First, people who are interested in previous forum discussion on this topic can look here and here.
Nor is anyone else on the forum–but a number of people seem to be subject to a delusion that they aren’t influenced by fiction. After all, they know it’s fiction, so it can’t have any power over what they believe or how they act…
That doesn’t mean we should only write about sunshine and butterflies. Precisely because fiction is powerful, we need to use it to explore the horrors of life as well–we can’t abdicate the job to nonfiction writers. A good work of fiction is great for conveying experiences at the extremes of human experience, generating empathy, and getting us to reflect on normally unspeakable and fearful things.
Buried in my CoG game is the choice to murder a child rather than see a kidnapping go wrong. I did my best to write this not just for shock value, but following up what it meant–showing consequences for your relationships and mental health. Whether I succeeded or not I leave to the judgment of the readers.
Bah, don’t worry about it man, make the child killable and slap an 18 YO rating on it and we’re good to go. Honestly who cares, it’s just fiction.
If it’s realistic and relatable and properly forewarned of its hard content then it’s just art and represents freedom of choice, we’re old enough to suck it up, although im sure my opinion is unpopular, but these obscene things dont have to mean anything, they dont have to have anything to do with real world morals, i leave it all inside the book where i read it.
Personally, I would not say that there are any ‘inappropriate’ choices, not unless you are speaking of the extremes of the extreme (the option to rape a child, for example). But, for the most part, I would say that a good writer is one that can effect their reader through their work; reading of horrowing experiences that scar the reader as much as they supposedly scar the protagonist is the sign of a good writer and a good piece of written work. If you can make the reader feel bad about the bad things they choose to do in the game, even better. A strong emotional response is memorable, it catches the attentions and imaginations of the readers, perhaps even resulting in reflection upon what they have read once they have finished.
There is nothing wrong with any of this, and I personally enjoy such work. Even child murder, if you can write it well, can leave a reader breathless. That is what you want, after all. You do not want, as a writer, to have your work dull and boring, forgetable and routine. You want to affect the reader, write things that are memorable.
Just look at Game of Thrones. It has every possible perversion, every thinkable horror, and it is some of the most popular written works in the world. Everything from child murder, rape and incest, prostitution and fanaticism, starvation and torture. I mean, what happened to Theon Greyjoy. Things you never quite come to ever forget.
I despair for the day we can no longer affect our readers by showing them the horrors they prefer to forget, so fragile are their sensibilities. It would be the death of art, and the end of us all as writers.
I don’t think taking content out of something you already wrote or changing what you write about are… sound choices. If you have someone proof reading for you and drawing red flags at these choices I would personally include some sort of hook into the game that allows the reading at the beginning to be aware of these choices and the option to turn them off, or mark off certain explicit/inappropriate content assuming of course this content is not completely necessary to the story.
Everyone has things that don’t sit well with them for one reason or another.
Honestly your comment makes me the happiest to write then I have been in a long time. That is exactly my outlook on writing and if writing was only something I did for pleasure I would never had questioned this. However, the world market changes often and the standards set by our sensitive societies to protect every possible offense and shelter everyone… Make it difficult to not question yourself when you’re writing for others to read what you write.
I know what you mean. We want our work to be read and appreciated by others, and the constant threat of damnation by people I can only describe as ‘fascistic philistines’ can lead us to self-censor and even mutilate our own creations just to please others. This was something I thought about for quite a time, and I concluded that, even if no one appreciated my work in my lifetime because others damned me for not bending knee to them, I would still be proud of what I created. I would still go to my grave, to discover the truth about the final mystery of life, with my integrity and self-respect intact.
If others care more for money and fame than they do for their craft, then they can lick the boots of tyrants if they wish. Ignore them and follow your own passions as a writer. Do what truly makes you happy and content in life, and write something you would be proud to put your name on, even if others despise you for it. I love to write, it is my greatest passion, and I value by abilities of the craft more than perhaps anyone would. It is a gift from the Gods, if they exist or not, and should be practiced and treasured as such.
But that is me, of course, and I’m speaking more in a wider world context. I hope this helps in some way, and, should you wish to speak more, feel free to message me whenever you wish. And sorry if it came off as a bit of a rant.
Many things we speak of with passionate hearts come off as rants. And in truth, they are. I am not at all ashamed to have a lot to say on certain topics. There are a lot of things that I’m passionate about and in this society where net speak and lack of true conversation are increasingly more prevalent, I am honestly just thankful to still have my passion. I won’t censor myself.
With that being said, I understand that as times change and sensibilities grow… Any author seeking to out his/her name on anything whether it’s for fame or money or even just to share a piece of an ever growing imagination with the world… That author needs to recognize and respect the audience that’ll be buying and reading and reviewing the work to their peers.
So I will find a way to adapt. Thank you for your opinion. I’m often pleasantly surprised to learn that more people share my sentimental on serious matters.
Wouldn’t bother me tbh, I’m more of a realist than most of the armchair moralists we have to allow to control our thoughts these days. However, as Dilbert’s boss once said, it is what it is, so if you feel that you don’t want to leave it as it is, you could just make the urchin an adult midget or just describe it as ‘small’ and let the reader decide what it actually is. Problem solved.
Dude! What game are we talking about, here? Before I can rep!y on the matter properly, I’d really have to play the scene out and see the thing for myself. Is there a demo up?
