D&D 5E Content Warning Labels? Yeah or Nay?

[Enevhar Aldarion]

I think the end result is largely a wash, though it did manage to help places like Walmart to brand themselves as “family friendly” by keeping out albums with warning labels. In the internet era, it’s so easy for the kids to get the explicit version, I’m guessing it does virtually nothing.

The problem there was that Walmart, and some other retailers, went even further and said warning labels were not enough and "clean" versions of the albums, with the cursing edited out of the vocals, be made to be sold in their stores.

 

[CleverNickName]

I think the trick is to give adequate warning for those who need/want it, without repelling the majority. I think the current proposed approach threads that needle pretty well. There is a minority who will be repelled even by the proposed warnings, and there are some who'd like them to go further, in some cases to the extent of the content warnings dominating the product.

I think the degree to which content warnings are a "consumer repellant" is greatly overstated. I've never seen it in practice, and I've only ever seen it in theory in internet forums like this. Usually in the form of a complaint.

I really don't think it's a big deal... certainly not as big of a deal as internet commentary would have us believe. Will some buyers be put off? Sure. But i think the number is orders of magnitude lower than some folks are claiming. I feel like buyers are far, far more likely to be put off by the cover art or the page count.

 

[S'mon]

I think the degree to which content warnings are a "consumer repellant" is greatly overstated. I've never seen it in practice, and I've only ever seen it in theory in internet forums like this. Usually in the form of a complaint.

I really don't think it's a big deal...

That's what I was trying to say.

 

[Faolyn]

These are very very common effects in the game. Are writers, DM's, whoever, REALLY supposed to act like psychologists and analyze every potential creature/situation/effect before presenting it in a book or a game? I can state with confidence that within the "intended audience" of the D&D community that Hypnotic Pattern or Hold Person or Darkness will indeed trigger someone. Are we to remove these things from the game? Perhaps the members of the audience should use some common sense and think, "I know D&D is a pretty violent game, with all kinds of weird stuff happening in it. Maybe it is not the game for me."

No, but writers can think about common triggers--they don't need to warn against everything.

And DMs can ask their players if there's anything they don't want in the game. Then, simply don't include those things.

 

[Cadence]

No, but writers can think about common triggers--they don't need to warn against everything.

And DMs can ask their players if there's anything they don't want in the game. Then, simply don't include those things.

Exactly.

Food products typically highlight the big 8 allergens in bold, and not every single ingredient. IIrc, some "flavors" don't even need to have what makes them called out if they aren't in the big 8.

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

No, but writers can think about common triggers--they don't need to warn against everything.

And DMs can ask their players if there's anything they don't want in the game. Then, simply don't include those things.

Actually, I have NEVER had to strip out anything from a game, nor would I.
I cannot even begin to visualize a situation where a player stops the game and says to the table "Player X casting Hold Person is a trigger for me, and I want that to stop."

 

[BookTenTiger]

Actually, I have NEVER had to strip out anything from a game, nor would I.
I cannot even begin to visualize a situation where a player stops the game and says to the table "Player X casting Hold Person is a trigger for me, and I want that to stop."

I know this is getting off topic, but I will share my story:

In the Sunless Citadel, there's a goblin village with noncombatant goblin families and children. Two players playing dwarves were arguing that it would be "in character" and fitting the campaign world for them to slay all the goblins. I stopped the game and said, no matter if it can or cannot be justified by the campaign or characters, that's just not a story I'm comfortable pursuing.

So we found another solution and still play together three years later.

 

[Faolyn]

Actually, I have NEVER had to strip out anything from a game, nor would I.
I cannot even begin to visualize a situation where a player stops the game and says to the table "Player X casting Hold Person is a trigger for me, and I want that to stop."

Imagine that a player did stop the game because of something that was problematic. Or told you ahead of time that something made them uncomfortable. I don't care what it is. Would you ignore what they said? Or would you stop using the problematic/uncomfortable thing and use something else instead?

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

Imagine that a player did stop the game because of something that was problematic. Or told you ahead of time that something made them uncomfortable. I don't care what it is. Would you ignore what they said? Or would you stop using the problematic/uncomfortable thing and use something else instead?

I would not stop the game. And if I had a player tell me they were afraid of a spell, or dark spaces, or violence, or anything else inherent in the game of D&D, well...my response would be considered gate-keeping in today's online world.

I read today there is a movement afoot to try to change the name of the James Webb telescope (CNN reporting) because of vague allegations about James Webb from 70 years ago. The process today in the D&D community that is censoring in-game thought and activity is the same process used to attack Mr. Webb's legacy. The difference is I am still here to defend the traditions and roots of D&D. It has always been a dark game, with obviously some content that disturbs a tiny subset of the gaming community.

There are 1000's of table top games that are far less dark, violent, and don't touch on such scary subjects, that don't need to be altered one iota to avoid potential consternation. You know the rest.

 

[Vaalingrade]

"I'm not comfortable with this."

"The traditions of a game that itself has moved on from those traditions mean more to me than you, an actual human I am playing with in real life. Get out."

"This is my house..."

"I SAID GET OUT."