Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Dire Bare" data-source="post: 8462342" data-attributes="member: 18182">Sorry, what I was pushing back against was the claim that the bulk of the audience won't care. I disagree. I gave my own story as an example, if but anecdotal.I'll also push back a little on the idea that content warnings have little effect on success. So, how much do content warnings contribute to the success of a product? Well, I think that highly depends on the product . . . . X-Rated movies are not necessarily pornographic, but the rating isn't used anymore due to the association. NC-17 movies won't be shown in most theaters. You can't get your music sold in Wal-Mart unless it does have a warning label, if there is &quot;explicit lyrics&quot; involved. The use of a content warning can be a requirement for publication, or to avoid bad press, but can also be limiting.Back to RPG books, I think there is a growing segment of RPG fans that appreciate creators who acknowledge the problematic elements of our favorite games and the source material they spring from. Including content warnings can be a part of reaching that audience. For success, know your audience (the best you can, anyways). But even if using or not using content warnings won't budge sales much, it can still be the right call . . . . if the author simply feels that it is, it's part of the creative choices behind the product. And sales or not, content warnings can help insulate creators from folks who might conflate the potentially problematic elements of their work with the creator's personal views and behavior.EDIT: Oh, and teachers . . . bigger audience than you might think. But an even bigger audience? Parents with school-age children.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dire Bare, post: 8462342, member: 18182"] Sorry, what I was pushing back against was the claim that the bulk of the audience won't care. I disagree. I gave my own story as an example, if but anecdotal. I'll also push back a little on the idea that content warnings have little effect on success. So, how much do content warnings contribute to the success of a product? Well, I think that highly depends on the product . . . . X-Rated movies are not necessarily pornographic, but the rating isn't used anymore due to the association. NC-17 movies won't be shown in most theaters. You can't get your music sold in Wal-Mart unless it does have a warning label, if there is "explicit lyrics" involved. The use of a content warning can be a requirement for publication, or to avoid bad press, but can also be limiting. Back to RPG books, I think there is a growing segment of RPG fans that appreciate creators who acknowledge the problematic elements of our favorite games and the source material they spring from. Including content warnings can be a part of reaching that audience. For success, [I]know your audience [/I](the best you can, anyways). But even if using or not using content warnings won't budge sales much, it can still be the right call . . . . if the author simply feels that it is, it's part of the creative choices behind the product. And sales or not, content warnings can help insulate creators from folks who might conflate the potentially problematic elements of their work with the creator's personal views and behavior. EDIT: Oh, and teachers . . . bigger audience than you might think. But an even bigger audience? Parents with school-age children. [/QUOTE]

Verification