Since the June 6, 2009 updates were applied, Disney now has an automated system to seek out offensive chat. It works.
As a father, I called Disney to compliment their efforts to keep the game clean. I did, however, point out that a ban on playing for 1 to 3 days was not as effective as a suspension of chat privileges, for a like period or longer. (I suggested a week, or its equivalent, see the following.)
The details of my suggestion were these: allow the offending player to continue, but block all sending of chat messages, and block receipt of Whispers by the offending player. In addition, I suggested that anyone attempting to Whisper to that player during the suspension of chat privileges would get a message saying that the Whisper could not be received, due to chat suspension.
I told Disney that this would help the game much more, as it would make the punishment fit the crime, and it would alert friends and guild members to the possibility that they may want to reconsider their association with the punished player. As is, the player comes back after 3 days, and it's just as if they were on vacation for that time. Yes, of course, the player could also sit out this kind of suspension, but
not if it was timed, say, for 20 hours of game play -- the clock would not start unless the player was in the game.
I have little sympathy for those who give out email addresses, swear, use foul language, or threaten other users.
I am particularly offended when players think they have the right to ask other players to leave an area, because they don't want to "lose rep". Kids -- and those of you who think this way are kids --
when foes are killed quickly, the foes replot that much faster, and everyone gets rep, though in smaller and faster chunks, and fewer die during the battles. If you haven't learned this, then
quit whining and move to another, quieter server, so you can be by yourselves, and let the rest of us enjoy the game.
I have reported players who have used threatening tones in chat, such as one who was using all caps and claiming to be an EITC operative (who just happened to belong to a Pirate Guild, chuckle) and who threatened to kill or otherwise harm another pirate player. (The object of this idiot's rage was a SpeedChat pirate, an obvious child account.)
Yes, I do think that the inline censor is heavy-handed at times. It will allow the singular use of a word, but not its plural; it will allow one form of a word but not another (allows "competition", but "competitor" comes up red). I also think that the numbers 1, 2, and 3 could be allowed as harmless -- it is unlikely that anyone's phone number or mailing address would contain just those digits. These are minor annoyances, however; most in the game have found ways around them (using "won" for 1, "too" for 2, and "tree" for 3).
Chat can be offensive, and when it is, I'm glad Disney takes steps to squelch it. I don't envy them this task, oriented as the game is towards pre-teens and teenagers. If Disney makes mistakes in the attempt to police the chat, then I can live with that.
Roger Dreadnaught
