What We Lose When We Eliminate Controversial Content

[Imaro]

It is very interesting from a sociological standpoint how the current cultural norm (some call it Cancel Culture) has so many echoes of the puritanical right in their practices and tactics. I know I am digressing from the discussion, but I actually kind of find it fascinating.

It wasn't that long ago when the puritanical right was mocked for their attempts to ban and censor books, where people told them, "If you don't like it, don't buy it/read it/listen to it/watch it."

Or... it's an overdue correction (possibly over-correction though I remain unconvinced at this point and time) to a power imbalance that has existed for far too long.

 

[Raunalyn]

Or... it's an overdue correction (possibly over-correction though I remain unconvinced at this point and time) to a power imbalance that has existed for far too long.

That's a very fair observation, though I too remain unconvinced.

I still find it very fascinating, though.

 

[Justice and Rule]

It is very interesting from a sociological standpoint how the current cultural norm has so many echoes of the puritanical right in their practices and tactics. I know I am digressing from the discussion, but I actually kind of find it fascinating.

It wasn't that long ago when the puritanical right was mocked for their attempts to ban and censor books, where people told them, "If you don't like it, don't buy it/read it/listen to it/watch it."

I find this to miss what is really going on: it's not that you can't use these things, but rather that RPG books tend not to delve into these subjects in satisfying ways and tend to use them in ways that are largely shallow and cheapen them.

As an example, no one is saying you can't write an RPG with, say, sexual assault in it, but you'd be subjected to a higher level of scrutiny for it. What's happening is that people are doing it to more things because the community is becoming more inclusive and certain things that may have been more acceptable when the community was more homogenous are being looked at differently now.

 

[mythago]

Answering the thread's question - I think eliminating something like slavery within a game that draws its inspiration from a period of humanity's history where slavery existed, would likely influence our storytelling and world-building to lose an aspect of gravitas and authenticity. That is how I feel.

Why?

We "eliminate" things from history all the time in creating games - including unpleasant things or things we don't find interesting. And we create new things in our games all the time that never existed in the real world.

 

[mythago]

As an example, no one is saying you can't write an RPG with, say, sexual assault in it

On the contrary, there are indeed people who say this! But it's interesting to see when it's considered "okay" to include sexual assault as a topic in games. You don't, for example, see many RPGs set in classical Greece or Rome that feature sex between adult men and boys as part of the setting, even though 1) this is historically accurate and 2) we, today, would understand this as sexual assault.

A lot of these "controversial" topics seem to be OK only when they're "controversies" that stay in their lane, so to speak. I can imagine how well an RPG based on The Power would be received.

 

[MGibster]

On the contrary, there are indeed people who say this! But it's interesting to see when it's considered "okay" to include sexual assault as a topic in games. You don't, for example, see many RPGs set in classical Greece or Rome that feature sex between adult men and boys as part of the setting, even though 1) this is historically accurate and 2) we, today, would understand this as sexual assault.

You're not kidding. Or whatever the various abuses suffered by Spartan children? Imagine an adventure where some young Spartans head out to murder some Helots for the crime of being good at something mundane like farming or poetry.

 

[Faolyn]

I want to be clear here, I'm not talking about what's going on at an individual table. I'm thinking of books produced for a mass market.

So was I. I don't care about what you do at your own table, unless I was also playing at that table. Which I'm not.

And for those who produce such books, it's not their responsibility to ensure every reader is safely ensconced in their zone of comfort.

Are they required to? No. But it's also a good business practice when it comes to something with mass-market appeal aimed at a kids-and-up crowd.

And if someone is prone to being triggered, it's their responsibility to figure out how to best deal with whatever it is that triggers them because none of us can depend on the whole world to cater to our wants and desires. I used to game with someone with a fairly severe case of arachnophobia and when I found out I just didn't use spiders. It doesn't follow though that any game product with spiders shouldn't exist because it might trigger someone.

There's also a difference between spiders and things like rape, abuse, torture, and slavery. Spiders, for one,

If I'm making food for someone I know is allergic to something I'm going to avoid those allergens. But despite the fact that people with severe allergies to shellfish and peanuts are out there, I can still go to a restaurant and order some Thai peanut shrimp.

But if you're selling food, and you know there are allergens in there and you don't list them...?

 

[Faolyn]

Is the assumption then that you are publishing for an audience in which there is bound to be  someone who is allergic?

Yes. Because most of the "controversial content" in RPGs are things that negatively affect people today.

 

[Micah Sweet]

So was I. I don't care about what you do at your own table, unless I was also playing at that table. Which I'm not.


Are they required to? No. But it's also a good business practice when it comes to something with mass-market appeal aimed at a kids-and-up crowd.


There's also a difference between spiders and things like rape, abuse, torture, and slavery. Spiders, for one,


But if you're selling food, and you know there are allergens in there and you don't list them...?

Then list them. Make a warning label. That's a great idea.

 

[mythago]

Then list them. Make a warning label. That's a great idea.

But see, when you do that you get lectured about including "trigger warnings".