Topic

Asshole

Got your attention? It got mine. That was the name of a piggie I saw running around. Devs, you might want to put in a profanity filter on the animal names.

The actual profanity doesn't bother me, the crassness of it does. I mean, if you're going to use "bad" words in animal names, at least make it in french or something interesting. Connard! Merdre!

Paula

Posted 19 months ago by FrankenPaula Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

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  • I agree FrakenPaula. Profanity has its place but not on piggie names. The rudeness of soem people in the game "just to see what they can get away with" is annoying. Grow up everyone!
    Posted 19 months ago by Holly Waterfall Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Unless the speech is directed at a specific person, and is harassment or hate speech, I really don't think this game should get into censorship.
    Posted 19 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Look at it this way. Say you're a new player who just got through the tutorial and now have entered your first real street in the game. You look around and you see a pig named "ASSHOLE". What's that going to tell you about the quality of the writing in this game? As a new player, you're not going to know that it's players who give these names. You're just going to assume that it's part of the game. 
    Posted 19 months ago by FrankenPaula Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Are you saying that French speakers must put up with that in their language, but English speakers are going to be protected?   This is a global game.  Why did you suggest that exposing French speakers to this kind of terminology is OK?  

    What it's going to tell me is that this is a multi-national internet game, played by people with various sensibilities.   No one is going to run into player-named piggies in the start streets.  After that, they are adults and can make their own decisions. 
    Posted 19 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Filtering out names like C#ntLicker or F%ckMe is not censoring free speech. It's keeping your trash in the trash bin instead of letting players litter the street with it.
    ETA:  FrankenPaula, I am curious, did you change the name from ASSHOLE to something else?
    Posted 19 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There are quite a few wryly named animals in this game that don't quite go overboard, like the chicken named "pecker" in Prestnash. But I think part of the fun of the game is naming animals and renaming animals. I foresee this being the next tree killing/tree saving war.
    Posted 19 months ago by Mistress*of*Fishies Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think it would be hard to allow profanity in naming and disallow it in communication. I agree with FrankenPaula that some filters should be used for language. Is it that important to the game to use such language? What is the advantage? Personally I think that most ideas can be communicated very well using language no one is offended by. Of course ideas and feelings expressed will still offend a lot of people so if the point is to shock, hurt and offend, it can still be done. Just my 2 currents. 
    Posted 19 months ago by Riverwalker Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Nanookie, I don't have the skill to name animals. 

    Windborn, I didn't mean it literally about having profanity in French. It was more of a Cyrano De Bergerac argument, as in don't call me "big nose" say something creative like "the nose that launched a thousand ships". 
    Posted 19 months ago by FrankenPaula Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i dont see they would sensor names. we are mature enough and last I checked theres even a street name with *wanks* as the second part of the name
    Posted 19 months ago by Hootaholic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There is no way to create an international game with players from all ages and cultures and also limit the language used in the game to "language no one is offended by".

    Some players are offended that God speaks within the game. Others are offended by sexual references like "pecker".  Others are offended by "asshole".  

    There isn't any one standard that will be able to filter out all uses of a string of letters, and all the translations of that string, so that "no one is offended".

    It is an impossible standard, and if TS tries to create such a standard they will need a full-time board of arbitrators to decide which uses are OK in all languages, and which uses aren't.  Personally, I'm not willing to pay the subscription fee that would support such a full-time, multi-lingual panel.

    Edit:
    Lt, some people just don't realize they should be offended by "wanks". 
    Posted 19 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I remember contributing to a thread on this some months ago, although I can't find it now.

    - Trolling is inevitable.  We can't depend on people to play nice.
    - As Windborn rightly says, having paid staff to handle these issues would increase *our* costs in the end.
    - Immediate rename is helpful, for those who have the skill.
    - How about a "report as offensive" ?  Then we, as users, flag the behavior for Tiny Speck. Their community staff only has to take action when the number of reports or severity indicate a real problem. The user originating the names could have naming privileges suspended, etc., whatever is deemed appropriate as the policy evolves.
    Posted 19 months ago by Lelu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • In terms of logistics, I don't think you need special staff or a language panel. I've been on online games before that had a filter in place. Some were free MUDs that had no paid staff at all. It's just a list of banned names. It won't be perfect, but surely some attempt is better than none. Additional names could be added on a case by case basis if players complain about them.
    Posted 19 months ago by FrankenPaula Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I sympathize with people who are offended by words, tho I rarely am..intent means more to me. As to a solution to offensive names on pigs & butterflys, I think the community can handle this efficiently. Simply report it to a player who can rename, no need to bother devs. Most players who have the skill love to use it. I think we should be policing ourselves as much as possible. The "vandals" can turn it into a war if they want, but that would probably get old pretty quickly. The tree poisoning thing cooled off nicely, didn't last very long.
    Posted 19 months ago by Phoebe Springback Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hey, I saw a guy named Cuntlicker the other day.  Not a chicken or a pig, a player.  So unless we can rename players too, we need to decide if/when/where "the line" should be drawn.
    Posted 19 months ago by Meezles Mxylpyx Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Someone was renaming animals (that I had named after myself) to add profanity along with my name. I didn't cry about it. I just renamed even more animals after myself.
    Posted 19 months ago by Johnny Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I believe I speak for all 75 members of the "Glitch Uncensored" group when I say we are against censorship in any form!
    Posted 19 months ago by Fizio Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Anyone who can't handle words should probably not be going online!
    Posted 19 months ago by Johnny Subscriber! | Permalink

  • Thank you Fizio!


    The Glitch Uncensored group will stand firm against all manner of censorship!
    Posted 19 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sorry but this is soooo funny. Love the title of thread.
    Posted 19 months ago by Gruff McGruff Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well thinking more on this subject I have changed my opinion slightly. I now think, whatever, just change the name of the animals or find someone who can. However, on the subject of profanity in usernames THAT should be filtered. Most times I will block those kind of names just because I don't care to see them. 
    Posted 19 months ago by Holly Waterfall Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well, on a different note, this game is a business. I'm sure the devs will devise a way to keep the most players involved from the demographic they choose to market this game to. I would be all for having a profanity filter in place for all public names.
    Posted 19 months ago by ~Alice~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "The actual profanity doesn't bother me, the crassness of it does"


    Yup, that sums it up for me. I can use naughty words along with best of them, but if people are going to name pigs 'asshole' or call themselves 'cuntlicker', that that is going to make me squirm inside. Not because I'm scared of seeing the word 'cunt' on screen, but simply because, as FrankenPaula neatly put it - it's just crass.


    I saw an interview with stoot some time ago where he said something along the lines of we wouldn't have full control over shaping the landscape, otherwise people would just build hedges in the shape of a penis. This is the same problem - how do you allow people to name animals without ending up with endless references to genitalia.
    Posted 19 months ago by dopiaza Subscriber! | Permalink
  • A 'flag this animal's name' button sounds like the best idea. I don't like fully automated censorship, but I know how offensive people can be and there will surely be a lot of very vulgar piggies and chickens running around once the game is open to everyone. (and even if the inevitable sex slang doesn't bother you, I bet racial slurs will) So it's a good idea to have a way to clean up those kind of things without using an exaggerated filter.

    I would be happy to leave this completely at the devs/mods' discretion, since changing the name of one of thousands of animals even unjustly will not realistically impact anyone's freedom of expression. However, the method for moderating speech elsewhere, such as on forums and in profiles, should be a much more careful process.
    Posted 19 months ago by Cefeida Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Johnny named those animals after himself?  *shocked*

    "changing the name of one of thousands of animals even unjustly will not realistically impact anyone's freedom of expression"---thank you, I wish I had thought of that to write. 
    Posted 19 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Someone was not very happy that those animals had my name!
    Posted 19 months ago by Johnny Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I kind of wish that there were a thumbs up / thumbs down ability on the named animals. I know I occasionally come across one that has me spew Coke all over the screen, and I'd love to be able to let that person know I appreciated their wittiness. Plus, then we could thumbs down the unwitty ones and then devs could more easily identify them.
    Posted 19 months ago by Incarnadine Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 Incarnadine ! Thats a real neat idea, and which can be implemented to go without messing up the graphics too much. Maybe the buttons can be in the info screen; so that only people who really care will bother to click on info icon, and then the thumbs up/down buttons.

    This can be extended to some new items introduced in game too. For a limited time the new items can have a thumbs up/down buttons in info screen; so that developers have an idea of how well the idea is accepted.

    I hope staff see this thread, and ideas in this thread won't get lost because of the title.
    Posted 19 months ago by gia Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 Incarnadine best idea yet!
    Posted 19 months ago by FrankenPaula Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Agreed agreed agreed +1
    Posted 19 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Censorship: American free speech protections re: the bill of rights protects US citizens from our government censoring our speech. Private business can regulate speech and it's Little Specks' call regarding filtering animal names.

    My feeling is toilet vocab. is for babies - and even most of them aren't into it.
    Posted 19 months ago by MeherMan Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree, not just because of the foul language exhibited, but also because of the poor piggy having a bad name. Where did you see this piggy? Maybe I, or some other player, can change it's name.
    Posted 19 months ago by Truffles Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Censorship would be a slippery slope in this game.  More rules and less freedom is going to mean less subscriptions because that's a big attraction, it's what I like about this game.  I can do and say what I want to, and so can everyone else.  If you really don't like what other's are using their freedom to write then use your freedom to learn that skill and change it.  Stop whining for an "easy" button all the time to the devs and do something yourselves about the things you don't like that other players are doing because guess what, if another player can do something you don't like I almost guarantee you that you can change it because it was done in the first place.  
    Posted 19 months ago by Briar Subscriber! | Permalink
  • As one person so aptly put it: How can you allow totally uncensored speech,without getting into the nasty business of sexism,religion,and racism,for example?? If you allow one,you allow all.
    There's a big difference between being original/witty and crass,one may prompt a cheeky smile,the other anger and disgust; e.g. 'she has acute angina'(a perfectly acceptable medical statement) in contrast to the the above mentioned crude and immature 'name' someone chose for him/herself (and just what does such language say about the person uttering it?!),however having said that, both are sexist,and therefore abusive. I am certain,that 'loosing' potential clients because they feel any type of censorship is not for them,is well balanced by retaining current and new clients,who would rather not see cheap,nasty,and hugely abrasive language,be they written or spoken. I am not saying make this an ooey-gooey place,so kids can play here too,but if you want cheap/nasty/crass,I am sure there are places for that,but does Glitch want to be one of them?
    Posted 19 months ago by ~Scilly~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Aw, c'mon Briar...in the interest of (friendly, ok?) petard hoistmanship, I would like to point out that you have also appealed to the devs to "fix" something on your behalf.  

    I hate it when people invoke the c word (censorship, not the one I suggested) when all we are asking for is to put some rails, as it were, under the vehicles for players' scatological enthusiasm. 

    If I see a chicken with what I feel is an objectionable name, I will change it, because you are right, I have the ability and I should just do it.  But I also agree with Frankenpaula that it would much more enjoyable for me in the game if I had less occasion to run across a chicken named Bunghole.

    That being said, I met a player named Bunghole yesterday. And that word has completely different definitions if you look it up on wikipedia or urban dictionary.   And even if Bunghole were outlawed, Banghole would get by...but there is a small population of inflammatory language that I think most players would recognize as better left unassigned to objects in the game.
    Posted 19 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Perhaps player names not being censored is a good thing, it just shows us what type of a person we're dealing with.

    As to renaming animals, has there been a change in number of times an animal can be renamed? Yesterday I tried renaming a pig and I didn't have the option. I hope it's just a... glitch.
    Posted 19 months ago by Fussycat Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Glitch is not (as stoot has already said)  going to allow hate speech and bullying. 

    If something is directed at a specific other player, and is intended to harass that individual or group, then you have a problem.

    But most sexual and scatological terms, especially when used as names of players or items in the game are not directed at a specific other player.  In a game that is played in many different cultures, you aren't going to find much of anything that "most players" agree are "inflammatory". 

    Unfortunately there really isn't "a small population of inflammatory language" that can be outlawed.  There just isn't enough agreement across all cultures as to what is and isn't proper.  

    What can be controlled is harassment and bullying.  And, from previous experience, I know that the devs at TS are terrific at making those distinctions. 
    Posted 19 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 'Perhaps player names not being censored is a good thing,it shows us what type of a person we're dealing with.'

    @ Fussycat, I hadn't thought of it that way, excellent point! =]
    Posted 19 months ago by ~Scilly~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think the mediator's answer to this issue would be to possibly create a replacement name for names entered with profanity and profanity should be determined by George Carlin's 7 words you can't say on television.  Meaning, if someone places the word @$$ or f**k that it would automatically replace it with the name of the most blocked Glitchian in game.  This way, you can associate bad words with annoying game players.  And over time, the connotation would become common nomenclature.  For example, it wouldn't be uncommon for someone to say, "Hey, someone just came by the community garden, harvested everything and left.  Whomever did that was a total bedlamFLASH."  I hope you see my point.

    Seriously, though, we're playing a game that asks you to pet pigs, collect pig plops, rub wood, milk butterflies, squeeze chickens, get drunk, go to hell, and allows hairy thoughts of giants to walk around naked with a bear hat on.  There is a level of tongue and cheek that is built into the very core of the game.  I mean, I don't know about yours, but my Rock is a kind of pervvy.  And the sad truth of it all is that people who aren't clever are crasse.  If you can be smart enough to be tongue and cheek, that's great because that's hilarious.  If you can't, well, just keep working on it and one day, maybe - just maybe - you'll get there.
    Posted 19 months ago by bedlamFLASH Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like the thumbs idea - maybe the pig dies if it gets below -10?  Then we can start a war on porcicide and the morals of that :)  

    Then Thumbs down on a player?  

    Not a massive fan of the 'crass' but a penis hedge would still be funny.

    Accy = immature at 43.
    Posted 19 months ago by Accy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The way I see it, beyond the bullying that's mentioned, there's no need for high level censorship. We can take care of most things in-game. 

    Obviously it's less pleasant if everything in the world dances around with a X-rated name that's deliberately intended to poke at the mild-mannered users, but where you draw the line is so clearly a matter of taste that it's not worth going down that road (eg, I think it's crazy that "bunghole" is considered offensive enough to discuss here, but YMMV)

    Ultimately in cases like this we, the players, have the ability to channel the game in the directions we want. If you find a piggie's name offensive then you can change it. If people change it back, then you can do the same in return. At some point, somebody gives up, or somebody hogties the piggie and takes it somewhere else, or somebody starves it etc. That entire process is actually pretty important in determining the shape of the game.

    But if we start asking for the developers to protect our sensibilities every time we feel mildly offended, then we're not only pushing the game towards a inevitable, reactionary point — we're also absolving ourselves of an important responsibility.

    Yours
    A Filthy-Mouthed Brit
    Posted 19 months ago by wurzel Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "Maybe the pig dies if it gets below -10 votes"?!?

    Poor little Asshole! What did it do to deserve that? Someone just swoop in there and change the name to 'Princess Unicorn', STAT!
    Posted 19 months ago by annapeee Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Holly Waterfall: Part of beta testing is finding glitches (haha, glitches, get it?).  Perhaps whoever named the piggie was testing out the profanity filters.  Now the staffers know that either 1) the filters don't work properly or 2) filters should be put in place.  I do agree that once the game is launched people should be mature and not try to circumvent any filters.

    Hopefully the devs will see this and fix the problem soon, or at least give a response.  The game seems to have a kid-friendly concept and design (not to say that it's childish, but rather that it's something both children and adults can enjoy), so I would hope that filters are put in place eventually.
    Posted 19 months ago by Wessles Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm really interested in this idea that because the game looks cute and is non-violent that it should be explicitly child-friendly. Why does one have to lead to the other? Part of the fun I get is that it looks cute but it's also crazy and weird and rude and unexpected.
    Posted 19 months ago by wurzel Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "The game seems to have a kid-friendly concept and design"

    I've wondered for months if Joe Camel is in Glitch's future.
    Posted 19 months ago by Tingly Claus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm all for a profanity filter, as long as it's not ridiculously OTT (for example, "I'm going to cut the gr***, it's getting a bit long").

    It's not that I hate profanity (as my rl friends could attest, I'm one of the filthiest talkers most of them know), it's that when I'm trying to play and enjoy an online multiplayer game, it's mentally jarring (as an example, as a Brit, whenever I see 'Eglesgown Wanks' I do a double-take and can't believe someone actually named it that).

    As well as ruining any feelings of immersion I may have had, swear words everywhere puts me off recommending the game to my two young nephews, who otherwise would probably enjoy the game a lot.  I know they're probably exposed to swearing in real life, but I'd rather set a good example (or my older sister may kill me). 

    Cole
    Posted 19 months ago by Cole Frehlen Subscriber! | Permalink
  • At least we have the option to change the names if the current name is offensive. In Animal Crossing Wild World I once had a villager move in that had a really offensive "catch phrase". I had to wait a few days for the villager to switch to something else, while hoping that the other villages didn't pick up on the offensive phrase.
    Posted 19 months ago by PittyPat is sad Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like the seemingly child-like looks of this game, it is so refreshing to find when there are so many games with all those over-buffed-hero-types and all that blood and gore; and I very much like that it is a game for adults/grown ups none-the-less. I would hate it if the game were kiddie-fied, if I liked that I'd go to Disney, but that doesn't mean I want to see outright profanity either, I like the fine art of tongue-in-cheek, I like a jolly good pun,and I like not having to strictly censor every single thing I say (lest I offend an innocent), I like that I can hold an adult conversation,with other adults (or very mature minors).
    Posted 19 months ago by ~Scilly~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I find it amusing that people are offended on behalf of the children. I live in an attractive rural part the UK and remember passing a primary school 20 years ago and being shocked to hear the language issuing forth from the kiddie winkies. Then I remember learning the F word at 4 in a school playground in a tiny English village. Either rural Brits are particularly foul mouthed or we in our civilised adult world forget what it was really like at school. 

    Don't worry about your children, I'm fairly certain by the time they're 12 they have a wider vocabulary than you do! 

    BTW yesterday I was in a street full of piggies named "arse" would your profanity filter pick that one up? And if anyone out there is planning to name their chicken "Kissy" that too is a profanity - just not in English. 

    I too find the humour in the game refreshing, and if I see something that offends me I just don't look or if it really bothered me I would change it. I've never been to Eglestown Wanks, but if I did I would giggle, not be offended.
    Posted 19 months ago by Momo McGlitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 to Heathermomo
    Posted 19 months ago by Briar Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Opinions are like assholes, everyone knows one - everyone has one.
    There appears to be something of a divided community (as with most things Glitch apparently). So maybe somewhere in the account set up the developers give an option for a profanity setting that bleeps out strong language with a censor bar (this can be accomplished with a dictionary). I've seen this work with only mild success in chat programs. They seem to miss the actual profanity in favor of censoring words like cocktail and analogy.

    Me personally, I wouldn't use such a filter and I hope the developers never, ever put one in. As mean as I think this game gets at times, if foul language is a deterrent to a kiddie invasion I might take it up as an artform.
    Posted 19 months ago by Sweet Pea Subscriber! | Permalink
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