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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

Forgive me if this is the wrong place to be posting this, but I wasn’t able to find any information concerning where I should submit a ban appeal ANYWHERE.

I was just banned for inappropriate language.
Granted, it wasn’t the most polite thing to say, but I highly doubt I offended anyone.
When playing in WvW, I said “Let’s go kill some kittens”

At first glance it’s understandable how it could be interpreted as offensive, however, I’d like to think that any reasonable person would see it as being all in good taste.
Obviously I didn’t LITERALLY suggest that our group of 20 go and slaughter black people.
I was referring to the enemy as “kittens” in a joking sense. The enemy team is obviously not entirely comprised of black people.
I’d like to ask if my statement was really worthy of a 71 hour ban.

I understand that we’d like to reinforce some semblance of order and authority in the game world, but we aren’t in elementary school. Most of us are actually adults, I believe. If anyone was TRULY offended by what I said, then I apologize – however I doubt this is the case.

I would love for any assistance concerning review or appeal, as it would be highly appreciated

(edited by DanceGavinDance.2651)

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Posted by: Inculpatus cedo.9234

Inculpatus cedo.9234

No idea what you said, but if it was a word that began with the letter ‘N’, then I can not understand how you could ever think that was acceptable, at all. I feel you must be trolling everyone. I wouldn’t bother appealing, it won’t do any good. You might check all the other threads about being banned for offensive language.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

This game has a swear filter for a reason. If someone is likely to be offended by such language, then I don’t know why they’d be playing an MMORPG with a swear filter turned off.
Is it seriously not acceptable to jokingly say the N word? Has society honestly degraded to such a point where we can’t even say a single word, even in a completely non serious fashion without expecting to be reprimanded?
I mean it wasn’t even directed at anyone in particular, I’m just a little surprised regarding where the line is drawn.
I suppose if the ban sticks then there’s nothing I can do, but I’ll be pretty taken aback that an upstanding company like Arena Net would throw around 71 bans for something as little as saying the N word.

(edited by DanceGavinDance.2651)

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Posted by: Nate Anabe.6091

Nate Anabe.6091

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
—Napoleon Bonaparte

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

Thank you so much, looked for something similar to this but wasn’t able to find anything

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Posted by: gassy.8975

gassy.8975

For that kind of language I don’t think a 3-day suspension is enough. The fact that they suspended you shows me that they ARE an upstanding company.

In any case, read this: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/account/Filter-for-what/first#post1655981

If that isn’t enough, do some forum searches. It has been said many many many many many many many times that the language filter does NOT give you a license to swear / use obscene language. I turn it off because it sometimes blocks out legitimate non-obscene normal conversation. That doesn’t mean I want to read racial slurs.

You earned yourself a suspension. It’s most likely not going to be revoked. Take this time to learn what words you should instead use in chat to avoid a second suspension. I believe that one is 7 days long, if I’m not mistaken.

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Posted by: Astral Projections.7320

Astral Projections.7320

Yep. It was worthy of a 71 hour ban. Lots of people are offended by others throwing the N word around. Next time use the forum filter word, kittens. It’s safe and it means whatever your little heart desires.

By the way, if you HADN’T offended anyone then you wouldn’t have been reported and then banned. So obviously you did offend at least one person. A number of “fairly reasonable people” do not think someone throwing the N word around is in good taste.

(edited by Astral Projections.7320)

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Posted by: ShiningSquirrel.3751

ShiningSquirrel.3751

I am shocked someone would use that word, get rightfully suspended for using it, then actually try to appeal it. Far less offensive things have been said and the appeals denied.
Actually, I do not think I have ever seen an appeal for language actually amount to anything, except Gail saying what was said was offensive, and the suspension deserved, which is what I expect to see here as well. ;-)

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

I guess maybe it’s a cultural thing.
Australia really doesn’t give much of a kitten. We’re laid back, I suppose.

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Posted by: ShiningSquirrel.3751

ShiningSquirrel.3751

I guess maybe it’s a cultural thing.
Australia really doesn’t give much of a kitten. We’re laid back, I suppose.

That may be. Here in the US, it’s probably one of the top worse things you can say.

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Posted by: Loli Ruri.8307

Loli Ruri.8307

I know jokes, they tend to be funny and make people laugh. Sadly somebody didn’t laugh with what you call a joke, and reported the offensive language.

Let’s put it this way, putting offensive language into any context doesn’t justify using it. Don’t do it!

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Posted by: Okierider.4679

Okierider.4679

Offensive language takes the funny out of so many otherwise funny people.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

I just thought it was a little strange seeing as I didn’t specifically refer to any individual. I referred to the collective group of enemies in WvW.
The language clearly wasn’t intended to offend and a simple warning or even a small ban would have sufficed and shown me where the border is for offensive language in this game.
A 72 hour swing of the banhammer just seems excessive and will likely breed resentment in any similar cases of language.
I don’t see the point in having a profanity filter if the use of profanity gets you banned anyway.
/banmad

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Posted by: LeCreaux.3087

LeCreaux.3087

I don’t see the point in having a profanity filter if the use of profanity gets you banned anyway.
/banmad

READ THIS for the explanation.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

Again, a warning or smaller ban would have sufficed.
72 hours for saying the N word seems like overkill.

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Posted by: Aspirine.9470

Aspirine.9470

I suppose you could get your ban lifted if you could prove you are black.

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Posted by: gassy.8975

gassy.8975

If Gaile responds to this thread she will probably tell you that the 3-day suspensions IS your warning.

You used a word that is associated with centuries of discrimination and other far worse things, yet you think it’s perfectly acceptable to use it. How someone can think it’s okay to throw such language around I don’t know, but apparently it’s acceptable in your social circle. It is not, however, socially acceptable when you’re interacting with people around the world. ArenaNet is a multi-national game. It’s not a game specifically for you and your close friends.

If you came to the US and used that word in a public place such as a restaurant or movie theater, the consequences imposed by the general public would probably be far worse than what ArenaNet imposed.

I suggest using this 3-day timeout to think about how your actions do have consequences. If 3 days isn’t enough for that and the choice of words continues, hopefully 7 days will be sufficient.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

I am honestly really quite shocked to find that the word carries such horrible consequences and social stigma within the U.S.
I guess maybe it has something to do with the fact we oppressed our native population of aborigines on an absolutely disgusting scale. There’s not really a word like the N word that we have though.
Words only have power if we give it to them.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

“Cursing in public chat channels is like cursing at an Olive Garden. You’ll get kicked out if someone complains. “
Are we honestly comparing the public chat of an online MMORPG whose main playerbase is aged 25-35 to Olive Garden?
I don’t mean to be rude, but I play Guild Wars sitting in my room in my underwear with some cordial at 2am. The internet has an entirely different culture.

(edited by DanceGavinDance.2651)

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Posted by: Inculpatus cedo.9234

Inculpatus cedo.9234

Always good advice from a fellow 72-hour ban for inappropriate language user.

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Posted by: ShiningSquirrel.3751

ShiningSquirrel.3751

Basically, Anet does not give warnings for anything. They have stated that in the past they have found warnings are ineffective and take more resources as players want to argue the point. Currently the TOS is considered your warning what will happen, and that is the only one given. As I have said previously, what you said is probably one of the worst possible things you could say. I run multiple gaming servers, and that single word earns a player a lifetime ban from all of them instantly, automatically and with no chance of an appeal.

In a nutshell, the rules are clear, violate them and you receive the standard suspension all are given. They do not look at the chat channel and say “this word is not as bad as that word, so lets only suspend him for an hour”. If they gave out punishments according to what was said, you would probably have your account terminated so you are lucky it is a standard suspension for all.

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Posted by: ShiningSquirrel.3751

ShiningSquirrel.3751

I am honestly really quite shocked to find that the word carries such horrible consequences and social stigma within the U.S.
I guess maybe it has something to do with the fact we oppressed our native population of aborigines on an absolutely disgusting scale. There’s not really a word like the N word that we have though.
Words only have power if we give it to them.

They are either exaggerating to try and make you feel worse, or they live an extremely sheltered life. That word is used everywhere here, mostly by teens, in the exact same joking manner. I’m not saying it isn’t frowned upon by adults or that its okay to say, but that word is most certainly used quite a bit in the US.

Ignore gassy, I think he’s trolling or in lala-land but he has a habit of not understanding the situation and posting condescending nonsense. He spends so much time in this forum that he should probably play the game instead of telling people how to behave in it.

You must live in a very bad part of town if you think that word is just a joke, and any teens who think so are just a comment on bad parenting. Gassy’s comment is pretty much right on the money. The op SHOULD be ashamed of himself.
There is NO excuse for using that word in public chat in an online game and nothing can change that. The suspension was more then justified, so really this whole thread is rather pointless.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

Basically, Anet does not give warnings for anything.

How peachy.

I run multiple gaming servers, and that single word earns a player a lifetime ban from all of them instantly, automatically and with no chance of an appeal.

No offense, but that’s really, really harsh. You would instantly permaban someone from a game server AUTOMATICALLY with NO CHANCE FOR APPEAL for just saying the N word? What kind of environment does that encourage?
I would think that players would be afraid to utter the wrong phrase for fear of being PERMANENTLY BANNED.
That’s outrageous in ANY community, let alone a gaming community.

If they gave out punishments according to what was said, you would probably have your account terminated so you are lucky it is a standard suspension for all.

I’d have my account terminated within 4 days of purchasing the $60 game for as little as saying the N word?
That’s not a gaming environment I want to be a part of.

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Posted by: gassy.8975

gassy.8975

I’ve lived in 4 states in the U.S. Most of the areas I’ve lived in have been very culturally diverse. In none of the areas I’ve lived in would people throwing that word around be considered socially acceptable.

It seems the suspensions you guys are earning are not showing you that your behavior isn’t acceptable.

Again… you are interacting with people who don’t necessarily share your beliefs. If you are unable to take this into consideration when interacting with people in chat, perhaps multi-player games are not for you.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

The whole social stigma that surrounds a simple word is outrageous. It only contributes further to the distorted and disproportionate attitude so many people associate with it.
It’s perfectly acceptable to make the ‘Okay’ hand sign in Westernized culture, however all you need to do is go on Wikipedia to see that in several countries it even has vulgar meanings.

Context and perceived meaning are things that we apply to words and language through social convection and popular culture over the course of several years.

To suggest that an MMORPG community of over 1 million is exempt not only to the wonderous phenomenon that is global culture, but to the world of explicit language is preposterous wishful thinking.

It comes down to a matter of business management vs player behavior. In an absolutely massive and successful game such as Guild Wars, is it safer to say that it is going to attract players from around the globe and therefore should take into account global differences in culture when slapping around bans for misconduct – or to assume that players themselves should consciously make that connection at all times of play?

I personally do not think throwing out 3 day bans for profanity is going to solve the issue. ESPECIALLY if people are not warned prior to receiving a 3 day ban.

Granted, I will DEFINITELY not be swearing again, but I feel as though I shouldn’t have to watch what I say in an online environment that I payed 60 dollars for. I’m not a child in elementary school and STATISTICS would argue that the vast majority of people I’m playing with aren’t either.

And if we’re arguing that American’s find the word more offensive than other Nations, I may as well bring up a free speech debate and argue that if we can’t arrest the Westboro Baptist Church under the guise of free speech, why is banning for something as minuscule as profanity acceptable?

This sort of thing is extremely rare in other games, especially MMO’s.

(edited by DanceGavinDance.2651)

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Posted by: Inculpatus cedo.9234

Inculpatus cedo.9234

You are absolutely right, agauos, and I apologize.

It is probably never good advice to listen to those that get inappropriate language-suspended and argue about it on the forums.

I should not have said that, and I, again, apologize.

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Posted by: ShiningSquirrel.3751

ShiningSquirrel.3751

Basically, Anet does not give warnings for anything.

How peachy.

I run multiple gaming servers, and that single word earns a player a lifetime ban from all of them instantly, automatically and with no chance of an appeal.

No offense, but that’s really, really harsh. You would instantly permaban someone from a game server AUTOMATICALLY with NO CHANCE FOR APPEAL for just saying the N word? What kind of environment does that encourage?
I would think that players would be afraid to utter the wrong phrase for fear of being PERMANENTLY BANNED.
That’s outrageous in ANY community, let alone a gaming community.

On my servers we have players as young as 5 years old. All players know that NO foul/inappropriate language of any kind will be tolerated. They are given a screen at their first login stating the rules and that they are family friendly servers that they have to agree to in order to continue, and there are pop up reminders between loading screens as well that rotate.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

In Australia, if you said that word (or any swear word) in public, even around another black person, you would receive a dirty look AT MOST.
Most people generally seem to understand that the word isn’t always intended in a derogatory fashion, and that the mere inclusion of a particular word doesn’t transform a sentence into an insult against all black people.
The world is a fascinating place.

Australians take their language far less seriously, there is a lot more profanity in Australian media as well. For YEARS a major tourism slogan was “Where the bloody hell are ya?”

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Posted by: gassy.8975

gassy.8975

Again… you are interacting with people who don’t necessarily share your beliefs. If you are unable to take this into consideration when interacting with people in chat, perhaps multi-player games are not for you.

You know this can be thrown right back at you, right?

It seems the suspensions you guys are earning are not showing you that your behavior isn’t acceptable.

Wow, look at that mentality! Do you see it? It says “I didn’t get suspended, so I’m better than you guys!”

I’m not sure where any of that is coming from. No I haven’t been suspended. And I never said I was better than anyone.

But I also don’t insult people in chat or toss racial slurs around or curse. Perhaps that is why I can still log in and play (if I wasn’t currently “working”).

In any case, why is it apparently impossible to just treat other players politely and not use words that have had a long history of negative connotations?

/shrug

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

On my servers we have players as young as 5 years old. All players know that NO foul/inappropriate language of any kind will be tolerated. They are given a screen at their first login stating the rules and that they are family friendly servers that they have to agree to in order to continue, and there are pop up reminders between loading screens as well that rotate.

None of these measures are taken in Guild Wars 2.
There was a section regarding offensive language in the part of signup that most of us hardly read at all and just click ‘accept’

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Posted by: bluestocking.6148

bluestocking.6148

This is why they don’t give you warnings. They’re not interested in arguing with you about it – and since you’ve spent several posts arguing about why you shouldn’t have gotten a suspension for it with people that can’t even do a thing about it, I can’t imagine you’d listen to a “Don’t say that word again please.”

But maybe I’m wrong. So … don’t say that word again, please, or use another slur of any kind to refer to your opponents.

I am destruction itself. I also bake cookies.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

This is why they don’t give you warnings. They’re not interested in arguing with you about it – and since you’ve spent several posts arguing about why you shouldn’t have gotten a suspension for it with people that can’t even do a thing about it, I can’t imagine you’d listen to a “Don’t say that word again please.”

But maybe I’m wrong. So … don’t say that word again, please, or use another slur of any kind to refer to your opponents.

I won’t be using ANY even SLIGHTLY offensive language EVER again while playing Guild Wars 2.
It just strikes me as very odd, because I feel as though as a paying customer for a Teen rated game, I’d at least be able to turn OFF my profanity filter and swear without fear of having my character banned.
It’s a precaution I’ll obviously take, but I feel as though it’s one I shouldn’t have to.

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Posted by: bluestocking.6148

bluestocking.6148

There we go! Suspension worked! Hugs all around!

I am destruction itself. I also bake cookies.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

There we go! Suspension worked! Hugs all around!

I believe that if profanity is against the code of conduct, the game developers should not include an option to disable profanity filtering. It’s extremely misleading.

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Posted by: simplesimon.2084

simplesimon.2084

There we go! Suspension worked! Hugs all around!

I believe that if profanity is against the code of conduct, the game developers should not include an option to disable profanity filtering. It’s extremely misleading.

A lot of people turn it off becauss it block words or parts of words that in there context are not bad, but the filter would block them.

Just havd to be aware of your suroundings. Map chat in LA, not the best place for questionable language. In a party with friends you can use language more losly.

I ran in a couple “talk like a sailor” groups and it’s a blast. You just have to find like minded people.

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Posted by: bluestocking.6148

bluestocking.6148

There we go! Suspension worked! Hugs all around!

I believe that if profanity is against the code of conduct, the game developers should not include an option to disable profanity filtering. It’s extremely misleading.

True story: I once played a game where the word “assassinate” was filtered to “buttbuttinate”. Hilarious, but annoying. Sometimes the filter catches things it’s not meant to, and people turn it off. Just apply a little Wheaton’s Law to your conversation in public areas.

I am destruction itself. I also bake cookies.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

There we go! Suspension worked! Hugs all around!

I believe that if profanity is against the code of conduct, the game developers should not include an option to disable profanity filtering. It’s extremely misleading.

A lot of people turn it off becauss it block words or parts of words that in there context are not bad, but the filter would block them.

Just havd to be aware of your suroundings. Map chat in LA, not the best place for questionable language. In a party with friends you can use language more losly.

I ran in a couple “talk like a sailor” groups and it’s a blast. You just have to find like minded people.

The thing that bothers me is that for someone to have read what I said and interpreted it as offensive, they would ALSO have to have their profanity filter disabled, and yet I was reported anyway.
If I hated receiving emails from games and wesbites that I belong to, I wouldn’t tick the ‘send me emails’ box, you know?

3 days for nothing more than saying a bad word seems pretty harsh to me, I guess.

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Posted by: FangedTerror.3852

FangedTerror.3852

I have m filter enabled because i lol everytime a regluar word used in an npc chat is blocked andI want to know why. There is one in lornar’s pass that I still havent figured out how it is a bad word…

Any person with half a brain can easily replace a few dashes across the screen wih the bad word using the context of the sentence. In my guild we have one guy who likes to throw ou some blue language every now and again and even with only 1 or two words that aren’t filtered ou it is easy to understand what he said….

You said something contreversial and someone reported you and now you are in he penalty box . You have stated you will be overly careful in the future so appaently this works as some other poster mentioned. My only gripe is that these people still can post on he forum, which they will do because they aren’t allowed in the game. True it is hysterical for the most part to read these and await the inevitable final word.

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Posted by: DanceGavinDance.2651

DanceGavinDance.2651

I just think the whole concept of banning for profanity in a Teen rated MMORPG is a bit silly.
I guess when people are hacking and slashing their opponents to death in a gruesome display of WvW violence, the most horrible thing they could witness is someone saying a naughty word.

(edited by DanceGavinDance.2651)

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Posted by: ShadyNZL.9018

ShadyNZL.9018

the most horrible thing they could witness is someone saying a naughty word.

You obviously don’t understand why you were banned….

The issue IMO isn’t about the word you used entirely but also HOW you used the word…

You didn’t just say a “naughty word” – how you used it could be viewed by ANet as inciting racial hatred…

You could say what you said with non offensive words and it would still be a reportable and bannable offence…

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Posted by: Inculpatus cedo.9234

Inculpatus cedo.9234

Just in case it disappears, without a word:

Do not debate Customer Support decisions or actions. Threads or posts designed to announce, appeal, or contest your own or another player’s suspension or account termination—be it forum or game account—will be removed without notice.

Code of Conduct

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Posted by: Ashlar.2519

Ashlar.2519

I would like to comment here to those in America that the people in Australia DO realise the connotation of that particular word, the meaning behind it, and it is NOT used in normal, daily conversations. Maybe amongst certain age brackets, though unfortunately that seems to be rather prevalent both in Australia as well as in America.

As for DanceGavinDance – you need to remember that conversation in-game is done via text, where it can be very difficult to determine when someone is joking around or serious based simply on words on a screen. Whether you intended your comment to be a joke or not, it was extremely offensive and the appropriate action has been taken by AreanNet. You are free to appeal the suspension, but I suspect (and would expect) it to be upheld.

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Posted by: Morian.2031

Morian.2031

The whole social stigma that surrounds a simple word is outrageous. It only contributes further to the distorted and disproportionate attitude so many people associate with it.
It’s perfectly acceptable to make the ‘Okay’ hand sign in Westernized culture, however all you need to do is go on Wikipedia to see that in several countries it even has vulgar meanings.

Context and perceived meaning are things that we apply to words and language through social convection and popular culture over the course of several years.

To suggest that an MMORPG community of over 1 million is exempt not only to the wonderous phenomenon that is global culture, but to the world of explicit language is preposterous wishful thinking.

It comes down to a matter of business management vs player behavior. In an absolutely massive and successful game such as Guild Wars, is it safer to say that it is going to attract players from around the globe and therefore should take into account global differences in culture when slapping around bans for misconduct – or to assume that players themselves should consciously make that connection at all times of play?

I personally do not think throwing out 3 day bans for profanity is going to solve the issue. ESPECIALLY if people are not warned prior to receiving a 3 day ban.

Granted, I will DEFINITELY not be swearing again, but I feel as though I shouldn’t have to watch what I say in an online environment that I payed 60 dollars for. I’m not a child in elementary school and STATISTICS would argue that the vast majority of people I’m playing with aren’t either.

And if we’re arguing that American’s find the word more offensive than other Nations, I may as well bring up a free speech debate and argue that if we can’t arrest the Westboro Baptist Church under the guise of free speech, why is banning for something as minuscule as profanity acceptable?

This sort of thing is extremely rare in other games, especially MMO’s.

Yes. Yes it is. I’ll completely agree with you on that argument. But I’m not agreeing in the way you think, because you see, that’s a BAD thing. It’s one of the reasons contributing to the increasing stigmatization of gamers and gamer culture – this vicious, poisonous in-game “chatting” profanity and hate speech that goes on in some games.

So Yes, it doesn’t happen in other games that you get actual painful consequences for using a term that you KNOW (c’mon, don’t tell me you didn’t know) was very, very bad, and can be argued to be hate speech. You knew it was a horrible word and you just hoped that no one would report you for it.

(PS, the whole “words have the power you give them” thing is not true at all, especially not when the words have power given to them by powerful institutions. Learn you some sociology, or believe me, I’m a South African.)

The fact that something like that has actual painful consequences here is a GREAT thing, and is attracting many players like people I know personally, who love games, and who are gamers in any sense of the word, but could never play online because they simply never had the “you must have this thick skin to play” that other games expect from you because in their own freaking lifetimes words like the one you used were used to dehumanize them, make them seem less than “full” human, so that horrible atrocities could be committed against them.

Now you may think it’s “silly” to have rules like that for a Teen-aged game, but that is ONLY because you are sitting comfortably in a position where no words like that have been used against you, leading to actual, real-life consequences on your body or the people you love. For those who have had that happen to them, online gaming was just yet another thing they had to miss out on.

You should be, as at least a teen-aged person, mature enough to enjoy a game without making it unpleasant for others, regardless of filters or no filters or country of origin.

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Posted by: Nate Anabe.6091

Nate Anabe.6091

The whole social stigma that surrounds a simple word is outrageous. It only contributes further to the distorted and disproportionate attitude so many people associate with it.
It’s perfectly acceptable to make the ‘Okay’ hand sign in Westernized culture, however all you need to do is go on Wikipedia to see that in several countries it even has vulgar meanings.

Context and perceived meaning are things that we apply to words and language through social convection and popular culture over the course of several years.

To suggest that an MMORPG community of over 1 million is exempt not only to the wonderous phenomenon that is global culture, but to the world of explicit language is preposterous wishful thinking.

It comes down to a matter of business management vs player behavior. In an absolutely massive and successful game such as Guild Wars, is it safer to say that it is going to attract players from around the globe and therefore should take into account global differences in culture when slapping around bans for misconduct – or to assume that players themselves should consciously make that connection at all times of play?

I personally do not think throwing out 3 day bans for profanity is going to solve the issue. ESPECIALLY if people are not warned prior to receiving a 3 day ban.

Granted, I will DEFINITELY not be swearing again, but I feel as though I shouldn’t have to watch what I say in an online environment that I payed 60 dollars for. I’m not a child in elementary school and STATISTICS would argue that the vast majority of people I’m playing with aren’t either.

And if we’re arguing that American’s find the word more offensive than other Nations, I may as well bring up a free speech debate and argue that if we can’t arrest the Westboro Baptist Church under the guise of free speech, why is banning for something as minuscule as profanity acceptable?

This sort of thing is extremely rare in other games, especially MMO’s.

what you said was a racialy obscene word that is not covered under the first ammendment of the U.S. constitution.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1957 that the First Amendment did not protect obscenity.
westboro has the right to free assembly what i cannot understand is why they say God hates ciggarettes

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
—Napoleon Bonaparte

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Posted by: bluestocking.6148

bluestocking.6148

The whole social stigma that surrounds a simple word is outrageous. It only contributes further to the distorted and disproportionate attitude so many people associate with it.
It’s perfectly acceptable to make the ‘Okay’ hand sign in Westernized culture, however all you need to do is go on Wikipedia to see that in several countries it even has vulgar meanings.

Context and perceived meaning are things that we apply to words and language through social convection and popular culture over the course of several years.

To suggest that an MMORPG community of over 1 million is exempt not only to the wonderous phenomenon that is global culture, but to the world of explicit language is preposterous wishful thinking.

It comes down to a matter of business management vs player behavior. In an absolutely massive and successful game such as Guild Wars, is it safer to say that it is going to attract players from around the globe and therefore should take into account global differences in culture when slapping around bans for misconduct – or to assume that players themselves should consciously make that connection at all times of play?

I personally do not think throwing out 3 day bans for profanity is going to solve the issue. ESPECIALLY if people are not warned prior to receiving a 3 day ban.

Granted, I will DEFINITELY not be swearing again, but I feel as though I shouldn’t have to watch what I say in an online environment that I payed 60 dollars for. I’m not a child in elementary school and STATISTICS would argue that the vast majority of people I’m playing with aren’t either.

And if we’re arguing that American’s find the word more offensive than other Nations, I may as well bring up a free speech debate and argue that if we can’t arrest the Westboro Baptist Church under the guise of free speech, why is banning for something as minuscule as profanity acceptable?

This sort of thing is extremely rare in other games, especially MMO’s.

what you said was a racialy obscene word that is not covered under the first ammendment of the U.S. constitution.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1957 that the First Amendment did not protect obscenity.
westboro has the right to free assembly what i cannot understand is why they say God hates ciggarettes

The first amendment wouldn’t cover it regardless, as that only refers to government suppression of speech. ArenaNet is not the government. It’s their private playground, and they get to make the rules.

I am destruction itself. I also bake cookies.

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Posted by: Inculpatus cedo.9234

Inculpatus cedo.9234

A bit confusing….first you say it is ok to say the N-word, because you aren’t American, and their conventions don’t apply, then you say it’s ok because of America’s free speech rules, and their conventions do apply.
I really wish you much luck with your appeal, and hope you get a deserving answer.

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Posted by: Comicus.4036

Comicus.4036

Yes. Yes it is. I’ll completely agree with you on that argument. But I’m not agreeing in the way you think, because you see, that’s a BAD thing. It’s one of the reasons contributing to the increasing stigmatization of gamers and gamer culture – this vicious, poisonous in-game “chatting” profanity and hate speech that goes on in some games.

So Yes, it doesn’t happen in other games that you get actual painful consequences for using a term that you KNOW (c’mon, don’t tell me you didn’t know) was very, very bad, and can be argued to be hate speech. You knew it was a horrible word and you just hoped that no one would report you for it.

(PS, the whole “words have the power you give them” thing is not true at all, especially not when the words have power given to them by powerful institutions. Learn you some sociology, or believe me, I’m a South African.)

The fact that something like that has actual painful consequences here is a GREAT thing, and is attracting many players like people I know personally, who love games, and who are gamers in any sense of the word, but could never play online because they simply never had the “you must have this thick skin to play” that other games expect from you because in their own freaking lifetimes words like the one you used were used to dehumanize them, make them seem less than “full” human, so that horrible atrocities could be committed against them.

Now you may think it’s “silly” to have rules like that for a Teen-aged game, but that is ONLY because you are sitting comfortably in a position where no words like that have been used against you, leading to actual, real-life consequences on your body or the people you love. For those who have had that happen to them, online gaming was just yet another thing they had to miss out on.

You should be, as at least a teen-aged person, mature enough to enjoy a game without making it unpleasant for others, regardless of filters or no filters or country of origin.

This: With reference to the word used. I have no objection to the usage of swearing, so my language filter is set to off. I have great objection to racial hatred and the use of words like nkitten, where they dehumanise people.
I will not worry if you say kitten all day (I will find you tedious for doing so), but when you direct swearing at a person in order to insult them, denigrate or malign them; you deserve your ban. It is not the words that are offensive but the way you use them; and the way you use them, gives them power.