I've got art block.

I have a million half finished pictures that aren't going the way they're supposed to.

I'll get over it, but until then, I'm just letting you know I'm not dead.


*edit*

I thought I'd just add onto this journal because it was kind of pointless. Anyway, I just want to get an opinion from some people.


I play this game, ok? It's going through a lot of changes. Well, a lot of the community that plays this game have been suggesting ideas for the game, because they're not pleased with the direction it's headed in.

One popular suggestion is to make the game itself more complicated. They don't want to mash buttons anymore, they want to use more skill when fighting bosses, and they want enemies and bosses to be more difficult to figure out and conquer. I totally agree.

Another is that they update the graphics. I'm not a graphics person, but I agree with this one too. Some of the newer content looks amazing, while the older stuff looks like it's from a completely different game. It's one of those changes that shouldn't be hard to do, and there's no reason NOT to do it.

BUT

The third suggestion that I constantly hear and read is STUPID. I don't get it.

"Make the game more mature. Make it rated M."

DUHELL?

How does that improve the game in any way?

I'm not the type to want censorship of all "mature" things, like some people. Trust me. Restricted content has it's place in the world, and most people, as adults, have the right to watch and play whatever the heck they want.

At the same time, I am one of those people who prefers middle ground. And that's what the game is at the moment. It's currently rated T. I don't want the game to be cutesy and non-violent. But I also don't want it to be full of gratuitous nudity and people spewing out the f-bomb for no reason. That adds nothing to the game experience for me.

I suppose one theory is that making the game "M" rated would weed out some of the younger, immature, inexperienced players.

That's complete bull though! Kids will play "M" rated games anyway, because their parents don't care. And I know this is just an assumption, but I'd love to see if it were true....I'm sure that a lot of people suggesting that the game's rating be changed are probably in their teens.

For some reason, people around this age group think like this. Mature content = not kiddy = can be taken more seriously = makes me cool.

Now, there's different kinds of mature content. Murder, for instance, is what I'd consider mature content. Evil. Death. Tragedy. That's all stuff that can be presented in a manner that goes from mild to pretty heavy. It's not for the tiny youngins. (My opinion on what's appropriate for children is another conversation, but let me say that I actually think that younger kids can certainly handle mild mature content....and that it's actually good for them.)

Then there is the hardcore mature stuff. Gratuitous nudity/sex, massive amounts of gore, and really foul language. The difference between this kind of mature content and the other kind, is that it's usually completely unnecessary. Some people enjoy it. That's fine. It doesn't make it good.

The key word there is "USUALLY". Not always.

When used correctly, it can occasionally be effective. However, extreme mature content is usually only there for shock value, especially when used in fiction, which in my own opinion, isn't worth much.

Since what we're really talking about here is a T rated game, I'd like to know how adding sex and swearing will make it a better game? How will giving the characters filthy mouths and no pants make me care about them more? How will that help me not mash buttons or make boss fights more challenging?

I don't think it would. I think what we've got here are a bunch of horny kids who don't understand the difference between the emotion you get from shock value, and the emotion you get from good storytelling and character development. They mix them up. They're so desperate to be mature, that they don't see that they're actually being immature.

If you wanna see boobies, go watch porn or play an M rated game. Leave my game alone. Besides, it's not like the company is suddenly going to go, "Duuuuuuuh.....duh fans want boobz. I guess we gotta do dat. Even 'do da gamez been rated T and wuz designed for everybody to enjoy for da past 7 yearz." If it were there to begin with, the mood would be set. I probably wouldn't have even played it. Now that we've established the tone of the game, how will ADDING this sort of thing make it better? You've been playing it for seven years and have managed to enjoy it without that crap...

I guess I'm really just ashamed that people are even making the suggestion, no matter how much in vain.

Really people? Make the game "M" rated? That is an improvement to you!? Am I missing something? Am I crazy for not seeing how this makes everything better?

If you don't agree, please tell me how you think that making a T rated game into an M rated one, is an improvement. And yes, sex and swearing is the kind of content these people want to add. The game already has blood and violence. (be civil please)