Ideas for content warnings to include when describing your game.

Game Dev Content Warning Ideas.md

Game Content Warnings List

This document may help you consider what content warnings to include when describing your game.

Disclaimer

This document was compiled from various online sources, is not authoritative, and has not been reviewed by any experts

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES, OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF, OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE DOCUMENT OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE DOCUMENT.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Degree

This is an incomplete list of the degrees to which something may occur in a game.

• Allusions or References to, Off Screen
• Discussion of, On Screen
• Explicit Depiction of, On Screen
• Gratuitous Depiction of, On Screen
• Caused By Player Character, Off Screen
• Caused By Player Character, On Screen

Content

This is an incomplete list of things game developers might need to warn potential players about.

• Presentation
  • Screen Shake
  • Bright Lights
  • Flashing or Flickering
  • Repetitive Visual Patterns
  • Repetitive Audio
  • Sudden Loud Sounds
  • Vibration Feedback
• Mechanics
  • In-Game Purchases
  • Gacha Mechanics or Loot Boxes
  • Online Player Interaction
  • Player Information Sharing
    • Name
    • Location
    • Personal Details
    • Device Details
• Squicks & Phobias
  • Blood
  • Bugs
  • Burial
  • Clowns
  • Clustering
  • Confined Spaces
  • Crude Humor
  • Decay
  • Demons
  • Eyeballs
  • Fear
  • Flight
  • Gambling
  • Germs or Dirt
  • Ghosts
  • Gore
  • Guns
  • Hate-Based Humor
  • Heights
  • Hospitals or Mental Health Institutions
  • Jump Scares
  • Knives or Blades
  • Loneliness
  • Needles or Syringes
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Obscene Language
  • Prisons
  • Rats or Mice
  • Sad Ending
  • Snakes
  • Spiders
  • Thunder or Lightning
• Conflict
  • Harm
    • Harm to Animals
      • Animals Forced to Fight
    • Harm to Children
      • Harm to Children by Parent/Guardian
    • Harm to Elder
      • Harm to Elder by Caretaker
    • Harm to Intimate Partner
    • Harm to Self
    • Harm to Marginalized Individuals
    • Harm to Major Character
      • Harm to Player Character
    • Harm Caused by Player Character
    • Parent/Guardian Conflict
      • Overprotective, Invasive, or Controlling Parent/Guardian
      • Parent/Guardian Conflict with Player Character
    • Physical Abuse
      • Torture
    • Sexual Abuse
      • Sexual Abuse of Children
      • Sexual Abuse by Family Member
    • Emotional Abuse
      • Gaslighting
      • Doxing
      • Stalking
    • Graphic Violence
    • Organized Violence
      • Execution
      • Hanging or Lynching
      • Organized Crime
      • State-Sponsored Violence
        • Police
        • War
      • Religion-Sponsored Violence
      • Terrorism
  • Death
    • Animal Death
      • Hunting
      • Pet Death
    • Child Death
    • Intimate Partner Death
    • Parent/Guardian Death
    • Suicide
    • Death of Marginalized Individuals
    • Major Character Death
      • Player Character Death
    • Death Caused by Player Character
    • Cannibalism
  • Societal Issues
    • Systemic Issues
      • Ableism
      • Antisemitism
      • Classism
      • Fatphobia
      • Homophobia
      • Poverty
      • Racism
      • Religious Intolerance
      • Sexism
      • Slurs or Hate Speech
      • Transphobia
    • Organized Hate
      • Religion-Sponsored Hate
      • State-Sponsored Hate
• Physical Health Issues
  • Major or Chronic Illness
    • Broken Bones
    • Cancer
    • Paralysis
    • Seizures
  • Exposure & Deprivation
    • Thirst
    • Hunger or Starvation
    • Frostbite or Freezing
    • Heatstroke
    • Burning
    • Drowning
    • Suffocating
  • Pregnancy
    • Abortion
    • Birth
    • Miscarriage
  • Natural Disasters & Severe Weather
    • Induced by Climate Crisis
  • Restraint or Nonsexual Bondage
  • Medical Intervention or Surgery
    • Amputation
    • Nonconsensual Medical Intervention or Surgery
• Mental Health Issues
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Paranoia
  • Parent/Guardian Interaction
    • Parent/Guardian Interaction with Player Character
  • Psychoactives
    • Addiction
    • Alcohol
      • Nonconsensual Use of Alcohol
    • Cannabis
      • Nonconsensual Use of Cannabis
    • Tobacco
      • Nonconsensual Use of Tobacco
    • Other Psychoactives
      • Nonconsensual Use of Other Psychoactives
• Romance and Sexuality
  • Bathing
  • Nudity
  • Romance
    • Incestuous Romance
    • Underage Romance
    • Unwanted Advances
  • Sex
    • Consensual BDSM
    • Dubious Consent
    • Incest
    • Rape/Sexual Assault
    • Underage Sex
• Other
  • Breaking the fourth wall.
    • Directly addressing the player within the narrative/game world.

Here's a place to look for more polished information, although not specifically targeted at games: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/contentwarnings