So, here's a perspective for you. I've been gaming in the D&D universe for nearly 40 years, yes it is that old. I was eight when my mother bought me the red D&D box set. I remember coloring in the numbers of the light blue dice with the white crayon they provided in the box. And I remember the suggested age for the original game. 9-13. That's right, "adults", a word I use very loosely, are arguing whether or not a game, who's origins were designed for preteens, should have parental buttons in the menu. Adults are arguing whether or not a children's game should be playable for children. Just let that sink in. And the fact that "adults" are bickering about their right to not play a censored game, that was originally designed for children, speaks volumes.
Now, if Larian Studios, a company supposedly made up with "adults", refuses to acknowledge the origins of the game, that is their prerogative. I, personally, won't agree with that decision, and will probably stop playing the game, but that will be my decision.
I do agree with the comment that if they keep this game rated for 18+, the parents among us need to do our jobs to protect our children. It is interesting the number of parents, and grandparents, on Larian's payroll that think it's ok to make an adult game from what was once a children's game. "Things that make you go, Hmmmm!"
How old are you now? Did you expect that a company that started up a game wouldn't try to evolve/age with it's initial audience, as well as try to acquire a larger one? I was a bit older than the target age when I started, and the campaigns we ran reflected that difference, ie: the games we ran would not have been suitable for the target audience. It's the exact same materials, but completely different results. Were we just angst driven adolescent pervs? Maybe so. But we could build an entertaining, for us, campaign out of the exact same source material. The only limits were the rules, and your imagination, I'd imagine that there were campaigns running at the time that would have made our campaign look every bit as tame as a campaign for the "target audience".
