Guild Wars 2

Jerus.4350:

Gaile Gray.6029:

RoseofGilead.8907:

serenke.4806:

Because i happen to know someone who was forced to change their character names when there is absolutely nothing offensive about them. So if there is an actual professional moderation team at work, why are they not professional enough to spot the difference between offensive/insulting/inappropriate and normal?

And no, the names in question are not – in any way – inappropriate.

The problem with the “inappropriate character name” thing is that it’s set to automatically force a renaming after a certain number of reports are made against the same name (I’ve heard multiple times that the number is four). Someone in my guild was forced to change his name (which is the name of a goddess and multiple fictional characters) because enough people reported his name due to the same four letters being used as an acronym for a terrorist organization.

So yeah, something needs to change there.

I see that someone referred to earlier statements I made about this, but I want to make it clear, again, that we do not have automatic blocks based on the number of reports. Auto-blocks based report numbers would encourage (and support) mass griefing. Consider: “Report Fred.1234 for an offensive name, and if enough from our guild do it, that person will be blocked!” That’s just not the way things happen, not for behavioral issues, not for offensive chat, not for names.

Rest assured that reported names are reviewed by a human being, and a human being — not a report-counting automaton — decides on the appropriate action, often with input from another human being on the team.

So, are mythological names a no no, or is it that a terrorist organization coppied that name forcing it to become banned?

There was a discussion about that specific name. There is no general problem with that goddess’s name in general. Link here: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Name-Misunderstanding/first#post4344839

Jerus.4350:

Makes sense, old religions don’t matter only “new” ones.

Pretty much. We can think and do as we like but when that thought and action collides with the greater polite society we have to watch ourselves. Polite being the word, and which is the point of this thread pretty much.

Behellagh.1468:

ckotoc.5421:

welcome to the world of online gaming.

Yes but should that excuse basic civility?

Yes, welcome to online gaming.

Anonymity and the lack of instant/any consequence is the cause of this.

Google “the greater internet theory” – basically the gist of it. (yeah I left a word out)

zenleto.6179:

Jerus.4350:

Makes sense, old religions don’t matter only “new” ones.

Pretty much. We can think and do as we like but when that thought and action collides with the greater polite society we have to watch ourselves. Polite being the word, and which is the point of this thread pretty much.

I really don’t know how polite it is to turn old religious icons into fiction while we keep our current religious icons taboo. Whole thing seems a little silly to me.

Jerus.4350:

zenleto.6179:

Jerus.4350:

Yeah, I mean it makes sense, but honestly I’m not willing to read the whole naming policy (the things I agree to without reading…, i accept any repercussions though) but I know an old game I played also banned any famous names so if you slipped one through they’d also force a change if caught. So I’m curious if it’s just the whole terrorist thing (which I do find sad, it’s letting the terrorists win!) or if it’s also the whole “c’mon come up with your own thing”.

Nah. The blame can be squarely aimed at the terrorists. There are that many Norse gods running around that if a name-change was forced then I’d imagine the game would lose a fair chunk of goodwill.

Absolutely, but would naming your character Jesus be ok? What about Allah? Muhammad? Vishnu? Jehovah? Satan? At what point are these type of figures ok and what point are they bad? What makes Thor/Odin ok but probably not some of the others? Just that no one has a fit?

As far as Jesus. It’s a VERY common name.
It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Jesus is “the Lord is salvation”. Short form of Joshua, from the Hebrew name Jehoshua.

The appended “Christ” is what makes the difference. Even in His time the name Jesus was very common. Which is why He was referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, or The Christ.

Jerus.4350:

zenleto.6179:

Jerus.4350:

Makes sense, old religions don’t matter only “new” ones.

Pretty much. We can think and do as we like but when that thought and action collides with the greater polite society we have to watch ourselves. Polite being the word, and which is the point of this thread pretty much.

I really don’t know how polite it is to turn old religious icons into fiction while we keep our current religious icons taboo. Whole thing seems a little silly to me.

That’s not really what I was meaning (and, to a degree, I agree) but we’re getting off topic I think so I’m going to leave it there.

pdavis.8031:

Jerus.4350:

zenleto.6179:

Jerus.4350:

Yeah, I mean it makes sense, but honestly I’m not willing to read the whole naming policy (the things I agree to without reading…, i accept any repercussions though) but I know an old game I played also banned any famous names so if you slipped one through they’d also force a change if caught. So I’m curious if it’s just the whole terrorist thing (which I do find sad, it’s letting the terrorists win!) or if it’s also the whole “c’mon come up with your own thing”.

Nah. The blame can be squarely aimed at the terrorists. There are that many Norse gods running around that if a name-change was forced then I’d imagine the game would lose a fair chunk of goodwill.

Absolutely, but would naming your character Jesus be ok? What about Allah? Muhammad? Vishnu? Jehovah? Satan? At what point are these type of figures ok and what point are they bad? What makes Thor/Odin ok but probably not some of the others? Just that no one has a fit?

As far as Jesus. It’s a VERY common name.
It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Jesus is “the Lord is salvation”. Short form of Joshua, from the Hebrew name Jehoshua.

The appended “Christ” is what makes the difference. Even in His time the name Jesus was very common. Which is why He was referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, or The Christ.

Even if somebody named their character Jesus Christ nobody should care because it is none of their business.

Dinks.2478:

pdavis.8031:

Jerus.4350:

zenleto.6179:

Jerus.4350:

Yeah, I mean it makes sense, but honestly I’m not willing to read the whole naming policy (the things I agree to without reading…, i accept any repercussions though) but I know an old game I played also banned any famous names so if you slipped one through they’d also force a change if caught. So I’m curious if it’s just the whole terrorist thing (which I do find sad, it’s letting the terrorists win!) or if it’s also the whole “c’mon come up with your own thing”.

Nah. The blame can be squarely aimed at the terrorists. There are that many Norse gods running around that if a name-change was forced then I’d imagine the game would lose a fair chunk of goodwill.

Absolutely, but would naming your character Jesus be ok? What about Allah? Muhammad? Vishnu? Jehovah? Satan? At what point are these type of figures ok and what point are they bad? What makes Thor/Odin ok but probably not some of the others? Just that no one has a fit?

As far as Jesus. It’s a VERY common name.
It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Jesus is “the Lord is salvation”. Short form of Joshua, from the Hebrew name Jehoshua.

The appended “Christ” is what makes the difference. Even in His time the name Jesus was very common. Which is why He was referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, or The Christ.

Even if somebody named their character Jesus Christ nobody should care because it is none of their business.

True, but some people will get offended about anything…

pdavis.8031:

Dinks.2478:

pdavis.8031:

Jerus.4350:

zenleto.6179:

Jerus.4350:

Yeah, I mean it makes sense, but honestly I’m not willing to read the whole naming policy (the things I agree to without reading…, i accept any repercussions though) but I know an old game I played also banned any famous names so if you slipped one through they’d also force a change if caught. So I’m curious if it’s just the whole terrorist thing (which I do find sad, it’s letting the terrorists win!) or if it’s also the whole “c’mon come up with your own thing”.

Nah. The blame can be squarely aimed at the terrorists. There are that many Norse gods running around that if a name-change was forced then I’d imagine the game would lose a fair chunk of goodwill.

Absolutely, but would naming your character Jesus be ok? What about Allah? Muhammad? Vishnu? Jehovah? Satan? At what point are these type of figures ok and what point are they bad? What makes Thor/Odin ok but probably not some of the others? Just that no one has a fit?

As far as Jesus. It’s a VERY common name.
It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Jesus is “the Lord is salvation”. Short form of Joshua, from the Hebrew name Jehoshua.

The appended “Christ” is what makes the difference. Even in His time the name Jesus was very common. Which is why He was referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, or The Christ.

Even if somebody named their character Jesus Christ nobody should care because it is none of their business.

True, but some people will get offended about anything…

I wish more people would watch George Carlin’s dirty words, such a great summary of my view on this entire topic.

Jumpin Lumpix.6108:

In my opinion, this game has one of the worst communities I’ve seen in a long time. Maybe not as bad as diablo 2 but still… pretty bad especially in sPvP and here on the forums.

Hmmm. I’ve been pvp’ing for about the last year or so, and have encountered maybe half a dozen people that were unpleasant. Same in pve. People talk a lot of smack in the lobby, but in general I have found the community to be quite good – even in pvp matches. Same on the forums – a few people, but nothing in too greater numbers.

There is another popular post about this in the PvP forums, if Galie Gray thinks this is not an issue she needs to play guild wars 2 more.

But nonetheless, this is the internet, it’s bound to happen.

Offense is completely subjective. Reporting that which causes one offense, when it isn’t a direct attack on another person or group, seems like a long downhill trip to me. If that is what Anet wants, it is after all their property.

Hopefully Anet doesn’t mind reports for offensive speech related to the use of, “leetspeak,” misspelling, grammatical errors, incorrect word use, and so on. We should report such and move on allowing the professionals to decide.

Much of the original post, for example, could be a trigger for someone who takes offense at misuse of the English language.

Where do we draw the line ? There is no line to be drawn. If it offends you, report it.

I see the worst kind of language in Edge Of The Mists on a daily basis. Mainly homophobic remarks and sexual remarks. Most words, of which, aren’t censored – despite me having my filter on max settings.

Most derogatory homophobic words aren’t censored, and that’s one that surprises me the most because I’ve complained about it many times before, but Anet still does nothing about it. So I’ve just moved on, knowing nothing’s going to be done about it, and I just have to get used to people belittling us gay folk.

Thanks Anet :-/

>_<

I report most of them, but I’ve pretty much given up on reporting them, because homophobic words like ‘ghey’ and ‘fahg’ and ‘fegget’ are used SO frequently, and I have my filter on MAX settings (and might I add, these words haven’t been censored on these forums – so it shows how easily they can be used) – I shouldn’t even be seeing these words – yet I do, and I literally get offended on a daily basis – it’s why my block list is so full (I’m actually surprised I haven’t reached some limit on it).

RE: My mention of complaining – I complained about it months and months ago, making a couple threads about how Anet can improve on the filter system – for example, allowing us players to add and remove words on a filter/block list, so that specific words are filtered completely – including those, like ‘ghey’ and other words that players use to get around the system. But nothing was done about it, and hence why I gave up shouting about it.

A few examples I get on a daily basis:

First pic is of me confronting the abuser, saying I think the word he was looking for was ‘wrong’ not ‘ghey’, to which he replies basically in a nutshell, no I meant what I said – super ghey.

The second one is the all too common ’that’s so ghey’ remark. I swear, if I had a dollar for every time I heard this… I would be able to afford a precursor within less than half a year. I mean, it’s like saying ’that’s so heterosexual’ – what has someone’s sexual orientation have to do with something someone is referring to as stupid/bad/wrong/whatever? Nothing. That’s what. Yet people still say this sort of thing daily as if it’s nothing – and it isn’t blocked, and no one else confronts the offender or asks them to stop (I mean, I do, all the time, but that’s mainly because I’m sick of hearing it). In the probably 50+ incidents over the past month, I’ve only ever had 1 other person actually stand up for me. That’s pretty poor. Others actually blame ME and say things like ‘just get over it, it’s only words’.

The third screenshot is of someone referring to their own team as loverboys ‘a.k.a. their ghey-submissive-slaves’. It would be like me saying ‘come on breeders, let’s go’.

There are more words players use, but if you want some good examples, play Edge of the Mists for a day or two. For now, I don’t want to spend any more time here because I know a add-and-remove-words-to-filter-system won’t happen, so I’m kinda wasting my time here, but thought I’d give just a few examples. I hope something is done in the future about it. I really do.

Edit: And yes these screenshots are a bit old – I stopped printscreening the abuse long ago because I see 1-3 cases a day in EOTM, and I already have around 600 screenshots – I don’t need to clog up my file of screenies any more :-/

Zaoda.1653:

The second one is the all too common ’that’s so ghey’ remark. I swear, if I had a dollar for every time I heard this… I would be able to afford a precursor within less than half a year. I mean, it’s like saying ’that’s so heterosexual’ – what has someone’s sexual orientation have to do with something someone is referring to as stupid/bad/wrong/whatever?

I feel like that 90% of the time I see/hear people using the “F” word. You might as well replace it with something like “aardvark.”

My mind basically plays this over and over again: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

DragonflyDusk.6582:

Zaoda.1653:

The second one is the all too common ’that’s so ghey’ remark. I swear, if I had a dollar for every time I heard this… I would be able to afford a precursor within less than half a year. I mean, it’s like saying ’that’s so heterosexual’ – what has someone’s sexual orientation have to do with something someone is referring to as stupid/bad/wrong/whatever?

I feel like that 90% of the time I see/hear people using the “F” word. You might as well replace it with something like “aardvark.”

My mind basically plays this over and over again: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

If you haven’t seen the south park episode about that word I really suggest a watch, while the show may be a bit crude it makes some very good points in a lot of episodes.

Word meanings change. They evolve over time. I know that at least some of those using words like, “ghey,” are not intending any reference at all to homosexuality. Gay did not originally mean homosexual. Similarly the term, “loverboy,” predates Zaoda’s presented definition of, “ghey-submissive-slaves.”

Of course we should combat personal attacks, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. but, “your definition of a slang word is different than mine so you should be punished,” seems like a bit much.

Zaoda.1653:

A few examples I get on a daily basis:

First pic is of me confronting the abuser, saying I think the word he was looking for was ‘wrong’ not ‘ghey’, to which he replies basically in a nutshell, no I meant what I said – super ghey.

The second one is the all too common ’that’s so ghey’ remark. I swear, if I had a dollar for every time I heard this… I would be able to afford a precursor within less than half a year. I mean, it’s like saying ’that’s so heterosexual’ – what has someone’s sexual orientation have to do with something someone is referring to as stupid/bad/wrong/whatever? Nothing. That’s what. Yet people still say this sort of thing daily as if it’s nothing – and it isn’t blocked, and no one else confronts the offender or asks them to stop (I mean, I do, all the time, but that’s mainly because I’m sick of hearing it). In the probably 50+ incidents over the past month, I’ve only ever had 1 other person actually stand up for me. That’s pretty poor. Others actually blame ME and say things like ‘just get over it, it’s only words’.

The third screenshot is of someone referring to their own team as loverboys ‘a.k.a. their ghey-submissive-slaves’. It would be like me saying ‘come on breeders, let’s go’.

There are more words players use, but if you want some good examples, play Edge of the Mists for a day or two. For now, I don’t want to spend any more time here because I know a add-and-remove-words-to-filter-system won’t happen, so I’m kinda wasting my time here, but thought I’d give just a few examples. I hope something is done in the future about it. I really do.

Edit: And yes these screenshots are a bit old – I stopped printscreening the abuse long ago because I see 1-3 cases a day in EOTM, and I already have around 600 screenshots – I don’t need to clog up my file of screenies any more :-/

Sidebar: Make a new folder — Screens 2, for example — and move the contents of your active screenshot folder into the Screens 2 folder. Rinse/repeat at will. I have like 22 folders of City of Heroes screenshots, and at least four full of GW2 screenshots.

Oh, and on topic: I went to the dam to get some dam water, but the dam man said I couldn’t have any dam water. I told that dam man he could just keep his dam water.

Carry on.

Ashen.2907:

Word meanings change. They evolve over time. I know that at least some of those using words like, “ghey,” are not intending any reference at all to homosexuality. Gay did not originally mean homosexual. Similarly the term, “loverboy,” predates Zaoda’s presented definition of, “ghey-submissive-slaves.”

Of course we should combat personal attacks, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. but, “your definition of a slang word is different than mine so you should be punished,” seems like a bit much.

Interesting article about the word gay and how its meaning has changed over the years, including that the word is now starting to mean stupid or lame without reference to gay people.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Ashen.2907:

Word meanings change. They evolve over time. I know that at least some of those using words like, “ghey,” are not intending any reference at all to homosexuality. Gay did not originally mean homosexual. Similarly the term, “loverboy,” predates Zaoda’s presented definition of, “ghey-submissive-slaves.”

Of course we should combat personal attacks, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. but, “your definition of a slang word is different than mine so you should be punished,” seems like a bit much.

Interesting article about the word gay and how its meaning has changed over the years, including that the word is now starting to mean stupid or lame without reference to gay people.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/

See Southpark’s episode on another word that has changed meaning over time, and was basically hitting at this.

Look, I’m fine with the major curse words getting filter. Some people still have a problem with it if a kid hears it. And that’s what i saw a profanity filter and beeping on the radio and tv over those words was for, because kids might see it. Well, kids don’t stay kids for long, and they are gonna hear it, and be able to replace those beeps with what the actual word is.

Fact is, you can’t go on your whole life living in a bubble, be it playing an ONLINE game or going to work. You’re going to be exposed to it, and its not the end of the world. Its time to get some thicker skin and just learn to ignore it on your own.

I’ve learned one thing playing video games my whole life, and that is they are just games. Oh no, some nameless person said vulgar language to me as an insult that really has no impact on me in real life, whatever shall I do? Oh, not care? Suddenly, I feel so much better! And then you can actually see these little taunts or tantrums as being pretty hilarious. Now, of course, if it goes so far as stalking and harrassment, then you should report. But a one off brush? Pft. Big deal.

For the record, no, I’ve never run into what the OP is talking about. I had one guy taunting me and insulting me in spvp cause i was so bad, but yeah, I was. Big deal? After the game, he was gone, and I played another game.

Edit: That article is actually how me, my sister, and friends talk now. We don’t mean same sex, or happy, but now stupid or lame. If anything, its a GOOD thing, because, to me, gay with the same sex meaning was starting to sound more negative anyway with how it was used, and people thought “lets just change the definition to a negative then anyway”.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Donut.6914:

Behellagh.1468:

Donut.6914:

Lol you need to get over yourselves. There’s a profanity filter and a block option, if you can’t take people swearing, or talking about sex and drugs, then filter them out.

They’re not obligated to mind their manners around you. Remember, online actions and interactions are not rated by the ESRB.

It’s not there so players are free to use vulgar and profane language.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Why-is-there-a-Profanity-Filter/first#post4436966

Then what is it for? I say the f-word in almost every single sentence I make. That’s how I grew up, that’s who I am, that’s the way I speak. Many many people have blocked me because they don’t like to hear the f-word so much. I understand and respect that, but I am never going to stop saying it because of how others feel. That’s what the filter/block is for.

No, you’re absolutely wrong. If you have so little self control that you can’t avoid saying a word that is offensive to a majority of people, then stop talking in the game. It’s that simple. You do not have a license to swear because of the filter. You do not have permission to offend others because of a lack of self-control, or your personal belief system, or your feeling of an inherent right to do as you want.

Our games are played on private game servers, and everyone who plays our game — everyone — agrees to abide by the User Agreement and the Rules of Conduct. If you cannot uphold the agreement that you freely accepted in order to join our game then again, I encourage you not to use any of the public chat channels but instead restrict yourself to those that are of a private nature, such as party chat amongst like-minded friends.

Edited to change “vast majority” or “a majority.” Arguments about percentages, global interpretations, personal preferences, or semantics will not be entertained. This is an important topic that should be joined only with the intention of legitimate and helpful participation.

Gaile Gray, I would like to ask a few questions then: You are saying that it is basically the inablitiy to control one-self when cursing. I curse, as do many others. It is part of a language that is spoken, and uncontrollable. It can often roll off the tongue (or the fingers in this case). So I would like you to specify the difference between cursing and excessive cursing (innappropriate language in general). Of course if I am wrong that you see no difference when it comes to ingame chat, then please clarify that one personally for me.

Also, much like yourself, I have not seen it as a massive problem. I haven’t seen (too many) instances of people being extremely excessive with their language. But I personally do not use curse words in every sentence, but it does happen. I would hate to be reported when I use such a word while I am NOT belittleing or being rude to someone, but just using a curse word or a joke of some sort. I understand reporting and taking care of those who are outright rude, but please do not begin punishing those who have no ill-intentions nor use excessive “offensive” language just because SOME people do not like it.

Serophous.9085:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Ashen.2907:

Word meanings change. They evolve over time. I know that at least some of those using words like, “ghey,” are not intending any reference at all to homosexuality. Gay did not originally mean homosexual. Similarly the term, “loverboy,” predates Zaoda’s presented definition of, “ghey-submissive-slaves.”

Of course we should combat personal attacks, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. but, “your definition of a slang word is different than mine so you should be punished,” seems like a bit much.

Interesting article about the word gay and how its meaning has changed over the years, including that the word is now starting to mean stupid or lame without reference to gay people.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/

See Southpark’s episode on another word that has changed meaning over time, and was basically hitting at this.

Look, I’m fine with the major curse words getting filter. Some people still have a problem with it if a kid hears it. And that’s what i saw a profanity filter and beeping on the radio and tv over those words was for, because kids might see it. Well, kids don’t stay kids for long, and they are gonna hear it, and be able to replace those beeps with what the actual word is.

Fact is, you can’t go on your whole life living in a bubble, be it playing an ONLINE game or going to work. You’re going to be exposed to it, and its not the end of the world. Its time to get some thicker skin and just learn to ignore it on your own.

I’ve learned one thing playing video games my whole life, and that is they are just games. Oh no, some nameless person said vulgar language to me as an insult that really has no impact on me in real life, whatever shall I do? Oh, not care? Suddenly, I feel so much better! And then you can actually see these little taunts or tantrums as being pretty hilarious. Now, of course, if it goes so far as stalking and harrassment, then you should report. But a one off brush? Pft. Big deal.

For the record, no, I’ve never run into what the OP is talking about. I had one guy taunting me and insulting me in spvp cause i was so bad, but yeah, I was. Big deal? After the game, he was gone, and I played another game.

Edit: That article is actually how me, my sister, and friends talk now. We don’t mean same sex, or happy, but now stupid or lame. If anything, its a GOOD thing, because, to me, gay with the same sex meaning was starting to sound more negative anyway with how it was used, and people thought “lets just change the definition to a negative then anyway”.

This argument makes me lose my mind.

Hearing people randomly shouting Fort Aspenwood Garbage (that’s clever, thanks!) or gay is not directly an attack on any one person, but it’s a reminder that, no matter what you think, we queer folks live in a society that persecutes, belittles, and harms us on a daily basis.

Using “gay” as slang for “stupid” comes directly from using it to demean people by labeling them homosexuals. You might not mean it that way. But what happens when people keep saying “words change” and slowly people think it’s okay to use whatever words they like, as long as they meant something else? I might want to break out a whole kitten nal of racial slang that I am using in completely tangential ways, but does that make it okay?

I have a bunch of “nuclear option” real life examples that have happened to me personally because of the world that enabling slang creates, but I’ll save those since this is clearly not the crowd. Just understand that while you might not mean any offense with the words you use, you are unintentionally allowing, enabling, and perpetuating harm against others in doing so.

On the other hand, I hardly ever see any actually obscene or explicit chat. I grew up in the age of teh intarwebz and I know what to expect. I am consistently impressed with how mature the GW2 community is overall. I see some kinky stuff from time to time and people can get vulgar during big events, but it’s not bad.

PS this isn’t to mean I don’t swear like a sailor. I do. It takes great restraint to not write with it or put it in map chat. Please don’t log my whispers to my friends though

felessan.9587:

Serophous.9085:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Ashen.2907:

Word meanings change. They evolve over time. I know that at least some of those using words like, “ghey,” are not intending any reference at all to homosexuality. Gay did not originally mean homosexual. Similarly the term, “loverboy,” predates Zaoda’s presented definition of, “ghey-submissive-slaves.”

Of course we should combat personal attacks, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. but, “your definition of a slang word is different than mine so you should be punished,” seems like a bit much.

Interesting article about the word gay and how its meaning has changed over the years, including that the word is now starting to mean stupid or lame without reference to gay people.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/

See Southpark’s episode on another word that has changed meaning over time, and was basically hitting at this.

Look, I’m fine with the major curse words getting filter. Some people still have a problem with it if a kid hears it. And that’s what i saw a profanity filter and beeping on the radio and tv over those words was for, because kids might see it. Well, kids don’t stay kids for long, and they are gonna hear it, and be able to replace those beeps with what the actual word is.

Fact is, you can’t go on your whole life living in a bubble, be it playing an ONLINE game or going to work. You’re going to be exposed to it, and its not the end of the world. Its time to get some thicker skin and just learn to ignore it on your own.

I’ve learned one thing playing video games my whole life, and that is they are just games. Oh no, some nameless person said vulgar language to me as an insult that really has no impact on me in real life, whatever shall I do? Oh, not care? Suddenly, I feel so much better! And then you can actually see these little taunts or tantrums as being pretty hilarious. Now, of course, if it goes so far as stalking and harrassment, then you should report. But a one off brush? Pft. Big deal.

For the record, no, I’ve never run into what the OP is talking about. I had one guy taunting me and insulting me in spvp cause i was so bad, but yeah, I was. Big deal? After the game, he was gone, and I played another game.

Edit: That article is actually how me, my sister, and friends talk now. We don’t mean same sex, or happy, but now stupid or lame. If anything, its a GOOD thing, because, to me, gay with the same sex meaning was starting to sound more negative anyway with how it was used, and people thought “lets just change the definition to a negative then anyway”.

This argument makes me lose my mind.

Hearing people randomly shouting Fort Aspenwood Garbage (that’s clever, thanks!) or gay is not directly an attack on any one person, but it’s a reminder that, no matter what you think, we queer folks live in a society that persecutes, belittles, and harms us on a daily basis.

Using “gay” as slang for “stupid” comes directly from using it to demean people by labeling them homosexuals. You might not mean it that way. But what happens when people keep saying “words change” and slowly people think it’s okay to use whatever words they like, as long as they meant something else? I might want to break out a whole kitten nal of racial slang that I am using in completely tangential ways, but does that make it okay?

I have a bunch of “nuclear option” real life examples that have happened to me personally because of the world that enabling slang creates, but I’ll save those since this is clearly not the crowd. Just understand that while you might not mean any offense with the words you use, you are unintentionally allowing, enabling, and perpetuating harm against others in doing so.

On the other hand, I hardly ever see any actually obscene or explicit chat. I grew up in the age of teh intarwebz and I know what to expect. I am consistently impressed with how mature the GW2 community is overall. I see some kinky stuff from time to time and people can get vulgar during big events, but it’s not bad.

OK, then why does gay have to mean homosexual? It meant happy before (see Flintstones theme song), now it means homosexual. How is that fair?

Again, you are missing the point of the article, and dismissing the episode. I can’t say the word because of the filter, but let’s say it was another derogatory word for same sex people, except now they were using it for annoying Harvey bikers.

Bringing Up Baby

1938, starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn

Serophous.9085:

felessan.9587:

Serophous.9085:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Ashen.2907:

Word meanings change. They evolve over time. I know that at least some of those using words like, “ghey,” are not intending any reference at all to homosexuality. Gay did not originally mean homosexual. Similarly the term, “loverboy,” predates Zaoda’s presented definition of, “ghey-submissive-slaves.”

Of course we should combat personal attacks, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. but, “your definition of a slang word is different than mine so you should be punished,” seems like a bit much.

Interesting article about the word gay and how its meaning has changed over the years, including that the word is now starting to mean stupid or lame without reference to gay people.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/

See Southpark’s episode on another word that has changed meaning over time, and was basically hitting at this.

Look, I’m fine with the major curse words getting filter. Some people still have a problem with it if a kid hears it. And that’s what i saw a profanity filter and beeping on the radio and tv over those words was for, because kids might see it. Well, kids don’t stay kids for long, and they are gonna hear it, and be able to replace those beeps with what the actual word is.

Fact is, you can’t go on your whole life living in a bubble, be it playing an ONLINE game or going to work. You’re going to be exposed to it, and its not the end of the world. Its time to get some thicker skin and just learn to ignore it on your own.

I’ve learned one thing playing video games my whole life, and that is they are just games. Oh no, some nameless person said vulgar language to me as an insult that really has no impact on me in real life, whatever shall I do? Oh, not care? Suddenly, I feel so much better! And then you can actually see these little taunts or tantrums as being pretty hilarious. Now, of course, if it goes so far as stalking and harrassment, then you should report. But a one off brush? Pft. Big deal.

For the record, no, I’ve never run into what the OP is talking about. I had one guy taunting me and insulting me in spvp cause i was so bad, but yeah, I was. Big deal? After the game, he was gone, and I played another game.

Edit: That article is actually how me, my sister, and friends talk now. We don’t mean same sex, or happy, but now stupid or lame. If anything, its a GOOD thing, because, to me, gay with the same sex meaning was starting to sound more negative anyway with how it was used, and people thought “lets just change the definition to a negative then anyway”.

This argument makes me lose my mind.

Hearing people randomly shouting Fort Aspenwood Garbage (that’s clever, thanks!) or gay is not directly an attack on any one person, but it’s a reminder that, no matter what you think, we queer folks live in a society that persecutes, belittles, and harms us on a daily basis.

Using “gay” as slang for “stupid” comes directly from using it to demean people by labeling them homosexuals. You might not mean it that way. But what happens when people keep saying “words change” and slowly people think it’s okay to use whatever words they like, as long as they meant something else? I might want to break out a whole kitten nal of racial slang that I am using in completely tangential ways, but does that make it okay?

I have a bunch of “nuclear option” real life examples that have happened to me personally because of the world that enabling slang creates, but I’ll save those since this is clearly not the crowd. Just understand that while you might not mean any offense with the words you use, you are unintentionally allowing, enabling, and perpetuating harm against others in doing so.

On the other hand, I hardly ever see any actually obscene or explicit chat. I grew up in the age of teh intarwebz and I know what to expect. I am consistently impressed with how mature the GW2 community is overall. I see some kinky stuff from time to time and people can get vulgar during big events, but it’s not bad.

OK, then why does gay have to mean homosexual? It meant happy before (see Flintstones theme song), now it means homosexual. How is that fair?

Again, you are missing the point of the article, and dismissing the episode. I can’t say the word because of the filter, but let’s say it was another derogatory word for same sex people, except now they were using it for annoying Harvey bikers.

That’s not the point. The article clearly says where the modern use of the word gay to mean stupid comes from and it further implies that the assumption that gay as stupid is not taken offensively is incorrect. And even if I’m reading the article wrong, I am telling you, through lived experience, that it is harmful.

felessan.9587:

That’s not the point. The article clearly says where the modern use of the word gay to mean stupid comes from and it further implies that the assumption that gay as stupid is not taken offensively is incorrect. And even if I’m reading the article wrong, I am telling you, through lived experience, that it is harmful.

to you, its incorrect, because you take it as its different definition. Again, words have many different definitions, hence why when you look in a dictionary, you see the 1. 2. etc.

Because you feel its still going by the definition you know it as, you ignore the context, which is what i see is wrong here. Whats going to be next to be censored? Melons? Balls? Jugs? What do I mean? Do i mean something perverted, or do I mean something you eat, something you bounce, or something that holds liquid? You don’t know, I don’t know cause there is no context.

So when i say “Gay”, what do I mean? Do I mean Happy? Homosexual? Or stupid? If I say “Oh, that’s gay.” you shouldn’t feel insulted at all, as whatever i’m talking about I’m saying is stupid.
If I say “oh, you’re gay?” then that there can have two meanings already depending on the situation. Do i mean happy or same sex? Again, the whole conversation or scene would have to be looked at.

Let’s put it this way, you are going to have to censor A LOT more words if you decide to just ignore context. As human beings, its what we do when we can’t find the correct word to describe something, so we either find a word that is closest, or make a new one up. Censorship isn’t going to keep up with this, and if people keep promoting it to do so, you’re going find your vocabulary is vulgar suddenly.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Zaoda, I do understand your concerns. But I’ve been working with the filter for a long, long time, and I was involved with similar systems before I came to ArenaNet 14 years ago. The fact is, it’s not possible to add every possible spelling of potentially-offensive words. The minute we add “ghey” someone will use “gaye” or “gae” or some other “creative spelling” that avoids the filter. It becomes a case of chasing one’s tail, and at some point you start censoring legitimate words because they might be misused.

The best we can do is filter the words and some variations, and hope that players will let us know when someone is intentionally subverting the filter with “creative spelling” or the use of spaces or dashes to avoid getting censored.

Also, the filter has been somewhat locked from modification for a while, but I believe the CS Team will be adding to it in the future. So you might consider making up a short list of potentially block-able words and sending to CS through a ticket.

If action is not taken, it’s not through a lack of will to do the right thing. We definitely do want to deal with offensive language and the use of unacceptable words. As I’ve said previously, player reports are key to our being able to do that.

Is there any chance of A.Net adding a “submit screenshot” feature to the Customer Service ticket section? As Zaoda gave great example of, it’s easier to get a quick snap and submit the info there instead of trying to type out everything said, when it was said, where it happened, and all that in hopes that the CSA will know what to do with the information. It’s also severe effort on a player’s part to take the time out of game to submit a fully detailed ticket just to get results instead of submitting a screenie of the incident in question.

Also, thanks for reassuring us that you -A.Net- is at least looking into these issues.

Censorship – the principle that adults must live on pablum because baby can’t have steak.

That said, while I’m opposed to censorship of any sort, (with military disposition and technology being the sole exception), I have zero issue with people who comport themselves with such poor taste getting a permanent invitation to the world. (IE – hate speech = permaban, with no exceptions.)

I’d say get rid of the filters altogether; in-game and forum both. If someone behaves in a way that is deliberately hurtful to another, ban their account. If they love Tyria enough to buy a second account, they’ll likely think before acting from then on.

If you could never say anything insulting or abusive ever again the world would be silent.

“The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.” (Sigmund Freud)

stale.9785:

Censorship – the principle that adults must live on pablum because baby can’t have steak.

That said, while I’m opposed to censorship of any sort, (with military disposition and technology being the sole exception), I have zero issue with people who comport themselves with such poor taste getting a permanent invitation to the world. (IE – hate speech = permaban, with no exceptions.)

I’d say get rid of the filters altogether; in-game and forum both. If someone behaves in a way that is deliberately hurtful to another, ban their account. If they love Tyria enough to buy a second account, they’ll likely think before acting from then on.

If people want to let their children play in a bubble with text in a game that promotes drinking, violence, death, etc, then fine, let them have their filter.

But hate speech is a different story, as thats a total speech, and not a word in itself. I mean, next time I pvp, and someone says in map chat I suck, should I report them and expect them to be suspended or banned immediately? And if not, should I come to the forums and complain about it then?

For those of you that are saying Anet must not care about homophobic speech because they don’t do anything about it are dead wrong. You do realize that Anet is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington? A very liberal and open minded area.

Hate speech (using the Canadian definitions, since those were the law classes I took) includes, but isn’t strictly limited to;

“Defamation based upon gender or sexuality. Speech or writings that single out ethnicities or religious groups with the goal of marginalizing them. Language that encourages acts of felony assault or murder.”

That ought to cover language that goes beyond good taste and civility. “You suck, newb” wouldn’t qualify. Using any racial/religious slurs would. Sexuality based abuse would also qualify.

If, you, Serophous, cannot distinguish between simple poor manners and attitude vs. language that is intended to dehumanize, that’s more your issue than mine.

People keep trying to argue that certain words should not offend other people. That misses the point. This community is huge; ANet needs to make it a safe environment for as many of us as possible. Asking people to stick to half-way polite word choices inconveniences a small group of people a minor amount, whereas having no restrictions typically results in large numbers of people feeling uncomfortable. It’s in ANet’s interest to make the game environment comfortable for the vast majority, not to cater to the minority who can’t seem to understand why it’s not okay to use racial or social epithets.

At some point in our lives, we all learn that phrasing that makes sense in one environment will cause all sorts of problems in another. Your guild might not care about swearing in /guild or /voip, but that hardly means that it’s OK to use the same language in /map or /say.

tl;dr it doesn’t matter if you or I (or Blizzard) think a phrase should be ok to use in chat or as a character name; it matters only if ANet thinks it would disrupt the community.

There are some very delicate people in this thread.

Might as well contribute.

What I am reading in this thread is that some very special people are getting very upset because they can read some words that they (and I) find distasteful. Whilst I can agree that there are many words that I do not like and many people that utter them that I do not like, the need to demand Anet to amend their existing policies and retrain agents is absolutely ridiculous and more insulting than a word read on map chat.

The reason I would find many of the attitudes in this thread so insulting is because they seem to be born from some complete arrogance: I don’t like this so it shouldn’t be around. I can’t control this so it should be altered. I can’t change this so it should be controlled via a top-down source.
This apparent need to control every social element of a space is considerably more insulting than someone saying “lolkittens” in map chat.

Some of the posts here make it look as if map chat was full of some kind of immature or offensive comments. A cesspool of swear words and sexual jokes. That’s just not true.
What i find weird is that most of those who said this was the case have map chat turned off… so you don’t even know if it’s true or not. It is not true.

Honestly, i hate people who use “lol” and “:P” all the time. Maybe someone should do something about those (a perma ban might be in order).

DragonflyDusk.6582:

My mind basically plays this over and over again: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

A cookie for the gentleman that referenced Princess Bride.

felessan.9587:

Serophous.9085:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Ashen.2907:

Word meanings change. They evolve over time. I know that at least some of those using words like, “ghey,” are not intending any reference at all to homosexuality. Gay did not originally mean homosexual. Similarly the term, “loverboy,” predates Zaoda’s presented definition of, “ghey-submissive-slaves.”

Of course we should combat personal attacks, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. but, “your definition of a slang word is different than mine so you should be punished,” seems like a bit much.

Interesting article about the word gay and how its meaning has changed over the years, including that the word is now starting to mean stupid or lame without reference to gay people.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/

See Southpark’s episode on another word that has changed meaning over time, and was basically hitting at this.

Look, I’m fine with the major curse words getting filter. Some people still have a problem with it if a kid hears it. And that’s what i saw a profanity filter and beeping on the radio and tv over those words was for, because kids might see it. Well, kids don’t stay kids for long, and they are gonna hear it, and be able to replace those beeps with what the actual word is.

Fact is, you can’t go on your whole life living in a bubble, be it playing an ONLINE game or going to work. You’re going to be exposed to it, and its not the end of the world. Its time to get some thicker skin and just learn to ignore it on your own.

I’ve learned one thing playing video games my whole life, and that is they are just games. Oh no, some nameless person said vulgar language to me as an insult that really has no impact on me in real life, whatever shall I do? Oh, not care? Suddenly, I feel so much better! And then you can actually see these little taunts or tantrums as being pretty hilarious. Now, of course, if it goes so far as stalking and harrassment, then you should report. But a one off brush? Pft. Big deal.

For the record, no, I’ve never run into what the OP is talking about. I had one guy taunting me and insulting me in spvp cause i was so bad, but yeah, I was. Big deal? After the game, he was gone, and I played another game.

Edit: That article is actually how me, my sister, and friends talk now. We don’t mean same sex, or happy, but now stupid or lame. If anything, its a GOOD thing, because, to me, gay with the same sex meaning was starting to sound more negative anyway with how it was used, and people thought “lets just change the definition to a negative then anyway”.

This argument makes me lose my mind.

Hearing people randomly shouting Fort Aspenwood Garbage (that’s clever, thanks!) or gay is not directly an attack on any one person, but it’s a reminder that, no matter what you think, we queer folks live in a society that persecutes, belittles, and harms us on a daily basis.

Using “gay” as slang for “stupid” comes directly from using it to demean people by labeling them homosexuals. You might not mean it that way. But what happens when people keep saying “words change” and slowly people think it’s okay to use whatever words they like, as long as they meant something else? I might want to break out a whole kitten nal of racial slang that I am using in completely tangential ways, but does that make it okay?

I have a bunch of “nuclear option” real life examples that have happened to me personally because of the world that enabling slang creates, but I’ll save those since this is clearly not the crowd. Just understand that while you might not mean any offense with the words you use, you are unintentionally allowing, enabling, and perpetuating harm against others in doing so.

On the other hand, I hardly ever see any actually obscene or explicit chat. I grew up in the age of teh intarwebz and I know what to expect. I am consistently impressed with how mature the GW2 community is overall. I see some kinky stuff from time to time and people can get vulgar during big events, but it’s not bad.

You start off with a slang casual phrase that references a loss of mental health. Was it your intention to demean those with actual mental health issues? To belittle their very real problems by casually assuming their mantle in an internet discussion about the evolution of words and the offense that might be taken by those holding to only one definition of many for some such?

Or were you just using a phrase that doesn’t hold to its original meaning any longer in order to try to express a thought?

Gaile Gray.6029:

Donut.6914:

Behellagh.1468:

Donut.6914:

Lol you need to get over yourselves. There’s a profanity filter and a block option, if you can’t take people swearing, or talking about sex and drugs, then filter them out.

They’re not obligated to mind their manners around you. Remember, online actions and interactions are not rated by the ESRB.

It’s not there so players are free to use vulgar and profane language.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Why-is-there-a-Profanity-Filter/first#post4436966

Then what is it for? I say the f-word in almost every single sentence I make. That’s how I grew up, that’s who I am, that’s the way I speak. Many many people have blocked me because they don’t like to hear the f-word so much. I understand and respect that, but I am never going to stop saying it because of how others feel. That’s what the filter/block is for.

No, you’re absolutely wrong. If you have so little self control that you can’t avoid saying a word that is offensive to a majority of people, then stop talking in the game. It’s that simple. You do not have a license to swear because of the filter. You do not have permission to offend others because of a lack of self-control, or your personal belief system, or your feeling of an inherent right to do as you want.

Our games are played on private game servers, and everyone who plays our game — everyone — agrees to abide by the User Agreement and the Rules of Conduct. If you cannot uphold the agreement that you freely accepted in order to join our game then again, I encourage you not to use any of the public chat channels but instead restrict yourself to those that are of a private nature, such as party chat amongst like-minded friends.

Edited to change “vast majority” or “a majority.” Arguments about percentages, global interpretations, personal preferences, or semantics will not be entertained. This is an important topic that should be joined only with the intention of legitimate and helpful participation.

Thank you for stating this! Some players forget about the terns of service they agree to with each and every login. This isn’t your daddy’s garage.

Having said that, I feel the reporting tool can use a few more classifications.

Ashen.2907:

felessan.9587:

Serophous.9085:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Ashen.2907:

Word meanings change. They evolve over time. I know that at least some of those using words like, “ghey,” are not intending any reference at all to homosexuality. Gay did not originally mean homosexual. Similarly the term, “loverboy,” predates Zaoda’s presented definition of, “ghey-submissive-slaves.”

Of course we should combat personal attacks, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. but, “your definition of a slang word is different than mine so you should be punished,” seems like a bit much.

Interesting article about the word gay and how its meaning has changed over the years, including that the word is now starting to mean stupid or lame without reference to gay people.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/

See Southpark’s episode on another word that has changed meaning over time, and was basically hitting at this.

Look, I’m fine with the major curse words getting filter. Some people still have a problem with it if a kid hears it. And that’s what i saw a profanity filter and beeping on the radio and tv over those words was for, because kids might see it. Well, kids don’t stay kids for long, and they are gonna hear it, and be able to replace those beeps with what the actual word is.

Fact is, you can’t go on your whole life living in a bubble, be it playing an ONLINE game or going to work. You’re going to be exposed to it, and its not the end of the world. Its time to get some thicker skin and just learn to ignore it on your own.

I’ve learned one thing playing video games my whole life, and that is they are just games. Oh no, some nameless person said vulgar language to me as an insult that really has no impact on me in real life, whatever shall I do? Oh, not care? Suddenly, I feel so much better! And then you can actually see these little taunts or tantrums as being pretty hilarious. Now, of course, if it goes so far as stalking and harrassment, then you should report. But a one off brush? Pft. Big deal.

For the record, no, I’ve never run into what the OP is talking about. I had one guy taunting me and insulting me in spvp cause i was so bad, but yeah, I was. Big deal? After the game, he was gone, and I played another game.

Edit: That article is actually how me, my sister, and friends talk now. We don’t mean same sex, or happy, but now stupid or lame. If anything, its a GOOD thing, because, to me, gay with the same sex meaning was starting to sound more negative anyway with how it was used, and people thought “lets just change the definition to a negative then anyway”.

This argument makes me lose my mind.

Hearing people randomly shouting Fort Aspenwood Garbage (that’s clever, thanks!) or gay is not directly an attack on any one person, but it’s a reminder that, no matter what you think, we queer folks live in a society that persecutes, belittles, and harms us on a daily basis.

Using “gay” as slang for “stupid” comes directly from using it to demean people by labeling them homosexuals. You might not mean it that way. But what happens when people keep saying “words change” and slowly people think it’s okay to use whatever words they like, as long as they meant something else? I might want to break out a whole kitten nal of racial slang that I am using in completely tangential ways, but does that make it okay?

I have a bunch of “nuclear option” real life examples that have happened to me personally because of the world that enabling slang creates, but I’ll save those since this is clearly not the crowd. Just understand that while you might not mean any offense with the words you use, you are unintentionally allowing, enabling, and perpetuating harm against others in doing so.

On the other hand, I hardly ever see any actually obscene or explicit chat. I grew up in the age of teh intarwebz and I know what to expect. I am consistently impressed with how mature the GW2 community is overall. I see some kinky stuff from time to time and people can get vulgar during big events, but it’s not bad.

You start off with a slang casual phrase that references a loss of mental health. Was it your intention to demean those with actual mental health issues? To belittle their very real problems by casually assuming their mantle in an internet discussion about the evolution of words and the offense that might be taken by those holding to only one definition of many for some such?

Or were you just using a phrase that doesn’t hold to its original meaning any longer in order to try to express a thought?

You’re making assumptions about me that you might not want to be making.

serenke.4806:

Some of the posts here make it look as if map chat was full of some kind of immature or offensive comments. A cesspool of swear words and sexual jokes. That’s just not true.
What i find weird is that most of those who said this was the case have map chat turned off… so you don’t even know if it’s true or not. It is not true.

Honestly, i hate people who use “lol” and “:P” all the time. Maybe someone should do something about those (a perma ban might be in order).

Because you don’t see it, it must not be there? Perception is not reality. Just because the times you play and the places where you play do not have players abusing chat channels or other players is irrelevant. It happens, period.

The question going forward is what the playerbase can do to help Anet clean it up. For starters we can report the infractions more often versus simply blocking the person. As another poster admitted: he feels he had the right to use offensive language. Wrong. Players with mindsets like this have to be given consequences for their misdeeds and it starts with other players making Anet aware.

Vix.6730:

Because you don’t see it, it must not be there? Perception is not reality. Just because the times you play and the places where you play do not have players abusing chat channels or other players is irrelevant. It happens, period.

The question going forward is what the playerbase can do to help Anet clean it up. For starters we can report the infractions more often versus simply blocking the person. As another poster admitted: he feels he had the right to use offensive language. Wrong. Players with mindsets like this have to be given consequences for their misdeeds and it starts with other players making Anet aware.

It’s funny because your reality depends on your perception…. And i am on a LOT and i am in a LOT of different zones and game modes still for some weird reason i am not seeing all that insanely offensive chat that you are talking about.

But you also pointed out that this is not their daddy’s garage. Well, it’s not. It’s also not grandma’s tea party. It’s a community made up of all kinds of different people (different ages, different cultures) and all of them have to learn to live with each other (just like in real life).

Besides, just because you are not using swear words, you can still insult someone more than a dozen F words.

Sure if someone is abusive and offensive and just obnoxious in map chat, you can and should report them but you should also have your tolerance level set to something higher than zero.

Deli.1302:

Harassment and Verbal Abuse is completely different to using foul/adult language.
Seems this thread is mixing both things together.

Of course no one in their right mind would think it’s ok to verbally attack an individual in chat. But you’re just being an kitten if you want everyone to talk as if they’re British nobles.

If you think the British nobility never swear, I can assure you you’re very much mistaken. xD

The trick is to know when it is acceptable and when it isn’t.

I think the “act like you would in a nice restaurant” advice, when you’re talking to people you don’t know, is very apt.

In other words, the occasional swearword in a stressful situation (the waiter dropped hot soup in your lap!) is probably OK, but constant swearing, offensive (i.e. prejudiced) language and personal insults are not.

I’ve read through alot of these posts and some of you seem to have personalized the issue and seem very self righteous about it. So let me do the same.

My question is what gives you specifically the right to choose which words are offensive and which ones aren’t on a multicultural game?

Gw2 is very culturally diverse and many words have very different meanings for a great range of people. What might be offensive to you might actually have been completely harmless. GW2 has a block feature, a hide chat feature and a profanity filter for the more delicate souls that play the game.

Now I’m not condoning bullying or verbal abuse, for those there is a report button and I honestly haven’t seen it fail yet, though it can take a few days to kick in. They can only add so many words to the profanity filter, at which point it gets somewhat ridiculous.

An example of this:
Hooters in america means an adult bar (from what I understand). Where I am from it is a slang term for owls. Completely harmless. Yet this term I have often found to be blocked by profanity filters in many games.
There are many many names for genitalia which I had no idea about most of them about until coming to the internet only to find these words (when trying to use them in a complete mundane and harmless fashion) have been blocked as ‘profanity’.
They word Gay has also been discussed here alot; where I grew up it was still a term that meant ‘happy’. Not Homosexual. But thank you to whoever is responsible for perverting such a nice and innocent word. And now it has become slang for ‘uncool’ or ‘boring’ or ‘lame’ and all the homosexuals get up in arms about it. But heaven forbid that you remind such people about it actual meaning.

I’m sorry if this is a bit of a rant, but I am sick and tired of playing games where I have to change my language even though the words I do not use are cuss words or are not profanity, simply because some Americans decide that a word is offensive because it’s american slang, even when the context uses it’s ORIGINAL MEANING.

The profanity filter covers so much already, and can make harmless intellectual conversation difficult as it is. What more do you want them to do with it?
If someone is being a bully or being unnecessarily cruel or even if there is someone breaking TOS, there IS a report function and it does work. I suggest you use it. And if all that fails you are able to block the offensive person and never hear from them again.
The technology is there! Use it!

Smartcat.2130:

I’ve read through alot of these posts and some of you seem to have personalized the issue and seem very self righteous about it. So let me do the same.

My question is what gives you specifically the right to choose which words are offensive and which ones aren’t on a multicultural game?

Gw2 is very culturally diverse and many words have very different meanings for a great range of people. What might be offensive to you might actually have been completely harmless. GW2 has a block feature, a hide chat feature and a profanity filter for the more delicate souls that play the game.

Now I’m not condoning bullying or verbal abuse, for those there is a report button and I honestly haven’t seen it fail yet, though it can take a few days to kick in. They can only add so many words to the profanity filter, at which point it gets somewhat ridiculous.

An example of this:
Hooters in america means an adult bar (from what I understand). Where I am from it is a slang term for owls. Completely harmless. Yet this term I have often found to be blocked by profanity filters in many games.
There are many many names for genitalia which I had no idea about most of them about until coming to the internet only to find these words (when trying to use them in a complete mundane and harmless fashion) have been blocked as ‘profanity’.
They word Gay has also been discussed here alot; where I grew up it was still a term that meant ‘happy’. Not Homosexual. But thank you to whoever is responsible for perverting such a nice and innocent word. And now it has become slang for ‘uncool’ or ‘boring’ or ‘lame’ and all the homosexuals get up in arms about it. But heaven forbid that you remind such people about it actual meaning.

I’m sorry if this is a bit of a rant, but I am sick and tired of playing games where I have to change my language even though the words I do not use are cuss words or are not profanity, simply because some Americans decide that a word is offensive because it’s american slang, even when the context uses it’s ORIGINAL MEANING.

The profanity filter covers so much already, and can make harmless intellectual conversation difficult as it is. What more do you want them to do with it?
If someone is being a bully or being unnecessarily cruel or even if there is someone breaking TOS, there IS a report function and it does work. I suggest you use it. And if all that fails you are able to block the offensive person and never hear from them again.
The technology is there! Use it!

Block and dont read map chat if you find certain things triggering. Btw dare I ask if WoW is as “liberal” in applying censorship?

In first place I don’t think the term gay is offensive to homosexuals. I mean LGBTQI etc. Sorry I am not from a Western country, perhaps it is really offensive.

^ “Hooters” is a slang word for breasts, in the US.

If you call your char “Hooters”, you have literally called it “Breasts” (or worse!) in their eyes.

You can’t really expect them to allow that, can you?

Khal Drogo.9631:

Smartcat.2130:

I’ve read through alot of these posts and some of you seem to have personalized the issue and seem very self righteous about it. So let me do the same.

My question is what gives you specifically the right to choose which words are offensive and which ones aren’t on a multicultural game?

Gw2 is very culturally diverse and many words have very different meanings for a great range of people. What might be offensive to you might actually have been completely harmless. GW2 has a block feature, a hide chat feature and a profanity filter for the more delicate souls that play the game.

Now I’m not condoning bullying or verbal abuse, for those there is a report button and I honestly haven’t seen it fail yet, though it can take a few days to kick in. They can only add so many words to the profanity filter, at which point it gets somewhat ridiculous.

An example of this:
Hooters in america means an adult bar (from what I understand). Where I am from it is a slang term for owls. Completely harmless. Yet this term I have often found to be blocked by profanity filters in many games.
There are many many names for genitalia which I had no idea about most of them about until coming to the internet only to find these words (when trying to use them in a complete mundane and harmless fashion) have been blocked as ‘profanity’.
They word Gay has also been discussed here alot; where I grew up it was still a term that meant ‘happy’. Not Homosexual. But thank you to whoever is responsible for perverting such a nice and innocent word. And now it has become slang for ‘uncool’ or ‘boring’ or ‘lame’ and all the homosexuals get up in arms about it. But heaven forbid that you remind such people about it actual meaning.

I’m sorry if this is a bit of a rant, but I am sick and tired of playing games where I have to change my language even though the words I do not use are cuss words or are not profanity, simply because some Americans decide that a word is offensive because it’s american slang, even when the context uses it’s ORIGINAL MEANING.

The profanity filter covers so much already, and can make harmless intellectual conversation difficult as it is. What more do you want them to do with it?
If someone is being a bully or being unnecessarily cruel or even if there is someone breaking TOS, there IS a report function and it does work. I suggest you use it. And if all that fails you are able to block the offensive person and never hear from them again.
The technology is there! Use it!

Block and dont read map chat if you find certain things triggering. Btw dare I ask if WoW is as “liberal” in applying censorship?

In first place I don’t think the term gay is offensive to homosexuals. I mean LGBTQI etc. Sorry I am not from a Western country, perhaps it is really offensive.

It’s only offensive when it’s used in its latest meaning, which is basically “lame”.

As in: “Rangers are so gay.”, or whatever (not meaning that they are actually gay, but that they are a bad class).

Obviously, if you are a gay person, it will probably be offensive to you that the word used to describe your sexual orientation, now also means bad/lame.

As it would appear there was a connection made, at least at some point, between the two.

Obviously, historically, before it referred to sexuality, it meant happy and I think, also, brightly coloured/pretty?

So, within a few decades, it has gone from meaning happy/pretty, to lame, via a sexuality.

It’s had quite a journey…