What is still taboo in gaming?

It's funny I think Rockstar was originally going to make a drug dealing economic game where you buy, sell and maintain your drug trade. At least I think it was Rockstar.

taboos

Virtual Sex- not sure that's such a bad thing though

Why would anyone want to play that kind of crap?

I guess sex - and anything original that's taboo too :P

Sex , Intense gore i have yet to see a game have more over the top gore than Gears .

Drugs ive only seen in chinatown wars where you could deal them.

Man hunt is a serial killer game can kill people with almost anything. Got a plastic bag put it over their head and suffocate them ahh Manhunt so violent the Wii Censored the sequel.

I guess rape is the only thing that hasn't been in a game published in the west. Other than that almost every line has been crossed.

I guess rape is the only thing that hasn't been in a game published in the west.

TSNAKE617

Custer's Revenge

ever played narc ? that game is all bout sex nd drugs

Games where the primary goal involves sex.

Sex can be implied, it can be a side goal, or a minor part of the story, but for some reason it can't be the main priority of your player/character.

It's funny I think Rockstar was originally going to make a drug dealing economic game where you buy, sell and maintain your drug trade. At least I think it was Rockstar.planetjumper

Wasn't there a Scarface or Goodfellas PSP game where you invade territory and trade drugs?

Drug dealing is a major part of both Scarface and GTA: Chinatown Wars.

The ability to kill children in games is the first one to pop in my head. Usually you don't seen any in games period, and if they are in the game, they can't be killed or exist only as a part of the narrative, with limited to no interaction outside of story telling.

Some games have done it, but it's obviously not very common.

Sex. I find it absolutely hilarious how murdering in games is much more socially acceptable than sexual encounters.

Well, modern games have sex, drugs, alcohol, and violence, but one thing which I notice is absent is homosexuality. You don't see gay heroes, sidekicks, extras, or villains in games.

Games where the primary goal involves sex.

Sex can be implied, it can be a side goal, or a minor part of the story, but for some reason it can't be the main priority of your player/character.

Nymphonomicon

What about the Lesiure Suit Larry series?

P2P matchmaking systems on PC.

Also, I don't see sex in video games as a taboo. I don't see a limit to what they say or do in video games anymore.

Theres a frikkin rating system people that don't play video games seem to ignore.

Well, modern games have sex, drugs, alcohol, and violence, but one thing which I notice is absent is homosexuality. You don't see gay heroes, sidekicks, extras, or villains in games.

MathMattS

there's theballad of gay tony

I'd love to play a game where I play as a serial killer.-Big_Red-

What subjects are there for gaming that developers still consider too bad taste to touch? And do you think they should ever be/will ever made? Some ideas that come to my mind.

Virtual Jihad - take part in terrorist attacks on trains/planes etc to slaughter as many infidels as possible. Play as a suicide bomber and kill enough people to go straight to heaven.

Answer: Command and conquer Generals had sucide bomber units.

They made comments like "I'll make the sacrafice!" and "I love a crowd!" or "Yes, there are people there!"

Drug dealing game - Buy and sell heroin/cocaine/weed, whatever you can get your hands on. Avoid the cops and fight other dealers. Virtual pimp - Buy prostitutes and hire them out to clients. Teach them the 'tricks' of the trade.

Answer: Saints Row 2: You did all this, you pimped out girls, you could even pimp yourself out a little if you made a female toon. You go around selling drugs in a vehicle disguised as a icecream van.

Serial killer - Stalk the streets at night in search of innocent victims to bump of.

Answer: Well quite a few games you can play it this way, although it's not the way to 'score' it gives you free reign. Fallout 3 let you become a 100% sadist, where you become infamous for your actions. You become respected by the raiders and feared / shot on sight by the townsfolk.

tom_p106

I would think anything that is taboo in America would be taboo in a video game. In my opinion, with the newest generation of VGs, increase in realistic violence and sex has become less taboo. I'm thinking this might be because of the increase of sex and violence in film. In any case, I had thought the original question might of been referring to what a game designer could do to a game which could turn off a potential buyer in the sense that it effects game play and not necessarily have to do with content. Like: Making excessive sequels that don't sell, or changing the look of a franchise character, changing the type/style of game mechanics or releasing games that aren't finished. Anyone agree?

In an effort to keep this at least semi-serious: Realistic same-sex romance options. To my knowledge, Bioware are the only one's who have tried that yet.ChiliDragon

Fable

challenging the AO rating, the AO rating is designed to rate potentially pornographic titles which is why there's an industry ban on it, like the history of the X rating, the ESRB needs the equivalent of the MPAAs NC-17 rating, still an age restricted rating for mature content but since the limit is at 17 it cannot contain pornographic material thus keeping pornography away from gaming,,, but yeah, anything hinting at pornography is taboolamprey263

NC-17 actually is the X rating. They renamed it after the X rating got associated with pornography. There have been films that got the X rating for violence and not sexual content.

In an effort to keep this at least semi-serious: Realistic same-sex romance options. To my knowledge, Bioware are the only one's who have tried that yet.ChiliDragon

[QUOTE="ChiliDragon"]In an effort to keep this at least semi-serious: Realistic same-sex romance options. To my knowledge, Bioware are the only one's who have tried that yet.cprmauldin

Fable

The Sims 3 allows same-sex couples. awesomejdude

Child soldiers? Although if done seriously within the frame of a real-life child soldiers reality... It might set a milestone for "gaming as art"

Most of what is commonly considered taboo has already been named in this thread, and while I'm open to expanding the video game industry's horizon I think some of the stuff in this thread is better left out. Do we really need to play a game where your'e a terrorist murdering huge numbers of innocent civilians? The topic is just far to sensitive in our culture right now and really could be hurtful for someone who lost a loved one in a situation like that. Having said that I think Medal of Honor should have kept the 'Taliban'.

As for playing as a serial killer I wouldn't be opposed to this if there was a very strong story in the game and the game wasn't just a glorified murder simulator. Dealing drugs could be fascinating especially if it was done in a relatively realistic sense; in that you had to watch the economy, manage your supply, find reliable sellers and buyers etc.

Now when it comes to raping in games, this is something I feel is never necessary for a game to have. You should certainly never have the option to rape people, however once again if it was crucial to the story I wouldn't be opposed to a rape cutscene or alluding to rape assuming your character wasn't involved.

Homosexuality, if done in a quality way could be very fascinating and really open up the gaming industry so this is something that I wouldn't mind seeing in a game.

The bottomline there are many areas to be explored in the gaming industry, but some are better left untouched whereas some could be very interesting if done correctly and help the medium take great strides.

Sex and racism are the most notable gaming taboos, in my opinion.

The issue of sex is widely recognized, but I've noticed that game developers are even more terrified of racism. It's especially noticeable in regards to black people and the N word. For example, in The Ballad of Gay Tony, various characters often make insults towards latinos and gays, but not one small-minded Russian or Italian mobster ever uses the N word. San Andreas is really the only exception, but even then, it's used in an "acceptable" gangsta talk exclusively among black gangbangers. I'm not aware of a single game in which a white character uses it for realism (Reservoir Dogs) or a comedic effect (Curb Your Enthusiasm), nevermind straight-up hate speech (American History X).