Hi Folks,

I am looking to run a game here and I have a question about normal verses mature content in games.  I have players in my current game on Yahoo who sometimes post suggestive comments, such as;

"Captain Darlin is certainly going to have to give those massages to Jewele after all this running around!"

Similar statements allude to mature content but I am unsure if this site classes this as mature content.  Should I be safe and just mark my game as mature in the settings anyway?

Cheers,

Brett.

Anything that can be posted in a Mature game can be posted in general rated games.

So long as the level of detail is no more than you could read in a mainstream newspaper, you would be fine either way.

My general impression is, the 'mature' flag is more for player reference, and lets them know that there will be violence, risque content, mild language, etc...those who are uncomfortable with such things know, therefore, and can avoid the game before they join and find something offensive to their sensibilities.  In actual practice, I haven't noticed any significant difference between the overall themes included in 'normal' versus 'mature' games, aside from the willingness to have a slightly more 'raw' take on things that I'd already listed.

It's akin to (but not exactly like) a G or PG rating and a PG-13 rating.  Odds are good that anything you'd see in a PG-13 could also be in a PG, it's just not treated as...delicately, or diplomatically, or however you'd like to phrase it.

Literally just made my account so im not sure if this is correct but if you read a fantasy novel there are some of these things in there which are generally teen rated but there are only a few things worthy of mature rating. I would still go with what face said as he probably knows what he is talking about better than
i do.

The bottom line: if there are some people who probably should not see it (people under 18, people under 12, &c.), then it needs to go under the Adult banner.

If it's not suitable to a General rating, then it's not suitable to Mature either.  The Mature label is an indication of the game's tone, not that there is an age below which it should not be viewed.

Re: The under 12 thing:

I thought that the 'Adult' flag was mandatory only for things that essentially risk getting the site in trouble...
Could you really get in trouble for showing something with a rating of "13 and up" in a Mature game?
Generally speaking, anything below 18 is merely to provide convenient systems for parents - that's why there are things like 'foul language' and such on the back of the box, and there is no problem with buying one for a kid if you're an adult - there WOULD be a problem with overtly buying an Adults-Only game (which, at least in Norway, is pretty much reserved for porn - but I think at least one 'gore-fest' got one such rating) for a minor.

So, I'm a bit confused here.
I tend to stay WAY away from the line to '18+', just in case some parent thinks what I wrote is worse than I did, but it's not like I limit myself to 'Children's Hour'-level purity  (for those confused: Just imagine any kind of 'ages 4-8' children's programming)
Do I really have to limit myself to what would be accepted on a 'PG' show, even in a Mature game?
EDIT: Just as a reminder, some of the roleplaying games involve people killing each other with swords. Sometimes without swords. Kinda hard to avoid ANY mention of violence.
This message was last edited by the user at 00:14, Fri 06 Apr 2012.

Here's what the Mature Games Policy says:



Note, for example, that it does not say "any violence", it says, "extensive violence"

As has been mentioned by one of the other Moderators, the Mature rating has less to do with the game's content, and more to do with tone - how that content is presented.

And, no, nobody has said you are restricted to "'Children's Hour'-level purity".  It is possible to present violence, crime, drug use, and even sex, in a way which fits within the above guidelines - mainstream national newspapers do it every day.

As another Moderator has already said in this thread:

This message was deleted by the user at 14:39, Fri 06 Apr 2012.

In reply to bigbadron (msg #7):

Thanks everyone for the advice, I'm sure I will have other questions.