Poll: Would you turn off the blood if you could?

[gigitrix]

Options should be there, and developers are to be commended on it, but to be honest I'll leave it on thank you. That said, kudos to those who build these features in and lets not make fun of those who don't want to see blood: it's their choice, after all!

 

[HeartAttackBob]

The movie "This film is not yet rated" brings up this sort of realistic vs unrealistic portrayal of violence, and there was an interesting point that someone made:

He argued that movies (and by extension games) should be rated more mature if they do Not portray the blood/gore that comes from violently killing someone, because it takes a more mature mind to understand that the lack of blood is unrealistic.

For example: When you shoot a man in the head with a shotgun, he doesn't just fall down as if he were a puppet that suddenly had his strings cut. Children who are not intellectually mature enough to understand the unrealistic portrayal may mistakenly think that if they <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92311-Boy-Kills-Brother-After-Videogame-Argument target=self>grab daddy's shotgun and fire it at their brother he will just fall down like in the game. This sort of misconception can, arguably, be far more dangerous than showing realistically bloody outcomes of violence.

And this discussion would not be complete without a link to <a href=http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/8/11/ target=self>Conflict Resolution

 

[Mr. Socky]

Do you realize that Gears 2 has the option to turn off blood? I don't know why you would ever want to touch it, but the option is there.

You can also turn off the explicit language.

Yeah I know. That's why I put it in the opening paragraph.
Actually, it's interesting that the Gears of War games have it, when they are some of the most violent games around so the designers obviously have few issues with blood and guts.

 

[tiredinnuendo]

I wouldn't mind an option to turn the blood down to reasonable levels. I remember when Mortal Kombat first came out, and you'd lose about a gallon of blood every time someone punched you, it didn't make the game cool for me (note: I was the rare exception back then, everyone else was willing to overlook abysmal gameplay in exchange for red pixels). Same rules apply today.

Don't get me wrong, I love chainsawing me some Locust, and I rarely if ever turn on content filters, but if the blood is excessive to the point of stupid, yeah, I'll usually shut it off. Eventually you hit an age where it just isn't that cool anymore.

- J

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

I wouldn't turn it off if the blood suits the game's aesthetic, but I have no problem with that option existing.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

I'm pretty tired of unrealistically gory games. I'm fine with blood, violece, dismemberment, the whole lot, just in moderation and not thrown in my face. It just seems kinda stupid and sophmoric to be throwing extraneous amounts of gore around when it's unnecessary, like a child blowing his nose on people to try and act like a "big boy". Too many younger gamers associate blood, guts and gore with maturity, but blood and gore for blood and gore's sake is just childish.

I don't think the fountains of blood are intended to be realistic. Take the movie Kill Bill. Fountains of blood. It's not about being mature or immature, it's stylistic. Or it can be.

If the way they portray blood and gore suits the aesthetic of the game then there really isn't a case against it. Games with a grim, gritty aesthetic are going to be gorey because stylistically it belongs there. If you don't like it, play a game that's a bit more upbeat.

 

[Pscyon]

I like Fallout 2's way of doing it; there's 5 settings, ranging from "None" to "Maximum Blood". I think all M rated (is that the highest one? Not sure about the American ratings...) games should have similar options, where you have "little" gore settings for more "realistic" deaths, and "loads" for people who enjoy decapitations and arms blowing off.

Now, as for "little Timmy" playing GoW, I can't say. I wasn't old enough to play GTA or Soldier of Fortune when those came out, yet I managed to turn out halfway decent. I think... no killing sprees yet. I'd say kids can start handling stuff at 12+, no reason to be all hysterically over-protective till they hit 18.

 

[Eric_Autopsy]

Normal gore-meter
--|-----

My gore-meter
-------|

 

[Hitman 43]

Depends on the amount of blood involved. If it's a ridiculous amount then yes. But most games these days do not.

 

[BolognaBaloney]

I like the idea of scalable violence a lot, it puts more power in the hand's of the gamer.

 

[SecretTacoNinja]

I'm indifferent. I like the alien blood in Halo because you get those splatters of neon green and blue all over the walls

[small]Pretty..[/small]

and it can be satisfying to see the blood of the people who have been beating/shooting the crap out of you flowing like a river on the floors...

Sorry... got a little sidetracked there haha...

[small]Need blood...[/small]

Um... no, I wouldn't turn off the blood.

*Twitch*

 

[Skreeee]

I don't mind blood, in fact I love it. But I did enjoy the short time a few shooters on the N64 had the option to change the blood so that it'd be a bunch of rainbow patterns splattered on the wall.

I can't remember which game(s) made that an option though. Goldeneye? Perfect Dark? Ah well.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

I like how in Gears of War you can turn off blood and language. I really don't have a problem with either, so personally I wouldn't, but if all games had the option I think that would help with sales majorly. I know kids who aren't allowed to buy M games and I think that if you could turn off all the blood and language then they could use that as an excuse to buy it. It would help sales majorly. Personally I wouldn't turn it off because it doesn't bother me. It's like watching an R rated movie on TV where they have to cut out a whole bunch of stuff. You're not viewing the material in the way that it was meant to be viewed and it gives you less of an authentic experience. I'm against censorship 100% but I think that you should have the option to turn it off for the childrens' sakes.

 

[Jamous]

Sorry. Haemomaniac here. ^^. Or Haemophili... No.
Oh, just thought, it's a bad idea unless you can turn it up to UNREAL. And Yes, I am incredibly childish.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Hell, no, I wouldn't turn it off -- but you should absolutely have the option to do so. People who don't enjoy blood spatter in their games aren't wusses, they just have different taste than I do, and should be able to enjoy the game, too. (Granted, they perhaps should rethink playing survival horror games and the like, but that's a different argument.) I loved the option in Serious Sam to change the blood various different hues, including paisley and (I think) flowered.

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

I'd never use it, but I can understand why some might want it,

 

[Abedeus]

Prototype without blood is not prototype.

 

[Doth]

Eh, won't horrible acts of violence still be committed in the respective game? What would the removal of the red water possibly achieve?

The option to change the amount, colour and or patterns is always nice though.

 

[Uncompetative]

Don't forget about the Grunt Birthday Party skull in Halo (headshot 'em with it turned on and they explode into confetti, and you?ll hear children cheer, ?Yay!? in excitement.


Here's how to get the skull, which then has to be enabled in OPTIONS.