Guild Wars 2

The name:
Ghanima Rhea

Ghanima: Paul Atrides daughter in Dune series
Rhea: Greek mythology, the ‘mother of all gods’
(adding this gets away from copyright problems, doesn’t it?)

The full story:
Years ago I used to use this name in various games. Friends tended to shorten it on their own to “Ghani” or in chat. Thus I started using the name Ghani Rhea in games, including GW1. Never a problem. Yeah, I know it sounds like a disease, which seemed fitting for a "condition or dot character.

On Monday I was made to change my name. I don’t agree with the reason (as it clearly does not violate name policy #3, specifically “Reference sexual acts or real life violence”) since it is a disease, not an act. Yet I changed it. and went with an appeal ticket.

I changed it back to the original name I used those years ago in other games, Ghanima Rhea.

Today I logged in and yet again I am being made to change it – with a notice threatening a ban and saying it violates the policies and second offense and all that.

Please tell me which of the enumerated name prohibitions “Ghanima Rhea” is violating?

I’m not trying to call out support. I’m really trying to figure out how the name policy is being applied here by trying to get specifics, and to avoid any new problems.

[edit] There was another low-level character that was sitting in my account and hadn’t been played that was also renamed because of a Futurama joke, but this question is specific about Ghanima.

i got suspended for my name aswell. its absurd considering i ASKED THEM IN BETA if i could use the name and got the go ahead from 2 different arena net responses.

“Thus I started using the name Ghani Rhea in games, including GW1.”
“Please tell me which of the enumerated name prohibitions “Ghanima Rhea” is violating?”

Your name clearly isn’t “Ghanima Rhea,” it’s “Ghani Rhea” because you thought it’d be cute to “give a dot character” the name of an STD. Really?

The name was originally Ghani Rhea when GW2 started, and even in beta, since that was what people always called it anyway. It started (years ago in other games) as Ghanima Rhea. When GW2 made me change it, it went back to the original name I used years ago, Ghanima Rhea. I thought I was clear.

Still, does the name of an STD violate their policies? No. Not a body part, not an act, not a misspelling of a body part or act. Anyway, academic, I changed it.

So, to quote the president, let me be clear. Then name I am now being asked to change is Ghanima Rhea.

Does the new (older) name, Ghanima Rhea violate anything? If so, please tell me which one, because in this case, it is not a body part, not an act, and not even a disease. It is nothing but a name I started using many years ago.

(On the subject, out of curiosity I looked at other disease names to see what was permitted when typing this and found out that the Latin names of the bacteria that cause Gonorrhea and Syphilis are taken, as well as many other diseases that would seem to violate the policy as it seems to be interpreted. So apparently this is only a problem in English. I guess that is part of the interpretation.)

Since I don’t want to run afoul of an unclear interpretation of a clearly-spelled-out policy with my next name change, I am looking for enlightenment. (Especially now, months after release, when the namespace is substantially diminished.)

For example, if a name brings up The Black Death. Does it refer to a religious figure? It did kill a sitting pope. Is it offensive? Well, it killed 100 million. Sexual? One of the symptoms was boils in the groin. So is the name allowed? Is it ‘close enough’ to be prohibited? The question is how far does the interpretation stretch the rule?

I have a thief named Cygnus Negra (Black Swan). Is the last name ‘close enough’ to offensive to be an issue? I’d like to know now before it causes a problem.

It may seem I’m being silly, but I put a lot of thought into the names. For example, the character we’re talking about was going to be a Sylvari (I really wanted a Sylvari), but since Rhea was a human mythology figure it didn’t fit, and thus the character became human, solely because of the name.

Anyway, enough rambling. Ghanima Rhea? (Ghani and Ghanima are both taken already as are other combinations I checked.) Cygnus Negra?

It’s one of those “sole and absolute discretion” things. If you name your character “Peanut Butter” and they don’t like it then that’s pretty much the end of it, just make up another one.

Reference: Guild Wars 2 Naming Policy

“This policy may not cover all inappropriate or disallowed names. ArenaNet reserves the right to reject any name it concludes, in its sole and absolute discretion, is indecent, obscene, offensive or otherwise violates our naming policy or the Guild Wars 2 User Agreement. ArenaNet reserves the right to examine names on a case-by-case basis and take whatever action we deem necessary in our sole and absolute discretion. We reserve the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, to change, modify, add or remove portions of this Guild Wars 2 Naming Policy at any time.”

I just got my name banned today. “Nurses Stick Butt,” as in nurses kick butt, but since we use needles, we “stick” butt… get it? Haha!

I know it’s not that funny, but it’s a quote stitched on my nursing bag that I bought a few years ago from a nursing school gift shop. If the quote is not considered offensive in real life, why would it be considered offensive in a video game?

I have a character with the same name in GW1 and I’ve been playing on this GW2 character since the betas with no issues.

I understand the sole and absolute discretion part. That is why I’m asking, since the penalty of running against this discretion is a ban. I’m trying to find out what works.

Is adding a middle name sufficient? How about instead changing the last name to something like Rhoe or Rhesis (if Rhea being a ‘religious figure’ is now the problem)? Does this get far enough away from the nebulous chain of associations that maybe, in someone’s discretion, result in a ban? How about Ra, the Egyptian sun god? Changing the order of the words?

Since this is being discussed in a forum, I have reserved several permutations on these names by making characters in some empty slots for when I find out what works. None of them have been ‘in game’, not even the tutorial, I’m just trying to make sure the names don’t get taken since being mentioned. The alternatives will be deleted once a “non offensive” name is found.

How about you quit being coy, take the hint and maybe use a name that isn’t a homonym for a STD. That’d be cool.

Hello,

Such issues are meant to be discussed with our customer support team.

Please submit a ticket to have more informations about this matter.

Thank you.