Nintendo DS' Scrabble - 2007 Edition

[Melbosa]

Now who says that Nintendo does appeal to the adult market?  Check out this article about Nintendo DS' Scrabble 2007 Edition, which seems to use slang and adult words for winning plays!  I personally found this funny, but as a non-parent I'm sure I'd see it in a different light than a parent.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1092613/Mothers-fury-Nintendo-Scrabble-game-taught-son-swear-words.html

A mother who bought a Scrabble game for her eight-year-old son's computer console to improve his vocabulary has told of her disgust after it produced a string of swearwords.

Tonya Carrington, 36, gave her son Ethan the Nintendo version of the much-loved word game, enabling him to pit his wits against 'virtual' characters.

But she was horrified to discover that the computer-generated players were laying down words containing crude slang and abuse.

Now she is urging other parents considering buying the popular package as a Christmas present to think again.

Mrs Carrington tried out the program for herself on Ethan's hand-held DS console and was taken aback when her 'opponent' laid down the word 't*ts'.

The game also gives a definition of words it uses, on this occasion giving the meaning 'a garden bird' but also 'an informal word for female breasts'.

Any doubt was removed when the next word the computer offered was 'f*ckers', which it defined as 'a slang word for chavs'.

As if that wasn't bad enough, it received a triple score and won the game for the character, whose name was Camilla.

'Ethan is doing really well with English at school, so I decided to get this to help boost his vocabulary - but obviously not like that,' she said.

'I would have been horrified if Ethan had seen that word. "Sh*t" had come up as well. I was absolutely mortified.'

The word 'toke' - defined as 'a draw on a cannabis cigarette' - also came up during a game.

Mrs Carrington, from Lincoln, bought the game, Nintendo Scrabble 2007, from Asda in a two-for-?25 deal after it was billed as family-friendly.

'The worst thing is that there's an age rating of 3+ on the box and no advisory warning about adult language on the packaging at all,' said Mrs Carrington, who also has a two-year-old daughter, Destiny.

'It's disgraceful. Scrabble is a game for families, but I've had to ban Ethan from playing this version because of the horrible words it uses.

'It's such a shame for him, because he loves Scrabble. Nintendo is on the Christmas wish-list of every kid, and parents need to be warned.'

Ethan added: 'I love Scrabble, so I was really disappointed when Mum told me I couldn't play it on the DS because of the rude words.'

Along with her husband Paul, who runs a hair salon, they complained to Asda but were told to contact Nintendo.

It in turn blamed the game's publisher, Ubisoft, and told her to contact video-games rating system Pan European Game Information.

She emailed them three months ago but has yet to hear whether any action will be taken.

A spokesman for Ubisoft said: 'We are sorry the game has caused concern, but it includes a "junior" option that stops it using unusual or offensive words.'

But Mrs Carrington insisted: 'I read the booklet that came with it, and there was no mention of a junior version. It should be made much clearer.'

[Mr. Analog]

I think the DS is probably the platform of choice for a wide range of people.

I was reading yesterday that they are releasing an EBooks for the DS, now if they released an EBook reader that would be much more interesting, but still, pretty cool idea.

[Melbosa]

Sure the DS is a platform for a wide range of people.  But what do you think about swear words and vulgar words in a Nintendo DS Scrabble game, with a 3+ age rating?

[Mr. Analog]

Sure the DS is a platform for a wide range of people.  But what do you think about swear words and vulgar words in a Nintendo DS Scrabble game, with a 3+ age rating?

I don't think any harm was done, other than the bruising of a mother's tender sensibilities.

[Thorin]

LOL!

That eight year old already knows all those words and what they mean.  Knowing a word and using it are two completely different things.  Wait til Grandpa gets Alzheimers and starts forgetting those words aren't appropriate.

Ever wonder why we're so hung up on language, though?  What is it about certain words that make parents just lose it?  Well, it comes down to our own egos.  If our kids swear like sailors and other adults hear it, we think we look like terrible parents who can't control our offspring.

Me, I take the time to explain to the kids that how they talk will influence other people's opinion of them, and I point out which words it is that create a negative opinion, but I don't flip out if someone accidentally swears.  I have told my son's hockey team not to swear, though.  I explained to them that it is harder to speak without swearing than with, and that I try to do things that are harder rather than easier, just to challenge myself.

Now, if that game explained how to be a proper bully, how to push other kids around and hurt them, I'd be incensed if it had a 3+ rating!

[Mr. Analog]

Thorin, you hit the nail on the head buddy.