The Sony censorship policy and what caused it (1 Viewer)

[Bryan^H]

https://www.techradar.com/news/sony-to-crack-down-on-sexually-explicit-playstation-games
According to Cnet, a Sony representative told the Wall Street Journal that "its decision was based on the rise of the #MeToo movement", which has seen powerful individuals across the tech, entertainment, and music industries ousted from their positions amid accusations of sexual assault and harassment.

Not really a surprise.

And:
A spokesperson for Sony told the WSJ that its guidelines were in place "so that creators can offer well-balanced content on the platform", as well as to help ensure that playing video games "does not inhibit the sound growth and development" of young people.

Uhh Sony, you do know that the ESRB is still in place right? Young people shouldn't be playing "M" rated games.
Fictitious girls in bikinis get censored, but it is OK to murder thousands of fictitious characters male, and female in FPS games, or gorily mutilate females in fatality style kills of Mortal Kombat 11.

Not that any of that matters as video games are as real as fairy dust. I'm just pointing out the outrageous hypocrisy of this truly stupid, and unfair censorship policy that Sony has created.​

 

[Jeff Cooper]

You know it's ridiculous when Nintendo, who has always had the most family friendly guidelines is allowing content that Sony is now blocking.

 

[Bryan^H]

You know it's ridiculous when Nintendo, who has always had the most family friendly guidelines is allowing content that Sony is now blocking.

Yeah it is pretty crazy. Censorship is bad enough, but it is the double standard of the policy that really has me fuming. Who are they to arbitrarily decide what is harmful, and what is not? The PS4 being the most popular video game console what game developer would dare take a stand against them, and simply exclude their game from the Sony platform?

If you said none of them, you would be correct. Sony wins.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

What's the line between "censorship" and "requirements to get a game on our platform?"

You're not allowed to run an NC-17 movie in nearly all movie theaters in America. Is that policy "censorship?"

You can't have full-frontal nudity or explicit cursing during primetime TV hours on broadcast networks due to FCC regulations. Most cable networks have similar limits, even though they're not governed by FCC rules. Is that "censorship?"

The self-regulation of any industry is usually the one biggest factor in ensuring that there is never any government regulation. Government regulation is ACTUAL censorship. It's literally the reason the ESRB and MPAA and RIAA all exist. If Sony wants to go one step further than the ESRB in regulating the content that it allows other companies to publish on it's privately-held platform...why is this bad?

EDIT: Bryan - you referred to Sony's policy as a "double standard." I don't think that's what the term means. A double standard in this case would be if Sony published games on their own platform that were full of explicit sexual content, but then limited 3rd parties on what they could publish. Since the new policy went into effect, that has not been the case. So what did you mean?

 

[Edwin-S]

The content on SONY's platform has been aimed at an older gaming demographic for years now. For them to claim they are doing it to protect kids is just hypocrisy at another level. And using a sexual harassment movement to regulate supposedly sexual content in video games is ridiculous.

 

[CraigF]

^ Yeah, and Sony pretending they don't want people under 12 using PSVR. Just look at the games' packaging, even some of the PSVR's packaging...totally to attract kids. Plus lots of obviously kid-friendly PSVR games. Anyway, it's the typical Sony "paranoia" that seems to affect all their console decisions. Forever.

 

[Bryan^H]

The content on SONY's platform has been aimed at an older gaming demographic for years now. For them to claim they are doing it to protect kids is just hypocrisy at another level. And using a sexual harassment movement to regulate supposedly sexual content in video games is ridiculous.

It is comical in how absurdly dumb the whole thing is. Like something a South Park episode would have an episode based on...which might happen now that I think about it.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The reason PSVR is made for kids over 12 is because the headset doesn't fit kids. That said...having family-friendly characters or content doesn't mean adults don't/won't play it. I know a ton of 30 year olds who play Pokemon and the rave reviews for Moss (PSVR) were not written by children. So to mischaracterize the content in this discussion is kind of pointless and odd.

I think using the MeToo movement as a reason to control the content on their platform is a relatively wise business decision. Let's be honest, how much money is Sony losing by doing this? They're the market leader and they need to protect that status. It's why the are dragging their feet on cross-play and it's why they're protecting their brand with these new content rules.

I asked this before and I don't know if I've gotten an answer to the big concept: what's the difference between "censorship" and "setting rules for content on a private platform?" If Disney buys out the company that made Heavy Metal and then refuses to ever put it on Disney+ because of the content, is that censorship? If I go to a national newspaper with an explicit photograph that I want to run on the front page and they refuse to let me do that, is that censorship? If I want to make an explicit videogame and the ESRB rates it AO, meaning only adults can buy it and no current platform (including Steam) will carry it, is that censorship?

These are just rhetorical extreme examples to illustrate my point and ask the question.

We also need to consider what this policy has actually done. A handful of anime dating games had their explicit anime girl rape scenes modified and the Dead or Alive games have a couple items removed. From what I can see...that's about it. I'm not too upset.

 

[Bryan^H]

Unbelievable.


Sony's policy would like people to stay away from the beach in summer.
There might be a female in a bikini, and that will "inhibit the growth"
of a young male.

LOL!

 

[Bryan^H]

https://www.dualshockers.com/devil-may-cry-5-ps4-censorship-united-states/

Well Sony realized the stupidity of their ways and reversed their censored content in the U.S, but not so fast. Other European countries still have that content on lockdown so not forgiven Sony. Your double standard strikes again.

Spoiler

 

[CraigF]

The reason PSVR is made for kids over 12 is because the headset doesn't fit kids. That said...having family-friendly characters or content doesn't mean adults don't/won't play it. I know a ton of 30 year olds who play Pokemon and the rave reviews for Moss (PSVR) were not written by children. So to mischaracterize the content in this discussion is kind of pointless and odd.

Nobody is "mischaracterizing" anything. Unless it's Sony paranoia. That was just an example of what could be a double standard. Of course adults play games that look like they're for kids. Movies too. I was talking about the marketing/packaging and reality not matching the public stance. I think "stance" is very important for Sony. What most perplexed me about this is Sony seems to have been loosening up in many areas in recent years, least it seems like that to me. I have never thought once in my life about censorship in video games. The things somebody said just sparked a thought, sorry you don't like it...

 

[Bryan^H]

The reason PSVR is made for kids over 12 is because the headset doesn't fit kids.

Yeah...no.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

It was kinda strange that when the Sony HD channel broadcasts Spielberg's 1941 they do not show the English subtitles when the Japanese were talking in their language. Maybe it's nothing and I can see that on my Blu-ray but somebody watching the broadcast would want to know what the Japanese were saying.

 

[Bryan^H]

Also themes on PS4 are getting censored static, and dynamic.
https://www.oneangrygamer.net/2019/...iyaki-ps4-japanese-theme-gets-censored/74993/

As someone points out, "this has to stop because it is creepy AF!"

 

[Morgan Jolley]

So...they covered up some cleavage. Is...is that it? Is the sum total of Sony's draconian censorship policy...less boobs?

EDIT: My question above about censorship examples was ignored, so let me pose another one:

If Walmart refuses to sell pornography in their stores, even if they're checking IDs for customers, is that censorship?

If Walmart agrees to sell pornography but has strict standards about what is in it, is that censorship?

Because that's what Sony's doing. They're not selling porn, mind you, but they're being selective about what content they allow on their PRIVATELY-OWNED AND OPERATED platform.

 

[Bryan^H]

So...they covered up some cleavage. Is...is that it? Is the sum total of Sony's draconian censorship policy...less boobs?

I know. Crazy right? How absurd.

And I have said from the start it is less about the content (which I still feel strongly about-- it should be untouched) and more about the hypocrisy. They cherry pick minor sexuality themes or partial nudity or just simply girls in bikinis, and cover it up (See the SNK 40th Anniversary cover art posted above). Yet deeply disturbing, and graphic murder violence gets a free pass. When you can have a male character rip out a female characters eyeballs, and stuff them in her nostrils for a fatality kill, but on the flip side a female getting lotion rubbed on her from a male character is banned.....that is a problem.

Censorship is censorship.
Hypothetical argument:
Let us say for example the last Metal Gear game the character "Quiet" was censored 'covered up' on the PS4, XB1 she was left to her original look...what the character was intended to look like. Would you feel cheated, not so much the look of the character but because it would be a compromised rendition of the artists original look for her?

If you say it wouldn't bother you, that is great, but for me personally it would be a deal breaker on the which system I get the game for.
I do not need Sony "micro-managing" content from beyond the ESRB

 

[Morgan Jolley]

With the example of Quiet, I actually think the excuse for her being half-naked, combined with the awkward rain shower scene, was kind of inappropriate and pointless. The whole thing actually took away from the overall experience of the game and I wish Kojima hadn't fallen into the trap of "what would a 15 year old boy want" idea dictating his content.

Again, you're ignoring the main basic point that goes to the heart of this issue: this is Sony's privately-owned/run platform. They're not trying to use the legal system to keep these games from being released anywhere on any other system, they're not forcing developers to pull content from every version of their games, and they're not a monopoly on the entire industry.

Please refer to my example about Walmart and pornography, then explain how this is practically different.

EDIT: And as for the Mortal Kombat violence point, please stop framing it as "a man hurting a woman." The game has man-man, man-woman, woman-man, monster-human, demon-God violence. The gender of the person being hurt or doing the hurting isn't the issue. It's the representation of women as sexual objects. If you want to argue that you dislike extreme violence in our culture and would be more accepting of extreme sexuality, then that is a completely unrelated discussion that we could absolutely have. But to suggest the violence in Mortal Kombat is a "men beating women to a bloody pulp" thing as a double-standard...is kind of absurd.

 

[Bryan^H]

Again, you're ignoring the main basic point that goes to the heart of this issue: this is Sony's privately-owned/run platform.

I'm not ignoring anything. I have made it abundantly clear how I feel about it. Does Sony have the right to do what they are doing? YES! Is it wrong? YES!

I'm boiling mad about it, and unless they reverse the stupidity of this decision I will game only on the Microsoft, and Nintendo platforms. I will no longer support anything Sony has to offer.

And you never addressed the hypocrisy of this dumb policy did you Morgan?

 

[Edwin-S]

So what is next? Is SONY going to demand that services that run on their platform, such as Crunchyroll, ensure that the content they run does not have bikini-clad girls or supposedly "inappropriate content". I mean, seriously, have u seen how much Japanese anime has content that our prudish society would now call sexist and demeaning to women?

 

[Bryan^H]

Yes the entire 'ME TOO" movement drifting to society norms and spilling over into Sony's gaming platform is like a crazed nightmare. Pitchforks, and torches types BS. Regressive to the point of IQ lowering. Pretty soon it will be the 1950's all over again. Book burning will be next you watch.