Offensive Character Names In Leaderboard

This season seems to be worse than other seasons. Players making accounts and characters with offensive names and then managing to get themselves up on the leaderboards for everyone to see the offensive name for an entire season. How long is Arenanet going to tolerate this behavior @Gaile Gray.6029 and @Ben Phongluangtham.1065 ? There are plenty of racist names, drug reference names, sexually offensive names, etc. We've been staring at a name that clearly violates Anet's rules in the #1 spot for a week now. If you scroll through the top 250 you can easily spot at least 15-20 names. Perhaps give us the ability to right-click and report offensive names in the leaderboards?

If you allow naming rules to be flaunted without real repercussion - it adds further to the toxicity that is slowly damaging GW2s reputation and encourages people to flaunt the rules more. Dishonor and forced name changes is NOT fixing PvP's problems.

@Bandlero.6312 said:This season seems to be worse than other seasons. Players making accounts and characters with offensive names and then managing to get themselves up on the leaderboards for everyone to see the offensive name for an entire season. How long is Arenanet going to tolerate this behavior @Gaile Gray.6029 and @"Ben Phongluangtham.1065" ? There are plenty of racist names, drug reference names, sexually offensive names, etc. We've been staring at a name that clearly violates Anet's rules in the #1 spot for a week now. If you scroll through the top 250 you can easily spot at least 15-20 names. Perhaps give us the ability to right-click and report offensive names in the leaderboards?

If you allow naming rules to be flaunted without real repercussion - it adds further to the toxicity that is slowly damaging GW2s reputation and encourages people to flaunt the rules more. Dishonor and forced name changes is NOT fixing PvP's problems.

What qualifies as offensive? "etc." is pretty open-ended. Do you mean discriminatory towards a group of people, or simple bathroom humor? GW2 is not an E-rated game, it does have an age advisory. Personally I appreciate simple bathroom humor and other harmless jokes, and I think the vast majority of the GW2 community does too. When I log on I like to relax and sometimes make meme characters with meme names occasionally. "Drug reference names" is a ridiculous thing to complain about, GW2 has plenty of alcohol references as it is, I'm not sure why you think jokes about certain substances are completely acceptable but jokes about other substances are not. This is an online, T-rated game, it's not going to be a perfect haven from the real world.

However I do draw the line at names which mock a person or a group of people for something they can't reasonably change about themselves. I agree that players should be forced to change racist names.

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

@Bandlero.6312 said:This season seems to be worse than other seasons. Players making accounts and characters with offensive names and then managing to get themselves up on the leaderboards for everyone to see the offensive name for an entire season. How long is Arenanet going to tolerate this behavior @Gaile Gray.6029 and @"Ben Phongluangtham.1065" ? There are plenty of racist names, drug reference names, sexually offensive names, etc. We've been staring at a name that clearly violates Anet's rules in the #1 spot for a week now. If you scroll through the top 250 you can easily spot at least 15-20 names. Perhaps give us the ability to right-click and report offensive names in the leaderboards?

If you allow naming rules to be flaunted without real repercussion - it adds further to the toxicity that is slowly damaging GW2s reputation and encourages people to flaunt the rules more. Dishonor and forced name changes is NOT fixing PvP's problems.

Offensive as defined in the Terms of Service/EULA.

Apparently they can't change account names. CD key tried and support couldn't do anything.

@Bandlero.6312 said:

@"Huskyboy.1053" said:

What qualifies as offensive? "etc." is pretty open-ended. Do you mean discriminatory towards a group of people, or simple bathroom humor? GW2 is not an E-rated game, it does have an age advisory. Personally I appreciate simple bathroom humor and other harmless jokes, and I think the vast majority of the GW2 community does too. When I log on I like to relax and sometimes make meme characters with meme names occasionally. "Drug reference names" is a ridiculous thing to complain about, GW2 has plenty of alcohol references as it is, I'm not sure why you think jokes about certain substances are completely acceptable but jokes about other substances are not. This is an online, T-rated game, it's not going to be a perfect haven from the real world.

However I do draw the line at names which mock a person or a group of people for something they can't reasonably change about themselves. I agree that players should be forced to change racist names.

Here is the ESRB rating for GW2. Note that it explicitly mentions alcohol, which any reasonable person understands is a recreational drug. So again specifically in regards to your mention of drug-related humor I don't understand what's your objection, if you didn't expect this kind of behavior then it's your fault for not reading the game's ESRB rating.

As for your mention of the TOS/EULA, I think you meant their Naming Policy. To be honest, this is the most un-fun policy I've seen in a long time and I can't believe that you would want people to abide by it. Why on earth can I not name my character after Gandhi? I understand that there are some unsavory characters in the real world about whom we might not want to think when playing a videogame, but a blanket ban on naming your character after people is absurd. That means I can't name my toon "Kim Karsmashian." Also it explicitly references illegal drugs; marijuana is by far the most commonly referenced drug and is legal in certain states, including Washington state, which is where Anet is located. So I suppose if you saw a opiod-related name then that would be a violation of the policy.

@"Ryan.9387" said:Apparently they can't change account names. CD key tried and support couldn't do anything.

Actually, there was a post recently where ANet changed the account name of a player.https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/42872/randomly-change-account-name-and-all-my-character-name#latest

There have been a few older posts from devs stipulating that although they are able to change account name in certain cases, the process cannot be reversed and there are significant possible repercussions for the account going forward which cannot be fixed.

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

@Bandlero.6312 said:

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

What qualifies as offensive? "etc." is pretty open-ended. Do you mean discriminatory towards a group of people, or simple bathroom humor? GW2 is not an E-rated game, it does have an age advisory. Personally I appreciate simple bathroom humor and other harmless jokes, and I think the vast majority of the GW2 community does too. When I log on I like to relax and sometimes make meme characters with meme names occasionally. "Drug reference names" is a ridiculous thing to complain about, GW2 has plenty of alcohol references as it is, I'm not sure why you think jokes about certain substances are completely acceptable but jokes about other substances are not. This is an online, T-rated game, it's not going to be a perfect haven from the real world.

However I do draw the line at names which mock a person or a group of people for something they can't reasonably change about themselves. I agree that players should be forced to change racist names.

You're making it clear that YOU consider alcohol to be a recreational drug, but when I wrote "racist names, drug reference names, sexually offensive names, etc. " I did not write alcohol. Honestly, you're coming across like you're trying to troll a legitimate, serious topic.

Again, I wrote "Offensive as defined in the Terms of Service/EULA." Neither your nor my opinion matters on exact names (though some names we can all figure-out violate the rules.) Offensive according to ArenaNet as explained, stated, defined, and listed in the rules for the game - the TOS/EULA.

READ: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/legal/guild-wars-2-naming-policy/

As for the "pot" argument; it is still illegal in most US States and most Jurisdictions on the planet Earth. Whether marijuana references are actionable or not is up to ArenaNet and none of our opinions on the subject matter.

Edit: The "Naming Policy" is something that expands further on the TOS/EULA. The same rules regarding naming can be found in the EULA.Edit Edit: Also further the "Rules of Conduct" further expand on naming: "You may not create character names or otherwise transmit, post, link to or facilitate the distribution of any sexually explicit, harmful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, hateful, vulgar, racially or ethnically offensive, invasive of personal privacy or publicity rights, or objectionable in a reasonable person’s view imagery or content." And more https://www.guildwars2.com/en/legal/guild-wars-2-rules-of-conduct/

@Bandlero.6312 said:

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

@Bandlero.6312 said:

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

What qualifies as offensive? "etc." is pretty open-ended. Do you mean discriminatory towards a group of people, or simple bathroom humor? GW2 is not an E-rated game, it does have an age advisory. Personally I appreciate simple bathroom humor and other harmless jokes, and I think the vast majority of the GW2 community does too. When I log on I like to relax and sometimes make meme characters with meme names occasionally. "Drug reference names" is a ridiculous thing to complain about, GW2 has plenty of alcohol references as it is, I'm not sure why you think jokes about certain substances are completely acceptable but jokes about other substances are not. This is an online, T-rated game, it's not going to be a perfect haven from the real world.

However I do draw the line at names which mock a person or a group of people for something they can't reasonably change about themselves. I agree that players should be forced to change racist names.

Are you implying that alcoholic beverages are anything other than recreational drugs? They haven't been used for medical purposes since opioids and purified alcohol became more popular... so like the early 1900s. When your character drinks alcoholic beverages in GW2, it's not to heal a wound or disease. Alcoholic beverages have no use other than recreational use in 2018. And in fact it is defined as a drug by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. I understand that you personally did not write "alcohol," but if you are referencing drugs in general, you are including alcohol.

As for the "pot" argument; it is still illegal in most US States and most Jurisdictions on the planet Earth. Whether marijuana references are actionable or not is up to ArenaNet and none of our opinions on the subject matter.

The reason I brought up marijuana is because I have seen quite a few character names referencing it; I have yet to see any character names that reference something other than marijuana or alcohol. I won't be upset or offended if you post a name that you've seen that references another substance; I'd like to see what you are talking about.

I'm not trolling you by stating a different opinion, I simply don't share your Puritanical/Evangelical values on what speech should be allowed. I prefer fun over restrictions, apparently you feel the opposite for reasons of your own. GW2 is a game and people should be allowed to have fun within reasonable restrictions, and it looks like you are trying to enforce some decidedly unreasonable ones. While you are technically correct that Anet has the power to change names and punish people for their names of choice, you are wrong to say that "Whether marijuana references are actionable or not is up to ArenaNet and none of our opinions on the subject matter." I don't have any special love for marijuana references over other humorous naming choices, but we absolutely have a voice in determining what we think is acceptable, fun, or offensive about the speech allowed in the game.

I'd like you to stop hiding behind Anet's policies, which are restrictive to the point of being absurd. Just come out and say why it is that certain drug references are acceptable but other aren't. I'd like to hear your opinion, not the strictures put down by Anet's legal team to avoid lawsuits. You are obviously not making this post because you're worried that Anet will get sued, you're making this post because you have an emotional problem with how some people speak and make jokes. Make your thoughts clear so that people can have a reasonable, logical discussion about what speech is a problem and what is not.

Report the specific account names to ANet and let them deal with it.

Since you can't right-click on the names on the leaderboard, you have two options:

• Take a screenshot and submit that via a support ticket. Pro: can describe specific reasoning. Con: takes more time, effort.
• Manually type the character name into your friend list or block list to get the account name, then right-click and report for "offensive character name." (Despite the phrasing, that will result in all character names and the account name being checked.) Pro: less effort. Con: can't explain the rationale for the report.

It is not up to the OP or to any of us posting here to determine if a name violates the ToS or EULA. It is also moot whether any of us consider the name "offensive," since that's not the primary nor sole determining factor.

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

@Bandlero.6312 said:

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

@Bandlero.6312 said:

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

What qualifies as offensive? "etc." is pretty open-ended. Do you mean discriminatory towards a group of people, or simple bathroom humor? GW2 is not an E-rated game, it does have an age advisory. Personally I appreciate simple bathroom humor and other harmless jokes, and I think the vast majority of the GW2 community does too. When I log on I like to relax and sometimes make meme characters with meme names occasionally. "Drug reference names" is a ridiculous thing to complain about, GW2 has plenty of alcohol references as it is, I'm not sure why you think jokes about certain substances are completely acceptable but jokes about other substances are not. This is an online, T-rated game, it's not going to be a perfect haven from the real world.

However I do draw the line at names which mock a person or a group of people for something they can't reasonably change about themselves. I agree that players should be forced to change racist names.

As for the "pot" argument; it is still illegal in most US States and most Jurisdictions on the planet Earth. Whether marijuana references are actionable or not is up to ArenaNet and none of our opinions on the subject matter.

You say "my" "Puritanical/Evangelical values" when I have not once stated my own personal values. Now you are just directing at me based upon your own assumptions. Every single post, response, etc. I've made I have consistently referenced, linked to, and stated ArenaNet's rules. Now perhaps you feel ArenaNet's rules are "Puritanical/Evangelical," but please don't assume, confer, infer, or project onto my personal values.

If you aren't trolling, then I guess you are just wanting to initiate a debate on Alcohol and Marijuana. Fine - I'll take the bait. I don't have a personal opinion about either when it comes to what other people do with their lives. Live and let live; what you do behind closed doors in your own home is your own private business. That is hardly a "Puritanical" or "Evangelical" value - Pragmatic is the word you might be looking for.

As to other drug references; I've personally witnessed at least 5 names (the names on leaderboards can change if a person runs a different character and logs out; so names can appear and disappear) in the last week referencing Opium, Oxy, or Heroin. There is also one highly questionable name using a very antiquated (and most consider offensive) term referencing African-Americans. There have been several names that most people consider to be offensive, vulgar, and sexually-oriented; if not sexist directed towards women. Of course, I will not get into specific names or name-shame because that is against the rules.

I mean if their account name is in violation the rule was there from the get go. Erase the account.

@"Bandlero.6312" said:If you aren't trolling, then I guess you are just wanting to initiate a debate on Alcohol and Marijuana. Fine - I'll take the bait. I don't have a personal opinion about either when it comes to what other people do with their lives. Live and let live; what you do behind closed doors in your own home is your own private business. That is hardly a "Puritanical" or "Evangelical" value - Pragmatic is the word you might be looking for.

As to other drug references; I've personally witnessed at least 5 names (the names on leaderboards can change if a person runs a different character and logs out; so names can appear and disappear) in the last week referencing Opium, Oxy, or Heroin. There is also one highly questionable name using a very antiquated (and most consider offensive) term referencing African-Americans. There have been several names that most people consider to be offensive, vulgar, and sexually-oriented; if not sexist directed towards women. Of course, I will not get into specific names or name-shame because that is against the rules.

If you would prefer for me not to refer to your views using a certain adjective, that's fair. However it is misleading for you to complain about, using your own words, "offensive names," and then pretend this is all about Anet's rules. Your post is not about whether or not people are following certain rules, it's about you being personally offended by other people's humor. If Anet were to ban people for using racist language, that would be pragmatic on their part as it could lead to them losing business from people like yourself. But for your part, there's nothing pragmatic about complaining about these issues, unless you are secretly the owner of Anet and stand to lose money if Anet doesn't ban this type of language. This post is an emotional reaction to other people's choices, and your knee-jerk reaction is to try to control their behavior.

Again I agree that the racist and sexist language does not belong in the game. As for references to opioids, I believe those should stay, partly because they are legal in medical applications, partly because out-of-sight-out-of-mind does nothing to bring attention to the opioid epidemic or help solve it, and partly because people find it funny and there's nothing inherently offensive about a particular substance. Opium never called me a slur.

Does are called troller names. There's plenty of does. & the only ones that it bothers them are the ones that loses matches to them. Reporting them is some form of vindication.

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

@"Bandlero.6312" said:If you aren't trolling, then I guess you are just wanting to initiate a debate on Alcohol and Marijuana. Fine - I'll take the bait. I don't have a personal opinion about either when it comes to what other people do with their lives. Live and let live; what you do behind closed doors in your own home is your own private business. That is hardly a "Puritanical" or "Evangelical" value - Pragmatic is the word you might be looking for.

As to other drug references; I've personally witnessed at least 5 names (the names on leaderboards can change if a person runs a different character and logs out; so names can appear and disappear) in the last week referencing Opium, Oxy, or Heroin. There is also one highly questionable name using a very antiquated (and most consider offensive) term referencing African-Americans. There have been several names that most people consider to be offensive, vulgar, and sexually-oriented; if not sexist directed towards women. Of course, I will not get into specific names or name-shame because that is against the rules.

I never once wrote "offensive to me." Again, you are the one implying, inferring, or assuming. Offensive could apply towards others. I didn't write "Names that offend me." In-fact, I used the word offensive because ArenaNet's own documents and rules also use the word "Offensive". It has nothing to do with adjectives, it has to do with you perceiving that someone has a value or values based upon assumptions and inferences you make through pretty plain, boring text that they write. Also, it seems that your hang-up was because I wrote "drug names" and didn't prefix it with "Illegal" thus allowing you to assume I'm including "recreational," "religious," and "medical" drugs. My apologies if I've left-out any other classification of drugs from that list. However, common sense (something we all have right?) dictates that "drug names" under the title "Offensive" does not include legal, recreational substances. The only one having a "knee-jerk" reaction, I think, has been you from the start; you're reacting as if you're threatened (have you done wrong?) because someone made a serious, legitimate post about names that violate ArenaNet's rules.

But again, none of what you, I, or anyone else thinks "offensive" matters. It's what ArenaNet employees deem to be actionable that matters. However, @Gaile Gray.6029 is sadly not omniscient or omnipotent - those she is pretty darn close to it. She and others at ArenaNet are not always aware of all of the issues and problems the player community faces and witnesses; and unless it is called to their attention, they cannot deal with it.

@"Bandlero.6312" said:You're reacting as if you're threatened (have you done wrong?) because someone made a serious, legitimate post about names that violate ArenaNet's rules.

I don't understand what you mean by legitimate; the "legitimate" way to deal with naming violations is a report, not a post on the PvP forum. My ability to enjoy this game is threatened by overzealous, anti-humor attitudes such as the one you're parading around. I certainly have my limits in terms of what I consider acceptable for speech in online games, but I err on the side of leniency. If I have a personal problem with a particular name, I'll let the person know in a PM. I do not want Anet's naming rules to be generally applied because they are far too expansive; if I want to make an Indian-looking character with long yellow hair, and walk around Divinity's Reach saying "Peace be upon you," then I should be allowed to name that toon Blondie Gandhi. If I want to make a voluptuous female character wearing a suit and a top hat, I should be able to name that toon Baberham Lincoln. But according to Anet's stated rules, those would be prohibited names for lord knows what reason.

common sense (something we all have right?) dictates that "drug names" under the title "Offensive" does not include legal, recreational substances.

Common sense does not at all leave out legal, recreational substances. I don't know what country you're from, but in the US (Anet's country) there is constant debate over the legality of marijuana. You yourself mentioned that it's not legal in many states. Prior to you stating your views clearly, it was not clear where you stood on the issue of alcohol or marijuana use.

As for your denial that this post is about you personally being offended, there's really 2 types of person that makes this post:

1. Person who is offended by some people's conduct.
2. Person who is not offended by certain rule-breaking conduct, but regardless wants to see rules to be enforced, even though they don't find it offensive.

If you were type #1, which I assumed you were, then I could sort of understand. If that were the case, you and I would just have different understandings of the negative impact of certain behaviors.

I never once wrote "offensive to me." Again, you are the one implying, inferring, or assuming. Offensive could apply towards others. I didn't write "Names that offend me."

But since you are now denying that these names in question are offensive to you personally, that makes you person #2, the equivalent of Randall from Recess. If people are breaking rules in a way that you don't even personally find offensive, just let it go. People want to have fun. It's a game, it's a place to have fun.

People even complain about names now, balance must be really good. If you can not deal with funny names in a game move on or report the playernames as people already suggested.

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

@"Bandlero.6312" said:You're reacting as if you're threatened (have you done wrong?) because someone made a serious, legitimate post about names that violate ArenaNet's rules.

common sense (something we all have right?) dictates that "drug names" under the title "Offensive" does not include legal, recreational substances.

1. Person who is offended by some people's conduct.
2. Person who is not offended by certain rule-breaking conduct, but regardless wants to see rules to be enforced, even though they don't find it offensive.

I never once wrote "offensive to me." Again, you are the one implying, inferring, or assuming. Offensive could apply towards others. I didn't write "Names that offend me."

You still are trying to ascribe values and traits based upon assumptions you are making. Honestly, that's a very polar, partisan way of looking at things; perhaps I'm type #3 or #50. But you've demonstrated through your writing that you really have no interest in what people actually have to say - instead of hearing people's words you are hearing only what you think or want to hear. You're reading between lines when there's nothing written between the lines.

It's very clear to me that your intent is to derail this thread in hopes the moderators will lock it and it will receive no attention. I chuckle - your attempts to belittle and demean what you perceive to be my viewpoint or opinion. You bemoan "attacks" on your beliefs and values or lifestyle - and yet you've been directing attacks at me for what you perceive to be my beliefs and values.; and, you've been demonstrating bigotry and intolerance towards Christians. Ascribing perceived values and to them and deeming those values and people to be negative. "Puritanical/Evangelical." Hypocrisy. And no, that's not my religion or beliefs; but my religion doesn't matter here.

Again, neither yours, mine, or anyone's opinion about what is "offensive" matters. Only ArenaNet's opinion on "offensive" matters.

I understand, you like to argue and argue for the sake of arguing. Shalom and may you find your inner peace some day.

@Bandlero.6312 said:

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

@Bandlero.6312 said:You're reacting as if you're threatened (have you done wrong?) because someone made a serious, legitimate post about names that violate ArenaNet's rules.

common sense (something we all have right?) dictates that "drug names" under the title "Offensive" does not include legal, recreational substances.

1. Person who is offended by some people's conduct.
2. Person who is not offended by certain rule-breaking conduct, but regardless wants to see rules to be enforced, even though they don't find it offensive.

I never once wrote "offensive to me." Again, you are the one implying, inferring, or assuming. Offensive could apply towards others. I didn't write "Names that offend me."

Only arenanet's opinion matters still you sit here and complain all day. Report the player and let them decide whether it is offensive or not and care for something relevant.

@Bandlero.6312 said:

@Huskyboy.1053 said:

@Bandlero.6312 said:You're reacting as if you're threatened (have you done wrong?) because someone made a serious, legitimate post about names that violate ArenaNet's rules.

common sense (something we all have right?) dictates that "drug names" under the title "Offensive" does not include legal, recreational substances.

1. Person who is offended by some people's conduct.
2. Person who is not offended by certain rule-breaking conduct, but regardless wants to see rules to be enforced, even though they don't find it offensive.

I never once wrote "offensive to me." Again, you are the one implying, inferring, or assuming. Offensive could apply towards others. I didn't write "Names that offend me."

My only bigotry is towards bigoted attitudes. I am intolerant towards intolerance; we cannot have a tolerant society without pushing back against those who lean towards censorship of speech or behavior. It's called the Paradox of Tolerance. Anet's naming policy has multiple rules that are intolerant and I do not support them.

It's telling that you refuse to name reasons why you think these rules should be enforced despite the lack of logical reasoning behind them. If you were proud of your beliefs as to why you think certain speech should be censored, you would've openly shared those beliefs (e.g. why you think any name containing "Oxy" should be banned). Instead you hide behind Anet's poorly-reasoned rules. Implying as you did that there are 50 possible reasons why you might make a post on the forum about offensive character names is absurd and yet another diversion from a well-reasoned discussion.

Shalom to you as well, and may you find your inner logic some day.

My opinion falls somewhere in the middle between publically appropriate and freedom of expression. I run the chat filter because I don’t need to constantly read profanity. But I can understand that some gamers like to be “edgy” with their names. Some people push that line and some jump over head first. If your offended report it and let the moderators sort it out. I have found that blatantly hateful or racist names and comments are taken very seriously by anet. But in the end it’s the internet and an mmo, need thick skin at times.

@"Bandlero.6312" said:We've been staring at a name that clearly violates Anet's rules in the #1 spot for a week nowIt all comes down to: ANet is not banning the names I want banned, while they promised that they would in their rules.

Any game firm running their MMO can do as they wish, and it seems reasonable to me that they don't spend too much time doing active enforcement. Unless you explicitly offend a majority of players with a name (1) and it gains wide publicity and visibly threatens the reputation and trust players have in the game or the firm, there usually wouldn't be official and high-profile sanctions (2).

I know what it is like to report to an authority and punishing those who "deserve" it, it does feel great to be supported, tended to, and validated. It's up to each game firm I suppose, to determine how much interference and presence they would like to exert on the game and how much financial, human resource and time cost they want to pay to see such things happen.

If you're dissatisfied with the late response to your likely invariably accurate reports, it's possible other players with their trivial reports are taking up too much time to process. I suppose what we should do as an agreeable next step is to create/find a job that says Game Enforcer or some sort that punishes players if they make inane reports of no real (3) consequence, and systematically ban any names that could potentially blossom into pandemic offense against the players of Tyria.

(1) Which is unlikely, unless we're all snowflakes. If I take any received information audio or visual seriously and get offended by each one that may have insinuated malicious meanings, good chickens, I might be incapacitated with indignation, rage, and nihilism for most of the day.(2) Now the use of third-party programmes that "rigs the game" by adding actions or information ANet did not intend for us to have, should be much higher hierarchically in the order of issues to tackle.(3) The Game Enforcer needs to undergo specialist training designed to make one believe that one's own subjective truth is the same as absolute truth.

This is an important subject.It shapes what kind of community we have in GW2.So it matters very much that Anet enforce their own rules.

Most of the replies so far look like efforts to invalidate or shame the OP into silence through rhetoric and personal attacks which are generally the tools of weak argument, uniformed opinion, and/or emotional insecurity.

The Naming Policy gives broad discretionary power to address all kinds of rank behavior.Behavior we never even see or conceive of because the policy is there and has been known to be enforced.

If you have played in any gaming community where this is not the case then you are painfully aware that we are not talking about the “gray areas” of offensive behavior.We are talking about players who intentionally push beyond the boundaries in order to do harm. Maybe a few people too stupid to know they’re not funny get caught in the (A)net, but very few.

For the purposes of this conversation, I am not interested in what makes these players who they are, but I am interested in the impact they have on the health and safety of all members of the community.

The suffering of others is not funny. This is not a difficult concept to grasp.

Genocide, torture, sex crimes, mass atrocities, group targeted violence- these are just a few of the “topics” which appear regularly in the “naming” and “speech” behaviors of players in other currently active gaming communities.

The policy may have broad connotations and be distressing to those who are looking for holes, but I have not seen it enforced with either undue haste or undue bias. What I do see is the absence of much that is actively harmful in other communities.

I support the OP’s request that GW2 remain dedicated to knowing and acting on the difference.

I have had my account name changed without warning a long time ago. I was merely using the nickname by which my close friends use to call me. It was changed to something more "cute" i guess. You should be glad being in NA, puns and jokes in numerous tongues are common in EU. Personnaly I prefer funny names over boring names. Sex, drugs and alcohol is normal to me. What is not fun is hateful name/behavior/mentality and I report those even if i don't feel personnaly offended. Only thing that hurts my eyes are grammatical and spelling mistakes, but I deal with it. Oh and Scourge/mirage visual clutter.

@River Willow.6721 said:This is an important subject.You are really exaggerating the importance of external regulation on player conduct. Not conduct even, we're talking about just names. I would argue that there would always be people trying to make names with inflammatory connotations no matter how hard you crack down on those, and people are always creative in their misspellings. And what about the meaning of words in a multi-lingual context?

@"Peura.3796"Pick a language and a random word and you will most likely find it means something else in another language. They should rename everything in the game in that case.

Lets say we stay on just English as the in-game communication medium (as if that's the only language that matters). Do you then move from banning specific words to banning any names that suggest those specific words? Because that is actually a giant leap, deep into subjective territory. It would be ridiculous because then we create a spectrum of un-usable names, which would not be all-inclusive, and now we have to keep adding to that list and it would be innumerable. It seems ridiculous to me but I'm sure someone will end up opening that door and reminding us what Keyboard Warrior really means.

What I'm uncomfortable with is the OP's immediate deferment to authority. "They said it in the rules, so they should have been banned already." Aside from letting fly the banhammer when people really get ridiculous, I still trust that the community does have a certain degree of self-regulation. If you're a hate-spewing bigot, the normal person get uncomfortable around them fairly quickly, and they would be left with a few choices - (1) quit being pathetic, (2) keep doing that external validation tactic and end up socially ostracized, further empowering one's bitterness, and (3) joining a guild that perpetuates that downward spiral and end up doing something that get them all banned.

When I see a borderline name, my first reaction would be to gauge the maturity (probably not high) of that particular person, and leave it at that. If one decides to take offense to particular names, that usually means one has personal reasons to be so. While someone may have strong convictions about these emotionally stirring borderline terms, others may not share the same sentiment.

Besides, I am of the opinion that self-victimization helps no one. Don't let others' words affect you emotionally (detach), have thick skin when you get teased and jeered at, and take a deep breath when you hear sharp criticism (the ones that bother you, those are ones that hit home and are most likely true). What is it they say about bullying? "I'm a survivor, not a victim." With enough population (+ interaction) and the minimal enforcement possible, the game should thrive and push the collective opinion to a healthy state.

I also want to mention that while the internet suffers from the GIFT and people can say all kinds of things, the threat is never as dire as inflammatory naming in a real-life confrontation. I will tell you those were unpleasant, took great effort to de-escalate (physical confrontation is apparent), and were much harder to process emotionally. Yes, I understand what it's like to feel offended by certain names (everyone has their poison), but you know, big deal, can't change everyone's opinions.

P.S. I'm sure everyone appreciates the creative punny names though.

Anet wanted F2P game, now they earned F2P players. Get used to it.