Guild Wars 2

I’m sure this is going to get a lot of hate if Map chat is anything to go by, but this issue has been on my mind for awhile and I feel the need to say it.

Map chat is a pubic space and many different people use it, with many different life experiences and hurts and problems. Of course it’s mostly an open forum too and people can’t expect that the topics there will always fit with their world views.

However.

One of the things I’ve loved about GW2 from the beginning is that Anet has worked tirelessly to keep the general atmosphere elevated above WoW Barrens chat level. But they can’t do it all. We the community need to decide that we don’t want the kind of Map that allows people to be as offensive as possible for the sake of doing so. Frankly, if we condone such cesspits as have taken shape in other games it hurts the community. If you’re not sure whether you’re going to get hate in a random group, you’ll be less likely to join for one thing.

There’s a real attitude out there that when someone is offended it’s the offended person’s fault, no matter the subject or how callously it is being discussed by strangers. I want us as a community to realize that MMOs are social things, and that inclusion is important to the health of any social environment. Part of being inclusive is taking a certain amount of responsibility for the comfort of our fellows and avoiding big topics that tend to hurt, such as kitten and abuse, in the company of strangers. I often hear a lot of callous arguments against this, as if it’s people’s right to be hateful/offensive/joking. Perhaps so, but we’re trying to build and maintain a pleasant experience here. I find the arguments about free speech and the like very hollow. A question I often ask is, why are you so invested in using slurs or hurting people? No one can ever answer that. Nothing is being taken from you when you’re asked not to use slurs, for example. It’s very easy to eliminate these things from your vocabulary, once you take the time to do so.

So I come here asking that if you’re about to start a discussion about something like that or even worse make a joke in public, I ask you to reconsider. For me personally every time I see a cavalier discussion of say, kitten , it ruins the game for days. Just last night someone was actually joking about BEING a kitten in real life in Map. Please don’t justify it with some notion that this is just what we have to put up with if we want to game online. Let’s try and move away from victim blaming and keep Map a little but safer for everyone.

Thank you for reading.

I’ve kinda gotten the sense that Queensdale chat is now the Barrens equivalent.

Honestly, I don’t see a problem in people joking around or rambling on about random topics in map chat. I’ll usually jump in myself and joke around, some guy was talking about a unicorn chasing him in Queensdale he was trying to kill, so a few of us we’re trying to give him tips to fighting in, and listing other beings that were attacking as well.

A few times in LA I’ve seen some major arguments about actual topics start up, and some shorter ones as well.

If people aren’t trying to dictate what they’re saying as the complete truth, and still willing to accept that someone else has a differing opinion during a discussion, I see no harm.

If someone is putting someone down, or a group, etc. then it becomes something a little out of hand.

Otherwise, I don’t mind the nonsensical chats going on, and will join in on them myself if they’re any bit interesting.

Slurs are a bannable offense, you can report anything you find offensive and let the mods to sort it out.

Oh, I don’t mind randomness at all! I’ve had good experiences in Map too, and I still think we’re one of the most helpful MMO communities out there. I’m talking about things that are very charged, loaded topics handled poorly, and furthermore when someone points that out and asks people to stop, the person doing the asking gets attacked as well.

Warzaw.2708:

I’ve kinda gotten the sense that Queensdale chat is now the Barrens equivalent.

Honestly, I don’t see a problem in people joking around or rambling on about random topics in map chat. I’ll usually jump in myself and joke around, some guy was talking about a unicorn chasing him in Queensdale he was trying to kill, so a few of us we’re trying to give him tips to fighting in, and listing other beings that were attacking as well.

A few times in LA I’ve seen some major arguments about actual topics start up, and some shorter ones as well.

If people aren’t trying to dictate what they’re saying as the complete truth, and still willing to accept that someone else has a differing opinion during a discussion, I see no harm.

If someone is putting someone down, or a group, etc. then it becomes something a little out of hand.

Otherwise, I don’t mind the nonsensical chats going on, and will join in on them myself if they’re any bit interesting.

The thing is…people are dumb and easily offended sometimes, and anyone can be offended by anything. Some things offend me, but I realize they only really offend me so I dont make a big deal about it. I just hate censorship. Were it up to me, there would be no kitten, but the actual swears. Just when people start attacking eachother is when its an issue, but you can attack someone without swearing too.

Ive gotten into discussions in map chat that some people did not like. Not because they were offensive, they just did not like talking about it, but should that mean we are to not talk? I’d rather encourage people talking more. GW2 is quiet enough as it is.