Proposal: Descriptions/categories of explicit content

[Userlog2]

Introduction

Currently, the Explicit tag is very broad in order to cover most content people would consider "inappropriate for all ages".

While this makes sense, the current system does not distinguish the reasons for the mark, meaning it is impossible to distinguish songs with repeated swearing from songs about suicide.

Solution

To solve this, I propose a system of Explicit mark categories, which can be set along with the mark itself by users and moderators.

The categories would be things like "Sexual topics or references", "Suicide or self-harm", "Violence", "Excessive swearing", "Inflammatory slurs", "Heavy or controversial topics", etc.

A rough example of how it could look (very quickly edited together):

If someone has the Explicit warning toggled off or passed the "Explicit Content" screen, the same description can be shown when hovering over the "Explicit" mark next to the title.

Account settings change

In order to allow users to see content they are generally fine with, there could be a category selection in a user's Account Settings that says something like "Categories of Explicit maps to show", and would contain the categories listed above.

The web map search would have a new option to show the explicit content categories accepted by the user, like so:

Benefits

The primary benefit is that this allows users to decide whether they want to engage based on the topic on the song rather than just the broad "inappropriate for younger users" warning that Explicit is right now.

For example, someone might be fine with hearing swear words and heavy topics, but doesn't want to hear about sexual topics or suicide. Another person might be fine with hearing about sexual topics, but not the Holocaust or violence. This change would allow them to decide categorically whether they can handle the song rather than risking it every time they download a map.

I believe this would help many users, since most people can handle at least a few Explicit songs, but not that many can handle all Explicit songs.

Secondary benefit

Since it would allow users to choose whether to engage with a song or not based on its mark, it could reduce controversy when (for example) a highly sexual song is ranked, since the people who don't wish to hear such songs (mostly young/conservative users) can ignore them more easily.

Difficulties

This will take a significant amount of development work to implement.

All current Explicit songs would also have to be marked as such retroactively. There could be a temporary "Unknown" category these get moved into until they are remarked properly with the help of users and moderators.

[cl8n]

I believe this would help many users, since most people can handle at least a few Explicit songs, but not that many can handle all Explicit songs.

I'm not convinced at all by this without some source, afaik nobody I know is picky about what they can "handle" in terms of songs. as a result I'm not convinced this feature would be worth the dev+maintenance

[Userlog2]

@cl8n https://osu.ppy.sh/community/forums/topics/1991630?n=1 - conducting a poll about the subject on forums

(remember that most forum users will be more integrated into the community than the average user)

[Userlog2]

Bump - poll finished and about 1/4 of the respondents actually are picky about what songs they can handle.

[peppy]

You can bump, but in the scheme of things this is super low priority unless/until it gets support to show otherwise.