Forums » RP Discussion » Violence - Where is the line?

I've read through the rating clarification page a couple times now, and while it seems easy enough to determine roughly where the line on language and sexuality are, I keep trying to figure out where the line on violence might be.

Part of the issue may simply be that I live in the US, where graphic violence in entertainment is pretty typical. I also believe things should be kept pretty realistic in serious RPs, and believe that details help that realism. But, I'm aware that different people put the line in different places, and I suspect that I may be a lot more loose than most about such things. Examples: I have a semi-cannibal character, and I have put child characters through graphically bloody, painful, traumatizing situations, and I'm guessing these are the sorts of things that tend to make people uncomfortable.

So, approximately where do folks here put the line?

I think what makes the classification difficult is how the person describes it more than what is actually happening. From what I've seen of films with violence in for example, they get a higher rating if it's more detailed/gory/bloody. Whereas films that imply it or don't make it so detailed, or just off-screen, are lower rated.

At what point is the description too much, though?

Punching someone a bloody nose or coughing up blood after getting beaten up is generally still okay. When we're talking graphic descriptions of ripping out organs or dismemberment of limbs, then it's often not okay.

It's really hard to go about this black and white though, so the moderators review case by case and try to make the best calls.

My best advice? If you're in doubt whether it's still okay or not, your best bet is to take it to a properly labeled group or private messages. You can't go wrong in either place. Just remember that we have children as young as 13 using the public forums, so if your RP sounds too graphic in your ears for children that young, it probably is.

You can also always ask a moderator to review your RP for you and let you know if it's still okay or not!

It's nearly impossible to give you a specific line, because every situation is different, and how the violence is described play a large factor. Who is involved can also change how it's read -- the younger the person injured, the more likely it is to freak people out.

One can post that they shot something, and one can post about the resultant searing pain and the sprays of blood, and still be describing the same action and get very different responses from people.

Like Sanne said, if you're unsure, there are plenty of places to play here where you don't even need to worry about sticking to the ratings.