games versus the games of equal voracity played only 2 years ago with NO SWEARING in them!

Grammaton-Cleric I would also be remiss not to cite the clear hypocrisy in your own moral ethos, vague as it may be. You allude to games like Dead Space and the sequel and seem offended by the prolific use of profanity yet are clearly unmoved by the gruesome depictions of violence in those games, which are among the most graphic and gory in the medium. I would question the moral ideology of anyone who finds profanity offensive but makes no moral objection with a person (or Necromorph) being torn asunder in grisly detail. (To be clear I find neither objectionable)

Games as in movies show explosions, gore, etc, but these I feel are hard to relate to in RL. One doesn't leave a cinema wanting to rip out somebody's heart because you saw that in the film. Naturally someone who has a violent nature may be influenced, but that could also occur through any visual stimulation. Swearing on the other hand is easy to imitate, and as some have suggested in this forum is fine by them. Of course Americans swear the most, something you lot seem to be proud of.

sorello

We are not dealing with truth or truisms. Your philosophical and moral objections to swearing have nothing to do with truth but rather your own personal rubric for what is and is not acceptable. You have made the mistake of believing that your point of view is some sort of cosmic or universal ethical principal when in reality it is simply your own myopic threshold for vulgarity.

As to the behavior of previous generations being superior, that isn't entirely true. Youth has always rebelled and such lashing out was prevalent in both eras you cite and often manifested in the use of profanity and other outlets considered vulgar. What has changed recently is a rampant and systemic breakdown of parental responsibility that facilitates rude, obnoxious children raised by rude and obnoxious adults. The fact that these children use profanity in abundance is no great shock considering their lack of etiquette and manners. We as a nation have become rather brutish and arrogant in our day-to-day dealings with one another and such vulgarity is merely a byproduct of that unfortunate reality.

However, profanity is a very small issue when measured against the larger problems facing this nation. You treat cussing as some sort of viral infestation of the soul, going as far as to call it "evil" and frankly, I find such assertions ludicrous. Profanity is and remains nothing more than conditioning, as the words that you find offensive affect your psyche only because you have essentially been brainwashed to respond accordingly. A word considered profane is no more offensive in structure and sound than any other word but your conditioning –of which you are unable or unwilling to break free of - blinds you to this reality.

As to my ignorance and inability to communicate, I feel confident that I've delineated my position far better than you. I notice that you've yet to actually support your tenuous argument and explain just how the proliferation of profanity is a malignant force. You claim this isn't an issue of religion but what you fail to grasp (among other things) is that you have a responsibility to explain precisely what harm all this profanity will actually have on our society, something you've thus far failed to do.

Lastly, your theory on the ease of imitation in regards to profanity was trite, vapid and meaningless. Profanity is something that can be gleaned from any medium or even society in general so placing the burden on games is nonsensical. There is no causal relationship between what somebody sees and what somebody does whether it's watching violent images or listening to swear words being spoken. Your answer also failed to address the illogical parameters of your own moral code, which has no problem with excessive gore, dismemberment and overtly violent images but becomes knotted with angst at the sound of an expletive being uttered.

Also, I came into this conversation with a civil tone and argued the points. Calling me "ignorant" is not only poor argumentation but it also violates the spirit of this forum. You've made some very bold claims and you either need to answer the legitimate criticisms hurled at your theory or kindly extricate yourself from this place. Name calling is not only against the TOS but also painfully ironic given the nature of your position.

"Evil" is an extraordinary claim, and you haven't provided any extraordinary evidence. This is the type of hypothesis that gets thrown out instantly after being subjected to any skeptical investigation.

syztem

I'm finding it difficult to enjoy many of the modern games because they are rife with bad language. There is no profanity filter as in on-line games such as World of Warcraft - you have no choice.

This is a new trend by the American manufacturers to introduce a "rap" culture into today's games and perhaps even corrupt our youth into learning to speak that way in normal real-life. It certainly is a deliberate exercise to bring down the morality level in games, some perhaps thinking it gives more "street cred".

Now I am no prude when it comes to swearing or bad language but when I play a game I don't want it thrown in my face or suddenly taken by surprise by it.

Take two examples: I played Dead Space 1 and enjoyed the utter horror and bloodfest of it all to the end. I bought Dead Space 2 a few months later to hear pockets of swearing from various NPCs which distracted my concentration on the horror and spoiled the game somewhat for me.

Another game Red Dead Redemption was being played by a friend and I watched. This is set in the old wild west days so you would think there would be no profanity there or very slight (as they didn't use the modern swear we have today) - wrong! After hours of good gameplay the game went into a cut scene where some villains started using all manner of offensive words totally out of character of the game that far. Was that necessary?

These games would shock many parents and I think many would not all allow their youngsters to play games like this if they knew about the swearing in them. Unfortunately, as with the movie trend, most of today's films made by Hollywood have bad language dotted throughout, even in the mildest of films. It is this that is driving the game industry to mimic the movies and bring society down a notch. Even music now includes swearing!

I'm in my early 30s and I'm concerned this new direction taken by the gaming producers is detrimental and more harmful than the "fake" blood or perceived violence in today's games. The fact that they give you no choice with a profanity censor in any of the myriad of options shows their ill-intent which is spoiling the gameplay of many of my generation.

sorello

So you're okay with the orgy of violence that is dead space (or most games, take your pick), but a little "swearing" upsets you? It's part of the vernacular, and it's part of how many people speak. Most of it has nothing to do with your (likely ill-concieved and stereotypical) notion of "rap culture." In my opinion, your statements are a reflection of the skewed priorities of the American public in general when it comes to "offensive content."

[QUOTE="syztem"]

"Evil" is an extraordinary claim, and you haven't provided any extraordinary evidence. This is the type of hypothesis that gets thrown out instantly after being subjected to any skeptical investigation.

sorello

blueboxdoctor The only type of games that language like that doesn't really fit in are fantasy games, as it just sounds awkward having them curse while walking around in full armour and giant swords and other things of the sort

Exactly what I thought although I'm sure Hollywood and the gaming industry will ruin them soon too.

sorello

The worst part is, I think I remember hearing cursing in Two Worlds 2, and it really threw off the atmosphere of the game (which in general didn't have much atmosphere, so it didn't help matters at all).

This is a new trend by the American manufacturers to introduce a "rap" culture into today's games and perhaps even corrupt our youth into learning to speak that way in normal real-life. It certainly is a deliberate exercise to bring down the morality level in games, some perhaps thinking it gives more "street cred".

sorello

Children of unfortunaley all ages have brought this trend to online gaming. I can't see how a "rap" culture has anything to do with the vast majority of single-player gameing; it's simply an effort to be more edgy and perhaps compete with other forms of entertainment" Hey, we can be edgy 'art" toooo!"

TBH, I can't stand much hip-hop culture either in gaming unless it's warrented by subject (saint's row for example). But I also don't think this type of culture is "immoral" in necessarily. People said the same things about the Blues in the early 20th, and how wrong was that?

So, gratuitous amounts of blood and gore isn't a problem but swearing is? And besides, these games are rated M. Obviously there is going to be a few curses here and their because they are aimed at a mature audience who no doubt will probably use these words themselves.Just-Breathe

Use these words themselves, but commit gratituous acts of bloody violence, no. That is the difference.

"Evil" is an extraordinary claim, and you haven't provided any extraordinary evidence. This is the type of hypothesis that gets thrown out instantly after being subjected to any skeptical investigation.

Again, you believe "that there is a clear attempt to lower youth values with indoctrination through films, music and video games." Where is the proof that would support such a claim? Nevermind the conspiracy theory, where is the basic proof that swearing can even possibly have such an influence?

syztem

If you've ever gone from a relatively "clean' verbal environment to hanging around people who swear like long-shoreman, what other people say has quite an impact on how we talk.

Also, I think harping on the available scientific evidence may be too much. Sociology is a complicated and often conflicting thing, not even really a true science IMO, so we have to go a bit with common sense; although I know this is anecdotal speaking, but the idea of what we see and hear infliuences our own actions is pretty common sensical. Hnag around with a bad crowd, you are much more likely to act badly, including language.

To the self-professed cleric: Perhaps I should have used the word "one" when I typed - In the end it shows your (ones) ignorance lacking communication levels to better express yourself rather than just saying oh "F### it". - unquote. It certainly is easier to swear rather than use reason or making cognisant rational argument. But for one condemning my perceived insult (which it wasn't) you sure throw a bunch back! I did not know you cared so much about keeping this new medium of vulgar communication that you would not even contemplate the allowance of a profanity filter, such as in online games like World of Warcraft. Oh, did you forget that WoW has the BIGGEST volume of users than any other video game today? Maybe WoW is not realistic enough for you; you must have your swearing "fix". As for my view, which I've stated many times that is all it is, it is not greater than anyone else's, especially a Grand Poobah such as yourself. The fact I believe there is a deliberate reason why the game makers refuse to allow that which is included in World of Warcraft, a profanity filter or 'bleeper', shows to me ill intent or evil. Swearing as I said in my first preface is easy to copy and carry from games than mutilation or violent imagery. To copy the latter acts one who have to commit a major crime, a threshold most normal folk choose not to cross. But they can resort to using more foul language because of the casual influence of games, something I REPEAT was barely around a couple of years ago. Something that is easier to imitate is more of a threat particularly when a vast majority deems the source offensive. And as much as you like to pontificate, words do harm - that is one of the basic ways which we communicate: you even managed to be offended by my use of the word ignorance in a global term, and ignorance is not the same as stupidity. The youth has always rebelled in one form or another, but in the 60 and 70s they formed the Hippie movement and opposed the Vietnam War. Today that lot are referred to demeaningly as "Tree Huggers". And how do you know today's intolerance and bad behaviour is not partly or greatly to blame on excessive bad language? You claim they are merely reflective on society, yet similar views to mine were expressed by many black community leaders regarding the influence of 'gangsta rap' which people like you claimed was simply reflecting "the streets". You don't have to agree with my opinion, and I equally yours. The point is where were you about two years ago when there was hardly any swearing in video games? When did you first come to this view that swearing in games is 'cool' and those who don't like it must have no choice, no profanity filter but just suffer ignominious and unconditional acceptance?sorello

You're in a game-forum populated with kids who have yet to form any sense of the real impact of morality and the impact ofhow one comports themselves in society. Not that I really agree with you a whole lot, but you're getting way mistread here. But that's to be expect in a game forum, right?

[QUOTE="syztem"]

"Evil" is an extraordinary claim, and you haven't provided any extraordinary evidence. This is the type of hypothesis that gets thrown out instantly after being subjected to any skeptical investigation.

sorello

You keep making this entirely erroneous claim that profanity barely existed in games until two years ago. Where precisely does this wholly incorrect assertion come from? You really need to provide some manner of evidence to support this because I know for an irrefutable fact that games have contained plenty of profanity going much further back than two years.

As to the profanity filter issue, I've already addressed this but it bears repeating that you are not owed such a filter on any game, film or any other media you purchase. There is something called artistic integrity and some people simply don't feel the need to censor themselves for the sake of placating certain individuals who might find their work offensive. While you may not consider the bleeping of profanity in a TV show, film or game acceptable the ultimate decision to implement such measures falls to the creators. To expect these modifications is unrealistic, as some creative types simply don't care if they offend your personal threshold for profanity. That however does not mean such an omission is part of some grander scheme to corrupt the morality of impressionable children.

Such an assertion is not so much a leap of logic but rather the absence of it entirely.

And that brings me to my final point: there is no "they." Your incessant insistence that there is some concerted, conspiracy at work trying to propagate the usage of profanity in children is puerile and silly. It's the type of baseless, paranoid fantasy that evangelicals predicate their puritanical agendas upon and it's utter nonsense.