(09-30-2013, 10:29 AM)Theodric Ironheart Wrote: This is something I've been meaning to discuss for a while now, though I figured now is as good a time as any to spark up yet another debate. First things first, though, let me clear something up: this isn't a thread aimed to excuse genuinely offensive behaviour or commentary that far exceeds anything shown in the game itself. This is a thread intended to try and understand why quite a few players feel offended by the occasional use of mature language in chat channels within a game that makes liberal use of phrases along the lines of 'shite' 'bastard' and 'dead whore's crotch'.
I suspect I'm not alone in this, but I've been waiting for an MMO that took itself reasonably seriously and wasn't afraid to touch upon mature themes and the implications that surround them. I'm sure everyone will agree that FFXIV pulls that off rather well, both in terms of mature language and some of the implications that other games desperately shy away from.Â
...and yet despite all that I'm still seeing people kick up a fuss when players crack a crude joke or lace their discussion with a bit of mature language. Again, I'm not talking about the extreme stuff here, I'm referring to the sort of language that is present in the game itself. It honestly baffles me - on one hand these players are 'offended' by crude jokes and  mature language and yet they're paying a subscription fee to play a game that is literally full of them.Â
Let's not forget that technically every player should be of or above the age plastered on the game's cover so the argument of 'think of teh children' loses much of it's weight.Â
So I'm curious to see what other people think of this and decided to make this thread. I'm personally very fond of the gritty tone of the game and it's actually one of my favourite aspects.
Outside of ageplay (which is just...completely on the other side of the continent in terms of offense/wrong/omgwtfbbq), I don't think that people should OOCly get offended by In-Character subject matter. Â It's totally okay for characters themselves to get offended and upset, but for a player to get offended by what was said in RP is a bit silly.
As far as OOC goes, if you don't like the language, turn your profanity filter on.
Edited to Add: A special note, however: If a player is feeling uncomfortable with the way a scene is going in-character, they should speak up and either ask the other parties to tone it down a bit, or fade the situation to black. For instance, I don't have a stomach for torture. I just can't stand it. I don't want to see it. I don't want to participate in it. So I've always either avoided getting caught up in it, or just faded it to black because it upsets me on a personal level.
![[Image: hFalP38.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/hFalP38.jpg)
