I'd like to know who created the little rating icons above each game posted on the main AGS site... Very good concept, thought perhaps a little more detail could go into the pics. Also a nice little syringe/spliff/E tablet could be added to point out drug use in a game...
What do you think people?
There are Rating Recommendation icons on the game page?
Quote from: nihilist on Fri 05/09/2003 17:35:43
What do you think people?
i think it's a pretty stupid idea to be honest
wow, boyd, pretty harsh without an explanation.
I think the rating system we have is a very good idea, and if we dont already have an icon for drugs(including alcohol), then we should.
Remaking them to be bigger and more legible could be an alright idea. I would say, go ahead and make them, and if we like them, we will adopt them.
Quote from: nihilist on Fri 05/09/2003 17:35:43
I'd like to know who created the little rating icons above each game posted on the main AGS site... Very good concept, thought perhaps a little more detail could go into the pics. Also a nice little syringe/spliff/E tablet could be added to point out drug use in a game...
Hehe, yes those icons were drawn by my good self. At the time I did ask if anyone wanted to re-draw them, because as you notice, I'm no artist :)
So yes, I would welcome new versions of the icons if someone was to draw them.
As for drug use, I'm not sure if that needs a seperate category - does anybody have a problem with a game in which the characters are using drugs?
Oh, and Boyd, that was rather harsh, especially without giving a reason to your thinking.
I think the icons were a great idea. They tell someone, who is about to invest time in a game, useful information. This way, people can't complain about abusive language, if there was an icon that blatantly told them this kind of language was in the game. Whether it needs to be updated or not...I'd personally just rather have CJ work on AGS.
However, I still think that a 10 point score to determine whether a game is good is not specific enough to be accurate. It encompasses graphics, gameplay, plot, everything! If you have a seperate point system for everything people can see what hurt the game. And those who don't care so much about bad graphics will play the game. Because when I'm looking at the games page I see a lot of games, that I feel have a higher score because of graphics, than some games that aren't as good. But it might just be me ranting...still I'd stillr ather CJ work on AGS than the games page. Maybe he can give it to someone who's willing to volunteer to keep it up-to-date, and willing to encorporate some of these new icons.
-MillsJROSS
Yeah, drug abuse gets it's own warning when it's in films, so I think it's a good idea to add it here.
I meant to say this when the icons were first added, but forgot: perhaps there should be a key to what the symbols mean somewhere on the page?
well, maybe it was a bit harsh and for that i apologise, but how many games have had drugs in them before FLASHBAX and far more worse stuff, i think that Broken Brain game should have had a flashing lights warning...
i just think that foz may feel as if he's being told off for putting some original stuff in his game, he already asked if people thought it was too violent, i mean something like murder or somebody dying in some horrific way is probably more disturbing that drug usage, and besides, how many people that downloaded the game actually went to the games download page instead of following the link from the post in the completed games forum? a warning about drug usage wouldn't have done any good if that were the case...
and the final point that i would like to point upon you all is that you wouldn't read up about everything that happened in a movie before going to see it, you want to be surprised and in some cases shocked by what you don't know about, if people on the forum are going to post about something in the game they're asked to use the spoiler code...
i didn't intend to offend nihilist with my original reply, if i did offend you nihilist then i'm sorry.
I think it should be included. At the end of movie trailers on tv and the radio now, theyve added the explicit things that cause movies to be the rating they are.
If some young'in here went to the downloads page and wanted to download a game, but he knows his mom is sneaky, and overprotecting and a harsh punisher when it comes to being caught with stuff in it, I would certainly like the heads up.
[Scummy's mommy walks in] What's that mother? Okay, I'll hurry up and stop talking to my 'friends in the box'. Norman Bates style
I'll give a go at making some new icons. Im doing others at the moment as well, so yeah, I'll post here when im done.
okay then, could you also make one to warn of flashing lights for those of us with epilepsy?
i've noticed an interesting side effect to the ratings.
check out games that say they have a high sex content. then, check out their download number. waayyyy higher then some of these games deserve.
I contemplated saying bob's quest had boobies when it didnt, just so more people would download it...but thats kind of horrible.
anyways, I still think these ratings are a good idea however. just commenting
I agree with panda. Lately I've been trying to add a bit of nudity to my art for just that reason. I know its sad, yes...
As for the icons, I think we are fine. I mean, why dont you complain about the game's art being bad (no offence CJ). I mean, why do you care so much about what the website looks like. The only thing it is for is for stating what is in the game. I dont know many people that go to the site just to download these games just to take up space and never play them...
there should also be an icon for stuff that could be offensive. such as racism and "we hate muslims" like content
I think there should be a vegetable icon if your game contains rutabega elements.
Seriously though, I don't see anything wrong with the icons. It's not like they hurt anything, and it allows people who have predisposed notions to certain kind of content to filter their downloads a bit more easily. And in the case of people downloading games just because they have teh b00bs, well, I certainly wouldn't do that (especially in AGS games--I mean, come on), but if people would rather do that, it doesn't really do any harm either.
These icons make me feel like I'm picking a National Trust property out of the member's booklet (yeah, I'm a member! If there's one place you can pretty much guaruntee a Cream Tea is on offer, it's a National Trust café) to go to for a day out.
They have symbols that are very cryptic, and some of them seemingly of very limited usefulness.
The only downside of this is that I can only look at the AGS downloads page at night. Otherwise, I'm too reminded of the National trust booklet, and turn off my computer to scamper off and start planning a day out instead of playing games. It's not so bad in the winter, when most NT places are closed...
So over all: Icons GOOD
(p.s. I apologise to those of you who neither know or care what the National Trust is... PARTICULARLY those outside the UK. Those INSIDE the UK who don't know what the NT is have never lived, and CERTAINLY not got excited about a secret toilet built for King George...)
(p.p.s. I apologise for my even-more-horrendous-than-usual spelling. I'm currently typing on a lap-top, and the keys are horrible!)
Quote from: Pumaman on Fri 05/09/2003 18:46:54
Hehe, yes those icons were drawn by my good self ... because as you notice, I'm no artist :)
what about bluecup!
True, that is a work of art ;)
Oh, and Captain, I have to say I admire your ability to enjoy National Trust properties. It's not a taste that I have yet acquired :P
okay, i was thinking about this just now and got my creative juices flowing and made these...
(http://www.btinternet.com/~boyd1981/sex.gif)
(http://www.btinternet.com/~boyd1981/sex.gif)
(http://www.btinternet.com/~boyd1981/violence.gif)
(http://www.btinternet.com/~boyd1981/violence.gif)
(http://www.btinternet.com/~boyd1981/badwords.gif)
(http://www.btinternet.com/~boyd1981/badwords.gif)
and my personal favourite
(http://www.btinternet.com/~boyd1981/drugs.gif)
(http://www.btinternet.com/~boyd1981/drugs.gif)
that is terrific, boyd!!! I really adore the joint!!
The National Trust is kinda like pantomime. You have to throw yourself into it. The buildings are utterly utterly fascinating, and filled with incredible and bizzar details that most people miss when dragged around them as a child.
Me and my hubbie went to one near the terribly dull city of Derby to descover in the first room there were paintings of Jesus (equipped with beard and age) suckling at a ladies boobie, and a hoofed child dragging a severed cow's head by a ribbon! We tried and tried to find an explanation, but the woman was both too ignorant to explain te back-stories and too slow to make something up for us. She was terribl friendly though.
And also: You're missing the main point...
CREAM TEAS!!!!
CREAM!!!
TEAS!!!
(they're LIKE a coronary, but with a choice of jams...)
haha that's meeeeann boyd !!! If it could somehow be shrunk, I'm voting for it hands down !!
Whoever is admin of site should consider that !!
the smaller ones can be seen atop of the bigger ones, i just made big ones so people could see them, glad you like them :D
Nice icons Boyd, I'll give them a try :)
it would be cool if you made different icons depending on how strong you know... exaMPLE
different ones for nudity and sex:
the nudityicon could be something like breasts (in a bra) or a thygh (can't spell), but the sexicon could be somehting like a car driving into a garage...
or a bloodicon (drop of blood). then you could rate it on a scale. 5 drops of blood being super ultra voilence, 1 drop being casual fights without spill of bodyfluids...
you get the idea
Instead of making more icons to depict how extreme the content is, I would just repeat the same icon. For example if something was extremely violent and had mild nudity show 3 of the violent icons and one of the sex icons.
uuuh, I just said that...
you only read the top of my post
Quote from: 12431 on Wed 10/09/2003 16:47:17
uuuh, I just said that...
you only read the top of my post
I think I read the whole thing. You were talking about making a different icon for sex than for nudity and I suggested just showing the nudity icon more than once for extreme nudity rather than making a new icon. I guess the drops of blood are along the same idea but my basic point was to keep the number of unique icons to a minimum.
Quote from: Pumaman on Fri 05/09/2003 18:46:54
I would welcome new versions of the icons if someone was to draw them.
As for drug use, I'm not sure if that needs a seperate category - does anybody have a problem with a game in which the characters are using drugs?
it'd be a good idea to make an "adult content" rating like in newgrounds recommendation rating... it'd probably include drugs alcohol and other stuff...
sorry for posting twice but seeing a nudity or sex icon 1 2 or 5 times really doesnt tell anything. you can only GUESS what it means...
right now there's text explaining what kind of offensives there are in the game. and that should stay that way
Quoteit'd be a good idea to make an "adult content" rating like in newgrounds recommendation rating... it'd probably include drugs alcohol and other stuff...
Hmm yeah, the problem is it could then get a bit too confusing if there are too many different ratings. And what people consider "adult content" varies from person to person - if a Drug Use one was added, then as you say somebody would want an Alcohol one, a Smoking one, and so forth.
I guess it could allow the game author to type in any extra adult themes, such as drug use, I'm not sure.
Anyway guys, I've put BOYD's icons on the games page now. Cheers for drawing them, boyd :)
You could make a page that defines each icon. The picture with the joint could have a decription of DRUGS/ALCOHOL/CIGARETTES/ect..
See what I'm sayin' maine?
Just make a descriptions page.
I like the idea of putting up to like 5 icons in a row to show how strong. You'd just have to put a disclaimer though, telling the viewers that it is: 1 icon (low) 5 icons (STRONG).
I also agree with CJ that what one person may be vary from the next.
--Snake
Personally, I don't think having multiple icons to show how strong it is would be a good idea. Take the Sex/Nudity category, for example - at the moment it says explicitly what the game contains.
But if you were just faced with 3 icons, what does that mean? And what would 5 mean? It would all be rather confusing and need a seperate page for descriptions of them.
Well, one breast is slight nudity, two breasts are full on nuditiy and three breasts means a game made by Chris Jones.