I was hoping to find some way of setting options to avoid adult material appearing in the news feed (for younger players...and me!) but see no way of doing it. It looks as if there were thoughts, at some stage, about separation based on an age declaration but that appears to have been forgotten about. Views?
Thanks @manowar, I understand that if my age is over 18, any game classified as 'adult' will be shown. However, there are a couple of problems here. Firstly, with the way that games are classified. For example, a game can be a 'fantasy' OR 'work in progress' OR 'adult', when in reality all three may apply. Most of the games that I'm seeing are 'work in progress', with a description indicating that they are adult. A second problem is that I may be over 18 but still not want to see adult material so perhaps an additional adult tick box would be useful?
Surely, but currently the only way that these games are not shown is by eliminating the date of birth of the profile or by indicating it below 18 years. This should no longer appear for adult games, unless the cache of the site remains that may take a little time to show the change.
I'm going to write me the review of the adult content display to give it a review when I can.
On the other hand if with the date of birth disabled you find that it shows you adult content somewhere, please let me know.
Thank you.
@^
I could not agree more. My news feed and game review section is littered, quite literally, with a rash of adult games that I never will have any interest in playing at any point, period. I know those who write and enjoy these spectacles will be offended by this, but aren’t there about a million ways to segment that seedy corner of text adventures world from the rest of the not-so-morally-questionable games? I’ve brought this up before. And, no, regardless of what it might sound like... I am definitely not a prude. I fact, I’m quite the opposite.
I’m a teacher and I would love to introduce students to computer programming/coding via Quest but the way it’s currently set up, that will never happen. Also, I’m hesitant to open it on my phone anywhere someone might be looking over my shoulder due to a lot of the cover images. I would love to introduce my kid to this but... well, you get the idea.
Anyway... I vote, and I know it won’t matter, to either:
A. Remove the content from normal view and only present it if the person requests it (I’m uncertain of the mechanics of this but it seems simple enough). Or,
B. Reroute all reviews and game listings for adult games to a separate website. This should be pretty easy to do.
I also realize that “adult” game listings have a wide range of definitions but I think it’s quite obvious which games would be inappropriate for a U-18 group.
Blah blah blah... 1st amendment rights... blah blah blah. I get it...
Thanks @XanMag, I'm sure we can come up with a proposal with a little thought. I've been trying to experiment to understand how things are at the moment but attempts to change my year of birth are failing! I set it to 1900 a while back and now can't budge it!
”I set it to 1900 a while back...”
^oldest text adventurer on record.
...perhaps someone should write a text adventure about that?
Although it may seem that no, I understand you perfectly. The idea of moving all that content to a new site exclusive of this type of material has been around for a few months now but the monetary cost of doing it right now I can not afford it because currently textadventures with their advertising just gives to be able to pay for the hosting of the site plus the game server hosting.
With all that, I will give a return to the matter I understand your problem and it seems to me that in fact it is necessary to give him a solution not taking too long.
Any suggestions will be analyzed when the time comes.
@DavyB
What's the problem when change your birthday date? I tried to chenge it and dont have problem.
@manowar, this is what happens:
Sorry, something went wrong
An error occurred while processing your request.
This has been logged, but it would be really helpful if you could let us know a bit more information about what you were doing - please contact us and we'll do our best to fix things.
I've tried logging out and back in, but still no luck with changing my year of birth away from 1900. Should I be able able to see an 'adult' link in the categories list on the right hand side of the home page? There is nothing there at the moment.
@manowar, still no luck but when I create a new account (SecondLife) all is fine. When I set the age to less than 18, anything classified as 'adult' is not shown. The problem with the site is that many adult games are being classified as 'work in progress' and so are appearing. I'll try to send a proposal for change later today for discussion.
DavyB
I think it would be more useful if a game had a set of ticks to indicate that it contains sex/gore/profanity/religion/politics (possibly with a separate set of options to cover images and media; for the benefit of players who don't mind reading steamy prose but are worried about people looking over their shoulders at work). Then you could tick which ones you are willing to see; and have them pre-filtered based on age.
I think we may need more of a discussion of the problem, to establish principles, before getting too far into a detailed discussion of fixes. If I understand properly, those with admin rights to approve games can also classify them and hence put on an 'adult' label if appropriate. The issue seems to be that many if not most of the adult games that are appearing in the 'news feed' and 'last played' are 'work in progress' or 'sandpit' and so have not gone through a review process.
If so, then to restore the site to what was originally conceived, perhaps all 'work in progress' or 'sandpit' games should be treated if they 'might be adult'. That is, for those under 18 or not logged in, 'work in progress' and 'sandpit' games would not appear in the 'news feed' or last played' and the links to 'work in progress' and 'sandpit' games would not be shown in the side tabs.
Thoughts?
Sorry @jmnevil54, there isn't a simple workaround for this issue. A new account with a profile age less than 18 or no account at all is currently displaying adult material. The problem is that there are adult games on the site that are not classified as 'adult'. This may not be the fault of the games developers. The problem can probably be traced back to the fix Alex made to allow games developers to classify their games as 'work in progress' as and so bypass the review process where an 'adult' tag would have been added.
In relation to my mention of 'principles', these are ideas that everyone might support, and so give guidance to the design of the site. For example,
The proposal I made yesterday hides adult material without developers having to do anything. It is, of course, heavy handed! A more refined approach would be:
That would allow a player to set their age less than 18 to avoid all adult material. The final refinement (that I would suggest) is to have adult material excluded by default unless a player selects an option in their profile.
DavyB
PS I still can't change my age in my main account?
Hey all :)
I know at the top of mine there is "Adult/Fantasy/RPG" even though the adult portion can be completely avoided. Adult in my case means it's an adventure for adults like Lord of the Rings quality with some potential adult content etc.
Such hate toward adult games ;.;
Anonynn.
Such hate toward adult games ;.;
This is just about clearly classifying games and enabling adult material to be separated so that young people can use the site. Is that not what everyone wants?
It seems like the problem is that the 'Adult' category is merely one of the possible category choices and that only ONE can be selected. A separate function (someone mentioned a check-box that could be checked) to designate Adult/Explicit content in addition to the regular category would seem to be a simple solution.
Another problem here is that games are appeared in some places before they have been categorised. The list of similar games for example includes them. A partial solution wold be to exclude unlisted and uncategorised games from those lists.
It would be good to hear if any change is in the pipeline to address this issue? If no change is planned, or it might take some time, would it be possible for someone with admin access to go through the games that appear in the feed and manually tag them as 'adult'?
I can place games or change the placement of games if needed. Are you suggesting I go through the WIPs and change their placement to adult if the tag fits? Let me know exactly what you mean and I’d be glad to do a little reorganizing.
Also, keep in mind please, that I hate (really on every level) adult text games and play testing them would be painful for me. An alternative is to PM me names of games as you come across that need recatergorized and I’d be glad to do it.
Can a game be both adult and uncategorised? I appreciate that may not make sense in English, but if categorised is a Boolean/flag, then it would be possible.
Thanks XanMag. The fundamental issue here is that all games need to be classified as adult/non adult before any separation is possible. One solution is to assume that all games that have not gone through a review (where the 'adult' tag might be added) are potentially adult and so should not be shown to anyone under 18. Anyone unhappy with this rule can always submit their game for formal review. Luis, are there any implementation issues with this idea?
If a quick implementation fix is not possible then a quick reviewing process would at least be a step in the right direction. Some authors of WIP games openly say that their game is for adults so there is no problem there. Also, some games are clearly for adults because of the topic and that is visible in the game description, without playing it. I'm happy to report (through PMs) any adult game that reaches me (Luis has set my age to 1/Jan/2018, with no ability to change it!).
Assuming all WIP games are 'adult' would, however, seem to be a better (simpler, more efficient, more effective) way to go, though it does need an implementation change.
I think maybe it would be better to have an adult flag with a setting of adult/non-adult/unknown; with both "adult" and "unknown" hidden from younger users. If a game is set to "unknown", maybe give the creator a prompt to change it when they next login, so that the mods only need to review games that are active after the creator has departed.
Or even have separate flags for "adult:sex / adult:gore / adult:horror / adult:images / age-unrated"; let users select a flag or combination to hide when browsing (and hide all flagged games for minors). Then any creator who's still active on the site might get a notification about their unrated games, and could swap the unrated flag for a more appropriate one, or remove it to confirm that the game doesn't contain adult themes.
With four games of the top five games in my news feed currently 'adult' (they all say they are 18+), despite my apparent age being well below 18, I feel I need to keep this topic alive!
Is someone thinking about doing something? ...or does no one feel that have the authority/desire to address this problem?
It's not likely to go away if ignored and is so dominant it makes the whole site feel 'adult'.
I don't think this site is an adult site, and I don't think it's as much of a problem as you say it is. I admit something needs to be done. But there are 'adult' games on any gaming website or platform. What is the youngest that a person on here would be anyway? I don't know. This is a text adventure/reading website, it would be extremely boring for children.
When I first registered for Quest I was occcasionally aware of discussion about support for adult games but didn't see any of them as my date of birth was unset by default. i.e. I would effectively have to register to find adult games. I would like a return to that position.
I admit something needs to be done.
Good, let's get on with that. The problem is that not all games that are 'adult' are classified that way, especially those that are 'work in progress'. I'm easy about how this problem is solved and happy to help with game classification if that would be useful.
This is a text adventure/reading website, it would be extremely boring for children.
I'm hoping this is not true of all under 18s.
...hiding 'work in progress' games would solve most of the separation issue. The three adult games in my news feed this morning are all of this type.
Second this.
A. Remove the content from normal view and only present it if the person requests it.
B. Reroute all reviews and game listings for adult games to a separate website.
The author of the Venus Meets Venus game (kaleidofish) currently discussed in the News Feed says:
"Two women meet in a bar. This is not a love story. (Mature content warning.)"
Does this mean the game should have an 'adult' tag? ...or is it the decision of the moderator?
http://textadventures.co.uk/games/view/5xoma9mxfugq7d4imhfkhq/venus-meets-venus
I'm pretty sure it's up to both the moderator and the author. Plus, that game is not porn. I played the whole thing. It's just a long journal-like entry of someone's life. Definitely not porn. Mature does not equal porn.
JenniferCampbell said:
It seems like the problem is that the 'Adult' category is merely one of the possible category choices and that only ONE can be selected. A separate function (someone mentioned a check-box that could be checked) to designate Adult/Explicit content in addition to the regular category would seem to be a simple solution.
This sounds like the best solution. (I notice others agreeing with this in this thread, as well.)
Also:
XanMag said:
An alternative is to PM me names of games as you come across that need recatergorized [sic] and I’d be glad to do it.
This seems like the best way to handle games which have already been published.
If a user doesn't think a game is suitable for the general public, simply report it to a moderator. (I would think using the 'Contact us' link would be the best bet. I think anyone with "moderator powers" has access to the those messages, but I may be mistaken.)
...or perhaps it would be easy for manowar to add a "Report this game" button right next to the "Favorites" thingy he just added to each game...
No matter what, I think it would be a never-ending crusade; especially if profanity is considered a problem.
manowar said:
On the other hand if with the date of birth disabled you find that it shows you adult content somewhere, please let me know.
This has already been mentioned in this thread, but when on the main page of any of my published but unlisted games, the Similar Games are other peoples' uncategorized games. Usually (but not at this moment), many of them have titles which lead me to believe they contain Adult Situations.
Here's what I see right now:
I'm assuming those are the two Uncategorized games mentioned in this thread:
http://textadventures.co.uk/forum/games/topic/kysbqik2tui0_4dqmcj6og/uncategorized-1
Also, if either of these games should be classified as "Adult", I wouldn't know, because, like XanMag, I am pretty much monolingual. BUT, there are usually quite a few uncategorized games at any given moment (kudos to the crew for having it down to 2 right now, by the by!), and most of those usually appear to be what I would consider smut. (No offense to anyone who writes or enjoys smut!)
Also, this may or may not be relevant, but to me (and many others), an Adult text adventure is something like Leisure Suit Larry. The goal of each puzzle is sexually oriented.
It's like the difference between fiction and erotica. (Those Fifty Shades books are considered fiction.) Or the difference between and R-rated movie and an X-rated film (or between an X-rated film and an XXX-rated film). (Those Fifty Shades movies are rated R.) [NOTE: I hate to use Fifty Shades as an example, but it seemed most fitting. I thought of using Stephen King and Rob Zombie, but... nah.]
So, anyway, where is the line? What makes a game adult?
Much like authors and directors, many IF authors create works of art which include scenes with profanity, sex, or violence, but they wouldn't consider their game smut or pornography.
Perhaps someone should form some sort of IFAA (like the MPAA).
Wouldn't the News Feed, reviews, and forum posts still be major issues, too? (People curse like sailors quite frequently.)
How about a separate site with only family-friendly games? (Seems more plausible than a separate site with the adult games. We've already got that, and there are more of the adult games than anything else.)
(I would think using the 'Contact us' link would be the best bet. I think anyone with "moderator powers" has access to the those messages, but I may be mistaken.)
You are mistaken. I only have access to my pm’s (obviously), can kill spam, and I can place games in categories (or change their placements). Beyond that, I’m just a “pee-on”. I still advocate for having access to erred reviews... but that’ll never happen.
So, if anyone feels a game needs properly placed, PM me.
Mature does not equal porn.
Agreed, but perhaps "mature = adult" as adult covers more than porn? If an author provides any sort of warning it seems to be inviting an 'adult' tag.
Here is another example where there is no doubt (http://textadventures.co.uk/games/view/_z9kmmyxp0kku_80lm-iiq/wish-granted-a-tiny-adventure-v0-2):
This game contains adult themes and should only be viewed by persons of legal age in your respective country.
My initial point in this thread is that games like this have "Work in Progress" as their main tag and so bypass the moderation process where an 'adult' tag might be added. I brought this up because there are times when there is a flurry of games like this in the news feed. I understand that this is a busy area but it also seems to be a goal of the site to filter out such games unless explicitly requested (by setting age >=18), and that is currently not happening in these cases.
Agreed, but perhaps "mature = adult" as adult covers more than porn?
I disagree. I think mature can mean that it deals with adult topics, such as drug abuse and homelessness. You may not want your six year old playing these games, but they would probably not enjoy or understand it anyway. Even games that include sex could be mature; I have read plenty of books that had sex in them, but had no warning about it. There is a huge difference between reading that a couple making love and seeing pictures of the act.
In my view adult fiction goes into the mechanics of the act. If it gets into the details of what goes where, then it is adult. Maybe the F-word and a handful of others should also rate an adult rating, but I am not even sure about that.
In fact, as I write this, I wonder if there should be a mature rating as well as adult, with mature being say 13+, so schools wanting to use the site can be squeaky clean. Probably too late to do that unless we can persuade XanMag to go through the entire back catalogue...
If it gets into the details of what goes where, then it is adult. Maybe the F-word and a handful of others should also rate an adult rating, but I am not even sure about that.
How about graphic descriptions of violence or gore?
Or psychological horror?
Or controversial storylines (racism> euthenasia? there's a whole bunch of things that should fit)
There's a lot of reasons you might not want kids looking at something, rather than just sex.
I think the idea of a 2-tier system is a good one. But it would also be nice to have "adult" divided into a few topics (sex/violence/language/horror); so a person who's over 18 could decide they like sexy games, but they don't want to see graphic descriptions of gore.
If implementing a system like that when there are so many existing games, there would presumably be a flag for "adult (no details given)", which could be used by lazy authors, and for all the games that were categorised as adult under the present system.
You are mistaken.
Sweet! I love it when that happens! (That means I learned something!)
Agreed, but perhaps "mature = adult" as adult covers more than porn?
I always thought the "Adult" category on this site was for erotica . . .
My games have "bad" words and some adult situations, but they are not erotica.
I have a warning screen when play begins, letting the player know about the content and urging them not to continue unless they are 18 or have permission from their parents. That's how movies work; that's how music works; and that's how contemporary video games work.
Here is a question:
Should the majority of the games on this site be considered Adult?
I only ask because it seems like at least 70% of the games on here are porn (and I'm pretty sure I'm being really conservative with that estimate, and the number really seems closer to 80%).
Don't take me the wrong way either. I really don't want to offend people. I always worry about whether or not my games should be categorized as Adult. Most of my stuff would be R-rated if it were a movie, but most of the folks in the Quest community who pitched in their two cents said my games were definitely not Adult games, and some of them even laughed at me for thinking that could be the case.
Pixie's idea about a "Mature" flag would solve my particular dilemma (since my "R-rated" games would then have that additional safety catch, and I don't want to ruin the lives of any children or offend any parents or guardians, so I'm down with all the filtering and warnings and such), but this would really only help with games which were published after that change was made (as Pixie pointed out).
Ha! And I know Pixie was just kidding, but I'd die laughing at XanMag if he attempted to go through and test every existing game on this site to see if they contain any mature content, as it would take an eternity and most of the games would need to be flagged as either Mature or Adult (or both)!
There's a LOT of smut and profanity on this site.
I think the only way to truly have a squeaky clean site is to have a separate site, with the content hand-picked to ensure there is no mature content.
I think the idea of a 2-tier system is a good one. But it would also be nice to have "adult" divided into a few topics (sex/violence/language/horror); so a person who's over 18 could decide they like sexy games, but they don't want to see graphic descriptions of gore.
If implementing a system like that when there are so many existing games, there would presumably be a flag for "adult (no details given)", which could be used by lazy authors, and for all the games that were categorised as adult under the present system.
Sounds like we need to be able to add tags to the games. (That goes for creators and players. Let there be tags, like on IFDB!)
”unless we can persuade XanMag to go through the entire back catalogue...”
Ha. That made me laugh. I have a hard difficult time playing enough of any single smutty game just to categorize it let alone play all of them.
I’m a glutton for a lot of punishments, but that is definitely not one of them!
“Oh I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that. No, I won’t do that.”
If they can put an F word in a PG 13 rated movie, Beetlejuice, you can do it in a text adventure. And the same thing with microwaving gremlins in a PG 13 rated movie, as long as it's a mythological creature.
I think mature can mean that it deals with adult topics, such as drug abuse and homelessness.
I'm happy to leave the definition of 'adult' to moderators who have to make such calls. Good luck! The issue I'm pushing is that unclassified, but probably adult games, are appearing in the News Feed to be seen by everyone. This is a problem because a large number of reviews and comments on the site are for these games.
Some form of tagging would be a solution, assuming it includes a filter facility for the News Feed. If that is too much work for manowar, or whoever would be doing the implementation, then excluding work in progress games from the News Feed for those under 18 or who have not specified an age seems like a quick but reasonable pragmatic solution. Does anyone see any problems with this idea?
it seems like at least 70% of the games on here are porn
Looking at the history of games posted, adult games seem to be in the minority (2 of the last 72) but your figures are perhaps for the games played on the site? ...as reflected in the News Feed.
Ha. That made me laugh. I have a hard difficult time playing enough of any single smutty game just to categorize it let alone play all of them.
No, no. If they are adult already that is fine. It is all the rest you have to play through to see if they are "mature" or not. Shouldn't take you that long...
it seems like at least 70% of the games on here are porn
Looks like about 138 are "adult", compared to 691 "fantasy", for example, so quite a small minority. I think I remember Alex saying the were the most played, however.
XM sang:
“Oh I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that. No, I won’t do that.”
Whoo! Rock and roll!!!
jmne said:
If they can put an F word in a PG 13 rated movie, Beetlejuice, you can do it in a text adventure. And the same thing with microwaving gremlins in a PG 13 rated movie, as long as it's a mythological creature.
Both of those movies are actually PG, but I see your point and agree.
It is fitting that you mentioned Gremlins, because Gremlins angered quite a few parents. Many people complained about some of the content in Gremlins (and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which came out that same year -- 1984), and the MPAA created the PG-13 rating just for movies with such content. The original Red Dawn (1985) was the first PG-13 movie. (WOLVERINES!!!)
They can totally say the "F" word once in a PG-13 movie, though. And, if it's a crappy Michael Bay Transformers movie, they can say it twice (for some reason).
Let's play a game.
With your birthday blanked out on your profile, see what happens when you search for the "F" word in the search field on the main page (which is definitely a thing many kids do, but this search proves that they don't even need to search, as the word is already all over this site -- meaning they will probably be exposed to it without searching at some point, statistically speaking):
Also check what happens when you search for that same string of text in the forum.
You should find that both searches return NUMEROUS results.
DavyB said:
I'm happy to leave the definition of 'adult' to moderators who have to make such calls.
I would be much happier knowing what the actual, factual guidelines are.
I'm not trying to be ornery or anything; I'd just like to know what rules apply up front. If my games are going to be categorized along with the smut on a site, I'd rather not share my games on said site.
DavyB said:
your figures are perhaps for the games played on the site?
I said "seems like", which suggests hyperbole. Although, it truly does seem like most of the games are smut. Heck, even with no birthday entered in my profile, the majority of the games I see on the main page (which are the games I mainly see on this site) would probably be considered Adult by the moral majority.
The point of this thread is you think there are numerous games on this site which are not listed as Adult when they should be. This being the case, I don't understand how citing the percentage of games which are properly categorized as Adult proves anything which negates the validity of my statement.
It seems like it may have been a counter-point to my suggestion that creating a new, family-friendly site with hand-picked, pre-approved games would be the best (and most foolproof) way to handle things. This is what I would do if wished to shield my child from the outside world, but I admittedly did not do that at all with my son. He's had the unfiltered, unrestricted internet in the palm of his hand his entire life, and he grew up and turned out just fine -- first model student, and now model citizen.
...but I digress.
I checked out how many games are listed as Adult. The number is admittedly low, but that is a moot point at this juncture. It wouldn't be prudent to use that number in an argument in a thread which points out the inaccuracy of that same number.
If we add up all these numbers, there are 4,921 games listed on this site (not counting Adult games, Works in Progress or the Sandpit).
Pixie says 138 games are listed as Adult. So, if we add that in, we have 5,059 games total, excluding the Sandpit and WIP.
What's that, like 2.73%?
...but how many Works in Progress are there? How many games are in the Sandpit?
...and, again, how many games are not categorized as Adult which should be?
Don't all those unknowns make it pointless to factor in the number of games on this site which are listed as Adult?
Does it not seem to everyone, just by visiting the main page, that this site has quite a good bit of smut? Is that not the reason this thread was created?
(And why do I keep repeating myself? Am I stark-raving mad? (Please, don't answer that!))
If I have a point, it is that this is the internet. It is a foul place (much like the real world). Many games, reviews, and forum posts on this site reflect that, and trying to filter out the "bad" things seems like a never-ending battle.
We don't even all agree on exactly what should be considered Adult. (I think Pixie has the right idea, but aren't most kids 13 before they're allowed to use the internet with no supervision anyway? Isn't that like a general guideline or something? If so, wouldn't the "Mature" category be pretty much pointless?)
PS
@XanMag
Pixie said:
No, no. If they are adult already that is fine. It is all the rest you have to play through to see if they are "mature" or not. Shouldn't take you that long...
I imagine Pixie is enjoying this idea! (Ha-ha-ha!)
If my calculations are correct, there are over 5,000 games on this site which may (or may not) need to be categorized as Adult, my good sir!
[ INSERT MANIACAL LAUGH HERE ]
PPS
I'm not trying to be argumentative; just realistic.
I do add warnings to the beginning of my games. I am in no way against parents shielding kids from grown-up things, but I also believe trying to do that on this site without constantly monitoring the child would be unwise, no matter how hard the moderators worked to keep the site in order.
If you want to protect a child from the world, you can't change the world. You have to either create a safe space or prepare the child for the atrocities to which he or she is bound to be subjected. Hence my suggestion to create a family-friendly site.
I hope nothing I've said has offended anyone, but, again, I'm just trying to be realistic for the sake of the children -- not for argument's sake.
Showing search results is a bit weird. It's a Google search, I believe, so results with bad words in may be filtered out if you're logged in on a Google account that's set to be under 18; but Google can't see your profile on the site, so that won't make a difference.
Showing search results is a bit weird.
Yeah... I was mainly showing how this site is saturated with profanity on every level: games, reviews, and forum posts.
I'll make everyone a deal... Share your opinion on this, and I'll shut up:
This game is categorized as Comedy.
It is a group effort. Three of us wrote it, and quite a few others were involved in various ways as well.
In it, you will find profanity, alcohol use, drug use, and quite a few lewd comments.
I suggested the Adult section due to all the mature content, but everyone said (and I'm paraphrasing), "what? Why? This isn't porn, silly!"
So, I added this when play begins:
Is that enough effort?
...because it's more than most authors put forth to keep innocents from unknowingly wandering into an interactive world of mature content.
Here's a link to the game:
https://textadventures.co.uk/games/view/jYmFhimg00C5CVrDqNA7XA/pixies-quest
Please (whoever is over 17 and reading this), play it through and let me know if you think it should be categorized as Comedy or Adult (or tossed into the Sandpit; ha-ha!)
Please (whoever is over 17 and reading this), play it through and let me know if you think it should be categorized as Comedy or Adult (or tossed into the Sandpit; ha-ha!)
Ditto... minus the sandpit part. If any of you mods put that game in the pit of despair... why, I'll... I'll...
Put it right back in the Comedult category.
Take that!
And, yes, that game does contain one HOT lady.
It’s a difficult area. As stated above, nothing stopped me reading fiction that contained sex and/or profanity when I was young. I remember from an earlier discussion on this subject that the very young are mostly excluded anyway by virtue of their reading skills. Teenagers will always find a way around website age checks that are in place if they so desire by simply lying.
There have been games submitted in the past that have contained pornographic images though. And that’s clearly a problem if they are accessible in the sandpit or uncategorised. Not sure I know the answer though.
THEORETICALLY:
Anything that would be rated R would be checked as NSFW then categorized accordingly (as an adventure or a comedy or whatever).
Anything that would be NC-17, X, XX, or XXX would be categorized as Adult. (These would automatically be checked as NSFW.)
In the user settings, we would have these options if our birthday puts us over 18:
If 13 or over, it would only show:
Something like that. I have no clue how the site works, so this may not be practical.
Plus, I'm content with the site the way the site categorizes things now. This just seems like the easiest way to handle it if the site administrator deemed it worthwhile. (It seems like this site has more games which would be tagged NSFW and Adult than anything else. So I don't really expect to see any changes.)
This thread has gone a bit off track! By all means try to improve the classification scheme but the thread is really about a weakness in the classification process. Games that have not been moderated, but are clearly adult, are being discussed in the newsfeed if they have been described as a 'work in progress'. Can all references to unmoderated games be kept out of the newsfeed? I am forced to look at this every day in case someone has commented on one of my games and needs a response.
I always thought of text adventures as adult material in the first place. Anything goes in a fantasy and in real life. Fact or fiction.
If an adult is worried and wants to filter what they or their child sees online then they can see a rating as they supervise their online time. "Oh, but I could never be able to do that. It's the job of other people or the government."
I think the texts in the games here are fine. Graphics are another thing however. If a games shows pictures of explicit acts or nudity then it needs rated or whatever, but these are just guidelines for parents who take the time to monitor their children's online time.
My mom had Harlequin romance books stacked all over the house, with thrusting and heaving gone rampant. I tried reading one as a kid and eeewww, but when I found my brothers playboy...Bow-chicky- bow-wow!
Again, ratings are for parents. You won't stop a kid from seeing these games without somehow controlling the registering process to prove age.
Text fine. Pics no, but by all means rate them.
This game does not contain
This game may contain
This game does contain
This game has thingys in it
Or whatever seems best.
This thread has gone a bit off track! By all means try to improve the classification scheme but the thread is really about a weakness in the classification process. Games that have not been moderated, but are clearly adult, are being discussed in the newsfeed if they have been described as a 'work in progress'. Can all references to unmoderated games be kept out of the newsfeed?
We were discussing ways for authors to properly label "unmoderated" games to appease the users who don't want to be exposed to adult material and/or any material that is not safe for the work place.
It seemed relevant to me, but it's your thread. If you say I'm off track, it must be true.
All apologies.
I am forced to look at this every day in case someone has commented on one of my games and needs a response.
You can see all the comments on all of your games on your Create page (and game-specific comments on each game's page).
You can see all the comments on all of your games on your Create page
Good idea! I've now made that my home page.
If you say I'm off track, it must be true.
I'm largely reporting a bug here:
This site has a classification scheme that includes 'adult', with such games hidden from (i) anyone not signed in, or (ii) signed in but not actively choosing to see such games (by adjusting their registered date of birth to 18+). That scheme assumes that all visible games have been moderated. That is not true, however, of games that the developer labels 'work in progress', which may be 'adult' if presented for moderation. As a result, discussion of 'adult' games can appear in the News Feed and in Last Played. The same argument applies to games in the Uncategorised list.
There are several ways to sort out this contradiction and I'm happy to contribute to any discussion on that topic.
This site has a classification scheme that includes 'adult', with such games hidden from (i) anyone not signed in, or (ii) signed in but not actively choosing to see such games (by adjusting their registered date of birth to 18+). That scheme assumes that all visible games have been moderated. That is not true, however, of games that the developer labels 'work in progress', which may be 'adult' if presented for moderation. As a result, discussion of 'adult' games can appear in the News Feed and in Last Played. The same argument applies to games in the Uncategorised list.
The same argument also applies to any game that an author doesn't consider "Adult". It's not just the Works In Progress and Uncategorized games. I've seen lots of games with adult content listed as Comedy, Fantasy, and every other category (besides (possibly) Family).
I was just looking at the big picture when thinking of ways to help people filter out the content they find offensive on this site, not debating whether or not manowar should stop WIP and uncategorized games from showing up in the News Feed or Last Played on the main page.
Neither WIP nor uncategorized games should show up on the main page (even in the News Feed or Last Played).
The main page is essentially advertising unfinished products (which may or may not be smut) when it includes anything related to these games (be it links, comments, or reviews).
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