Yes, that's a brilliant concept!

[Taboo]

Potential customer describes an extremely violent game that he'd like me to design characters for. Okay, not the type of game I'd play, but fine, there's a market for that.

Customer: "Oh, and make it kid-friendly. We want to be able to market it to as many people as possible so we want it to have a lower age rating."

Me: "But their special attacks involve... punching out someone's spine...?"

Customer: "Yeah, just make the blood really cartoony or something."

I... don't think this is going to fly with whatever game board does ratings...

[Pixilated]

A kid-friendly game with characters who rip out each others' spines ...

Okay, gotta go reboot my brain ...

[sevendaysky]

A kid-friendly game with characters who rip out each others' spines ...

Okay, gotta go reboot my brain ...

The last game that was "kid friendly" that had spine-ripping was Mortal Kombat. Some sources say that BECAUSE of this game, the ESRB was started to prevent similar incidents.

[Taboo]

The last game that was "kid friendly" that had spine-ripping was Mortal Kombat. Some sources say that BECAUSE of this game, the ESRB was started to prevent similar incidents.

It wouldn't surprise me.

And it's not like there aren't parents who will buy their kids things like Grand Theft Auto, so a game having a higher rating doesn't mean people won't get it for their kids - but I am really baffled at how he expects me to sanitize this level of violence.

[Argabarga]

Maybe you could have the screen light up with "BEST FRIENDS 4 EVER!" when the one character rips the others' spine out? Maybe add some party horns going off and confetti raining down, heart-shaped confetti.....

[Taboo]

Maybe you could have the screen light up with "BEST FRIENDS 4 EVER!" when the one character rips the others' spine out? Maybe add some party horns going off and confetti raining down, heart-shaped confetti.....

...this is tempting.

[MoonCat]

Maybe you could have the screen light up with "BEST FRIENDS 4 EVER!" when the one character rips the others' spine out? Maybe add some party horns going off and confetti raining down, heart-shaped confetti.....

Also, sparkly unicorns.

[bainsidhe]

Heh, I was invisioning the spine to be made of little lilac butterflies.

[fireheart]

Ooh ooh ooh! I know what to do!

Make the characters spines out of bacon and once you pull the bacon out, the spine ends up being eaten by a certain puppy-pony wearing a pink sparkly halter

[dalesys]

Ooh ooh ooh! I know what to do!

Make the characters spines out of bacon and once you pull the bacon out, the spine ends up being eaten by a certain puppy-pony wearing a pink sparkly halter

And everyone else in the world will wonder: "Where the hell did that masked meme come from?"

[lordlundar]

Hmm, if it IS Mortal Kombat, then there's always the Friendship finishers that they used in MK3, UMK3 and MK Trilogy. Still has the game feel but no blood.

[Seshat]

"And the primary content will all be in Flash, but you must make sure the site is Accessible to the disabled"

Yes, that was part of the brief for a project I did. Yes, I made sure my protest was written down and signed off on.

[Kristev]

I always loved the "Friendship" finishes instead. It was such a great twist. Besides, one gets a bit sick of senseless violence endlessly. The characters lost so much blood in combat that even the victors should have died anyway without a medic there to provide a transfusion.

But anyway, what he wants you to do is impossible.

[maskedpuppy]

The ESRB would still give it an M-rating. Blood is blood. :/

[fireheart]

And everyone else in the world will wonder: "Where the hell did that masked meme come from?"

Actualy speaking of which....

*pulls out a barrel of apple bacon* Here's some to try out!