Tony72495MemberApr 26, 20192,321I was thinking of this, as there seems to kind of be a burgeoning genre now of titles running where Doki Doki Literature Club kind of started walking, but most of them, Doki Doki included, make very clear what you're getting into before you start, not only in warnings on the store pages, but even in warnings in the games themselves before you start playing.I'm trying to think of potentially how much more impactful a title like DDLC could have been if the store page was literally just like a normal visual novel, if there were legitimately 0 signs anywhere before the screwed up stuff started happening.But then I have 2 sides about it, obviously you could traumatize people who weren't expecting it (which in a way is part of the game's charm but maybe isn't some peoples' style), but then now that you have a genre of games kind of like DDLC, people wouldn't really be able to know they're like DDLC (if they're a fan of DDLC) before they started unless you plastered those warnings all over the store page. Like if a game store page just looked totally normal, how would fans of DDLC know to give it a shot?It's a very difficult thing to answer overall I feel. The BearForest AnimalModeratorOct 25, 20174,444If nothing else, there is a real probability parents might end up buying these games for their kids without realising what kind of content they include, especially if it's deliberately hidden from the audience. That already justifies those content warnings.sAboboMemberDec 1, 20183,042A unexpected genre swerve can be amazing. My personal experience with seeing From Dusk Till Dawn not knowing what the film was is still one of my favorite experiences. That being said, the risks to many outweigh the benefit to few, so caution is the way to go.Exist 2 InspirePowered by FriendshipMemberApr 19, 20184,587GermanyThe game is rated 18+ were i live that alone tells me everything i need to know before i ever see any trigger warnings or whatever lol.Flame LordMemberOct 26, 20173,513The Bear said:If nothing else, there is a real probability parents might end up buying these games for their kids without realising what kind of content they include, especially if it's deliberately hidden from the audience. That already justifies those content warnings.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Yeah but... The ESRB?OhhEldenRingMemberAug 14, 20242,409I take it as:Am I inconvenienced for knowing the type of content this includes versus this having a damaging or fatal influence on someone who is inadvertently exposed to triggering scenarios. Then I realise I'm fine with them.Cameron122Rescued from SR388MemberOct 27, 20172,523TexasI mean you can kinda consider the text on ESRB ratings trigger warnings. I'm sure there are ways to word the warnings that are considerate to the storytelling of whatever game.SamaritanMemberOct 25, 20177,125Puyallup, WashingtonIt's a tricky problem to tackle with no real perfect solution. I do, personally, think that putting a trigger warning in front of something that's attempting to be subversive does kind of ruin the subversiveness, but I also think putting the warning in there for people legitimately affected by that content is more important.What would help a lot would be some kind of prompt before a trigger warning, simply letting the player know "Hey, there's triggering content ahead, you can click this button to see what that content is, or click this button to continue with the game." I think that'd go a long way.OhhEldenRingMemberAug 14, 20242,409Flame Lord said:Yeah but... The ESRB?Click to expand...Click to shrink...Nobody is going to sue the esrb when shit goes bad, and that's one regional ratings agency.OP OPTony72495MemberApr 26, 20192,321Flame Lord said:Yeah but... The ESRB?Click to expand...Click to shrink...My ideal would be if a dev went all the way with it.Imagine if a dev went so far that they even submitted a modified version of the game to the ESRB without any horror content so it gets like an E or E10+. The genre markers don't mention horror once.Literally no one suspects a thing.And then the devs release an innocent patch that just says it's fixing bugs but they secretly put all the horror shit in the game.It would possibly become my favorite horror game of all time. The ESRB and console makers would be pissed, like mega pissed, but I have to wonder if it's worth it, just for that visceral experience where you truly had no clue. chainlinkspiralMemberOct 25, 201712,390Having them behind an opening query if you want them is probably the best solution, while still keeping spoilers and surprises vague.MalverdeOne Winged SlayerAvengerOct 27, 20173,973Unceded Tongva and Acjachemen landNah the warnings are good. If your media only works because of a "twist" then it wasn't very good to begin with. Doki Doki is still entertaining even if you know "shit is going to go sideways at some point." Also, I never would have played Doki Doki at all if I didn't know there was something unique about it, because it looks like generic anime gooner shit without the warning.BertChintusMemberDec 18, 2024214sAbobo said:A unexpected genre swerve can be amazing. My personal experience with seeing From Dusk Till Dawn not knowing what the film was is still one of my favorite experiences. That being said, the risks to many outweigh the benefit to few, so caution is the way to go.Click to expand...Click to shrink...In that case, viewers are still aware they're going into a violent, R-rated experience.Tony72495 said:My ideal would be if a dev went all the way with it.Imagine if a dev went so far that they even submitted a modified version of the game to the ESRB without any horror content so it gets like an E or E10+. The genre markers don't mention horror once.Literally no one suspects a thing.And then the devs release an innocent patch that just says it's fixing bugs but they secretly put all the horror shit in the game.It would possibly become my favorite horror game of all time. The ESRB and console makers would be pissed, like mega pissed, but I have to wonder if it's worth it, just for that visceral experience where you truly had no clue.Click to expand...Click to shrink...The problem here is you're expecting everyone would have the same positive experience as you. Devs would get sued into oblivion.Flame LordMemberOct 26, 20173,513OhhEldenRing said:Nobody is going to sue the esrb when shit goes bad, and that's one regional ratings agency.Click to expand...Click to shrink......Even during the height of parents bitching about gaming content, Mortal Kombat, Night Trap, I don't recall anyone getting sued for mature content. Not for games, movies, books, I've never heard of such a thing.Tony72495 said:My ideal would be if a dev went all the way with it.Imagine if a dev went so far that they even submitted a modified version of the game to the ESRB without any horror content so it gets like an E or E10+. The genre markers don't mention horror once.Literally no one suspects a thing.And then the devs release an innocent patch that just says it's fixing bugs but they secretly put all the horror shit in the game.It would possibly become my favorite horror game of all time. The ESRB and console makers would be pissed, like mega pissed, but I have to wonder if it's worth it, just for that visceral experience where you truly had no clue.Click to expand...Click to shrink...OK, that would be an incredibly irresponsible thing to do, people already barely pay attention to the ratings as is.OP OPTony72495MemberApr 26, 20192,321Malverde said:Nah the warnings are good. If your media only works because of a "twist" then it wasn't very good to begin with. Doki Doki is still entertaining even if you know "shit is going to go sideways at some point."Also, I never would have played Doki Doki at all if I didn't know there was something unique about it, because it looks like generic anime gooner shit without the warning.Click to expand...Click to shrink...So you think of it more like a Twilight Zone thing, like you know you're probably getting a twist, but as long as you don't know precisely what the twist is, you still leave satisfied.pyxl_8MemberOct 27, 20171,054Give me a system wide trigger warning opt-out.OP OPTony72495MemberApr 26, 20192,321BertChintus said:In that case, viewers are still aware they're going into a violent, R-rated experience.The problem here is you're expecting everyone would have the same positive experience as you. Devs would get sued into oblivion.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Flame Lord said:...Even during the height of parents bitching about gaming content, Mortal Kombat, Night Trap, I don't recall anyone getting sued for mature content. Not for games, movies, books, I've never heard of such a thing.OK, that would be an incredibly irresponsible thing to do, people already barely pay attention to the ratings as is.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Oh yeah it would legally be an awful idea. But to just do it once...OhhEldenRingMemberAug 14, 20242,409Flame Lord said:...Even during the height of parents bitching about gaming content, Mortal Kombat, Night Trap, I don't recall anyone getting sued for mature content. Not for games, movies, books, I've never heard of such a thing.Click to expand...Click to shrink...It's a much more vivid ambulance chasing world we live in today though.sAboboMemberDec 1, 20183,042The harmless version of the swerve of course would be Frog Fractions. I can't think of anything else that has came close.LightsongMemberNov 11, 20228,795Exist 2 Inspire said:The game is rated 18+ were i live that alone tells me everything i need to know before i ever see any trigger warnings or whatever lol.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Could just mean it's a porn game! :P PyroGod help us the mods are making weekend threadsMemberJul 30, 201818,164United StatesSamaritan said:What would help a lot would be some kind of prompt before a trigger warning, simply letting the player know "Hey, there's triggering content ahead, you can click this button to see what that content is, or click this button to continue with the game." I think that'd go a long way.Click to expand...Click to shrink...I think this is the perfect solution. You know whether or not you need a trigger warning beforehand.SoulflarzMemberOct 25, 20173,646I dont read them really its the same as a title logo for me so nope.YappaMemberOct 25, 20177,359Hamburg/GermanySamaritan said:What would help a lot would be some kind of prompt before a trigger warning, simply letting the player know "Hey, there's triggering content ahead, you can click this button to see what that content is, or click this button to continue with the game." I think that'd go a long way.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Also add that to streaming services please. Enabled by default with the option of disabling them.Crunchyrolls trigger warnings are annoying me. I can stomach it, so give me the option of disabling them.ShaggsMagooMemberOct 28, 20175,010I think having them be available for people who know they have sensitivities to certain kinds of media but not forcing everyone to see them, if they don't want to, is a happy medium. The ratings board descriptors serve this purpose in a general sense. Something in the options menu labeled "in game content information" or something would also work.RoboPlatoMemberOct 25, 20178,006I think the best approach is to have a generic disturbing/violent content warning then have an option for more details for the people that might need them. Doesn't spoil specifics for people who want to experience the story blind and the information is there for those that need the warnings. Tony72495 said:My ideal would be if a dev went all the way with it.Imagine if a dev went so far that they even submitted a modified version of the game to the ESRB without any horror content so it gets like an E or E10+. The genre markers don't mention horror once.Literally no one suspects a thing.And then the devs release an innocent patch that just says it's fixing bugs but they secretly put all the horror shit in the game.It would possibly become my favorite horror game of all time. The ESRB and console makers would be pissed, like mega pissed, but I have to wonder if it's worth it, just for that visceral experience where you truly had no clue.Click to expand...Click to shrink...They would likely face legal consequences from at least Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo for breaking the requirements for releasing a game on the storefronts. There probably would be consequences from Valve as well (although that might just be a delisting). The bit would be cool but that studio and everyone at it would be turbo fucked.Nameless HeroMemberOct 25, 201723,175idk what Doki Doki Literature Club is but I think potentially causing actual harm to people outweighs the benefits of experiencing a neat surpriseClickyCal'MemberOct 25, 201764,694Having a warning for seld harm/suicideis absolutely necessary.OP OPTony72495MemberApr 26, 20192,321Nameless Hero said:idk what Doki Doki Literature Club is but I think potentially causing actual harm to people outweighs the benefits of experiencing a neat surpriseClick to expand...Click to shrink...Quick summary of DDLC:It starts out for about 30-60 minutes as a bog standard visual novel where it just seems like you have to pick a cute girl to romance, but then things start going weird, a death happens, and then like the game crashes, and then things keep getting darker and darker, eventually the game breaks the 4th wall repeatedly where it knows you're playing a game but it's become self aware.LightningMemberOct 25, 20171,278PennsylvaniaIf I randomly had something like that thrown at me with zero warning, I would immediately go into panic mode.No thank you. I don't give two shits about your game if you suddenly give me scenes of suicide and self harm.Western YokaiMemberFeb 14, 202546There's no perfect solution, unfortunately.I don't mind some sensitive imagery, but for most people it's important to leave some kind of warning.So, who knows... Hippopuncher12MemberOct 25, 201717,516CincinnatiWarnings are fine and sometimes warranted depending on the situation. It doesn't bother me if one isn't there personally however.The_Cresta_ManMemberMay 3, 2024217For video games they should be on by default, but an option hardware side to disable them by default, like how I have the option to make every PS5 game default to Subtitles or hard mode.ThatsMyTrunksMokuzai StudioVerifiedOct 28, 20172,847San Antonio, TXI think warnings like this are important to be available to the end user, and it should be entirely up to developers how they want to implement that.Ideally it'd be like:Would you like to see content warnings about the game you're about to play?[ Y / N ]Would you like detailed content warnings or general ones?[ Detailed / General ]Detailed: This game deals with self harm, suicide, and topics of dread and despair.General: This game deals with uncomfortable subjects. Discretion is advised. Do you need to know more?TeethMemberNov 4, 20174,381The Bear said:If nothing else, there is a real probability parents might end up buying these games for their kids without realising what kind of content they include, especially if it's deliberately hidden from the audience. That already justifies those content warnings.Click to expand...Click to shrink...I get the sentiment here, but are there parents buying their kids anime dating sims without looking into them>?GreywarenMemberJul 16, 201912,598SpainI think trigger warnings are important, but they should be optional if you don't want to have anything spoiled.Slay the Princess, for example, has a warning at the beginning that lets you know you can visit their website to check the trigger warnings, so it's up to you to decide if you want to see them or not.AviAvi Legend MemberJun 23, 20219,348I think ruining the surprise is worth the risk of keeping people aware who may be affected by the content within. But having something like "go to the menu to see the full list of content warnings" may be the best of both worldsPAFenixUnshakable ResolveMemberNov 21, 201919,619As someone who got into DDLC real late, thankfully didn't really know what the "twist" was, but was aware of the content that it depicted...... I don't think the trigger warning ruined it at all.I got to the first big "jump scare" and hooooly shit it still hit me like a ton of bricks. The writing on that scene was on point and definitely helped with it.APizzaPieMemberOct 27, 2017953pyxl_8 said:Give me a system wide trigger warning opt-out.Click to expand...Click to shrink...This would be the ideal solution. I don't want the warnings because they usually spoil an incoming dramatic moment.