I tend to use the words "Freaking", "Crud", "Darn-it", "What the Freak?!", etc.
Just make sure it still sounds natural! We don't need any more monkey-fighting snakes on this monday-to-friday plane!
Dropping the F-Bomb
Just make sure it still sounds natural! We don't need any more monkey-fighting snakes on this monday-to-friday plane!
People people, there are all kinds of levels of swearing and, yes, there certainly is that level which is just plain stupid - you know, that guy who can say nothing but repeatedly spout out 'fuck' until you are as bored of him as looking out a window on a Friday afternoon; it's not 'edgy', unless you are talking about pushing me towards pulling that trigger to avoid hearing one more cringe inducing word coming out from your mouth.
Then there is that other level of swearing. That level of swearing that almost seems an art form in it's fluidity and form - something that is incomprehensibly easy to understand but very very hard to replicate (and even harder to reciprocate, which is probably why very few ever come up with any smarter response than 'shit' or 'fuck me'). This is the mark of an intelligent character playing an intelligent game. That doesn't make any other form of swearing less useful and certainly doesn't belittle it when an intelligent character gets caught in the moment and goes with 'FUCK!' instead. It's just different, which is a great blessing in games where you don't want to hear that army sergeant go on and on with his five-second swear bar before he spouts out the next curse which comes into his mind only to repeat ad nausea...
Then there are those curse words just put in so they can have an effect on people. In other words, maximum offending pejorative. That's just marketing - after all, any kind of offence is bound to create headlines.
Headlines = free publicity = free marketing = profit + ??? = win.
Then there is that other level of swearing. That level of swearing that almost seems an art form in it's fluidity and form - something that is incomprehensibly easy to understand but very very hard to replicate (and even harder to reciprocate, which is probably why very few ever come up with any smarter response than 'shit' or 'fuck me'). This is the mark of an intelligent character playing an intelligent game. That doesn't make any other form of swearing less useful and certainly doesn't belittle it when an intelligent character gets caught in the moment and goes with 'FUCK!' instead. It's just different, which is a great blessing in games where you don't want to hear that army sergeant go on and on with his five-second swear bar before he spouts out the next curse which comes into his mind only to repeat ad nausea...
Then there are those curse words just put in so they can have an effect on people. In other words, maximum offending pejorative. That's just marketing - after all, any kind of offence is bound to create headlines.
Headlines = free publicity = free marketing = profit + ??? = win.
Author
Superbly put DarklyDreaming, that pretty much sums up swearing in games and the reasons behind it.
Cursing is acceptable in areas a NORMAL person would swear. (Just imagine whoever you want swearing in real life.)
Things such as "shit", "damnit", etc... The less powerful curse words can be thrown in a bit more often.
Racist words are NOT acceptable. PERIOD.
The "F-Bomb" could be dropped in some areas, where things go absolutely horrible.
But all-in-all, it depends on how YOUR game is. Who your character is.
EG: A 2 year old character shouldn't be swearing, nor should an old woman.
It's accepted whenever it would come up in real life. While writing the game's script, don't think of it as a script. Think of it as your watching two people talk (or however many people there are) and you're just writing down what they say.
Things such as "shit", "damnit", etc... The less powerful curse words can be thrown in a bit more often.
Racist words are NOT acceptable. PERIOD.
The "F-Bomb" could be dropped in some areas, where things go absolutely horrible.
But all-in-all, it depends on how YOUR game is. Who your character is.
EG: A 2 year old character shouldn't be swearing, nor should an old woman.
It's accepted whenever it would come up in real life. While writing the game's script, don't think of it as a script. Think of it as your watching two people talk (or however many people there are) and you're just writing down what they say.
There's a few factors that weigh in on this and one of them is perception. Have you ever watched Casino unedited versus the TV version? Not the same and not as realistic. When I play a game I want to feel the story and be involved. If I'm talking to a mobster, drill instructor, or whatever and they're saying things like "oh fudge I just stubbed my darn finger" then I can't play into the story and it ruins it for me.
I recently worked on a hardware/software based project with some Italians from Florida. It took me a little bit to get used to them because it was exactly as one would expect it to be "hey how is da f**king project comin along?", "it's coming along great!", "that's my boys... see what da f**k did I tell yous? They're getting done! You let us know if you need a f**kin thang k?" Or detectives and cops? They are real bad too. Pull a mug shot up and be like "Hey Frankie! Check this $5 crack hoe out LOL", "Oh that's [so and so]... that b**ch has had every f**king guy on this god d**m block..." You get the point; rude and crude. Stereotypes are usually spot on when it comes to certain things.
Also, I think it also depends on what you have been exposed to as well, which goes back to the second paragraph. If you work in the private sector you're probably used to everyone being hush hush. This may make you feel more on the defensive side of the spectrum. When you work in the public sector (not a non-profit; more along the lines of government) it's different. You can walk down the hall and ask someone how they are doing and they just blurt out "Can't complain... Beautiful f**king day out there!" and that's just how it is. So, of course, that may make you to lean on the other end of the spectrum and not be so defensive about it.
So the whole argument lays in the gray area. Perception, Stereotypes, and Exposure all play major roles in peoples reactions to character dialogs.
I recently worked on a hardware/software based project with some Italians from Florida. It took me a little bit to get used to them because it was exactly as one would expect it to be "hey how is da f**king project comin along?", "it's coming along great!", "that's my boys... see what da f**k did I tell yous? They're getting done! You let us know if you need a f**kin thang k?" Or detectives and cops? They are real bad too. Pull a mug shot up and be like "Hey Frankie! Check this $5 crack hoe out LOL", "Oh that's [so and so]... that b**ch has had every f**king guy on this god d**m block..." You get the point; rude and crude. Stereotypes are usually spot on when it comes to certain things.
Also, I think it also depends on what you have been exposed to as well, which goes back to the second paragraph. If you work in the private sector you're probably used to everyone being hush hush. This may make you feel more on the defensive side of the spectrum. When you work in the public sector (not a non-profit; more along the lines of government) it's different. You can walk down the hall and ask someone how they are doing and they just blurt out "Can't complain... Beautiful f**king day out there!" and that's just how it is. So, of course, that may make you to lean on the other end of the spectrum and not be so defensive about it.
So the whole argument lays in the gray area. Perception, Stereotypes, and Exposure all play major roles in peoples reactions to character dialogs.
I don't see why not. I do feel uncomfortable when I hear swearing in public, but I do enjoy them in games.
Isn't that why we play games?
It's the place where you do the wrong and unthinkable, and don't have to worry about setting a bad example to others (if you are worried about that, that is
)
I don't mind hearing it in game. But it’s always good to hear it when the situation demands it. It makes the game feel more real.
Isn't that why we play games?
It's the place where you do the wrong and unthinkable, and don't have to worry about setting a bad example to others (if you are worried about that, that is
)I don't mind hearing it in game. But it’s always good to hear it when the situation demands it. It makes the game feel more real.
I think it has alot to do with the gravity of the situation and the personality of the character. If you just have a bunch of characters dropping the F bomb randoly it gives the same apporach as someone just soloing shakespear playing diffrent roles but wearing the same costume.
When you have a character defined and he drops the F bomb after something happens, or he just uses Sh** to throw out there after an explosion, you get the feeling that the characters natural reaction was " Oh man that scared me" but if you drop in "That was a big explosion" the impact is not quite there. However once again if you had a girl character and she comes off as this really princessy type of character, a misplaced curse word could completely disconnect you from the character.
I think that curse words have there moments, and in the case of a game like Mafia 2 where the guy says words repeatedly, you get the feel for the character as a anger filled hate machine, so its well delivered. On the other hand, you get someone like mario dropping the F bomb and it loses all crediabilty hes a hero trying to save a princess.
-Mayple
When you have a character defined and he drops the F bomb after something happens, or he just uses Sh** to throw out there after an explosion, you get the feeling that the characters natural reaction was " Oh man that scared me" but if you drop in "That was a big explosion" the impact is not quite there. However once again if you had a girl character and she comes off as this really princessy type of character, a misplaced curse word could completely disconnect you from the character.
I think that curse words have there moments, and in the case of a game like Mafia 2 where the guy says words repeatedly, you get the feel for the character as a anger filled hate machine, so its well delivered. On the other hand, you get someone like mario dropping the F bomb and it loses all crediabilty hes a hero trying to save a princess.
-Mayple
I think swearing is totally acceptable in games and, in order to be as effective as possible, it's important to use these words wisely.
Step number one to this: Don't desensitize your audience to the idea of cursing in your game in the first five minutes. We've all played the game set in a war-torn world with the soldiers that exhale the word "Fuck" as often as they exhale carbon dioxide. It just doesn't accomplish much. It becomes the standard, with nothing else to compare it to, so quickly that you're practically ensuring your audience will hardly feel an emotional response to the character's "passionate" word choice. Much like how a good plot needs pacing, I think it's fair to say that good dialogue also demands this.
Step two: Think about when YOU would cuss or when you'd at least find it incredibly appropriate to do so. For me, I let out a steady nervous stream of, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..." whenever I'm on a brand new roller coaster that goes higher than I've ever been before. It shows that anxiety and suspense building up in a person and their inability to handle it calmly. It serves an actual purpose and actually reveals something about the character. Or think about a time when you've been running away from someone (or something), be it in a paintball game, hide-and-go-seek, or in a situation with legitimate danger: When you found a place to hide so that you could catch your breath, how did you feel? Terrified? Uncertain? Worried? How did you process those emotions? At a point like that, it's not uncommon for me to say something like, "Fuck. Oh, fuck, that was so fucking close."
Step Three: Understand WHY people swear and try your best to not forget it. It's something we do when we have a hard time expressing ourselves in any other way. Swearing for the hell of it is just irritating. We all know someone who does that, right? After a while of hearing these people, it just doesn't mean much. But see one of your friends step back in the room from a long phone call and say, "Damn," and you're going to have a reaction. You're going to have an emotional response. You understand something is wrong. Hear someone exclaim a single swear word, and you can get that they're in pain or surprise. It's all about context and execution. I know it's easier said than done, but if you're having a hard time getting exactly how to pull that off, I'd say just go hang around some folks and watch them. Wait for that one moment where they let some foul word fall out of their mouth and do your best to dissect what led them to that.
Step Four: Going back to step one, I think that it's also important to mention the old fashioned rule, "Everything in moderation." I'd be willing to bet that a single F-bomb after several hours of clean language is going to register much better with an audience than constantly hearing it over and over again. When in doubt, save these passionate phrases for a particular moment. If nothing else, I think it's scarcity will certainly help to make an impact.
Step number one to this: Don't desensitize your audience to the idea of cursing in your game in the first five minutes. We've all played the game set in a war-torn world with the soldiers that exhale the word "Fuck" as often as they exhale carbon dioxide. It just doesn't accomplish much. It becomes the standard, with nothing else to compare it to, so quickly that you're practically ensuring your audience will hardly feel an emotional response to the character's "passionate" word choice. Much like how a good plot needs pacing, I think it's fair to say that good dialogue also demands this.
Step two: Think about when YOU would cuss or when you'd at least find it incredibly appropriate to do so. For me, I let out a steady nervous stream of, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..." whenever I'm on a brand new roller coaster that goes higher than I've ever been before. It shows that anxiety and suspense building up in a person and their inability to handle it calmly. It serves an actual purpose and actually reveals something about the character. Or think about a time when you've been running away from someone (or something), be it in a paintball game, hide-and-go-seek, or in a situation with legitimate danger: When you found a place to hide so that you could catch your breath, how did you feel? Terrified? Uncertain? Worried? How did you process those emotions? At a point like that, it's not uncommon for me to say something like, "Fuck. Oh, fuck, that was so fucking close."
Step Three: Understand WHY people swear and try your best to not forget it. It's something we do when we have a hard time expressing ourselves in any other way. Swearing for the hell of it is just irritating. We all know someone who does that, right? After a while of hearing these people, it just doesn't mean much. But see one of your friends step back in the room from a long phone call and say, "Damn," and you're going to have a reaction. You're going to have an emotional response. You understand something is wrong. Hear someone exclaim a single swear word, and you can get that they're in pain or surprise. It's all about context and execution. I know it's easier said than done, but if you're having a hard time getting exactly how to pull that off, I'd say just go hang around some folks and watch them. Wait for that one moment where they let some foul word fall out of their mouth and do your best to dissect what led them to that.
Step Four: Going back to step one, I think that it's also important to mention the old fashioned rule, "Everything in moderation." I'd be willing to bet that a single F-bomb after several hours of clean language is going to register much better with an audience than constantly hearing it over and over again. When in doubt, save these passionate phrases for a particular moment. If nothing else, I think it's scarcity will certainly help to make an impact.
Some find such words offensive so:
1. All things being equal; steer clear.
2. If it's absence would detract from your game; use judiciously.
1. All things being equal; steer clear.
2. If it's absence would detract from your game; use judiciously.
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