General Chat

[TrixxieTriss]

Out of sight, out of mind?

It never fixes the problem. You're just selfish.

 

I don't think that's selfish. Bioware have demonstrated over and over that they won't moderate this game from gen chat trolls, hackers, bots, credit spammers, etc. Reporting really has no impact.

A players only option is to ignore them, without that we would never be able to filter the crap out. I think people have just become desensitised to Biowares inaction, so they just look for the most practical solution that they can initiate themselves so they don't have to look at it.

This is a trend in most game, developers have left communities to police themselves or have given them tools to ignore those offenders.

If you want to blame anyone for being selfish, blame the Devs, not players who just put the idiots on ignore.

[Lendle]

Eliminating someones voice is a very powerful tool, being able to say what you want is a right, but that does not mean it will not have consequences. I personally treat the way people talk behind the veil of anonymity the same way a drunk person talks, they lose all inhibitions and say what they would never say in public to someones face. That goes to show the character of who someone really is.

 

I am onboard with ignoring the **** starters and ignorant ppl in general, you cannot reason or talk to them, nor do they care to be reasoned with.

 

At some point I am going to be playing a single player game because there is notcensor for what the kiddies and idiots can say.

 

Silencing a problem is not ignoring the problem, not in this case, its actually the absolute opposite.

 

If only a RL mute button was real.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Lendle

[TrixxieTriss]

Rampant? I very rarely see any of what you've listed, and I've been playing for 4 years, mostly on BC and Harby. I reckon you are just over exaggerating, just like everyone else who loves to use the "sexist/racist/homophobic" cards when they're in a situation that "offends" them. Have you been on every server to know that "it is rampant on any server"? Seriously...and if these "bigots" were so bad....if everyone that gets "offended" uses the ignore command.....then the problem is solved. Those who are hurt easily won't see the "bigots" and those who don't care will have a laugh and continue playing the game, as it should be. The ignore command is there for a reason.

 

You all are making this a bigger deal than it has to be, stop acting like children, use the ignore tool if necessary and/or toughen up a bit.

 

I've been with the game since launch and on a lot of servers. I guess you have a different definition of what is offensive. I mainly play on Harbinger now, but I've played on enough servers and spoken to enough people to know this happens on every server to some degree.

It also comes down to time zones and what time you play. Sometimes it's fine and everything is rainbows and flowers, other times it's some seriously bad crap being thrown about and it can go on for hours or reignited by trolls off and on all day. The republic side is no where near as bad as the imp side and if it starts, it usually dies fast because people don't participate

I've seen some of the worst rubbish in gen chat the internet can throw out and which I can't even give an example of here because it is so offensive that the post would be removed or reported.

 

It takes a lot to offend me, I've got thick skin after living as a lesbian for 28 years. So I either put them on ignore or just don't participate.

But there is definitely some ugly topics and discussions in gen chat that would offend a lot more people than me. The amount of trolls that jump onto any of these topics is amazing and it's nearly always the same ones. They will also try to keep the conversation alive if others derail it or it dies off and often try to escalate it to new depraved heights.

 

The higher than normal percentage of homophobia spouted about by some is extraordinary and doesn't reflect my real world experiences. Either there is much higher than normal homophobia in this game than other places or it's trolls. My money is on the trolls and they are the ones who will push way past the limit on offensive topics. Most are on ignore for lots people, but they normally have alts. It's a real shame you can't just ignore the players legacy.

[TrixxieTriss]

I don't even know what gets said in General. One of the first things I do with every character is disable General Chat. Makes the game experience so much more pleasant.

 

Yeah, I have 4 custom tabs. Gen (which is only on sometimes), ops/pvp, guild, silence.

[curulz]

Out of sight, out of mind?

It never fixes the problem. You're just selfish.

 

Just because you might find something inappropriate doesn't mean others will. If someone says something you find inappropriate then report/ignore if you choose, or don't. But don't expect others to feel the same way.

[TrixxieTriss]

I'm thrilled you do Nothing beats seeing how bent outta shape they get when they're challenged on their stupidity.

 

If I can be bothered I try to derail it with comedy

[americanaussie]

If I can be bothered I try to derail it with comedy

I'm sorry that you've had to put up with jerks in gen chat. Id be surprised if they actually felt that way. It's probably more likely drunk trolls who are looking to stir people up and the things that you've mentioned are a surefire way to ensure maximum trolling. Trolls are best left ignored and not fed.

[Eshvara]

Agree with the top. Infractions are easy to obtain on the forums and there is much worse.

 

I really don't advise reporting someone for being rude, ignore is better, but I read on the forum earlier that your proximity to the person determines options. If you're beside them then you will get other options. I only mention that as I've seen options to report suicidal threats sometimes when I'm selecting ignore on bots. Must be some truth to it.

 

I didn't mean to say I wanted to report people for being rude, i just only ever saw one option for reporting which was spam. I only use it on gold sellers, for what it's worth.

[americanaussie]

I didn't mean to say I wanted to report people for being rude, i just only ever saw one option for reporting which was spam. I only use it on gold sellers, for what it's worth.

 

Haha no worries. I just wanted to clarify I don't report rude people. I just ignore or turn off chat. I've seen other report options rarely. So I think you need to be near them. They do exist. Not sure how many different options. Anyway sorry

[Zerex_Kildron]

You know, there are worse things than "hate speech in a general chat in a video game".

But I guess this is something you still have to learn in your, I assume young, life.

 

Toughen up and/or ignore them.

Complaining about something so insignificant just upsets you and you alone.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Zerex_Kildron

[Suzsi]

Wow.. I guess BC's general chat must be pretty tame compared to some servers then. I rarely see anything out of the ordinary in there. On rare occasions but they are very rare. Overall its a pretty nice server community wise to be on.

[JediTahiri]

Wow it is amazing how many people have no clue what the 1st amendment actually is. It does NOT give you the right to say whatever you want where ever you want. So many ignorant people. America's education system is in the toilet.

 

Bioware can censor you all they want, ban you for ANYTHING they want. forever. There is not a thing you can do about it and the 1st amendment does not protect you from it.

[Eshvara]

Wow it is amazing how many people have no clue what the 1st amendment actually is. It does NOT give you the right to say whatever you want where ever you want. So many ignorant people. America's education system is in the toilet.

 

Bioware can censor you all they want, ban you for ANYTHING they want. forever. There is not a thing you can do about it and the 1st amendment does not protect you from it.

 

Reminds me of freedom of speech and how people think it applies everywhere.

[psandak]

I have been playing MMOs for 17 years and have been part of forums and chat channels LONG before that and inappropriate/offensive chatter has been a part of it all since DAY ONE!!!

 

So, this is NOT a "Bioware does not care" problem. This is a "the internet provides anonymity and too many take advantage of it" problem. If a person's real name had to be a part of EVERY forum post/chat channel comment there would be a LOT less of this problem.

 

Another problem is the incorrect assumption that reporting this sort of behavior should spark an immediate response. Imagine what would happen if every player who ever offended anyone got immediately banned (FYI: I have been "reported" for using all caps in a chat channel by accident; I pressed the caps lock key, did not realize it, typed in a chat response and before I could type "sorry caps" I was reported (not in SWTOR). The point being, as someone else said, reporting only causes a reaction when a threshold of reports is met as it should be.

 

The best we as a population can do is report the offenders and then ignore them. Most of the time, the people that initiate offensive chatter do what they do to get attention. Do not give them that attention and they move on.

[gumnutza]

Its protected under first amendment rights, so long as its not a threat on someones life, deal with it or ignore button.

 

Also welcome to the non politically correct world were everything is more truthful and not liberal filter propaganda on a strict bias to promote certain democratic agenda's like the anti-Israel UN resolution (Thanks Obama for pissing off our only sane ally in the Middle East).

 

The First Amendment only guarantees you won't be jailed for what you say, it doesn't protect you from being banned from a video game.

[PlasmaJohn]

Rampant? I very rarely see any of what you've listed, and I've been playing for 4 years, mostly on BC and Harby. I reckon you are just over exaggerating, ...

Depends on when and where you play. I've been playing Harb, Imperial side for a few months now and things get pretty raunchy or devolve into polititrolling from time to time. But once away from Fleet or DK the frequency and duration drops off significantly.

 

In other words: If you spend most of your time in your stronghold or instanced content (PvP, FP, Ops, etc.) you're not going to see a lot.

[Rashenari]

Crude racism and blatant sexism in public channels? That's just people for you in these kinds of games. Don't think I've ever seen an mmo without it and have dabbled in the genre for nearly 15 years.

 

Just ignore and move on, don't let chat trolls get to you.

[TUXs]

Crude racism and blatant sexism in public channels? That's just people for you in these kinds of games. Don't think I've ever seen an mmo without it and have dabbled in the genre for nearly 15 years.

 

Just ignore and move on, don't let chat trolls get to you.

No, Bioware has a responsibility to police the in-game chat channels because it's their product that is impacted by moronic twits trying to get a rise outta people. They simply need to do it. They've created a far worse situation by ignoring it and its impact on their customers.

[tharbison]

I think both sides have an argument.

 

I understand the op's concern. I am pretty passionate about social justice issues & find some comments offensive from time to time. As a long time gamer, I know there really isn't any getting around this other than to block/ignore the folks who create chat drama. I'm not going to quit a game I enjoy because of it. Especially since every game I've played seems to have it.

 

At the same time, it would be nice to see the game publisher attempt to moderate at least the most heavily populated channels (i.e. fleet, starter planets).

[cool-dude]

Bioware has given the player the power to choose what they can ignore and what they do not. I'd say not taking responsibility would be them not giving us those tools. Anymore than that is just petty.

[Anzel]

Cursing is one thing - blatantly being racist, sexist, vile, hateful or gross is another. The extremes we're talking about are WAY beyond cursing.

 

So what? I don't mean that in a disrespectful way. I mean really. So what? Ignore them. Unless someone is waging a real life threat or talking about a real life crime who cares?

 

Here is the MAIN PROBLEM with the "racist, sexist, vile, hateful or gross" argument. Somewhere, somebody has to make a decision what that means. Someone has to draw the line somewhere. Are people racist? Yep. Are people sexist? Yep. Does it suck? Yep. The main difference between me and the OP is that I don't want anybody deciding for me what is inappropriate and what isn't. Everyone here should be over 18 and should be able to decide for themselves who to ignore.

[TUXs]

Bioware has given the player the power to choose what they can ignore and what they do not. I'd say not taking responsibility would be them not giving us those tools. Anymore than that is just petty.

The problem is, they impact their own bottom line by NOT policing chat. It's foolish for them to let some $15 per month scrub run off a family of 4 because of their abusive and trollish behavior.

[TUXs]

So what? I don't mean that in a disrespectful way. I mean really. So what? Ignore them. Unless someone is waging a real life threat or talking about a real life crime who cares?

 

Here is the MAIN PROBLEM with the "racist, sexist, vile, hateful or gross" argument. Somewhere, somebody has to make a decision what that means. Someone has to draw the line somewhere. Are people racist? Yep. Are people sexist? Yep. Does it suck? Yep. The main difference between me and the OP is that I don't want anybody deciding for me what is inappropriate and what isn't. Everyone here should be over 18 and should be able to decide for themselves who to ignore.

Personally, I don't care, I ignore it. It honestly doesn't bother me one way or another...but from a business perspective, I can't fathom WHY Bioware ignores it.

 

Your (not YOU ) desire to troll chat channels is of no concern to me. I don't care if they banned/muted people just for cursing...it's in their own companies best interest to provide as welcoming an environment as possible to their customers. Anyone who impacts that I would immediately mute. Yes, someone has to make a judgement...but they already do that here on the forums...it's no different in-game.

[dr_mike]

We're having a wonderful and delightful discussion about ****** and beheading jawas over here on Shadowlands today.

 

Oh wait. It is Christmas vacation.....

[Aeoda]

I was just playing my Juggernaut and was in DK when I had to quit out because of the astonishing level of crude racism in General Chat.

 

When did this bollocks become OK? This simple-minded vile idiocy is now OK on General Chat? Is anything being done about it? I reported it and complained about it in General, but there were 100+ others there too, and there was silence from them.

 

Is this OK Bioware? Is this OK EA? Is this OK for us Players? If it is, then it's not my game anymore.

 

I give 6/10, you got a lot of nibbles for the trolling here and it's a well constructed concern troll post. But not enough anger and no one seems overly enraged, so I have to deduct points, sorry. Let me get you a congratulatory good try cookie before you go back under your bridge. You made me smile in disbelief, so there is that. Oh, noes, General Chat had mean words FIX IT WAAAHHHHHH! Then peeking back to watch the show.

 

On the tiny off chance it isn't trolling? Just a nasty, rude person complaining about other people, likely kids on various holiday breaks from different countries and cultures, being nasty rude kids? That's pretty universal, immature people acting immature. Actually it's making me laugh more thinking this is serious, so-there is that.

 

Also FYI, your cussing in the OP was offensive to me, how can I get your offensive post removed? Do I get an apology? Does BW owe me something for you offending me? Do you get punished? No? I bet you thought nothing of using the B word. It's vulgar and it tells me a lot about your inability to express yourself without vulgarity, like an educated, civilized adult. It's British slang for genitalia, so you slid it right under the radar, yay for you, likely use it all the time as multiple parts of speech and don't think about it. But you posted it, so that's ok, right? It's different? If you said it in general chat I would /report and /ignore you, yes, you, and leave it be. I would write you off as a nasty British person, likely a teen, or someone who learned English in Britain, and that would be it.

 

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why they have an ignore and report feature that gets investigated later and handled, not people with agendas handling chat. I'd ban you for using that. Would you like me in charge? No? That's unreasonable to ban for! I agree, actually, my personal view does not overrule yours, even if you apparently think your standards are somehow higher than others when you slide vulgarity into your pleas for your standard of civility. Likely for the best, I would say, that neither of us are in charge of such things. I did report you for trolling and vulgarity here on the Forum, so you got that out of this too, and if they do nothing to you, I'm fine with that. But I use the features and tools in game to handle brats like you and those players who refused to get off your metaphorical lawn or whatever, then go on with my day. As you should. Have a good one.