Should I add a flashing lights warning in my game?

geoascencio

I hope you're all doing well! I'm currently in the final stages of developing my game, and I'm wondering whether I have to include a flashing light warning at the beginning of my game, or if this is already covered by Apple's requirements or the app store's terms and conditions. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this matter. I've been considering adding the following phrase at the beginning of the game "This game may contain flashing lights and visual effects that may discomfort some individuals. Player discretion is advised."

I don't think my game can cause seizures but since the back of every video game box has some kind of warning, I want to make sure I'm following the right procedures. Have any of you implemented flashing light warnings in your games before? If so, how did you go about it, and did it have any impact on user experience or ratings?

Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences and thoughts on this matter. Looking forward to your responses and learning from your expertise.

uptimistik

Good question! I've never done anything so flashy I'm afraid, but if you think it may cause distress to certain people, then feel free to put it! I don't think I've come across specific documentation by Apple regarding this, but maybe the app review team will guide you concerning it.

Armelline

I don't think there's any kind of specific requirement, but I'd say it would be considerate to add a warning. (Depending on just how much flashing your game does.) Just a brief screen on load perhaps. I'd not expect it to affect ratings as the people who care will be the ones the flashing lights would affect, and they'd appreciate a warning.

adent42

So the thing that kickstarted those warnings (I think) was the Pokemon cartoon where the flashing light scenes triggered epileptic seizures in some kids (apparently it gets less problematic with age, but can still happen).

A quick google and you find that: "Generally, flashing lights between the frequencies of 5 to 30 flashes per second (Hertz) are most likely to trigger seizures."

I'd assume there are other good reasons for the warning as well as flash might trigger PTSD or migraines.

Given that it can happen as low as 5 flashes per second, I'd suggest putting a warning, out of politeness at the very least.