1. #1

    The Worrying Trend of Self-Censorship in Game Localisation

    Full disclosure: I wrote this.

    https://medium.com/@shogun/the-worry...3fb#.97rzm7x66

    Highlights:

    We as the consumers have to make ourselves heard and stand up against censorship when it arises, but the onus falls squarely on developers to show some spine in the face of Western prudes. Of course, I am not saying that games should be completely free of social or political criticism. Video games, like any other artform, do not exist in a social vacuum.
    It’s really quite simple; if I don’t like something in a game, I don’t have to play it, and I certainly wouldn’t prevent others from playing it. There’s no reason why games can’t coexist for their respective demographics. Besides, there are plenty of female Japanese characters I do like: for every objectified Dead or Alive or Senran Kagura character, there’s a Chie (Persona 4), a Kat (Gravity Rush), a Lightning (FF XIII), a Milla (Tales of Xillia), a Kyoko, Chiaki, or Monaca (Danganronpa series)…

    Developers and publishers should just stick to what they know best, rather than fretting over mass appeal and political correctness. There’s always going to be someone offended by their work, none more so than the perpetually offended. And once you give the perpetually offended an inch, they will take a mile. You could create the ideal feminist hero in Ciri (The Witcher 3), and rather than sing her praises they would complain about her heeled boots or how thugs throw gendered insults at her. Your game could pander to their every whim and it would still get a lukewarm review in response. So why bother?
    Some might not see the importance of defending such minor instances of self-censorship in games. Sure, it starts with a boob slider here and a cheeky butt-slap there, but this is just the beginning of a very slippery slope which could well end with games consisting of nothing but bland, humourless rectangles (at least the rectangles in Thomas Was Alone had personality). Obviously I am exaggerating, but it makes you think, no?

  2. #2
    All i can say is, i completely agree with you.

    Yes censoring happened in the past aswell, so?
    It's the past. We should be progressing, not regressing.

    Sadly what is happening is that developers are being pressured to listen to a vocal minority.

  3. #3
    The slippery slope fallacy is called a fallacy for a reason. No, not getting to see women in ridiculously skimpy outfits with exaggerated proportions jiggling in ludicrous ways doesn't herald the death of video games, there is no vast SJW conspiracy out to get you, and this isn't censorship, it's game developers actually realizing that oversexualizing and demeaning women isn't a good thing.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Xekus View Post
    Sadly what is happening is that developers are being pressured to listen to a vocal minority.
    Yep, I just wish they wouldn't cave so easily.

    Quote Originally Posted by Derpling View Post
    The slippery slope fallacy is called a fallacy for a reason. No, not getting to see women in ridiculously skimpy outfits with exaggerated proportions jiggling in ludicrous ways doesn't herald the death of video games, there is no vast SJW conspiracy out to get you, and this isn't censorship, it's game developers actually realizing that oversexualizing and demeaning women isn't a good thing.
    Would you class the removal of a boob slider necessary, though? Like, what is the point?

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Derpling View Post
    there is no vast SJW conspiracy out to get you, and this isn't censorship, it's game developers actually realizing that oversexualizing and demeaning women isn't a good thing.
    Xenoblade, Street fighter, Blade & Soul and an endless number of other games.
    Nope that's just bullshit.

    This would imply sexy females in a game is somewhat a bad thing in the first place, which is all kinds of hilarious.
    What's next, rape culture arguments?

  6. #6
    Warchief Notshauna's Avatar
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    These kind of arguments are frankly a little bit insane, the fact of the matter is for nearly every company out there it's games as products over games as art. So in order to better sell their products in other regions they change aspects of them to make them more palatable. Unfortunately with the internet being the internet a counter-culture naturally forms where people fail to understand that localization is universal to every medium, not just games. Whether or not it should be done is another discussion but it's important to understand that "self-censorship" is healthy and an aspect of every individual's creative maturity.

    But to say that by removing aspects of games that fails to interest foreign markets will lead to games without any personality is a leap and a half.

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