Censoring - Page 3

Livefire · 2012-02-13, 04:48 AM

Profanity on/off option for chat and a warning message of possible profanity heard on the in game voice join, easy no moderation necessary.

Canaris · 2012-02-13, 07:15 AM

I'm Irish If I'm not swearing it's a good chance I'm dead

AncientVanu · 2012-02-13, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by Canaris

I'm Irish If I'm not swearing it's a good chance I'm dead

well you can swear with your mouth but muting the microphone, that way at the same time you will be sure you're not dead and not spreading profanity in the server.

mynameismud · 2012-02-13, 12:21 PM

Wow...when did people become so fucking sensitive? A word hurts your feelings? A word? Get real man. If words hurt your feelings it is because you allow it hurt your feelings. One can call you a bunch of names or utter the most profane things you could imagine, if you become offended, it is only because you allow yourself to be so. These words have no effect on your well being.

Just reading some of y'alls thoughts made me think i was on the wrong website, thought i was on some forum for a barbie dream home getaway MMO from the way y'all sound. Y'all know this is a war game right?

I played the first planetside for years and we swore when applicable, life carried on, bases got captured, towers were wall humped in third person, some gens got dropped for no fucking reason whatsoever. Grow the hell up and grow a pair. "YOU CAN ACT LIKE A MAN, whats the matter with you?" -Don Corleone

I will not hold my tongue when expressing the way i feel to accommodate a different persons irrational fear of words.

Redshift · 2012-02-13, 12:36 PM

tbh i don't often call people a "fuckwit assclown" but if i did want to call someone a "fuckwit assclown" i'd damn well expect to be allowed.

Do what swtor does, profanity filter on by default with an option to turn it off. Profanity filters just get it wrong too often to be forced on people, "mm grape juice" "mm g**** juice"......

**RadarX** · 2012-02-13, 12:38 PM

I'm afraid this is a very unpleasant portion of our jobs. Most of our games have an optional profanity filter in game which avoids most of the issue. Voice chat can be turned off so that's not an issue either. If there are regular instances of racism, sexual harassment, etc... Customer Service will step in and take care of it. If ever in doubt, just call someone a douchebag and move on!

For the forums, I spearheaded an effort to get them consistent last year (Some sites censored the word "suck") and ensure it's only actual profanity. This unfortunately is not something we can bend on right now. We've done enough moderation and bans that we no longer feel anger, frustration, or joy. It will never be personal, just our job.

Raymac · 2012-02-13, 12:41 PM

It's about keeping it away from kids. (earmuffs) I think you should let people swear all they want on the private channels but keep the public channels censored.

There's a difference between swearing up a storm as you are in your own living room watching football with your friends, and saying the same things if you are actually at the game and there is some family with 8 year olds sitting right in front of you.

I think the first Planetside struck a great balance when it came to censoring, at least towards the beginning when it was actually moderated in a timely manner.

Knocky · 2012-02-13, 12:44 PM

Here is a compromise.

If you ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, MUST curse, then you have to do so in English style with a Cockney accent.

i.e. "Bloody hell, that wanker TKed me."

Vash02 · 2012-02-13, 12:45 PM

If you dont like swear words, type /filter, problem solved. If you dont like the fact that people swear, welcome to the adult world, theres fuck all you can do about it.

Canaris · 2012-02-13, 12:48 PM

maybe we can make up a whole new generation of swear words for PS2, I'm willing to give it a go

Redshift · 2012-02-13, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by Raymac

It's about keeping it away from kids.

PS1 was rated teen, don't let 8 y/o's play it

On a side not if you think removing the swearing from a computer game is going to stop them sounding like sailors by the time they hit secondary school you're wrong. Parents can try to insulate them from it if they want but they'll fail, teaching them when it's appropriate or not is the only way.

Firefly · 2012-02-13, 12:52 PM

For a number of years I worked as a CSR for an online gaming company. I've probably banned some of you because you were a rule-breaking cocksucker. This is my take, from both a professional aspect and a personal aspect.

Online interactions are not rated by the ESRB. Playing a game rated "M" does not mean you can/should expect vulgarity. Each company crafts its own policy and it expects players to follow that policy. When you play SWTOR, you agree to follow their rules. Getting butthurt when you get suspended, warned, or banned and crying about censorship makes you look like a complete fuckwit. Don't like it? Don't play the fucking game, idiot.

Conversely - playing a game and expecting to hold hands and sing kumbaya makes you look myopic and dull-witted. Anyone who's ever spent ten minutes in an online game knows this is bound to happen. Getting butthurt when someone calls you a noob ****** makes you look like a nancy. Don't like it? Don't play the fucking game.

You have two options when you play an online game - disable the censor (if it exists) or don't disable it. You also have two more options when you play an online game - ignore the person or respond in kind. If you respond in kind and you violate the game's policy and you get reported, you're just as culpable. The end. Don't like it? Don't play the fucking game.

Side note: "there's a filter!" is not a valid excuse for using vulgarity according to most Customer Support policies. Failure to use the ignore feature when you get hate tells is your fault according to most CS policies because YOU control what content you have access to, not us. I can't place a player on ignore for you, and when you fail to do so, that's on you. Outfit/guild chat is usually ignored by CS because guild officers/leaders control/moderate who can use that channel. Most company policies only moderate (upon report) public chat. Most company policies do not include actively policing chat, so getting butthurt that some spammer is yelling "fuck you ***!" in region chat means you need to get a clue - CSRs/GMs generally have better things to do than sit in Sanctuary/Capital waiting for someone to use the word "******" or "retard".

From a personal standpoint, I think it's ridiculous to get butt-hurt about vulgarity. However, I also try to follow a game's established policy and in general, though I swear, I refrain from public displays of vulgarity. Hell, most times I turn off public chat.

Notice I swear. A lot. This does (did) not impede me from doing my job. You may hate the people who enforce the rules because in your own personal world you're the king and you can say fuck you, at will, to whomever you please. But as RadarX stated, it's not personal. You broke a rule. You got reported. We are/were obligated to take action. Yes, the rule may suck. But it exists because that's company policy.

Don't like it? Don't play the fucking game.

AncientVanu · 2012-02-13, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by Firefly

From a personal standpoint, I think it's ridiculous to get butt-hurt about vulgarity. However, I also try to follow a game's established policy and in general, though I swear, I refrain from public displays of vulgarity. Hell, most times I turn off public chat.

^^ That sums it up pretty well for me.

The attention-hungry kids who want to demonstrate the new words they've learned around the 'hood by constantly spam-swearing are pretty annoying. Turn off the goddam chat and swear as much as you like, just don't spam the chat with your useless profanity.

VioletZero · 2012-02-13, 01:07 PM

I think the entire idea of banned words is stupid.

Raymac · 2012-02-13, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by Redshift

PS1 was rated teen, don't let 8 y/o's play it

On a side not if you think removing the swearing from a computer game is going to stop them sounding like sailors by the time they hit secondary school you're wrong. Parents can try to insulate them from it if they want but they'll fail, teaching them when it's appropriate or not is the only way.

That's all besides the point. The right thing to do is just not swear in front of little kids whether they are "supposed" to be there or not. By your rationale, we should show porn to pre-schoolers because they'll see it eventually. That's asinine.

I think a language filter is pretty much a standard feature anyways, but there is no place for racist comments or sexual harassment.