F-bombs and the escapist.

[chronobreak]

There's a world of difference between a muddled bass and a changed lyric, just as much as there's a difference between adjusting the color on your television and cutting a scene.

Fine-tuning is one thing, an overhaul is something completely different.

I know there's a difference, dude. Instead of trying to dissect my analogy maybe you should take more of a look at what I'm meaning to say. A few bleeped curse words is in no way an overhaul, either. Once again, you are making way too big a deal out of this, saying the Escapist has lost your respect and teling the producers to start "exploring their options". You even go so far as saying it could be the "Beginning of the end for the site"? Really? Well, I'm going to tell you, it is nowhere near the beginning of the end of the site, and I really hope that, maybe with some patience, you can learn to get over a few bleeps that constitute less that one percent of any given video.

The way you ramble and rant about it makes it seem like you want to start some revolution or something, like you're going on some crusade against bleeps. It's a little ridiculous, bringing this topic back up after a week also. What more can really be said, or are you trying to garner support?

 

[XJ-0461]

It just seems very pointless to me.

The average age of users here is probably something like 16-20, so I'm guessing that the majority of viewers don't mind the swearing in the videos, and it's extremely unlikely that a 6 year old will stumble across a ZP video, so I don't see the need for censorship in the videos.

 

[Scrythe]

Bullshit. None of Yahtzee's recent videos are censored (I dunno about the one of him in America. I skipped that one.). In fact, everyone BUT Yahtzee is censored.

Considering his screen time on The Escapist as of late, it's starting to feel like this is all his thing rather than The Escapist's. They might as well change the fucking domain to zeropunctuation.com.

 

[matsugawa]

... I really hope that, maybe with some patience, you can learn to get over a few bleeps that constitute less that one percent of any given video.

The way you ramble and rant about it makes it seem like you want to start some revolution or something, like you're going on some crusade against bleeps. It's a little ridiculous, bringing this topic back up after a week also. What more can really be said, or are you trying to garner support?

I'm not on a crusade against bleeps, I'm on a crusade (if you want to keep the theatrics intact) against double-standards. Like you said, it's been a week since all of this happened; a full week and not one official or even semi-official word from on high as to what's going on. No announcements of the change whatsoever. It took a PM to a mod to get anything, and even then what we got is highly suspect. That's tantamount to a demolition order in a locked file cabinet in a disused lavatory, complete with a "Beware of the Leopard" sign.

I can get over the bleeps, I just don't want to be treated like an idiot. Don't spit on me and tell me it's raining, if you think I need an umbrella, just tell me so.

 

[Woodsey]

I thought they did it for effect; it's a lot funnier to hear a sentence get the fuck bleeped out of it then it is to hear someone just go on a swear rampage.

For me, at least.

 

[matsugawa]

I thought they did it for effect; it's a lot funnier to hear a sentence get the fuck bleeped out of it then it is to hear someone just go on a swear rampage.

For me, at least.

I'll admit that it can be pretty funny. In The Osbornes, for example, you can hardly understand what Ozzy is saying half the time anyway, so bleeping him out does actually add to the humor and absurdity. I certainly don't think cursing makes you funnier, edgier, more compelling, or even grittier and more realistic, but...

The problem with the bleeps here is that, they weren't there before, and they're here now without a word. And, not only are they here, now, and without a word, they're not all there. Only some videos are getting censored, but others aren't. Why can't they commit to an all-or-none approach, or at least give people a choice? When the Osbornes was released on DVD, there was an option for a bleeped and an unbleeped version, so why not here?

With MovieBob, I can almost understand it; PG-13 movie (New Moon), so PG-13 review (bleeps). Zero Punctuation, however, features M-Rated games, and some of those videos got censored (then un-censored, censored again, censored for some, and all in between according to some of the posts and comments), so where's the justification for censorship there?

 

[chronobreak]

No announcements of the change whatsoever. It took a PM to a mod to get anything, and even then what we got is highly suspect. That's tantamount to a demolition order in a locked file cabinet in a disused lavatory, complete with a "Beware of the Leopard" sign.

Why do you think people owe you an explanation for anything? Where do you get off being so surprised that they haven't taken the time to pull you aside and tell you how they plan on running their business?

 

[rokkolpo]

i hate censorship.

another reason for loving holland.the land were taboo=tabletalk.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

I don't seem to remember Yahtzee getting censored except for that one E3 video thing that he did a while back. I've also noticed Moviebob being censored and I don't really like it. Censorship is pretty stupid and the fact that they have to bleep out words on the internet doesn't make sense. Was that Bob's choice or did the Escapist make him do it?

With MovieBob, I can almost understand it; PG-13 movie (New Moon), so PG-13 review (bleeps). Zero Punctuation, however, features M-Rated games, and some of those videos got censored (then un-censored, censored again, censored for some, and all in between according to some of the posts and comments), so where's the justification for censorship there?

Even so, it doesn't make any sense. The Road was rated R and it was still censored as well.

I thought they did it for effect; it's a lot funnier to hear a sentence get the fuck bleeped out of it then it is to hear someone just go on a swear rampage.

For me, at least.

In Fantastic Mr. Fox, whenever there was supposed to be a swear, the characters just said "cuss" instead. It was actually a whole lot funnier than if they said it anyway. Plus it leaves it up to your imagination, like that "Censored Count" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Wd-Q3F8KM] video. I'm still against censorship, because I think people should be able to swear if they want to but honestly censoring is often times a lot funnier anyway.

 

[matsugawa]

No announcements of the change whatsoever. It took a PM to a mod to get anything, and even then what we got is highly suspect...

Why do you think people owe you an explanation for anything? Where do you get off being so surprised that they haven't taken the time to pull you aside and tell you how they plan on running their business?

Is it that unreasonable an expectation for an editor of a site to talk to his audience? That's what editors do, they moderate between writers and readers. The Escapist is a magazine AND a community. Users are part of the equation, leaving us out just alienates us. Magazines are just pretty paper without readers and commentators, so it pays to listen to them, you don't have to follow their every whim, but don't insult their intelligence. That PM from Russ Pitts mentioned by SirBryghtside is essentially saying that the 'PG-13 level of profanity' has always been the case, when it clearly isn't and has not been. What's more, he even qualifies it with "(usually)" showing that they either can't really enforce it, or don't actually care enough to do so, begging the question of "Why?" all over again.

To put it another way:
If it's an edict from on high, level with us.
If it's backlash from the majority of readers, thank them for their feedback.
If it's a decision arrived at by the staff, don't be afraid to tell us.
If it's the whim of the editor-in-chief, stand by what you say.

No, I don't think the staff OWES its audience anything, but the audience doesn't owe them anything, either, least of all complacency and blind obedience. So, when there's a change to something I enjoy without so much as a word, I'd like to know why, so I'm going to ask. Look all over this thread, and a few others, and you'll find plenty of other people who want to know why as well. Are we all being that unreasonable?

 

[mlkjhgfds]

Shows the Escapist is at last popular enough to afford selling out.

 

[Aerodyamic]

NSFW

Spoiler

and contains enough profanity to get a variety of people excited. If you don't want to hear swearing, don't bother

Merely for 'the lulz'.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

I think it has to do with the Site keeping a PG-13 rating. Be glad they didn't censor the forums.

Honestly, it's not that big of a deal. We often see threads here about swearing being stupid so why is it that when Yathzee finally gets censrored a few of us throw a hissy fit.

 

[Left4Meds]

The first South Park MOVIE probably has less profanity than ZP.

The "Uncle Fucker" song? Maybe ZP has a better average of cuss per minute but in total. No.

 

[Raven's Nest]

I'm a punk. Censorship is a mortal sin for me. and it's generally retarded. They can show like twenty guys getting massacred with a katana on Kill Bill, but if somebody says fuck on the exact same movie, we all of a sudden have to worry about the welfare of our children.

Kill Bill was an 18, so kids were never meant to watch it in the first place... Just saying...

 

[funguy2121]

I've noticed a lot of comments lately after recent Yahtzee and MovieBob vids. They've both been censored whenever they drop an F-bomb. I find it really tacky... not the swearing, the bleeps. This site gave them artistic license with language and then took it away? I haven't seen any comments or news from the staff and I did try to search the most obvious keywords and came up with nothing but articles for silly laws in foreign countries.

So what's up?

It's damned near inevitable as this site becomes bigger and bigger, albeit completely unnecessary. TV seems to be the only medium where people are concerned about finding niche markets; everyone else just wants to sell to the whole world, including those for whom a stray expletive will send you straight to Hell.

 

[Rawker]

I'm a punk. Censorship is a mortal sin for me. and it's generally retarded. They can show like twenty guys getting massacred with a katana on Kill Bill, but if somebody says fuck on the exact same movie, we all of a sudden have to worry about the welfare of our children.

Kill Bill was an 18, so kids were never meant to watch it in the first place... Just saying...

that doesn't change a ton. thousands of kids own copies of halo, and I'm sure they are not 18. There isn't a whole lot kids can't do.

 

[A Weary Exile]

I PM'd a Mod about this just the other day:

Why is there so much bleeping out on the videos?

I thought it was a one-off for that Yahtzee in America thing, but now it's been in Doomsday Arcade, Escape to the Movies - really, we're not offended by the language!

Can you try and change whoever made this decision's mind, or at least tell us why.

We maintain a policy of "PG-13" level of profanity (usually) at The Escapist for many and various reasons. Sorry it annoys you to hear a bleep now and then. It annoys other people to hear someone say "fuck". This tells us there is no pleasing everyone.

-R

So basically it's become forced on them.

What the fuck?! (Irony intended)

Why? Most, if not all, of the members do not care about someone dropping an F-bomb. Who are they trying to please?

 

[badgersprite]

Indulge me in a little experiment for a moment here.

If I say to someone, "*bleep* the *bleep*ing *bleep*ers, and *bleep* you too, mother*bleep*er!" that makes it acceptable and completely PG-13?

Seeing as I censored the bad parts of those words, nobody can possibly be offended by the above sentence, right? It's clean now! That improves everything about it!

Someone please explain to me the logic of bleeping out a word when we all obviously know the word being said and what it means, because I don't see it.

 

[Deleric]

Bleeping can be much more hilarious if pulled off right, and swearing in itself isn't really funny out of context, so...yeah. I just hope it's the creators choice to do it.