Censorship in the Translation of FF7

by Adrian Gudas 

When I was looking through a magazine before FF7 came out, I noticed some mild swearing in the game. I took the teenager's perspective. I thought, "Cool! Swearing!" But as I played (and eventually finished the game), I looked back on it and thought, gee. This game's about life, folks. Life. It's about sacrificing life for the goodness of the planet. It's about looking to the sky and saying, "Meteor... you feelin' lucky?" It's not about swearing.

When I actually played the game, I noticed many parts where swearing was replaced by punctuation. I looked at the TV, frowned, and asked myself, "What's the point here?" In a magazine a few months back, they ran an article to preview the US release of FF7. They had a screenshot of the same point in the game, with the same text box. In the mag, it was an actual swear word. Did Square decide to cut back on the swearing in the game but still decide to take Sony's position and release the first uncensored game in the US? Wasn't part of the fanfare that introducted FF7 to the non-Japan market all about the censorship, or lack of it?

Admittedly, some swearing is essential in maintaining a good storyline. Writers use it, and when they use it well, it's a tool, not an obstacle, to the plot. Also, the inclusion of "Holy" instead of "White" was, to me, an obvious look at the past and the thought, "Why did we ever call it White?"

But we also have to remember that in Japan, bad language and nudity are far more frequent in Japan than the United States. Trends change from time to time and country to country. If the equivalent to a minor cuss in Japan is a bunch of punctuation marks here in North America, then swearing in video games should be replaced. Then again, if the company deems it something that occurs to back up a storyline, it should be left intact.

But as for FF7? The lack of actual swearing where it should be, plus the abundance of it where it shouldn't, makes you almost want to start another one of those darn petitions again. I just hope Square and Sony find a happier medium in the future.