Comments on The Dice of Life: Editorial: Concealing Violent and Sexual Imagery i...

If I'd heard that viewpoint from a fellow Brit, I'...

2009-11-14T10:40:50.631-05:00

If I'd heard that viewpoint from a fellow Brit, I'd have thought them ultraconservative or rabidly PC. In the UK, we're a little more relaxed, I think.

I grew up watching Nightmare on Elm Street type slasher flicks from about the age of ten, and I've hardly killed anyone. Remember yourself as a child - as soon as you found out Mom and Dad thought that this game/film/book was Too Old For You then, if you were anything like me, you wouldn't rest until you'd experienced it for yourself. On your own. And you couldn't talk to your parents about the experience and get some perspective, because you weren't meant to have watched or read it.

Her first was Land of the Dead, she was 5 or so. ...

2009-11-13T00:48:39.707-05:00

Her first was Land of the Dead, she was 5 or so. I netflixed it, being a big Romero fan myself. I watched it in the afternoon and she wandered into the room after it had been on for a bit and was just fascinated. After that came Shaun of the Dead, which she loved. Then we watched the trilogy - Night, Dawn, Day. She also loved the Dawn remake and 28 Days Later, finally took her to see a zombie movie in the theater when Zombieland came out. Non zombie films she liked - 30 Days of Night, the original Halloween, Trick 'r Treat (watched that on Halloween with a crowd of kids and parents and we all loved it, great flick), Hot Fuzz, Kill Bill.

The "of the Dead" films are generally considered (especially the original Dawn) as some of the most gory/violent films in cinematic history and she's seen them all and remains the cutest, sweetest little girl and not a violent psychopath at all :) She just loves zombies. Her reaction to an action or horror heavy movie is generally a low level of excitement, she'll cuddle up with a parent on the couch, cover her eyes during a part or two (but peek), get a bit talky. Just how I recall reacting as a kid enjoying horror movies.

There are limits, of course, movies that I don't think are appropriate for children (Twilight), but the violence of your typical horror or action movie is the same as your typical loony tunes cartoon, the trappings are just different. It's basic, easy to understand confrontation. Good guys, bad guys, a moral question or two. A good example of something I won't let her watch is The Devil's Rejects. The sadistic violence of that film is very human and very sick (but awesome).

Regarding nudity (or near nudity), it's objectiona...

2009-11-12T23:32:19.110-05:00

Regarding nudity (or near nudity), it's objectionable when you accidentally leave it on your desk at work or on the dining room table for your in-laws to see. My in-laws in particular are pretty conservative culturally. (I don't want to go into too much details of my personal life, but suffice to say that there is definitely a cultural difference, and one that's based on national origins as well as religious beliefs.)

As far as violence is concerned, at what age was your own daughter when she saw her first zombie movie? How gory was it? What was her reaction to it?

As far as my own game room, I don't have that luxury, and if I did, my in-laws would have some serious concerns. ;)

I agree with apresvie, in that it seems to me that...

2009-11-12T23:19:23.740-05:00

I agree with apresvie, in that it seems to me that American parents are much more squeamish about this sort of thing then they need to be.

Most of us, in our own childhoods, saw our first R-rated or especially violent affair at a fairly young age. My own daughter, 7, loves zombie movies. Besides the violence and gore, they also feature some gratuitous nudity from time to time, but is a boob really that objectionable?

1. I don't worry about them. As far as kids go, the kind of violence or half-nudity in RPG books I don't see as objectionable at all. As far as in-laws, they already think its weird that we play D&D, so the art isn't going to affect that position.

2. No.

3. No. I don't have them strewn about the house, but I have a game room, covered in posters with bookshelves full of gaming materials and a display case for some rare and cool stuff. When groups of non gamers come over, the game room often becomes a part of the party or gathering, for the space (and that I have a wet bar in it).

You're exactly right, apresvie. Most of my concern...

2009-11-12T07:43:07.328-05:00

You're exactly right, apresvie. Most of my concern is social embarrassment, too, but the concerns for my daughter have more to do with her age than the fact that she's a child in general. Exposing a child to violent and gory images before 4 years old can be impacting. It can even be impacting to a 10-year-old child. (Note that I'm focusing on violence and gore rather than nudity.)

In the end it makes me ask (humorously), "What the heck kind of game am I playing here?" :)

I just think back to when I was a kid. Did these t...

2009-11-12T07:09:16.326-05:00

I just think back to when I was a kid. Did these things upset or disturb me when I was a child? No, they didn't and RPGs aren't really 'for kids' any more than anime or comics are really. Mind you, I've been reading 2000AD since I was about three years old (or at least looking at the pictures) so perhaps I'm skewed here.

There's cultural differences between nations here as well I think with some being far more squeamish than others. Europe is more tolerant than the UK which is more tolerant than the US.

I don't see much harm in a little violence or a little (or even a lot) of boobage and to me you answered your own questions with the words 'fired my imagination'.

The only reason I'd hide gaming stuff is from social embarassment. :)