Guild Wars 2

As the title says.

Here’s the details. I just got suspended for 71 hours because of “offensive names”. To everyone in the world, including whoever reported this and including devs/moderator, they were just funny names. But apparently at least one name did fall into some categories of offensive names, so I’m guessing someone had fun taking the opportunity of reporting just to grief, or maybe someone really is so insecure that they were offended, but I don’t wish the latter on anyone on earth because that must be one stressful life to live.

Obviously I’ll need to change my character names when the suspension is off. The real problem is this : to be honest, I really don’t have any idea which of my character has the offensive name. I can’t take the risk of listing the names on the forums, who knows what could happen at this point. So I wanna take this extremely long suspension time to think about new names for my characters.

The specifics: I’m going with the idea that I need to change all my character names, that may not be the case but there’s no way to know before the suspension is over. I rolled 3 females, 1 male. I’m not saying the races or professions because anything related to that is extremely cliché and boring, no offense to anyone who did that, it’s not personal, it’s not my opinion, that’s just how it is, no one can do anything about it (for RP it’s fine but I’m not into it).

I like funny, witty and catchy names that are kind of easy to read and remember but it HAS to be original/unique. I don’t want any messed up “éèçà” stuff, it’s not cool. Can’t be a phrase but either surname alone or with last name is fine.

I will come up with my own names but I need a guideline. I would really appreciate if you guys could post names that would fit the description above. Maybe your own names, or someone you saw in game, or maybe just got the idea right now on the fly, anything that you are SURE can not get reported because obviously I can’t see the line that shouldn’t be crossed.

TLDR: I got banned for evil names, need help with guideline for the kind of names that are impossible to report but still fit the description in the bold paragraph above.

I hope you are given a clue by the mods which name was in violation, and how to change it (I’m not aware of any option to change name for now, so they’ll probably provide one).

Without looking at your name, I have no idea on what names to suggest. Since we can use spaces, there are lots of options for naming characters. I’m not good at witty names though.

Dodgy Duke (thief)
Blake Butterfingers (thief)
Durandal The Shield (guardian)
Serian Dual Blades (thief? warrior?)

Those are probably not good, but they can be easy to remember because they mix an uncommon name, with a common denominator (butterfingers, dual blades, etc). I do not see any of them as offensive, and they could be made funny as well.

Anyway, good luck, and use spaces to your advantage!

1) Stop making excuses, stop trying to blame someone else. You picked the names, they were your choice, they’re your problem.

2) Ask the mods, not us. We can’t advise you on what does or does not fall foul of Anet’s naming guidelines. Only they can do that.

@Kal
Thanks for your input and also you came up with a name that I need to make an example. Butterfingers can actually be used as an insult and if stretched as much as my character names were, it can fall under “Make inappropriate references to human anatomy or bodily functions.” in the Naming Policies.
It may sound really far fetched, but it’s not. That’s why I requested help.

@Raedwulf
I got suspended, you didn’t. Clearly you are in a better position than me to give advises. Even not posting would have been more helpful than your display of trying to defend yourself over a topic that I can only assume you refuse to argue about. Yes the names were my choices and my problem, if I just keep picking names the same way I could end up with something else that can get reported without even realizing.

Errr.. Why do you think I am trying to defend myself? I’m not; I’m simply pointing out two things. First, you seem to like near-the-knuckle names. If you’re the wrong side of the knuckle, that isn’t the fault of the people reporting you; that’s down to you. Second, we really really can’t tell you where the knuckle is, how much you can push your luck, or what names might or might not be alright.

Errr.. Why do you think I am trying to defend myself? I’m not; I’m simply pointing out two things. First, you seem to like near-the-knuckle names. If you’re the wrong side of the knuckle, that isn’t the fault of the people reporting you; that’s down to you. Second, we really really can’t tell you where the knuckle is, how much you can push your luck, or what names might or might not be alright.I don’t choose the sort of names you like, so I don’t have your problem, and I can’t give you any advice. Honestly, none of us can. You need to either change your own “naming policy” or talk to Anet. Otherwise, you’re likely to end up blaming someone on this forum for giving you bad advice!

Errr.. Why do you think I am trying to defend myself? I’m not; I’m simply pointing out two things. First, you seem to like near-the-knuckle names. If you’re the wrong side of the knuckle, that isn’t the fault of the people reporting you; that’s down to you. Second, we really really can’t tell you where the knuckle is, how much you can push your luck, or what names might or might not be alright.I don’t choose the sort of names you like, so I don’t have your problem, and I can’t give you any advice. Honestly, none of us can. You need to either change your own “naming policy” or talk to Anet. Otherwise, you’re likely to end up blaming someone on this forum for giving you bad advice!{edit}kitten There’s something weird going on here. This post keeps doubling the first paragraph. I’ve tried editing it, I’ve tried copying out to wordpad, I’m really not repeating the first para all over… but the froum software refuses to do anything else. Something for the codies to look at, methinks! {/edit}

Errr.. Why do you think I am trying to defend myself? I’m not; I’m simply pointing out two things. First, you seem to like near-the-knuckle names. If you’re the wrong side of the knuckle, that isn’t the fault of the people reporting you; that’s down to you. Second, we really really can’t tell you where the knuckle is, how much you can push your luck, or what names might or might not be alright.I don’t choose the sort of names you like, so I don’t have your problem, and I can’t give you any advice. Honestly, none of us can. You need to either change your own “naming policy” or talk to Anet. Otherwise, you’re likely to end up blaming someone on this forum for giving you bad advice!{edit}kitten There’s something weird going on here. This post keeps doubling the first paragraph. I’ve tried editing it, I’ve tried copying out to wordpad, I’m really not repeating the first para all over… but the froum software refuses to do anything else. Something for the codies to look at, methinks! {/edit}{2nd edit} ROFL. OK, this is just getting silly. As you can all probably tell… {/2nd edit}

Raedwulf.3712:

Errr.. Why do you think I am trying to defend myself? I’m not; I’m simply pointing out two things. First, you seem to like near-the-knuckle names. If you’re the wrong side of the knuckle, that isn’t the fault of the people reporting you; that’s down to you. Second, we really really can’t tell you where the knuckle is, how much you can push your luck, or what names might or might not be alright.

Errr.. Why do you think I am trying to defend myself? I’m not; I’m simply pointing out two things. First, you seem to like near-the-knuckle names. If you’re the wrong side of the knuckle, that isn’t the fault of the people reporting you; that’s down to you. Second, we really really can’t tell you where the knuckle is, how much you can push your luck, or what names might or might not be alright.I don’t choose the sort of names you like, so I don’t have your problem, and I can’t give you any advice. Honestly, none of us can. You need to either change your own “naming policy” or talk to Anet. Otherwise, you’re likely to end up blaming someone on this forum for giving you bad advice!

Errr.. Why do you think I am trying to defend myself? I’m not; I’m simply pointing out two things. First, you seem to like near-the-knuckle names. If you’re the wrong side of the knuckle, that isn’t the fault of the people reporting you; that’s down to you. Second, we really really can’t tell you where the knuckle is, how much you can push your luck, or what names might or might not be alright.I don’t choose the sort of names you like, so I don’t have your problem, and I can’t give you any advice. Honestly, none of us can. You need to either change your own “naming policy” or talk to Anet. Otherwise, you’re likely to end up blaming someone on this forum for giving you bad advice!{edit}kitten There’s something weird going on here. This post keeps doubling the first paragraph. I’ve tried editing it, I’ve tried copying out to wordpad, I’m really not repeating the first para all over… but the froum software refuses to do anything else. Something for the codies to look at, methinks! {/edit}

Errr.. Why do you think I am trying to defend myself? I’m not; I’m simply pointing out two things. First, you seem to like near-the-knuckle names. If you’re the wrong side of the knuckle, that isn’t the fault of the people reporting you; that’s down to you. Second, we really really can’t tell you where the knuckle is, how much you can push your luck, or what names might or might not be alright.I don’t choose the sort of names you like, so I don’t have your problem, and I can’t give you any advice. Honestly, none of us can. You need to either change your own “naming policy” or talk to Anet. Otherwise, you’re likely to end up blaming someone on this forum for giving you bad advice!{edit}kitten There’s something weird going on here. This post keeps doubling the first paragraph. I’ve tried editing it, I’ve tried copying out to wordpad, I’m really not repeating the first para all over… but the froum software refuses to do anything else. Something for the codies to look at, methinks! {/edit}{2nd edit} ROFL. OK, this is just getting silly. As you can all probably tell… {/2nd edit}

Teach me to edit like you. Please =P

I already said I would come up with my own names, the advises will be used as a guideline to help me not get on the other side of that knuckle. Anyone who saw or used names that fit the given description and know for a fact these names cannot be reported for whatever reasons, however stretched they are, can just post these names here and it will help me out, simple as that.
I can’t just come up with a name and ask Anet if that’s okay. I’ve been playing since headstart with these names and it only happened now that someone reported this. If it was truely offensive it would have happened much sooner. It’s not a new alt with with bad name that just changed everything, and I use the chat quite a lot so it’s not like I’m trying to hide. There’s pretty big chances that if I asked Anet before making any of these character they would have said it’s fine, but then someone comes up with a weird opinion about it and change Anet’s mind. This is not black and white, there’s a huge gray area and somewhere in there, a name that seems fine turn into something offensive based on someone’s opinion.
Maybe I’m trying to get “near-the-knuckle” but it would be good to have some idea of what is impossible to ban without having all my characters sound like NPCs.

Sorry, I wasn’t suggesting you should ask them about specific names, more that you might ask them for clarification on the current guidelines, and particularly with regard to which name got you suspended & why. I’ve not actually seen any guidelines, I just presume it’s the usual “none of this”…

Just take a ‘three men walk into a bar’ joke, remove anything that isn’t a noun, adjective or the word ‘fidgetmongering’ and just throw them together. Guaranteed success.

When people make a report using the in game system it says that any abuse of the reporting system can lead the person reporting getting the ban. Personally i dont find Blake Butterfingers offensive, butterfingers usually means a person has a tendency to drop stuff or has a trouble catching things. I would say anyone reporting that name is abusing the reporting system, and i would actually fight it and get the reporter banned.

Now if you have a name like “Johnny McDropsthesoap” then of course you would be the one guilty of a naming infraction. Yah you didnt say anything directly offensive, but it’s what is being implied. If you’re not sure then dont put any references to anatomy offensive or otherwise, dont make any sexual references no matter how vague. Dont put any racial slang offensive or otherwise. If it even has any remote chance of being associated with any of those, even if you are trying to be funny i would leave it out. Dont try and think you are being clever either by trying to hide an offensive name in plain site and trying to defend it as a legit name.

It is the usual “none of this” except some things are hard to define. I could make a sylvari and be like “plant character hmm cereal comes from plants, I like Special K, that sounds like a fun name”. Two weeks later get banned because someone reported this under “Reference illegal drugs or activities.” because Ketamine is a drug that is sometimes called Special K.

No one should be offended by this name, if someone reading this is honestly offended by this then I feel really sorry for you. Some people would just see an opportunity to try and ban someone because the name has the potential to be banned according to the Naming Policies, just because they feel like trying to ban someone and not because they are truly offended.

cosmatman.9306:

When people make a report using the in game system it says that any abuse of the reporting system can lead the person reporting getting the ban. Personally i dont find Blake Butterfingers offensive, butterfingers usually means a person has a tendency to drop stuff or has a trouble catching things. I would say anyone reporting that name is abusing the reporting system, and i would actually fight it and get the reporter banned.

Now if you have a name like “Johnny McDropsthesoap” then of course you would be the one guilty of a naming infraction. Yah you didnt say anything directly offensive, but it’s what is being implied. If you’re not sure then dont put any references to anatomy offensive or otherwise, dont make any sexual references no matter how vague. Dont put any racial slang offensive or otherwise. If it even has any remote chance of being associated with any of those, even if you are trying to be funny i would leave it out. Dont try and think you are being clever either by trying to hide an offensive name in plain site and trying to defend it as a legit name.

Thank you, that’s actually very useful.
I don’t really find this kind of name clever, I just enjoy kinda-stupid names that sound funny. McDropthesoap is just funny to me and it’s actually bolder than my character names and I seriously thought a name needed to be far more extreme than that to deserve a ban.

Anet posted something a while ago about a number of people getting banned for bad names and I was like “kittenthat’s a lot, how comes I haven’t seen any bad names if that many already got banned?” Now I realize I probably saw most of them and since they’re not really offensive it never occurred to me.

Edit: “kitten” really… I should just name all my characters Kittensomething. At this point it’s just as offensive as anything else since people know what it means.