Curse

Kik2k · May 11, 2005, 06:25 AM // 06:25

Hi Gaile thanks for answering. I believe banning is way to extreme, It ruins the game for players such as me. A player does not know what this "line" is and to be banned with our warning or reasons is unfair. Everyone has a different degree of being "offended". Changing player names is the best way to resolve this issue, after a player has been warned he or she will know what the line is. If a player is out right blantly offensive then he or she have the right to be banned. As for the Ho and Pimp, Ho's should not be allowed because it's short for *****, Pimps on the other hand should be allowed because not all "pimps" is related to prostution.

Ps. If we currently have a banned char, will their be a chance in the future to change the name?

Thx alot

Siren · May 11, 2005, 06:57 AM // 06:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kik2k

Hi Gaile thanks for answering. I believe banning is way to extreme, It ruins the game for players such as me. A player does not know what this "line" is and to be banned with our warning or reasons is unfair. Everyone has a different degree of being "offended". Changing player names is the best way to resolve this issue, after a player has been warned he or she will know what the line is. If a player is out right blantly offensive then he or she have the right to be banned. As for the Ho and Pimp, Ho's should not be allowed because it's short for *****, Pimps on the other hand should be allowed because not all "pimps" is related to prostution.

Ps. If we currently have a banned char, will their be a chance in the future to change the name?

Thx alot

My reasoning is, if I can find any part of a GuildWars character's name in Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, then it's inappropriate.

Manderlock · May 11, 2005, 08:13 AM // 08:13

Ive said it once and Ill say it again, Gaile Gray you are my hero.

Anyone who can not stop and THINK before they name a char a blatenly offencive name, is a fool in my book.

I told yall they were not just "banning" people simply based on the reports. Anet cares about this game, and the people playing it. I am pleased that I dont have to see "hot sticky loads" running around everywhere.

eventhorizen · May 11, 2005, 10:03 AM // 10:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manderlock

I am pleased that I dont have to see "hot sticky loads" running around everywhere.

Teh Funny

Care Less · May 11, 2005, 10:26 AM // 10:26

Everything offends me..

and btw .. why do you ppl say that the word "penis" is perverted? thats kinda umm..
well it does not make you very smart

(is secretly making lists of everyones ingame names to ship them of to AN for bannings)

Manderlock · May 11, 2005, 10:49 AM // 10:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Care Less

Everything offends me..

and btw .. why do you ppl say that the word "penis" is perverted? thats kinda umm..
well it does not make you very smart

(is secretly making lists of everyones ingame names to ship them of to AN for bannings)

You do that, and I will laugh when your futil atemps gain you nothing.

PhineasToke · May 11, 2005, 11:21 AM // 11:21

One last thought. If those of you who play the game find the need to express yourselves with character names which YOU feel are appropriate but your Mother doesen't, maybe it's time to re-evaluate your values.

I have recommended this game to friends with children younger than 12 BECAUSE it isn't falling victim to the lame and deviant chatter a few well known online games have. I think that enough distinctive names are available to the imagination that innuendo is unnecessary.

Sidra Meum · May 11, 2005, 12:20 PM // 12:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by thaumaturge

I appreciate your response Gaile, I'm sure we all do. But isn't the game rated for Teens (13+)? Now I'm not one to tell you what is acceptable for young kids, but parents should certainly consider the repercussions of exposing a 10 year old to a 13+ year old rated game. Also that fact that it is online which opens up a whole world of nasties.

The issues of children, computers and online or online gaming is an entire new can of worms. The game IS rated for players 13+ but that doesnt mean it it limited to 13+. You arent going to get carded. There is more in Maturity then just age. If a parent feels their 10 year old is safe and the game is suitable for them. I am sure they will let them play it. But, that doesnt mean they won't make a gaming enviroment decent and "safe" for them - or anyone else, and doesnt mean ANY child of ANY age whether they are 10, or 13 should be subjected to things like "Hot Sticky Loads".

The game is rated 13+ So, go rent a few PG13 movies. If its not gonna be found in there, it is NOT gonna be allowed by ArenaNet.

It is not "something wrong with your head if you think its a preverted name" Come on people. ANY and EVERY person under the age of 22 is going to see "Hot Sticky Loads" and IMMEDIATLY think of something besides baking. Which.. I also, used 4 different search engines for "Baking Slang" and Bakers Slang, Terminology... Nothing came up any time. I also called 3 local bakeries.. I think I made some people's mornings VERY amusing. If they were having a bad morning before I called they weren't after. I am not personally offended by it at all, but use some common sense. Its inappropriet for a fantasy set RPG game. Sure - You didnt make it to have a sexual reference and you didnt mean it that way but it doesnt matter. There is one. It doesn't matter WHAT country your in, there is one there. To say that another country is 'stuck up" because "Hot Sticky Loads" is inappropriet... amongst other things. You are NOT going to find anyone, in ANY COUNTRY walking around in public or on public TV talking casually about their "Hot Sticky Loads" while carrying bread dough.

There are distinc lines in difference between Hot Sticky Loads and Sarah McGee or Dr Pepe. ArenaNet made a mistake with Dr Pepe, they appologized and corrected the situtation. Easy as that. No one is saying people HAVE to have strictly RPGish names... but.. Ugh. Its almost a pointless argument. Heck, Maybe they should and it would solve all this.

Gaile has already stated they are working on some other measure then simply banning. Which, Yes. It will be nice. But now I think because of it people will push even more to see how far they can get away with things. How many times are they allowed to change an offensive name before they get banned? Hot Sticky Loads will turn into Milky Squirters and then turn into Bob Mihead... where will the line finally be drawn? Is it 3 strikes your out? if it chance per account? or per character?

Sidra Meum · May 11, 2005, 12:46 PM // 12:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manderlock

On the Dr. pepe issue they told him that there would be a mark on his acount, but he could get it off with good behavior. They would probably make the same true for this, at lest I would hope so...

I think it depends on the "Mark" - It it a mark as in.. against him, like a warning strike? Or is it a Mark - more of a note that his character name was already investigated and found in the clear?? The latter is what I could hope it would be, so this didnt happen to him again, instead of the first because that would be silly.. as he was investigated and then of course - "released of charges" so to speak.

I wish we had Charcter Bio's!!! Then maybe he could explain Pepe doesnt = Pee pee

I chalk that one up to people too moronic to have studied a foreign language.

Loviatar · May 11, 2005, 02:16 PM // 14:16

i friend of mine owned a bakery for several years after working there for many years doing most of the baking/buyine/etc
he has never heard of the term and a net search using every term for bakery slang and terminology came up empty

a ton of porn references were there though

it seems bakers dont know their own slang or it doesnt exist

Dazzler · May 11, 2005, 02:22 PM // 14:22

Question: If your name is offensive what happens? I tried to play last night and found that my account was LOCKED for "unacceptable behaviour" so I could not even login.

Since I do not do anything odd while playing I can only assume it was my character name. How long does the account lock last? From reading this thread I had assumed that you just logged in and found out you could not play your char anymore and had to make a new one. That sucks bad enough considering the time investment sunk into the character. But I find that I cannot even login

. Anyone experience this?

Devil's Dictionary · May 11, 2005, 02:43 PM // 14:43

Sorry, but what's so offensive about Dr. Pepe?

Dick is a name.
Pecker is a bird.
Homo is a man.
**** is a rooster.
If you think ANY of those words mean anything else, it just proves you are not as "innocent" as you claim to be and you have no right to be offended by those.

All this reminds me of this The Noob episode.

Ramus · May 11, 2005, 03:05 PM // 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shimmersl*t

Question: If your name is offensive what happens? I tried to play last night and found that my account was LOCKED for "unacceptable behaviour" so I could not even login.

Since I do not do anything odd while playing I can only assume it was my character name. How long does the account lock last? From reading this thread I had assumed that you just logged in and found out you could not play your char anymore and had to make a new one. That sucks bad enough considering the time investment sunk into the character. But I find that I cannot even login

. Anyone experience this?

It gets banned, contact support and maybe you can get the name changed. You knew what you were getting into when you made the name, unless you are really clueless. Inde has locked two of your threads about this... so I suggest you take it to the GW support.

Soul Monarch · May 11, 2005, 03:52 PM // 15:52

This has been a huge running issue on World of Warcraft since the game opened as well.

Where does the naming policy cross the line between removing the obviously inappropriate names and slaughter simply "mistaken" names? At what point have we gone from simply protecting the community, to terrorizing it?

Well... I suppose that answer depends which side of the fence you've been sitting on.

There are some folks out there (presumably like Kik2k) who obviously do not find a name like "Hot Sticky Loads" offensive. It's foolish to say that they didn't understand all the various connotations of such a name. But that isn't the point is it? We all know that dirty humor is funny. Admit it, most of us giggle when we run through Lion's Arch and see a character named "Rim Job." It's taboo, it's crude, it's disgusting, and for many people that makes it humorous and fun. It would be an outright lie to say that we don't laugh at those kinds of things. Our human brain simply finds anything classified as "taboo" to be more interesting. We are always drawn a little bit to the things we aren't supposed to do, or the things we aren't supposed to have.

So what's the issue then?

Although I admit to the occasional titter or giggle when I see an inappropriate name, I also feel concerned for that cross-section of people playing the game that do find that type of thing truly offensive. The excuse that they should simply deal with it because it is online is bogus, and you all know it. Would you tell people that if they don't like the billboard with nudity that they should drive a different way to work?

Online games should not allow every single thing that your dirty little minds can think of simply because it is online. Being on the internet does not automatically mean that you should have the right to do and say anything at all you want to.

Do you go to the grocery store and have sex with your girlfriend in the produce section? No, because society says that wrong and they'd throw you in jail for a few years to prove it. Could NBC replace their programming with porn movies? Maybe, but they'd lose all their sponsors and the company would probably fall flat. The internet is public domain, a part of every day life for millions upon millions of people, not a way to get away with things that'd you'd get beat up for in real life.

Society says it's okay to do whatever you want, as long as you don't do it in the public eye. Like it or not, Guild Wars is in public view.

I won't even touch on the issue of what is appropriate and what is not. The word 'dildo' or 'penis' is extremely blatant, and obviously not appropriate. What about the word 'wang,' which is much more obscure? Would 'pimp' be okay? And let's not even get started on the arguments about connotations or suggestive word combinations.

The bottom line is: I intentionally use a name that isn't offensive in any way, simply so that this issue won't ever come up. Sure, there are a lot of things I find funny, but I know better than to shove them right in everyone else's face.

It is A.Net's right to ban/delete/alter your character to remain in-line with the way they want their game. If you don't want your character messed with, follow their rules and you are 100% safe. If you don't follow their rules, you forfeit any right to complain when they destroy your account.

Sidra Meum · May 11, 2005, 03:59 PM // 15:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shimmersl*t

Question: If your name is offensive what happens? I tried to play last night and found that my account was LOCKED for "unacceptable behaviour" so I could not even login.

Since I do not do anything odd while playing I can only assume it was my character name. How long does the account lock last? From reading this thread I had assumed that you just logged in and found out you could not play your char anymore and had to make a new one. That sucks bad enough considering the time investment sunk into the character. But I find that I cannot even login

. Anyone experience this?

That sounds like a temporary ban? Have you checked the email associated with your account? They should have sent you an explanation why?

Sidra Meum · May 11, 2005, 04:14 PM // 16:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEATH AT THE DOOR

Sorry, but what's so offensive about Dr. Pepe?

Dick is a name.
Pecker is a bird.
Homo is a man.
**** is a rooster.
If you think ANY of those words mean anything else, it just proves you are not as "innocent" as you claim to be and you have no right to be offended by those.

All this reminds me of this The Noob episode.

Dick - Yes, a name. A NICKNAME for Richard to be exact.
Pecker - Real Term: Wood Pecker. "Pecker" itself is a slang term for penis.
Homo - Real Term: Homosapien. "Homo" itself is a slang term for a gay person.
C*** is a rooster, Yes! - It is also slang for penis.

The words DO have other meaning, that is why it is called Slang. Those meanings are INCLUDED when it comes to things like this. Just because people KNOW they have other meanings doesn't mean people are not offended or shouldn't be. The issue is not SOLEY on what is or is not offending. It is what is and is NOT appropriate. Slag terms included.
Someone naming himself "Homo Dave" or "Lisa Pecker" is as inappropriate as someone naming themselves "Hot Sticky Loads". One might offend, and one might not. What matters more then offending - is whether or not it is inappropriate and the Slang meaning of words is taken into account for it - in any language.

Dazzler · May 11, 2005, 04:31 PM // 16:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramus

It gets banned, contact support and maybe you can get the name changed. You knew what you were getting into when you made the name, unless you are really clueless. Inde has locked two of your threads about this... so I suggest you take it to the GW support.

Maybe Inde should have read my actual question before closing the threads. And just so you know, he pointed me at this thread when I asked him why he closed the others.

And maybe you should read my question before posting flippant replies. Why in the hell is my account locked? No one else appears to get their account locked when they have a bad name, including Hot Sticky Buns. Note: I am not asking about a character. I am asking about my ENTIRE ACCOUNT. I cannot login. I cannot delete my char. I cannot make a new one. I am asking others that have had their char banned for a bad name if they experienced a set of time during which THEIR ENTIRE ACCOUNT WAS LOCKED? Am I the only one?

And I have contacted GW with no reply so far as one might expect.

As far as my name went: it was no more suggestive than the barely naked women running around in the game. No one seems to be complaining about them!

Thanks for nothing.

Dazzler · May 11, 2005, 04:33 PM // 16:33

So you are saying that I should go up to the CEO of my company, named Dick and tell him I am offended everytime I hear his name because it has a slang connotation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sidra Meum

Dick - Yes, a name. A NICKNAME for Richard to be exact.
Pecker - Real Term: Wood Pecker. "Pecker" itself is a slang term for penis.
Homo - Real Term: Homosapien. "Homo" itself is a slang term for a gay person.
C*** is a rooster, Yes! - It is also slang for penis.

The words DO have other meaning, that is why it is called Slang. Those meanings are INCLUDED when it comes to things like this. Just because people KNOW they have other meanings doesn't mean people are not offended or shouldn't be. The issue is not SOLEY on what is or is not offending. It is what is and is NOT appropriate. Slag terms included.
Someone naming himself "Homo Dave" or "Lisa Pecker" is as inappropriate as someone naming themselves "Hot Sticky Loads". One might offend, and one might not. What matters more then offending - is whether or not it is inappropriate and the Slang meaning of words is taken into account for it - in any language.

EnDinG · May 11, 2005, 04:38 PM // 16:38

To state the obvious, no one else has had a nickname with a blunt word like S L U T directly printed out for everyone to view. Instead they decided to have a little fun and post "mis-leading" names.

Due to the straight forward word in your name, they deemed it worth of a temp ban compared to a character block. For all you know, they could have looked at the rest of your characters as well since you said you have other names that are just as bad and decided this person needs a solid lesson in picking names that aren't as offensive.

And as for your Dick problem, use some common sense.

Lasher Dragon · May 11, 2005, 04:43 PM // 16:43

Gaile - since you asked, IMO Ho is offensive, while Pimp is not. May seem weird, but Ho has never had any alternate meaning, while Pimp nowadays can mean a lot more than someone who makes their living herding Hoes. Hence "Pimp My Ride" on MTV.