Poll: Language in Games

[Sn1P3r M98]

Recently, Ive been seeing alot of "Strong Language" markings on the back of games. Then I buy the games and play them...and hear no bad language. I remember Black back in the day had a strong language marking, and there was 2-3 f bombs per level. Nowadays Assassins Creed says strong language, yet the worst I've heard is hell. Also, I heard a few "shits" but not much else in MW2. Maybe I'm just unobservant. Does anyone else notice this?

 

[Quaxar]

Yes, sometimes they are a bit over-protective... the whole concept seems strange considering you can hear it on TV or on the streets anyway. My father swears a lot from time to time, how is that different to hearing it in a game?

Also, I wasn't aware AC had a "strong language" patch. Seriously? I haven't heard a single bad word throughout the game.

 

[Chamale]

I've heard that House of the Dead: Overkill has the most F-Bombs of any game, but I don't know how you measure that. In Fallout 3, you could hear naughty words infinite times by repeatedly choosing a statement that makes the other person reply with a phrase including "Fuck."

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

Well it does all come down to what we feel offensive language is. The conservative games ratings people who's jobs rely on them doing this right, will probably notice things such as "Damn", "Crap" and "Hell" which we'd think nothing of, especially me. I use "Alright, ****?" as a greeting.

So while we might not hear anything 'bad', the ratings people might. Especially as they have to consider whether or not children will end up hearing these or not. They act as that 9pm watershed when TV can swear, but for games and who they say can and can't buy the games.

 

[Meggiepants]

Nowadays Assassins Creed says strong language, yet the worst I've heard is hell.

Also, I wasn't aware AC had a "strong language" patch. Seriously? I haven't heard a single bad word throughout the game.

Did you have the subtitles on? When I turned them on and saw what they were saying in Italian, wow. This is in AS2 btw, I can't recall the first one because it's been a while.

But just for funsies, if you get to a scene where Altaïr happens to be insulting someone in Italian, turn it on.

As far as why these games get the ratings they do, it has more to do with the inconsistencies of the ratings board than anything else. The video games ratings board is very much like the movies ratings board. And there is an excellent documentary that discusses the messed up way the MPAA rates things. You might find it interesting. It's called This Film is Not Yet Rated [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Film_Is_Not_Yet_Rated]

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

When they label a game where the strongest word is "Damn" with "Strong Language" i can't really take it serious anymore.

 

[Quaxar]

Nowadays Assassins Creed says strong language, yet the worst I've heard is hell.

Also, I wasn't aware AC had a "strong language" patch. Seriously? I haven't heard a single bad word throughout the game.

Did you have the subtitles on? When I turned them on and saw what they were saying in Italian, wow. This is in AS2 btw, I can't recall the first one because it's been a while.

But just for funsies, if you get to a scene where Altaïr happens to be insulting someone in Italian, turn it on.

As far as why these games get the ratings they do, it has more to do with the inconsistencies of the ratings board than anything else. The video games ratings board is very much like the movies ratings board. And there is an excellent documentary that discusses the messed up way the MPAA rates things. You might find it interesting. It's called This Film is Not Yet Rated [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Film_Is_Not_Yet_Rated]

I didn't have subtitles on, but I speak Italian. Yes, there are some cursewords in AC II, but they are in Italian... but I question the concept of "strong language" when you can assume most people don't even understand what is said. Of course subtitles make it different, but it's not like you'd miss important parts without them.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

I've heard that House of the Dead: Overkill has the most F-Bombs of any game, but I don't know how you measure that. In Fallout 3, you could hear naughty words infinite times by repeatedly choosing a statement that makes the other person reply with a phrase including "Fuck."

finally found a copy of hosue of the dead overkill...the cursin makes it all the better. its a fun rail shooter for sure with a friend.

OT: some people are so sensitive these days...i hear more in school and on tv then i do on video games, seriously its not a big deal at all, if anything they are too careful about sensoring things.

 

[neilsaccount]

I've heard that House of the Dead: Overkill has the most F-Bombs of any game, but I don't know how you measure that. In Fallout 3, you could hear naughty words infinite times by repeatedly choosing a statement that makes the other person reply with a phrase including "Fuck."

Lucas Simms i beleive. He will fuckin end ya.

 

[Meggiepants]

Nowadays Assassins Creed says strong language, yet the worst I've heard is hell.

Also, I wasn't aware AC had a "strong language" patch. Seriously? I haven't heard a single bad word throughout the game.

Did you have the subtitles on? When I turned them on and saw what they were saying in Italian, wow. This is in AS2 btw, I can't recall the first one because it's been a while.

But just for funsies, if you get to a scene where Altaïr happens to be insulting someone in Italian, turn it on.

As far as why these games get the ratings they do, it has more to do with the inconsistencies of the ratings board than anything else. The video games ratings board is very much like the movies ratings board. And there is an excellent documentary that discusses the messed up way the MPAA rates things. You might find it interesting. It's called This Film is Not Yet Rated [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Film_Is_Not_Yet_Rated]

I didn't have subtitles on, but I speak Italian. Yes, there are some cursewords in AC II, but they are in Italian... but I question the concept of "strong language" when you can assume most people don't even understand what is said. Of course subtitles make it different, but it's not like you'd miss important parts without them.

No, but parents like to know that stuff. I think it's silly myself, but again, I point to the ratings board being at fault here.

Also, it would depend on what information the raters were given. They may have been given the text of the dialog for instance, which would have included the curse words as they were written in the subtitles. I highly doubt the raters play through an entire game. There would never be enough raters for that.

I should mention I find it amusing that we concern ourselves with a "strong language" label on these games when they clearly have other adult content that is much more suggestive and violent than the language. Just sayin.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

I don't know, I never really pay attention. I don't look on the back of the box at what it got an M rating for, cause, frankly I don't give a McShit, it's not going to bother me. And it's somewhere in the area of highly unlikely that any game could swear at me more than I could swear at it, so I don't really notice language too much.

 

[Quaxar]

Nowadays Assassins Creed says strong language, yet the worst I've heard is hell.

Also, I wasn't aware AC had a "strong language" patch. Seriously? I haven't heard a single bad word throughout the game.

Did you have the subtitles on? When I turned them on and saw what they were saying in Italian, wow. This is in AS2 btw, I can't recall the first one because it's been a while.

But just for funsies, if you get to a scene where Altaïr happens to be insulting someone in Italian, turn it on.

As far as why these games get the ratings they do, it has more to do with the inconsistencies of the ratings board than anything else. The video games ratings board is very much like the movies ratings board. And there is an excellent documentary that discusses the messed up way the MPAA rates things. You might find it interesting. It's called This Film is Not Yet Rated [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Film_Is_Not_Yet_Rated]

I didn't have subtitles on, but I speak Italian. Yes, there are some cursewords in AC II, but they are in Italian... but I question the concept of "strong language" when you can assume most people don't even understand what is said. Of course subtitles make it different, but it's not like you'd miss important parts without them.

No, but parents like to know that stuff. I think it's silly myself, but again, I point to the ratings board being at fault here.

Also, it would depend on what information the raters were given. They may have been given the text of the dialog for instance, which would have included the curse words as they were written in the subtitles. I highly doubt the raters play through an entire game. There would never be enough raters for that.

I should mention I find it amusing that we concern ourselves with a "strong language" label on these games when they clearly have other adult content that is much more suggestive and violent than the language. Just sayin.

Hey, I'd work as a rater, if I was able to play games as a job there! Sadly it seems the job is mostly done by old people who hate technology and our modern society. Or at least the German and Australian bureau.

Good point. When I see a "This game contains strong language" on Red Dead Redemption I laugh, because I know that fucks and assholes go hand in hand with me being able to shoot every person in sight or throw them in front of a train just for the fun of it (and even get a trophy for it).

 

[Treeinthewoods]

In some games it fits, like Gears of War or Saints Row. The situations the characters are in and the personalities they have seem like they would and should curse a lot. I was raised as a military brat and I can honestly tell you (brace for surprise) soldiers curse blue streaks when they're not in combat so during it's probably unbelievable. In the Saints Row games you play as a crude, violent thug bent on leading a life of ruthless crime so the swearing also makes sense. Actually, I would have expected more from Saints Row 2 than I heard.

If I heard a ton of cursing in Beatutiful Katamari I may question it but it wouldn't offend me. No games/movies/music have ever had strong enough language to bug me at all. It's just words, in one ear and out the other, don't be a panty waist.

 

[Marter]

The first Assassin's Creed actually was fairly liberal with the usage of profanity in the "Present Day" parts.

OT: I feel like a lot of games are including a lot of swearing just for the sake of it. Kind of puts me off of them a lot of the time.

 

[L4hlborg]

Sometimes there is a reason. First ones that come to my mind are Gears of War and BFBC2. In Gears it's just funny, in BFBC2 it's just stupid.

But sometimes, the there is no reason at all to complain about language. All music games seem to have the bad language tag on them, even though all the songs are censored. I hate censorship, but what I hate even more is censorship without result.

 

[Sn1P3r M98]

I remember in SWAT4 every third word was fuck. That was a fun game. Still, strong language used to mean mean much more than it does today