Site Rating - Does it matter?

[Flahme 44]

I currently have 2-1-1 rating on my site as it is a free Jcink forum. I scoured the place to find what was the actual rating for the free boards with little success so I went with one I found on a reputable site and went with the above.  I have been weighing up whether to upgrade to a premium forum where I can have 3-3-3 rating instead.

 

This rating doesn't affect my characters so far, since I came from a PG13 board where we weren't allowed any graphic sex scenes though strong language and gore were allowed. However, in line with the vision of the forum for creative freedom, allowance of mature content feels a must.

 

My reticence is that we are still a very new board and I am watching what I spend on it until it is more populated. But, I am also concerned people won't join because it currently isn't a premium board.

 

My question is, does it put you off joining a forum that isn't 3-3-3 rating?

[ThriftStoreTeeth 78]

Imma start with a really vague and unhelpful no but also kinda. It really depends on the site's plot/setting for me. A rating alone isn't going to stop me if the site itself seems interesting, but I might be hesitant if the plot or setting seem geared more towards a darker narrative. That said, I've seen plenty of ratings-based discussion and there are people who won't join anything but 3-3-3 boards because they associate lesser ratings with the teenaged ProBoards crowd/general immaturity. Is that a fair assessment? Not by a long shot, but it does sadly happen. 

 

I'd also weigh out the cost of premium vs time spent moderating your site, and which you value more. You can put it down in your rules, but it only takes one bad egg to get you in trouble if you don't keep on top of it. I totally understand where you're coming from on shelling out money when you don't know if its going to take off, and the only person who can really make that decision is you. For me personally, I knew I had the tech know-how (mostly anyway) to find the best of both worlds and self-host here on RPG-I, but that might be a moot point for you. Either way, I'd say assess time vs cost, regardless of what anyone says.

[Rivfader 76]

I've always thought the highest rating that can apply to free jcink boards is 2-2-2 but I don't remember where I got that number, haha. Fade-to-black for sex, moderate violence and moderate language. Seems acceptable to me and I rarely go above such a rating anyway. 

[Kazetatsu 263]

I'm different than some, I won't join a 3-3-3 rp because I expect a lot more nsfw content that I don't want to see. I also expect more plots that involve nsfw content, especially high violence and sex. Since I don't have interest in rping those kinds of plots, I tend to stick to lower ranking rps so I know that I'm less likely to encounter them.

[Elena 546]

No, I hesitate joining a 3-3-3. I prefer 2-2-2, but I'll join a 2-1-1.

[StormWolfe 557]

Unless all of the content on a 333 site is over-the-top NC-17 / X-rated just for heck of it (i.e. no story, just ERP), the site's rating will not stop me from joining.  On my sites, as time and energy permit, I will be revising the ratings all to 323. However, as 2 of my sites are on Vesta, you have to actually opt-in to view content marked mature. Otherwise, those posts and threads are completely hidden from view. Again, personally, when it comes to mature content, I am a fade-to-black writer. However, I find it difficult to totally avoid graphic language and violence in historic settings, so..... 😉

 

[Arceus 1,082]

Tbh... I don't like lower rated sites anymore. I can tell which 333 sites are going to be over the top and I avoid those, but, I also mostly only play on Vesta now, and it has it so that mature content must be opted into, which I think is the best of both worlds.

Anyway, I don't do well with censorship. I can FTB just fine but if you're gonna get on me because I used fuck twice in the same sentence, I can't with that. Sometimes, the right word is fuck, okay? Lol I also like the assurance I'm unlikely to be playing with kids. Again, I don't do well with censorship. A lot of my characters' backstories or plotlines involve some very kid-unfriendly things and I'm not toning it down. So I just avoid sites where I may run into one. I don't want to be the one corrupting the young folk. c:

[Riseoftheg 25]

From an admin point of view, the ratings help guide the player more than anything else and even then the ratings are to be adhered within reason and to the content set by the board and its players.

 

Personally, I don't pay attention to ratings, I go for the story and content. Ratings don't seem to be an issue until someone makes it one. When someone stars nitpicking over the littlest things that stray away from a rating, I tend to check out.

[Flahme 44]

Great insight guys! I think I will need to go 3-3-3 mainly to be in line with the creative freedom vision I have for the site. 

 

Also, I love the opt-in option of Vesta, it really does sound like the best of both worlds.

[Somniac 207]

Regardless of rating, I favor adult-only settings for reasons @Arceustouched on.

[dylzoe 4]

I think its safe to go 3-3-3. Looking at the directory, it is pretty easy to see which ones are themed around "3" related content and which ones are 3-3-3 just because they wanted to leave room for more adult-themed content.  Personally, I wouldn't get too mad if there was 3 content on a site rated lower given there is some sort of warning. I chose to keep my ratings down just because i think it helps give people a better idea of the RP environment they might be coming into

 

But TL;DR doesn't matter at all imo (but most my charas have sailor mouths so give me at least a 2, lol)

Edited May 13, 2020 by dylzoe

[Morrigan 1,826]

222 IS a PG-13 (which is free jcink level) content.

 

Since i am the original designer of the RPG-Rating system I know its flawed. I've been working on the upgraded replacement but its harder than you would think.

 

Consider the RPG rating system more of a replacement of the MPAA system that doesn't make a lot of sense. Like PG-13 in the 80s/90s included fully nude women but no sex (a lot of these movies have been changed to rated R just to be clear). With a roleplay (or writing in general) you can't really base it off of "do they swear a lot, is there sex...." It doesn't fit a writing setting since its not contained within a visually stimulated movie that is between 90 and 120 minutes.

 

As it stands I personally prefer a 322 minimum (I loves me the swearing) but I think that that 323 is more my style. I find sex boorish and repetitive.  It always reminds me of A Clockwork Orange:

 

As it stands I stand behind my age old addage of "build the site that you want and the people you want will come". If it is a site your satisfied and passionate about then people will come to join you no matter rating or whatever else people think they need to change to attract new members.

[graceomalley 26]

This might not be a popular opinion but I actually prefer sites with a lower rating. If I wanted to write about sex and gore, I'd write a fanfiction. In all honesty, I see absolutely no appeal in writing mature content, and I'm 90% less likely to join a site that allows it simply because it's awkward to be the one face out of everyone who refuses to. 

[Flahme 44]

@graceomalley It's a totally valid opinion and I appreciate all views.

 

I  have put my site to premium 3-3-3, more so we have the option. However I was thinking on this last night. Just because it is rated 3-3-3 doesn't mean anyone even has to write to that rating.  My main girl Flahme and her RP husband Janus rarely write more than PG13 and we are unlikely to change that due to the site rating. We agreed to fade to black sex when we started writing, and neither swear all that much nor write anything too gory. 

 

I guess it just means there is no backlash if anyone does write to that rating.

[Lawman 88]

I think it all boils down to whether it's a matter of content or community which is generally the main reason admins give the ratings they give to their sites. Content is pretty much straightforward - not all of us want to write scenes of explicit sex and/or violence, but there are some of us who don't want that opportunity denied to us should the narrative specifically call for it. 

 

Personally though I've never found any need for this, but that might have to do with my preferred genres. But I'm not about to knock or shame anyone for thinking differently. 

 

For community, the reasons for age-gating one's site tend to be more varied, but from a staffing standpoint, it's easy to understand why some admins may find it stressful to run an all-ages community - especially when they feel they need to constantly keep an eye out for all interactions between adult and minor members. Because let's face it, the internet is full of very creepy and scary individuals, aka. People whom you would not want to leave your nephew/niece or kid siblings unattended with. 

 

Then of course, there's also the perceived lack of maturity and writing skills some might hold towards those who are much younger than themselves (how true is that is anyone's guess but it's the individual's perception that counts here) - and even if that isn't the case, there's the feeling that their differences in life experiences means they just don't "click" together as storytellers. 

 

I know, I'm again leaning into stereotypes here but there's the idea that kid/teen RPers generally like more outlandish and escapist plots, while adult RPers prefer to write stuff that's more grounded in reality, but there you have it.

 

Just remember that at the end of the day, this is a hobby where participation is 100% voluntary, so we're not obligated to make any sort of compromises in this regard. I.e. Unlike say, publishing a novel where you have to do what the editor tells you, etc.