I have been pondering the use of content ratings for gaming sessions recently, a system which I have informally used to define the “adultness” of whatever game I run or participate in. As a Dad, introducing my kids to the game, it is important to me, and serves as a decent means of communicating to new players what to expect.
Most of these definitions apply not only to the game story, but also to the atmosphere of the players, as a means of defining the comfort levels.
At the low end, is a PG or even G rated game – minimal violence if any, no blood or gore, the heroes always win. And no political or ideological belief questions. Basically a Saturday morning cartoon. In particular, I like these sessions mainly for new players, especially young ones. When we started our Rise of the Runelords campaign, half the group was 11 or 12, playing with their parents, and virtually no one had any experience in gaming. This level of maturity allowed them to test the waters safely, without being scared off by debate or morality questions. The bad guys were bad, and the good guys always win.
However, with a little experience in gaming, I always end up evolving to more of a PG-13 rating – violence when necessary (but not too detailed), horror elements when appropriate, and the occasional moral dilema or controversial topic. I steer clear of obviously uncomfortable topics (drugs, alchohol, sex, etc.), but this allows the story to explore many other aspects. The groups also tend to be more mature or experienced, with language if not overly adult, at least mature and free form. To me, this is the equivalent of most prime-time action shows, and my strongest model for RPG stories.
Occasionally, it is nice to release the breaks though, and go for an R-rated game. In these cases, I still avoid uncomfortable topics (don’t need to roleplay some of those), but the characters, stories and topics are otherwise wide open. Drug use, alcholism, slavery, murder, the horrors of war, and truly despicable actions from the villains are all open. Combat tends to be brutal and detailed. Characters tend to be much less black and white, and victory is rarely guaranteed. Related, the players themselves are far less contrained – drinking and foul language is common. This is my equivalent of an HBO series, especially in the first season or two.
Beyond that is of course more mature and everything goes type games – but I have never had any interest in those at all. And on the other end, there is the children’s games, where everything is so watered down as to be little more than storytime. Again, never had any interest. If those are your types of games, great, but I prefer a more moderate approach.
And over time, my preferences have changed. Before kids, I was much more R-rating inclined. Though I don’t drink and practically never cuss (a personal choice more than anything), it never bothered me during a game. But as my son’s grew older and interested in gaming, I also wanted a safer environment for them, and adjusted my game style for closer to the PG-13 level. As they age and get more experience separating the story from real life, we will no doubt continue to ramp up the atmosphere. But for now, they are plenty happy to be the clear heroes, rather than the far less clear adventurers.
What style and level of gaming do you prefer and why? How you determine what is in or out of bounds for your groups acceptable style?
