On use of strong profanity in games

You can't nerf profanity. imho.

I think in certain situations, given specific characters, it's more appropriate to use strong profanity. Anything less would cheapen the scene and the story.

This hit me especially after watching Maze Runner, where the characters like to use Glader Slang such as "shuck" or "slinthead" in place of stronger real life equivalents. To me, hearing them saying shuck over and over annoys the heck outta me. It sounds ridiculous and makes me wanna scream, just say "F***" already! What's the f-ing big deal?

Now, I get it. Dashner's editors probably advised him to do it so he could stay in the YA section. We wouldn't wanna poison the kids now would we?

So what's your view of using strong profanity in games? Are you of the opinion that...
... use them! Art demands realism!
... there MUST be another way to play this out! You don't have to use that word! Script the scene another way!
... replace them with euphemisms. Readers can substitute them in their minds.

Do you as a player get turned off if the game is full of profanity? Would you prefer a clean version that although watered down, still manages to tell the important parts of the story? Perhaps, you would argue (and sometimes you may be right), that profanity isn't needed in a particular instance.

Lastly, would you use them knowing that it might cost you some players? In fact, I do think this forum here forbids posting games with explicit content. So a game filled with F's can't even appear here. Pity.

* notice that this post itself is clean, cause well, you silly kids could be reading this.

Personally I have no issue with it. However if you are concerned you could just make up your own swear word. My game uses snark and goblinbum and bloody elf for example

I personally don't have an issue with it either. If there's profanity? Sure I don't mind.
I find euphemisms amusing in fact, and it could even help with world building if you are telling a fantastical setting or a time not our own.

I have a huge issue with unnecessarily heavy profanity. If it fits, no issues. But if it doesn't, it gets annoying.

I don't mind profanity in a game. But I have encountered strong profanity that was as jarring to read as a poorly translated jrpg because it did not mesh into the style of the game. It's about making it feel and sound natural for your characters - if not, you will make your reader or player stumble over it, because it's in the way of your storytelling.

Joe Abercrombie (author of The Blade Itself and other gritty fantasy books) has written his thoughts on the subject, and I find I agree with him for the most part. Fantasy "swear words" tend to become too complicated and convoluted. You don't necessarily need a "By the Molten Hammer of Gorton!" - sometimes "sh*t" just says it all.

You can read his words and thoughts here: https://www.joeabercrombie.com/2007/09/23/zounds-swearing-in-fantasy-2/

I don't mind mild profanity used sparingly, like damn or something, Anything more than that is unnecessary. It's not really difficult to write something that doesn't involve profanity, even the default angry balloon graphic in MV would do the job to express anger, without the need to put it in words.

In short, I absolutely HATE it! Even if said game happens to be M-rated, foul language in most cases is a total deal-breaker. Even "Mild" swears in games that don't call for it will curb my interest in a game...

If you MUST have an impact, there are better ways of doing so. I can't stand games who insist on using profanity for the sake of being "cool" or "real"..

"In games that don't call for it..." - that makes me curious what kinda games actually calls for profanity? :)

GTA for example is a series where I don't think it would be the same without profanity. The witcher the same, although in some places it's unfunny.

I don't mind foul language in a game, but I don't really pay attention to it either: I can't recall if a game I played used strong profanity or not lol
What I have a problem with is actually trying to make my characters curse, it just doesn't feel natural. So I guess yai to other games profanity, nay for my own stories.

This. I don't think I have much to add, except that, as with most things game development related, IT JUST DEPENDS. There is no one set answer for every game.

The Witcher is actually one of the games that use euphemisms as well as foul language. Everytime someone intends to drop an F-bomb, they've replaced it with the word "ploughing" instead. Ploughing Nilfgaardians, ploughing monsters, ploughing tax-collectors etc.

It works, because it keeps the gritty medieval feel, while at the same time being simple and descriptive enough that everyone understands what it means.

@FrozenNorseman In Czech language we have full profanity in The Witcher. One of the reasons why, simply because Czech profanity is great. The only reason for me to be proud to be a Czech. The other reason is, it's very difficult to replace without actually keeping the punch our profanity contains compared to when it's all clean.

Eh, I don't mind much in the slightest. In fact I think a well placement of a swear can make a sentence way funnier than it would of been without it. I do feel its best used only if it fits the tone, though. Lisa for example, that game's tone is all about going through a broken, fowl world of dipsh!ts and perverts so it makes perfect sense for it to use some naughty words and such.

I prefer censoring to substitution and only when its suitable. Though a character who is casual about it could be funny..

Use f#$k or $?#& not fak or phooey.

It keeps the mood but maintains the rating

I hate it when it's thrown in just be thrown in which usually depends on the maturity level of the writer. Like you can usually tell if a writer is a teen or preteen because the swear words are thrown in, out of context, and usually way too many. It's an odd thing because people might actually talk like that in real life buts it's a huge turn off when written. In a couple of my projects with swearing I have tried to keep it a pg13 level because I don't feel that full F bombs are all that appropriate when milder cursing fits right in.

I think profanity is fine and in fact a good thing to use if it fits the situation and character. Several of my party members are things like pirates, thieves, and other more "rugged" individuals. It doesn't make a lot of sense for them to say things like, "darn" or "shucks." Similarly, if something really bad happens (which is the case several times over during the course of the journey) a "shoot" or "crud" only cheapens the sense of danger or impact of what happened.

Profanity adds a sort of emphasis/punch/whatever that just isn't the same if you sub in a family-friendly variant.

I dunno, depends on the game. A comedy enhance by a pirate saying "shucks, matey" could be amusing.

Eh, I take it for granted. It doesn't matter for me. I don't even get turned off, or make me like it.
But personally, I tried to put some swearing words into my game, I can't. I prefer to make it clean.

I think again it depends. For example I got a couple characters who use my game world's swear words, and a few who just don't. And then some will even object when others swear if they feel it is inappropriate. I felt it added something to the game in the end so hence why I did it.

And if you wish to see an example from my game, I posted a video that's also on my project page in the spoilers. Skip to 2:16 to see it. Remember that Goblinbum is a swear word in this world too.