Boyfriend Dungeon Developers to Update Content Warning Following Backlash

Following backlash from fans, Boyfriend Dungeon will be updating its current content warning, Kitfox Games announced in a tweet on Saturday. The warning will be updated next week with a more accurate description.

The developer apologized and said that the warning “inadequately describes the events of stalking and emotional manipulation that exist in the story.” Released last Wednesday, Boyfriend Dungeon is an indie dating sim/dungeon crawler that allows players to build romantic relationships with human partners who can transform into sentient weapons.

Just a few days after the game’s release, players started questioning whether or not the content warning was adequate given the triggering plot points that include stalking and emotional manipulation. Many were also concerned that the marketing for the game did not prepare players for the more intense plot points that occurred.

The current content warning reads: “This game may include references to unwanted advances, stalking, and other forms of emotional manipulation. Play with care.” The game allows players to opt out of certain sensitive elements of the game, but the content being discussed in the warning is more critical to the plot and therefore more difficult to opt out of.

Content warnings are nothing new, and have slowly become more prevalent in videogames and other forms of media. In order to prevent players from unknowingly being exposed to triggering content, it is necessary that developers include detailed warnings. The discourse surrounding Boyfriend Dungeon has fueled the long existing question of why developers aren’t doing more to prepare players for sensitive content within their games.