/vape emote

[Jandor]

/smoke, sure.

/vape, no.

[Raikai]

I've actually just suggested /vape because it seemed like a less harmful way of saying /smoke, but in reality it - is - /smoke. It was just nomenclature.

Maybe /pipe sounds better?

[Jandor]

I've actually just suggested /vape because it seemed like a less harmful way of saying /smoke, but in reality it - is - /smoke. It was just nomenclature.

Maybe /pipe sounds better?

/pipe is that rare compromise that is actually better than either option

[Transient_Shadow]

I've actually just suggested /vape because it seemed like a less harmful way of saying /smoke, but in reality it - is - /smoke. It was just nomenclature.

Maybe /pipe sounds better?

Vaping is incredibly damaging to your health. The chemicals used in it cause popcorn lung, which currently has no cure.

[Gralna]

Vaping is incredibly damaging to your health. The chemicals used in it cause popcorn lung, which currently has no cure.

Popcorn lung from vaping is a smear campaign by tobacco companies to get vapers back to smoking. The ONLY people that have ever contracted popcorn lung are people that worked in the factories where diacetyl became airborn and was inhaled in extremely highly concentrations.

While research is still ongoing as to the long term health issues vaping may cause, there has been some research into this showing that the chances of vapers contracting popcorn lung is basically null. The main case for this being that cigarettes contain even higher concentrations of diacetyl than e-liquid does and in the over 100 years of research into the health risks of smoking cigarettes there has never been a case of someone smoking them and contracting popcorn lung. Further, many e-liquid manufacturers are starting to shy away from using diacetyl due to the bad publicity aimed at it, further invalidating the argument that vaping in itself causes popcorn lung.

Please do your own research before spouting out media claims.

Sources

[Mwynn]

Vaping is incredibly damaging to your health. The chemicals used in it cause popcorn lung, which currently has no cure.

Quite funny, I tend to Vape too much even with 12mg of Nicotine that is in Shake 'n Vape Liquids.
My Health has gotten better and yes, I do have Asthma and smoked a Pack of Cigarettes before.

Trust me, there is a difference between not being able to sleep because you can't breathe anymore or being able to take a deep breath without Problems.

Just false Propaganda spread by the Tobacco Companies, that's mainly due of the Fact that Vaping becomes a lot cheaper if you get into "DIY" and by cheaper I mean a lot cheaper.

Please, if you are so aware of the chemicals in Liquids, just write them down here. Usually ends up funny once you realize those Chemicals are also used in your Daily Life =)

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I'd be for an Allagan E-Cigarette in Tube Style, if not a simple Stacked Tube when it comes to the size of that thing.

[TaranTatsuuchi]

Some of the argumentation in this thread is absolutely, mind numbingly silly.

The game is already rated for Alchol and Tobacco and the PC's usage; or lack thereof, is not going to change that rating.

As to the comment of it affecting the ratings in other countries. Simple solution, don't release that emote in that/those country/ies.

Actually, I believe there's differences in rating based on if something is just shown, vs if the player can participate.

[Kyuuen]

Actually, I believe there's differences in rating based on if something is just shown, vs if the player can participate.

If I'm not mistaken that would fall under the 'Alcohol/Drug/Tobacco Reference' rating, whereas the game is rated for 'Alcohol/Tobacco Use'. I'm still standing by the notion that the rating of the game would not change. Perhaps in other countries with different rating systems, but not here in the states.

[Gralna]

Actually, I believe there's differences in rating based on if something is just shown, vs if the player can participate.

Again, players using a /smoke emote would still only fall under the T rating which wouldn't require a rating change. LotRO has a /smoke emote and it's only rate T.



They even have a mini game of smoking

[Iscah]

https://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.aspx
[list of content descriptors]

Honestly I think the current ESRB is currently off in terms of use. I would say it's Tobacco Reference, not Use of Tobacco.

Why do you say it should be only a "tobacco reference"? The NPCs are shown using it, therefore the game contains "use of tobacco".

(I would take a guess and say that having the player visibly use it would be the threshold for a higher rating, but having the ashtray in the house is pushing as close as they can to implying it without actually showing it. Actually holding one is probably crossing the line - maybe an arbitrary line, but it's there and the devs don't want to go over it.)

And the list of descriptors needs to be read in conjunction with the actual ratings above it. eg:

TEEN
Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.

MATURE
Content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

A T-rated game and an M-rated game might both get the descriptor "Language" applied next to their main rating, but that doesn't mean they are free to use the same degree of strong language. While it's still possible they'll be the same (eg. if the M rating is due to a different element of that game, and the language itself is only worthy of a T rating), the M-rated game is still able to have a higher degree of it.

Or from the site's own FAQ page:

Do Content Descriptors list all of the different content found in a game or app?

Content Descriptors are not intended to be a listing of every type of content one might encounter in the course of playing a game or using an app. They are applied within the context of the product's overall content and relative to the Rating Category assigned, and are there to advise of content that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern.

As such, the absence of a Content Descriptor does not necessarily mean the total absence of such content, and a given Content Descriptor may not always refer to precisely the same type or intensity of content depending on the Rating Category assigned. For instance, Suggestive Themes in an E10+ game may refer to a brief instance of provocative clothing on a character whereas in a Teen game it may refer to more frequent depictions of provocative clothing accompanied with spoken innuendo.

What are the criteria by which ratings are assigned?

ESRB raters are trained to consider a wide range of pertinent content and other elements in assigning a rating. Pertinent content is any content that accurately reflects both:

• the most extreme content of the final product - in terms of relevant rating criteria such as violence, language, sexuality, gambling, and alcohol, tobacco and drug reference or use; and
• the final product as a whole - demonstrating the game's context (such as setting, storyline and objectives) and relative frequency of extreme content.

Given the interactive nature of video games the ESRB rating system also takes into account certain unique elements, such as the viewer's perspective, reward system and the degree of player control.

Also the "minimal blood" allowed in T versus "blood and gore" in M is interesting, because that seems to be exactly an issue that the devs were talking about when they released the Rathalos fight. They said they wanted to include the Monster Hunter mechanism of targeting and cutting off parts of its body, but couldn't because it would affect the game's ratings in some countries.

Checking the list of descriptors, Blood and Gore covers "depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts". So if that's allowed in M-rated content and not T, then that seems to be exactly why that decision was made. (Not blaming this rating system specifically - I expect other countries might have similar 'thresholds' of what separates different rating levels.)


There will be an actual set of guidelines somewhere that actually outlines every type of rateable content, and what degree of it leads to each rating. I thought I've found it online before, at least the Australian version, but I can't seem to find it now.


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I've actually just suggested /vape because it seemed like a less harmful way of saying /smoke, but in reality it - is - /smoke. It was just nomenclature.

It's not "just nomenclature" and they're not the same thing. The debate over relative health impacts aside, "vaping" is a specific modern alternative to smoking, and does not at all imply the "smoking a pipe" animation that you're actually asking for.