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View Full Version : "All-ages game," more discussion.



SpunGirl
09-05-2003, 03:45 AM
So I didn't really think about it too much, since I've been there before, but when my character went to Ivas' temple tonight (she visits every so often, it's part of her history), I looked again at all the murals, et cetera, and remembered the discussion we had abouth whether GS was truly an all-ages game. For those of you who haven't been, here's some of the snippets.

[Hall of the Feast]
Moonlight streams through cutwork teak shutters to cast lacy shadows on the polished stone floor. A mural lit by flickering candles stretches the length of the hallway. The muted chime of temple bells is a reminder that despite the nature of the paintings, this place is holy to some.
Obvious exits: east, west

>l mur
The painting depicts a feast, perhaps a celebration of a holy day. The fruit which is heaped with abandon on the table is clearly overripe, some of it to the point of rottenness. Nonetheless, the elegantly clad celebrants are stuffing their own and each other's mouths with it in an obscene display of gluttony. Their greasy-lipped smiles of ecstasy betray no displeasure with the spoiling food.

>[Hall of the Feast]
The too-sweet smell of rot grows stronger to the east and mingles with the scents of cinnamon, cardamom, and clove. Beeswax candles set in bronze sconces cast a fitful illumination on the mural, the flickering light giving the painted figures the illusion of movement.
Obvious exits: east, west

>point mur
You point at a vivid mural.
l mur
>The feast portrayed to the west has devolved into outright debauchery along this span of the painting. The diners drizzle honey from their fingers into one another's gaping mouths and smear the juices of figs and pomegranates on one another's bare arms. Some of the revelers are missing limbs or are disfigured by the ravages of some unknown disease. A beautiful woman, her smile of amusement visible beneath her veils, reclines on a couch placed in the position of honor at the head of the table.

[Sleeping Quarters]
Whoever lives here seems not so much to scorn privacy as to be completely unfamiliar with the concept. Communal satin cushions and fur throws are strewn haphazardly on the floor in lieu of beds. Inspirational tapestries flank the arched rosewood door to the south, while a pair of mirrors on the east and west walls reflect soft moonlight into every part of the chamber, leaving nowhere to hide.
Obvious exits: southeast, southwest

>l fres
Whatever nightmares spawned these images in their creator's diseased fancy must have rendered the artist mad soon after completing the work. Mad or not, the painter has rendered every morsel of the unspeakable feast arrayed upon the jade goddess's lap in meticulous detail. The diners' slick red faces beam in hearty approval, and it seems that even this appalling meal has only whetted other appetites.


[Temple, Bathing Chamber]
Water droplets condensing on the hollow-tiled ceiling above the central bath grow gravid in the steamy air and return to their source with a quiet splash. Silver ewers and vials of scented oil are within easy reach of the communal bath, their tarnished surfaces reflecting the flickering candlelight dimly. A large window on the western wall appears to serve the dual purpose of allowing bathers to admire the night skies and to put themselves on display. You also see a haon door and some marble steps leading into the bath.
Obvious exits: northeast

>l mural
The painting depicts bathers languishing on low stone benches surrounding the main bath, some of them rubbing unguents on the suppurating sores along their legs and flanks. No one shuns the afflicted individuals, though -- if anything, the red-robed bath attendants beam even more worshipfully at them than at those with sound bodies.

>l mural
Painted figures cavort in an opulent bathhouse, their glistening skin and broad smiles the only common factors among the disparate races depicted in the mural. Some of the bathers are marred by withered limbs, boils, and scabs that nest in the folds of their bejeweled fingers. A portion of the painting is left open to the rains and has been weathered beyond recognition, yet somehow even this damage contributes to the painting's theme of beauty and decay.

At the risk of a Neildo - length post I'll cut it off here, but what does everyone else think? I think this is appropriate for the sense of Ivas, but it is appropriate for kids? At what age?

-K

09-05-2003, 04:05 AM
If I had kids? I wouldn't mind them reading it. But it's pretty nasty.

For most people's kids?

Around 14-15 maybe.

HarmNone
09-05-2003, 04:17 AM
I do not believe most children would pick up the masked meanings inherent in the descriptions. Mid- to older teens might, however.

HarmNone

Delyorik
09-05-2003, 03:41 PM
Doesn't matter. Section 3 of game policy says, "USER HEREBY CERTIFIES THAT HE/SHE IS AT LEAST EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS OLD." (http://www.play.net/gs3/simu_policy.asp)

Yes, that means the person whose credit card/checking information is used to obtain the account.

Beyond that, it's that person's responsibility to manage that account.

~Dely, the Watcher

09-05-2003, 03:49 PM
Originally posted by Delyorik
Doesn't matter. Section 3 of game policy says, "USER HEREBY CERTIFIES THAT HE/SHE IS AT LEAST EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS OLD." (http://www.play.net/gs3/simu_policy.asp)

Yes, that means the person whose credit card/checking information is used to obtain the account.

Beyond that, it's that person's responsibility to manage that account.

~Dely, the Watcher

Yes, and on the "Barnyard Sex DOGS DOING HOUSEWIVES XXX" site it says, "Click here only if you're over 18."

That didn't stop my 7 year old Nephew from clicking the link.

Now he thinks that's what dogs are for. It's horrible.

AnticorRifling
09-05-2003, 05:01 PM
Originally posted by Demon Lord Kage

Originally posted by Delyorik
Doesn't matter. Section 3 of game policy says, "USER HEREBY CERTIFIES THAT HE/SHE IS AT LEAST EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS OLD." (http://www.play.net/gs3/simu_policy.asp)

Yes, that means the person whose credit card/checking information is used to obtain the account.

Beyond that, it's that person's responsibility to manage that account.

~Dely, the Watcher

Yes, and on the "Barnyard Sex DOGS DOING HOUSEWIVES XXX" site it says, "Click here only if you're over 18."

That didn't stop my 7 year old Nephew from clicking the link.

Now he thinks that's what dogs are for. It's horrible.

You or one in your family should have stopped it, don't shift the blame. If you want porn sites to raise your kids then let them if you don't want them subject to that guess what you can stop it.

Bobmuhthol
09-05-2003, 05:03 PM
That is what dogs are for.

09-05-2003, 05:04 PM
Originally posted by AnticorRifling

Originally posted by Demon Lord Kage

Originally posted by Delyorik
Doesn't matter. Section 3 of game policy says, "USER HEREBY CERTIFIES THAT HE/SHE IS AT LEAST EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS OLD." (http://www.play.net/gs3/simu_policy.asp)

Yes, that means the person whose credit card/checking information is used to obtain the account.

Beyond that, it's that person's responsibility to manage that account.

~Dely, the Watcher

Yes, and on the "Barnyard Sex DOGS DOING HOUSEWIVES XXX" site it says, "Click here only if you're over 18."

That didn't stop my 7 year old Nephew from clicking the link.

Now he thinks that's what dogs are for. It's horrible.

You or one in your family should have stopped it, don't shift the blame. If you want porn sites to raise your kids then let them if you don't want them subject to that guess what you can stop it.

I'm not shifting the blame.

I'm just saying that "You must be 18" checks don't do a damn thing. They never have, they never will.

Bobmuhthol
09-05-2003, 05:05 PM
Because they aren't checks. They're a button with text. Thus the reason you need to supply a valid credit card number to pass security on age-restricted websites.

09-05-2003, 05:09 PM
Originally posted by Bobmuhthol
Because they aren't checks. They're a button with text. Thus the reason you need to supply a valid credit card number to pass security on age-restricted websites.

>
Perverted 5 year old asks, "Mommy, can I have your credit card?"
>
Bad Parent replies, "Sure hun!"
>

Drew2
09-05-2003, 05:10 PM
Change that to "Retarded Parent". No parent these days is going to fork over a credit card to their (average middle class) kid.. much less a 5 year old.

Bobmuhthol
09-05-2003, 05:11 PM
(Perverted 5 year old tries and tries again but just isn't smart enough to operate a computer, open Internet Explorer, manage to get to a credit card only website, or correctly type in the number, expiration date, or name.)

Drew2
09-05-2003, 05:12 PM
That is also true. My 9 year old brother can look up cheats for his games but that's about as far as it goes.

09-05-2003, 05:18 PM
Originally posted by Tayre
That is also true. My 9 year old brother can look up cheats for his games but that's about as far as it goes.

My 7 year old nephew can open GameFAQs.com, find his game, follow a FAQ, find and correctly imput codes, use a search engine for simple stuff and talk on IMS.

Granted, he's almost 8, but he FAILED THE FIRST GRADE.

Do you know what you have to do to fail the first grade? The only thing that gets left behind in first grade is the paste.

You have to be dumber than paste.

So... a 7 year old who's dumber than paste can do all that online, yet your 9 year old brother can't.

I think he just hasn't practiced enough. Let him sit in front of the computer for a while... he'll get the hang of it.

Bobmuhthol
09-05-2003, 05:30 PM
Can your 7 year old nephew program in QBASIC?

09-05-2003, 05:31 PM
Originally posted by Bobmuhthol
Can your 7 year old nephew program in QBASIC?

I doubt it. But I've never used QBASIC.

Bobmuhthol
09-05-2003, 05:32 PM
He sucks at computers then.

09-05-2003, 05:36 PM
Originally posted by Bobmuhthol
He sucks at computers then.

Yes he does. But even a bumbling moron can find a porn site. They pop up everywhere.

Artha
09-05-2003, 11:12 PM
They're not that bad. It's not something like:

The celebrants heaving, sore covered globes of femininity look to be bouncing wonderfully as young men thrust their heaving rods of love into every available orifice.

SpunGirl
09-06-2003, 04:35 AM
Delyorik, I definitely see your point, but that leaves out something we've discussed here before. That is Simu's letter to parents which states that various things objectionable to parents aren't part of the game. Granted any player can bring them in, but this is a solid piece of the game (an in-game location).

From a strictly RP standpoint I like the Ivasian Temple, I think it was extremely well-done. And I'd prefer if GemStone was peddled ONLY as an adult game (which means the letter to parents would be: don't let them play.)

HarmNone, you're probably right about some kids not understanding the themes present.

-K

Betheny
09-06-2003, 08:14 AM
My basic thoughts are this: Either parents are just supposed to be okay with the content of the game, or they're supposed to watch their kids play and have their hands ready to clamp over their eyes.

No... I don't think that this game is really PG. Especially considering you can't really count on the content to be the same, ever. It changes, EVERY TIME someone logs in, or logs out.

SpunGirl
09-06-2003, 09:51 PM
Originally posted by Artha
They're not that bad. It's not something like:

The celebrants heaving, sore covered globes of femininity look to be bouncing wonderfully as young men thrust their heaving rods of love into every available orifice.

Artha, it's womanly globes. Get it right, dammit!

-K

Trinitis
09-06-2003, 10:04 PM
unless your an amazon follower of Ivas..then its a womanly globe..oh never mind

-Adredrin

Betheny
09-06-2003, 10:05 PM
What about manly globules?

Trinitis
09-06-2003, 10:06 PM
hey, leave my boobs outta this damnit.

-Adredrin

GS4Gurl
09-07-2003, 02:38 AM
You have man boobs?

ElanthianSiren
09-07-2003, 06:50 PM
Like other things GS related, the rules and regulations are set aside as long as a GM is the one to release the material. Combat System, Rooms, That one Tunnel ride at Ebon's Gate everyone had a fit about a few years ago and gasped and said they prayed no children were exposed to it because it involved some sylvan girl being the victim of ritual slaughter -- etc.

Bring your character in once and try something 1/4 as bloody, indecent or whatever. SIMU needs to can the "all ages" label and stop policing their customers over petty things like language. In games that don't have this backwards Disney-esque slaughter policy, language is under control, (proving that people aren't the little demons that SIMU likes to think they are who just go around looking for rules to break) AND! the volunteer staff doesn't whine about being volunteer because (in part) they don't need to police such ridiculousness.

-Melissa

09-07-2003, 07:07 PM
Originally posted by ElanthianSiren
Like other things GS related, the rules and regulations are set aside as long as a GM is the one to release the material. Combat System, Rooms, That one Tunnel ride at Ebon's Gate everyone had a fit about a few years ago and gasped and said they prayed no children were exposed to it because it involved some sylvan girl being the victim of ritual slaughter -- etc.

Bring your character in once and try something 1/4 as bloody, indecent or whatever. SIMU needs to can the "all ages" label and stop policing their customers over petty things like language. In games that don't have this backwards Disney-esque slaughter policy, language is under control, (proving that people aren't the little demons that SIMU likes to think they are who just go around looking for rules to break) AND! the volunteer staff doesn't whine about being volunteer because (in part) they don't need to police such ridiculousness.

-Melissa

If kids were exposed to that, tough.

It's a pay event. It's the parents' fault entirely in that circumstance.

ElanthianSiren
09-08-2003, 03:00 AM
::Grins:: Thanks for Echoing my point Kage.

Actually, the thing I find most offensive about the GS all ages policy is the extent to which it insults the maturity of individuals who play Gemstone. Then you have gms whining about how the players act like children. Well... obviously.

My life has been different than a lot of the posters I'm sure. We all have different growing experiences, but I'm sure most people, even at the age of 10 or 11 have heard cussing; I had a whole vernacular ala moi by this age. Similarly, most have witnessed serious PDA/bordering on a 311 call to the cops. Come on, you turn on TV and you see stuff that would violate Gemstone's TOS. It's just laughable at this point and only serves to insult people's intelligence and maturity levels.

-Melissa