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Sony Cracks Down on Sexually Explicit Content in Games (Article States That It Refers to Underage Characters: Check Threadmarks)

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Sectorseven

Sectorseven

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Oct 25, 2017
6,560
https://www.wsj.com/articles/sony-cracks-down-on-sexually-explicit-content-in-games-11555427944


TOKYO -- Sony Corp. is cracking down on sexual content in PlayStation 4 videogames globally, reflecting concerns in the U.S. about the depiction of women in games but irritating some software developers.


Sony's new in-house standards that limit sexually explicit content distinguish it from other game-hardware makers that allow a greater amount of content as long as the software carries a rating from a national industry body.


A Sony spokeswoman confirmed the company has established its own guidelines "so that creators can offer well- balanced content on the platform" and gaming "does not inhibit the sound growth and development" of young people. She declined to say when these guidelines were introduced or to discuss them in detail.

Some additional excerpts from the article:
Sony officials said executives at the company have grown concerned that its global reputation could take a hit from sexually explicit content sold only in a few markets. One of their biggest concerns is software sold in the company's home market of Japan, which traditionally has had more tolerance for near-nudity and images of young women who might appear underage.
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Two factors last year combined to turn that unease into action, these Sony officials say. One was the rise of the #MeToo movement in the U.S., which pointed to the dangers of being associated with content that some might see as demeaning to women. The second was the emergence of channels on sites like YouTube and Amazon Inc.'s Twitch where gamers play in front of a camera and are watched by fans online. That means games meeting Japan's laxer standards can get world-wide exposure.
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In general, any company making a game for a platform like the PlayStation 4, Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox or Nintendo Co.'s Switch signs a contract with the platform maker governing royalties and other items. That gives the platform maker the ability to block games it doesn't like.

Nintendo said it doesn't regulate sexual content beyond requiring game makers to obtain a rating from national bodies. It said its game systems allow parents to restrict content based on the rating. Microsoft declined to comment.
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"You don't know what they will say until you complete the work and submit it for review," said the chief executive of a small game developer in Japan. "And if they are not happy, even if they allowed the same degree of sexuality a few days before, we need to take it back and ask our staff to make adjustments. That's very costly."
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Dest

Dest

Has seen more 10s than EA ever will
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Jun 4, 2018
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and gaming "does not inhibit the sound growth and development" of young people
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If you don't want your kids playing Big Tiddy Ninja Simulator 2019, then that's really something that has to do with the parenting and not what kind of content a platform is hosting.
 
sredgrin

sredgrin

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Is this different than was already known or is this just confirmation of it?
 
kadotsu

kadotsu

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Oct 25, 2017
3,505
Imagine the horror of a youth in development seeing a nipple during a fatality in MK.
 
Kinsei

Kinsei

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
20,529
And the first post is a meme mocking autistic people. This thread is off to a great start.
 
sredgrin

sredgrin

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Dest said:
If you don't want your kids playing Big Tiddy Ninja Simulator 2019, then that's really something that has to do with the parenting and not what kind of content a platform is hosting.
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That's just assigning blame. Parents fail all the time. Doesn't mean for instance, we should allow MTX that focus on children in games. If you want things to be improved, sometimes you have to move beyond assigning fault.
 
Kuro

Kuro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,646
The less loli shit the better. I just hope this doesn't bleed into stupid stuff like the Trish lens flare but they removed it so that's good.
 
Eolz

Eolz

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,601
FR
Well, that's pretty big that WSJ is coming out with an article on that topic.
Sectorseven said:
gaming "does not inhibit the sound growth and development" of young people.
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Really for the children uh (cf the Fortnite excuse before their limited crossplay implementation).
She declined to say when these guidelines were introduced or to discuss them in detail.
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They declined to detail those guidelines to developers too.
 
OrdinaryPrime

OrdinaryPrime

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ClickyCal'

ClickyCal'

Member
Oct 25, 2017
59,681
Chacranajxy said:
Kiiinda dumb. No idea why you guys are celebrating it.
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8ad7e8b0-a9bf-480a-b083-d9f1fbdf0455-jpeg.162395
 
Hippopuncher12

Hippopuncher12

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,279
Cincinnati
I am not a huge fan of censoring, but if they are putting the focus on this anime pedo like bullshit that pops into games, good. Get that crap out of here. If it's a standard piece of adult, mature content, then no, don't do that.
 
Raijinto

Raijinto

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Oct 28, 2017
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I feel like there are already enough guidances and information to achieve what Sony are proclaiming is their aim without their input in the ways they have already affected things but maybe I'm mistaken and this is good for games. I doubt it though.
 
Vire

Vire

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,591
Considering there are absolutely no details on what kind of material they deem sexually explicit, it's hard to give an opinion one way or the other.

But if it's in relation to creepy loli animu girls. Then go right ahead.
 
Yukinari

Yukinari

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Oct 25, 2017
4,538
The Danger Zone
It just cracks me up everytime that PS4 can have Last of Us 2 and Mortal Kombat 11.

But Senran Kagura, which has a lower rating and none of the violence of those games, we need to ban that. And people on this forum champion it.

What will ya'll do when Cham Cham gets into Samsho?
 
OrdinaryPrime

OrdinaryPrime

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ZeoVGM said:
The hell is this?
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RockmanBN said:
I got a 1 day ban for mentioning this. Even though I was stating that other people were literally using it.
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It's some stupid ass meme about a frog that some people have co-opted to make fun of people with autism. It's shit and people using it are shit.

Yukinari said:
It just cracks me up everytime that PS4 can have Last of Us 2 and Mortal Kombat 11.

But Senran Kagura, which has a lower rating and none of the violence of those games, we need to ban that. And people on this forum champion it.
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Does Senran Kagura sexualize underage people?
 
Valcrist

Valcrist

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Oct 25, 2017
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I'm fine with censoring or removing underage sexualism but if it's a rated M game with adult characters I don't really see what the problem is.
 
Daniel Westlake

Daniel Westlake

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Oct 25, 2017
19,165
So for people celebrating this you realize that as the article states we literally don't know what these guidelines are.

"does not inhibit sounds growth and development" is meaningless puritanical tripe that could be used to crackdown on literally any type of "sexual" content on the platform.
 
molnizzle

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
Yukinari said:
It just cracks me up everytime that PS4 can have Last of Us 2 and Mortal Kombat 11.

But Senran Kagura, which has a lower rating and none of the violence of those games, we need to ban that. And people on this forum champion it.
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False equivalence, which you already know if you've ever tried to make this bullshit argument on Era before.
 
kennyamr

kennyamr

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,587
New York, NY, USA
Sure, I mean, Western culture is moving in that same direction so I don't see the problem with this.
They are blocking explicit content for the sake of being explicit, which in my personal view it's not the kind of art I would defend.
I definitely defend this move. It's actually something the other big players in the industry should follow.
 
Kyoufu

Kyoufu

Member
Oct 26, 2017
16,582
Yukinari said:
It just cracks me up everytime that PS4 can have Last of Us 2 and Mortal Kombat 11.

But Senran Kagura, which has a lower rating and none of the violence of those games, we need to ban that. And people on this forum champion it.
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What's truly hilarious is your inability to see the difference between a game with violence and a game that sexualises underage girls.
 
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