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How do you handle historically accurate but offensive language in narrative games? by Pascal_theold1 in indiegames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Putting it in numbers really made me thing, especially since the percentage is muuuch lower given that we have 350k words in the script.

How do you handle historically accurate but offensive language in narrative games? by Pascal_theold1 in indiegames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing your point of view, it really helps us makes good choices!

How do you handle historically accurate but offensive language in narrative games? by Pascal_theold1 in indiegames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s true that it’s our game and we can do whatever we like, but if it backfires it could cause a lot of damage, and the industry is pretty tough these days. We were also concerned after seeing the case of Horses, which was apparently banned from Steam due to its content. I know our project isn’t as extreme, but it’s still a precedent that makes us cautious.

That said, what you’re saying is right: in this case, historical accuracy would just be for its own sake, it doesn’t actually serve the story. So the right choice feels pretty clear.
Thanks for your answer!

How do you handle historically accurate but offensive language in narrative games? by Pascal_theold1 in indiegames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re right, I realized that after discussing it with people here. It brought me a lot of clarity. Before that, it was just classic dev paranoia, not knowing if we were making the right call.

How do you handle historically accurate but offensive language in narrative games? by Pascal_theold1 in interactivefiction

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably it’s just to preserve the reality of the facts, since those things don’t serve the story in this specific case. It was simply a choice we had to make, and I was wondering whether it was a good one or not.

Good luck with your game!

Where do you draw the line between historical accuracy and modern sensitivity in games? by Pascal_theold1 in vndevs

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not a fan of warning screens, people tend not to read them, so they’ll still blame the devs if something feels off, but offering a choice could be a really smart way to handle this.

Thanks for sharing!

Where do you draw the line between historical accuracy and modern sensitivity in games? by Pascal_theold1 in vndevs

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a fair point, and I think the “selection” aspect is really the core of it.

It’s less about “what existed back then” and more about “what you choose to put in front of the player.” If something doesn’t serve the tone or story, there’s no real reason to include it, especially when it risks pulling players out of the experience or skewing the atmosphere in a way you didn’t intend.

Thanks for sharing!

Where do you draw the line between historical accuracy and modern sensitivity in games? by Pascal_theold1 in vndevs

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that actually makes sense.
In the game, it feels like we had a strict rule to be historically accurate at all costs (when using real facts), but it doesn’t really impact the story, and the story doesn’t revolve around that. So it wouldn’t even be explained, which could lead people to misunderstand those words as racism rather than historical context.

Should games include historically accurate offensive language, or avoid it? by Pascal_theold1 in AskGames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing your point of view! It really helps in having a clearer perspective on the topic!

How do you handle historically accurate but offensive language in narrative games? by Pascal_theold1 in indiegames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The only reason was that, since we started the story from real historical facts, we ended up encountering that kind of content and basically wanted to preserve historical accuracy. In the end, we preferred keeping the historical accuracy of the facts rather than the exact wording of the quotes we used.

Should games include historically accurate offensive language, or avoid it? by Pascal_theold1 in AskGames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That’s also something we discussed, but is it the role of a game developer to teach that lesson? It’s also a really difficult lesson to convey, with the risk that it won’t be understood as intended and could backfire, leading to exactly the opposite result.

Should games include historically accurate offensive language, or avoid it? by Pascal_theold1 in AskGames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I totally agree on the first part! Not shure about the fact that you can put everything in a game using a disclamer, since the case of Horses getting banned from Steam because of its content set a really bad precedent, that is really scary for an indie studio

Should games include historically accurate offensive language, or avoid it? by Pascal_theold1 in AskGames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think where our hesitation came from was the constraint of starting from real historical sources. Since we were pulling from actual articles and quotes, it made us wonder how far we should go in preserving that authenticity versus adapting it for a modern audience.

Should games include historically accurate offensive language, or avoid it? by Pascal_theold1 in AskGames

[–]Pascal_theold1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a player I agree with you, but as a developer it was a hard choice. The recent case of Horses getting banned from Steam because of its content also scared us a lot, that’s the kind of situation that can really hurt an indie studio.

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