How offensive is swearing?

[truefaiterman]

This is from the perspective of an atheist who happens to swear a LOT, and whose characters (not all of them) usually use the F word so many times it's almost comical:

A nice swear from time to time can impact a lot, if placed correctly. Your idea seems pretty fine to me as it is: The pacifist character losing his s*** with a swear is powerful enough to surprise both the characters and the reader. And, to be honest, if you don't use obscenities in the whole game, to be offended by a single swear seems pretty absurd to me.

[LeonGuisti]

I've gone to great lengths, actually, to establish that this particular character, a pacifist, Buddhist, and mediator, doesn't ever get angry. He's also played on that point in contrast to another character who's always angry. But I do like your idea of inserting subtle cues that he's getting angrier.

I came across this problem when writing VN's. I'm a traditional writer for the most part and we use the narrator to hint that someone was getting frustrated or beginning to boil over. With VN's all you have at your disposal is the dialogue, really. So you've got to chose your words very, very carefully.

Another idea might be to use ren'pys vpunch or vertical shake to really drive the point home. A'la Phoenix Wright. I've actually made really good use of this: http://www.renpy.org/wiki/renpy/doc/coo ... ake_effect

[d3stiny]

I've gone to great lengths, actually, to establish that this particular character, a pacifist, Buddhist, and mediator, doesn't ever get angry. He's also played on that point in contrast to another character who's always angry. But I do like your idea of inserting subtle cues that he's getting angrier.

Another idea might be to use ren'pys vpunch or vertical shake to really drive the point home. A'la Phoenix Wright. I've actually made really good use of this: http://www.renpy.org/wiki/renpy/doc/coo ... ake_effect

I think physically showing it works as well. For example usually he will just mouth off, but now he is clenching his fist or/and punching the wall/table. There are also those who are also always angry but when they are really pissed off, they will turn all cold with death aura around. So maybe not only you can show that he is getting angry, you can also try a sudden change in his attitude.

[arachni42]

I think physically showing it works as well. For example usually he will just mouth off, but now he is clenching his fist or/and punching the wall/table. There are also those who are also always angry but when they are really pissed off, they will turn all cold with death aura around. So maybe not only you can show that he is getting angry, you can also try a sudden change in his attitude.

I agree with the vertical shake... and the mention of "death aura" reminds me of something... reaction shots.

This is a semi-tangent, but... I remember seeing a commentary from the makers of the movie Fight Club on a scene where one guy gets particularly beat up. Their original cut had focused on his face being wrecked... but I believe they were concerned with the level of gore. So they did a different cut which had much shorter glimpses of the face, and focused on the reactions of the surrounding men. The commentary I watched showed both scenes side-by-side, and it made a big impression on me because the one focusing on the reactions was significantly more powerful... and that is the one they used in the movie.

Back to the actual topic... My vote is "yes" on the swearing, but if you can show the stunned reactions of the other people, it's another tool you can use to drive the point home.

[o v e n]

Ah! *raises hand* I know why the f-bomb has greater impact in the phrase than any other word! It's the rhyme of the short U in all three - shut and up and *uck! So, if you want to keep the impact of the character snapping telling every to shut up, just shuffle the words around or rephrase it to make a newer, better quip. (SLAM THEM GAPING PIE-HOLES TO AN EVER-LASTING CLOSE ALREADY, where the long 'o' in holes and close makes 'ever-lasting' the substitute for m*****f******. Fun with syllables!)

[sake-bento]

This is probably going to sound weird, and if people aren't used to it, it might not work well in the context of the story, but most people I know who actively choose not to swear, literally say "bleep" (or some other self-chosen censor) when they want to imply a swear. As in, "Would you shut the bleep up?" I'm not sure how helpful it is, since people who aren't familiar with situations like that might think it's too tame. But for context, one person I know found someone cheating on his friend, got so angry he actually started beating the guy up, and all the time still screamed self-censored obscenities (which he didn't even realize he was doing). If someone doesn't swear on a regular basis, swear words aren't naturally integrated into their speech, so it wouldn't be the first thing to come up, especially in an emotionally-motivated moment.

That being said, if you think using swearing is the most appropriate course of action to display his anger, then go for it.

[dramspringfeald]

And lastly, Do not be afraid to offend someone. Just by making a game you have offended plenty of people. Making a dating sim adds to that number Making it Not Muslim, Christian or what ever has offended 1/3 the human population MORE if it's a porno! So, if you feel you want to add some spice to your game have at it. You've already pissed someone off today.

[Clayton Barnett]

And lastly, Do not be afraid to offend someone.

Exactly. Blasphemy offends God, but swearing or other scatological terms are just against society; not that I approve of that either, but having effed up with a circular saw in my garage, producing a wood chip through my forearm, sometimes, we've little choice as to the words we use.

My little effort of a VN has had an extremely odd bound: nihil obstat. I'm not actually submitting it for review, mind, but I wrote every last of those 90,000 words as if I were. That has made things very difficult for me, even after we decided for an ESRB T rating.

My characters curse and swear and engage in some activities that force the camera to pan up rather fast, but did I for a moment worry about: "what will the [insert cultural or religious group here] think and do to me?"

No, I did not. I, like the rest of you, am a writer. I will not live in fear; I am not subject to intimidation, from anyone. PyTom has given us an awesome weapon of culture... I've no plans on disappointing him.