The influence of Tencent on game content.

Parmo

Parmo
Just read this artlice on the BBC UK news site:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46071879

"Wide-ranging Chinese state rules on what video games can depict are believed to be behind the need to modify Rainbow Six."
"Ubisoft's announcement comes soon after Tencent, with which it is partnering for the Rainbow Six launch"

There's always a price for dealing anti-democratic countries.
 

Riverside

Riverside
I find it difficult to get worked up about stuff like this. I suppose we all draw our lines in the sand in different places but this seems fair enough. Different countries have different laws & presumably the game needs to be one-size-fits-all for reasons.

Can you think of a way ED could be affected by this kind of stipulation?
 

Siobhan

Siobhan
Riverside said:
I find it difficult to get worked up about stuff like this. I suppose we all draw our lines in the sand in different places but this seems fair enough. Different countries have different laws & presumably the game needs to be one-size-fits-all for reasons.

Can you think of a way ED could be affected by this kind of stipulation?
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Indeed, in the next major updates, all democracies will be replaced by communist states to ensure they don't cause cultural contamination
 

Riverside

Riverside
Siobhan said:
Indeed, in the next major updates, all democracies will be replaced by communist states to ensure they don't cause cultural contamination
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Communist is already a government type in the BGS, I guess the ability to change government type at all could be removed. Slaves or drugs could conceivably be removed from the game. Fundamentally it would still be a game where commodities could be traded & some would be illegal.

I'm sure a few people might miss Onionhead if it were removed.
 

Ian Skippy

Ian Skippy
I love hypocrisy. It is not as if other countries, such as Germany, dont have certain laws about what can be shown in computer games. Or that major AAA titles have been changed to accommodate them. The issue isn't 'anti-democratic governments', the issue is that UbiSoft is lazy as heck and wants a one-size-fits-all solution because it gives them more money for less costs. Which, then again, isn't even an issue because Ubi is a private business that can release whatever product they want within the limits of the laws.

And if you don't like that, you can go ahead and start your own company.
 

verminstar

Banned
verminstar
Wait...the op thinks we that live in an allegedly democratic and free society do so without censorship?

Cute...in before lock ^
 

Siobhan

Siobhan
sleutelbos said:
Ha, no way. I'm going to re-tweet something snappy but play anyway, because activism shouldnt have consequences for me. :)
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I guess it's not like they care, or if the actions of a few hundred people will make any difference...
But if you don't try, then you never know.
 

Iron Golem

Iron Golem
sleutelbos said:
I love hypocrisy. It is not as if other countries, such as Germany, dont have certain laws about what can be shown in computer games. Or that major AAA titles have been changed to accommodate them. The issue isn't 'anti-democratic governments', the issue is that UbiSoft is lazy as heck and wants a one-size-fits-all solution because it gives them more money for less costs. Which, then again, isn't even an issue because Ubi is a private business that can release whatever product they want within the limits of the laws.

And if you don't like that, you can go ahead and start your own company.
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Man that stinks, I don't like Ubisoft and now I have to find a way to start up a company :(
 

Backer42

B
sleutelbos said:
I love hypocrisy. It is not as if other countries, such as Germany, dont have certain laws about what can be shown in computer games. Or that major AAA titles have been changed to accommodate them. The issue isn't 'anti-democratic governments', the issue is that UbiSoft is lazy as heck and wants a one-size-fits-all solution because it gives them more money for less costs. Which, then again, isn't even an issue because Ubi is a private business that can release whatever product they want within the limits of the laws.
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At least Germany doesn't try to prevent adults from accessing certain media like China. Germans can order anything they want from anywhere they want and there is no "Great Firewall" hindering them. The whole issue is about what underage (!) persons have access to. But as you mentioned, publishers are lazy and want to sell video games to children - even those rated as "M" for "mature" or PEGI 18, because that makes it even cooler for this demography. So they comply to all laws making content legal for minors technically and then mark it with the highest age rating possible (because no edgy teenager wants to play a game marked PEGI 3, 7 or 12). Also the super freedom country beyond the Atlantic has their own issues. Some scandal like the Hot Coffee Mod wouldn't blink an eye in most of Europe.

The most funny thing about this is, that there are at least four different age rating systems, publishers print one global disc with all of them on it. As a result, I have a Shadow of the Tomb Raider disc here, which is:

PEGI 18 (red background)
USK 16 (blue background)
MA 15+ (red background)
18+ (black background)

Showing, how subjective and pointless the whole thing is.
 
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Agony_Aunt

Agony_Aunt
Riverside said:
presumably the game needs to be one-size-fits-all for reasons.
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Some games use different skins/textures for the versions they release in China.

For example, Fortnite Save the World has different skins for the Husks (Zombies) because IIRC you can't depict bones or something on living (or undead) creatures.
 

Riverside

Riverside
Agony_Aunt said:
Some games use different skins/textures for the versions they release in China.

For example, Fortnite Save the World has different skins for the Husks (Zombies) because IIRC you can't depict bones or something on living (or undead) creatures.
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Yeah I remember the kerfuffle over carmageddon years ago. My copy has the zombies on it's vanilla install. Fun game, I didn't care whether the 'blood' was red or green, I just liked playing it.
 

Stigbob

Stigbob
Backer42 said:
At least Germany doesn't try to prevent adults from accessing certain media like China. Germans can order anything they want from anywhere they want and there is no "Great Firewall" hindering them. The whole issue is about what underage (!) persons have access to. But as you mentioned, publishers are lazy and want to sell video games to children - even those rated as "M" for "mature" or PEGI 18, because that makes it even cooler for this demography. So they comply to all laws making content legal for minors technically and then mark it with the highest age rating possible (because no edgy teenager wants to play a game marked PEGI 3, 7 or 12). Also the super freedom country beyond the Atlantic has their own issues. Some scandal like the Hot Coffee Mod wouldn't blink an eye in most of Europe.

The most funny thing about this is, that there are at least four different age rating systems, publishers print one global disc with all of them on it. As a result, I have a Shadow of the Tomb Raider disc here, which is:

PEGI 18 (red background)
USK 16 (blue background)
MA 15+ (red background)
18+ (black background)

Showing, how subjective and pointless the whole thing is.
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China have bans on some things they regard as offensive.

In the UK shadow warrior was released with darts instead of shuriken due to a panic about ninja's being a bad influence, children were edited out of games like fallout as there was a panic about them being killed in games and this making everyone into serial killer.

In Germany they have games remove anything that shows the insignia of a certain "nasty" historical group who feature as the bad guys in all sorts of stuff.

China's no worse about games than anyone else is.
 

Mole HD

Mole HD
Backer42 said:
At least Germany doesn't try to prevent adults from accessing certain media like China. Germans can order anything they want from anywhere they want and there is no "Great Firewall" hindering them. The whole issue is about what underage (!) persons have access to. But as you mentioned, publishers are lazy and want to sell video games to children - even those rated as "M" for "mature" or PEGI 18, because that makes it even cooler for this demography. So they comply to all laws making content legal for minors technically and then mark it with the highest age rating possible (because no edgy teenager wants to play a game marked PEGI 3, 7 or 12). Also the super freedom country beyond the Atlantic has their own issues. Some scandal like the Hot Coffee Mod wouldn't blink an eye in most of Europe.

The most funny thing about this is, that there are at least four different age rating systems, publishers print one global disc with all of them on it. As a result, I have a Shadow of the Tomb Raider disc here, which is:

PEGI 18 (red background)
USK 16 (blue background)
MA 15+ (red background)
18+ (black background)

Showing, how subjective and pointless the whole thing is.
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You obviously don't play IL2 BoS or historical military games, do you?

In IL2 BoS for example, we have to mod the game ourselves if we prefer historical markings on the German aircraft since the image and portrayal of the hakenkreuz is forbidden in Germany.
 

Backer42

B
Mole HD said:
You obviously don't play IL2 BoS or historical military games, do you?
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I'm actually not interested at all in "historical military games", my interest usually goes into the opposite direction (timeline-wise). ;)

In IL2 BoS for example, we have to mod the game ourselves if we prefer historical markings on the German aircraft since the image and portrayal of the hakenkreuz is forbidden in Germany.
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It's completely legal in art, such as film. It's just that most video games don't qualify as art, because their focus lies on profane commercial exploitation. Obviously it's illegal to show to children, which doesn't go well with with IL2's T rating. Of course, the developer chose the easy way out, they want to sell a pew pew game, not history lessons.

So if you're really up to creating a proper historical reproduction of WW2 in interactive form with an adults only age rating, you will face no issues even in Germany and Austria. If you're just a gamedev slapping swastikas everywhere in your lootbox shooter, because that sells much better in the US/UK/RU, it won't work.
 
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