Games released over the internet tend not to have a standard ratings system to let potential players know what they’re getting into. To compensate for that, me and some wonderful followers came up with a list of common triggers & warnings to put in the description of your game.
While you don’t have to list any warnings when you put out your game, it sure is helpful to give potential players a guide on what kind of content they’re going to be seeing. The more user friendly a game is, the more likely it is to be downloaded! :)
“Where should I put these content advisory/trigger warning?”
Any place you’re giving a description of the game. For example, a release post on tumblr, or in the game descriptions of RPGmaker.net, Itch.io, & Gamejolt. I’d put the triggers on a separate page if they’re spoilers so people can have the option to spoil themselves or not (since some people can play through anything!).
“What if I don’t want to warn players due to spoilers?”
Well, you could place a general warning like“Warning: this game is not meant for those with a nervous disposition or have trouble dealing with uncomfortable topics,” “This game contains content suitable for people that are 10/15/18 years old or older,” or “This game deals with mature subjects and can get into some uncomfortable places at time.”
Another solution is to just use one of the many game rating systems available. Two prominent ones are theESRB rating system used in North America, and thePEGI rating system used in most parts of Europe.
However, anything that could aggravateor hurt someone physically should always be placed before a game. These include:
- flashing images
- sudden sounds and/or movements
- loud noises
- eye strain
- jump scares
- screamers
You can also offer a version of the game that removes this content, or an option within the game itself to disable stuff like this. You don’t want anyone to have a seizure or panic attack during your game. :[
Now here’s a specific list of warnings you can add to your game. While the list is long, your game probably won’t contain all of them. Special thanks to everyone who sent in a response to this post for helping out!
What the ESRB uses to describe it’s games:
- Cartoon/Fantasy Violence*
- Mild Violence
- Violence
- Intense Violence
- Frightening Scenes*
- Blood
- Animated Blood*
- Gore
- Mild Language* - like“damn”,“ass,”“bloody”, etc.. Usually used for games that use those words occasionally.
- Strong Language - more vulgar cursewords like“Fuck” &“Shit”, etc. Usually used for games with lots of swearing or again, more vulgar curses.
- Suggestive Content
- Sexual situations/Sexual Content
- Nudity
- Mature Humor
- Drug References
- Use of Illegal Subsidence (i.e. illegal drugs)
- Comic Mischief*
Anything with an asterisk (*) is used for games geared towards a younger audience (E10+ and younger).
Note: You should always tag a NSFW, Porn, or Fetish game as such. I’ve seen a lot of people who do (good on them, thank you!), but I wanted to reiterate it just in case!
You can probably stop there, but if you want to be extra detailed, you can add on any of these specific warnings.
Now, let’s get into some specifics:
Common Phobias
- Hospitals
- Bugs/insects/Spiders/Cockroaches
- snakes
- Unfriendly Dogs
- The Dark
- Clowns
- Heights
- Being crammed/squished in a tiny space
- Trypophobia - groups or clusters of geometric shapes, like lotus pods and honeycombs
- germs/disease
- Agoraphobia - fear of spaces that are hard to get out of, like crowds and such.
Bodily Stuff
- Blood
- Gore/guro
- Body Horror - you can get into specifics with this one, e.g. decapitation, amputation, eye trauma, mutilation, body mutation, melting - the list goes on. You can check out this goretober list for more specifics (or not - don’t worry, there’s no pictures).
- Torture
- Depictions of someone Urinating (think Corpse Party)
- Scat/feces or depictions of deification
- Puke & Puking
Traumatic Experiences & Sensitive Topics
- Bullying
- Self-Harm
- Abusive Relationships
- Child Abuse/neglect
- Emotional/Psychological Abuse
- Physical Abuse
- Religion-based abuse
- Sexual Abuse
- Rape or Sexual Assault (attempted or not)
- Child Sexual Assult (CSA)/Pedophila
- Incest
- Dysfunctional family relationships
- Dealing with depression or very negative thought patterns that could lead to suicide.
- Suicide
- Dealing with a terminal illness
- Death of a loved one
- Animal abuse
- Animal death
- Alcohol Abuse
- Drug Abuse
- Eating Disorders
- Kidnapping
- Torture
- Depictions of war (”War. War never changes.”)
- Depictions of extreme poverty.
- Cults or cult-like behavior
- Slurs against minority groups
- Depictions of discrimination or assault towards minorities, like ethnic groups, racial minorities, LBGT+, religions, the disabled, those with mental illnesses, those with cognitive disorders, etc.
“Wait - you put down religious abuse & cults and then you put down attacks on actual religion? I’m confuse! “
Here’s some examples to clarify what I mean:
Religion-based abuse: a parent who justifies their terrible behavior & abuse of their child by claiming their religion gives them the power to do so. Think Binding of Issac.
Cults or Cult like behavior:While there’s multiple definitions to the word, I’m using it to mean dangerous or destructive group that is meant to further the founder’s own goals by using & abusing its followers and all those around it. You can check out this page on cult indoctrination, this article about a lady who used to be in a cult and talks about the warning signs that you’re in one, and the Cult Test, a 100 question test that gives several real life examples of what a cult is for more information.
Attacks on actual religions: Say someone in-game is being discriminated against their religious beliefs despite being a good or normal person. For example, a Muslim woman wearing a hijab to school, or someone displaying hostile behavior towards practicing Jews.
Other
- Swearing/Cursing/Strong Language
- References to drugs or alcohol
And of course, if someone ask you“Hey, does this game contain ____?”, respond to it politely no matter how silly it may seem (unless it was obviously a joke ask). You want to give a good impression to your players :)
Feel free to reblog with more if you like, or not to put any warnings at all just to be “edgy” :p I hope this helps! :)
filed under: #rpg maker #rpgmaker #game maker studio #unity #renpy #trigger warnings #adventure game studio #construct 2 #devhelp #dev help #pink talks #advice #for beginners
on11/08/16 at 2:49AM with 355 notes