There's no problem with this game. The reviewer got it all wrong. Firstly, if a kid actually gets any of the innuendo or sexual entendres, then obviously they already know what it's referring to. And if they don't already know, reading something that's a double entendre isn't going to corrupt them at all, cause they won't get it. Secondly, I've been playing this game since 2005, when I was 12+. I am now 17+, and I do not drink, fight, or steal people's wallets (or my own pants). Neither do I condone violence or drunkeness. In fact, this game already teaches children the bad effects of being drunk - you can't adventure productively anymore, and if you do, Drunken Stupor adventures don't result in anything good. I can safely say this game has not made me any more of a drug addict, lover of violence or a "Boozetafarian". (Eg: Goofballs give you goofball withdrawal for TEN times the length of the positive effect, and if taken too many times, starts reduces your stats. If that isn't a clear warning, then what is?) Furthermore, Alcohol does not play a major role in the game's scenarios. You don't need to consume any to win a battle, to socialize, or to even play the game. It just gives you a few more adventures, and if you drink too much, you get a penalty. Thirdly, almost all games today have some element of "violence" (as this reviewer has put it) than what you see on Kingdom of Loathing. For example, First Person Shooters (self explanatory) such as Left 4 Dead and L4D2, and CounterStrike. Strategy games such as Age of Empires, Age of Mythology, Rise of Nations, StarCraft, Civilization, Caesar. MMORPGs like CabalSEA, or even MAPLESTORY! All of them have some element of killing to level up. Movies also have violence - Spiderman, Batman, Harry Potter, Avatar, even The Ant Bully, Lord of the Rings, and Shrek have plenty of "violence". Books too! Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, even the Secret Seven and the Famous Five have all sorts of criminals in them and these heroes engaging in "violence" to defeat them at points. If you can't stand something on KoL's level, you might as well spend all your time living as a mountain hermit. What this reviewer needs to do is to take a reality pill, and realize that whatever's in the game will stay in the game. If anything, this game exposes children to the outside world, and allows them to realize some of the good and bad points of things in this world (eg consuming too much beer, taking drugs) without having them take it in real life. The reviewer gives me the impression that all he'she did was to stare at a couple of screenshots of the game, noted down the "Drunkeness" meter, looked at the Wrong side of the Tracks, saw a few battles, and took serious offense at the entendres, all without truly analyzing it properly and letting initial prejudices get in the way (Which, by the way, is a bad example to kiddies! We don't want children to learn to judge a book by its cover, do we?)
Kingdom of Loathing
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Quirky alcohol-related role-playing game.
Why We Rated This 
The good stuff
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Educational value:
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Kingdom of Loathing was written by Jean Armour Polly
Parents need to know that this site is funny and edgy and addicting, but kids shouldn't be associating alcohol and violence with "play." Characters have to do a lot of killing in order to progress (even though lots of times they fight something odd, like a possessed can of tomatoes) and sometimes the prose or even the landscape itself has a double entendre meaning, like a visit to the "Orc Chasm."
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about violence in video games. What do you think of video games that involve killing? What kind of message do you think these games send to kids?
More on Kingdom of Loathing
What’s the Story?
Is It Any Good?
Besides the major role alcohol plays in the game's scenarios, you may be reviled by some of the violence and language: "In the Haunted Pantry, you're attacked by a fiendish can of asparagus. Cans of asparagus aren't normally all that scary, but this one's got a knife!" and "Inside the Haunted Pantry, you encounter an undead elbow macaroni of unusual size. It rubs its hands together and prepares to assault you like a peanut. It gets the jump on you. It tries to pastaslap you in the nipple, but misses." Characters have to do a lot of killing in order to progress (even though lots of times they fight something odd, like a possessed can of tomatoes) and sometimes the prose or even the landscape itself has a double entendre, sexual meaning, like a visit to the "Orc Chasm." Then there are some of the questionable assigned tasks: "You see that guy over there? That guy's name is Paco. I want you to steal his wallet without him noticing."
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
I think that his reviewer is biased and did not do his/her job properly and truly analyze the game.
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
Funny game!
Fighting is a major part of the game, but there is no combat animations or anything, just an attack button an a picture of the enemy. Lots of puns, though some are inappropriate for younger kids. There isn't really much inappropriate things in the game, and there are no ads anywhere.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
This Game is the Best Ever
The game does have some innapropriate words, but hey, your parents say them all the time. This is a great game. You can get drunk, have a sex change, and other things but thats no reason to freak out. I really don't consider "Goofballs" as drugs. Whoever wrote this review has it all wrong. Kingdom of Loathing is the best.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
Great Funny Site
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Best Game Ever
I really like this game and would classify this game as a great game for all ages. but in order to reach the full enjoyment of the game you have to probably be 9 or 10. The game has nothing to do with beer and drugs. who ever wrote this review for the amazing game is a nut case. they probably haven't even played the game themselves and heard a long line of rumors and now they're spreading bad things about a great game. The game as many unique features like the amazing humor of the game, i don't care if the game has double meanings as long as no one pays attention or knows what it means I'm fine with it. In a nutshell this game provides years of fun and entertainment! if i was still a kid today i would be screaming to everyone and to my friends to play. i have personally played this game and i have told my close friends and they all enjoyed it, they gave it a five out of a five! I would rather play this game than spend 20 bucks a month on WoW. Which i do say myself is more violent then this game.
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
It Is okay
It's okay and yes it does have beer in it but if you drink too much you will become sick and you can't play until the next day and i haven't saw anything bad other than that
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I rate this title on for age 15 and give it
Totally Fantastic!!!
This game is a total 5 stars. It's not for kids, but I don't understand why it was reviewed as no teens, because teens see lots of stuff worse than this everyday at high school.
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I rate this title on and give it
A truely awesome game.
This game is THE best I have ever encountered, and believe me when I say I have encountered a lot of games. Some people say that all the violent teens/you adults are like this because they are influenced by "shoot-em-up" games, others say that young people get influenced to drink by the media (both TV and Internet). I grew up in a modern world of internet games and "violent media" and let me tell you first hand, they do NOT influence you. Just because I drink in KoL it doesn't mean I drink in real like. Aaaanyway, KoL is a great game full of humor and fun and it has a great community.
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I rate this title iffy and give it
KoL In A Nutshell
KoL was never intended to be played by kids, it's always been geared to the above 18 age group. Many of the adventure messages are double entendre's with a great deal of sexual innuendo. They do try to keep the chat channels monitored and the language cleaned up, but they're not there to watch your kid. KoL people try to meet in real life at KoL Conventions or just to hang out with each other. There is a very real danger that someone might be playing the game and trying to lure a minor to meet them. For adults, the game is fun, but it can also be addictive, like any other game. The light parodies of thing in the fight and adventuring messages remind you not to take it too seriously. I still don't understand why alcohol as a way to get adventures was introduced into the game. There are some very responsible adults playing the game, who look out for minors in their clans or in chat, but you should never rely on someone not in your home to monitor your child. If you're going to let your child play KoL, sit down with them and read the messages of the fight screens, read the chat pane, even play it yourself to find out what's going on with it. You should never use KoL or any other game as a babysitter or something to occupy your child while you're doing things around the house. KoL=Kingdom of Loathing.
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I rate this title on and give it
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I rate this title iffy and give it
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I rate this title on and give it
Great Game
Great game to play to kill time. I have been playing for some time now.
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I rate this title iffy and give it
An Adventurer is You!
It's the best game a kid can play!
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I rate this title on and give it
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I rate this title on and give it
Awesome game
How many kids are going to have any idea what Orc Chasm means? The game creator says it was completely unintentional anyway. My 9-year old cousin plays this game, and has fun. His mother watches. There are TV shows that are far worse than the Kingdom of Loathing. It's silly, addictive, and extremely entertaining. Theft? Come on... If you join the Shadowy Arts and Craft guildhouse, yes, you're asked to steal a wallet. You're also asked to steal your own pants without noticing. It's all in fun. Alcohol? Parents have a much bigger effect on whether or not their kids drink than some kid clicking "drink" under a bottle of vodka in a stick-figure game.
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I rate this title on and give it
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I rate this title on and give it
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I rate this title on and give it
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I rate this title on and give it
An adventurer is me!
Best game ever, period. Good for children too, no swearing, and really, Kids drinking alcohol is solely the parent's fault. I'm 17, and I still don't drink, even though I've had the chance many, many times.
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I rate this title on and give it
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