Escapist News Now: Xbox One Users Banned For Swearing

LadyRhian

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May 13, 2010
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I remember the days when AOL banned the word "Breast", which led to the inability of being able to discuss breast cancer (or support spending money for breast cancer research), and another update which banned the common misspelling of "dic" which led to people being unable to spell words like "ridiculous" or "dictator". Now that was insanity.
 

Comando96

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May 26, 2009
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Fucking hell...

I'm so glad that I have a PC... from where I grew up I end up swearing as an adjective and verb so... I'd be fucked under such a draconian system.

Also, Draconian systems will result in people... migrating... to the not so draconian system... whats that other console out there? hmm...
 

jackpipsam

SEGA fanboy
Jun 2, 2009
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I take no issue with the censoring of Upload Studio, because it could very easily become a terrible place otherwise.

I don't know about Skype, I mean is the ban just connected across from Upload Studio to block Skype as well?
I don't know, hopefully it's just a glitch.
 

babinro

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Sep 24, 2010
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Kudos to Microsoft in trying to enforce a more positive behavior in our gaming community. The way things have been last generation were terrible and acted as a barrier to entry for some gamers. Some people just want to play a game online and have fun. Not endure endless cursing, racism, homophobic commentary, etc.

I'm 100% against the idea of locking out Skype though for obvious reasons. It's an unrelated service provided by the system and for all we know could be the users only means of communication from time to time (unlikely but possible).
 

Tumedus

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Jul 13, 2010
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Even if we move past the absurdity of enforcing restrictions on foul language (the power of a word is in its meaning, not its spelling), this is a bad move because it functionally renders one of the major "draws" of the system as inferior to one of, if not both, its primary competitors.

They are trying to unify multiple entertainment experiences into one system. But to pull that off, they have to convince the consumer to start at the Xbox. They have to want to use it because its easier and/or better. If its just plain easier to do it on your PC without worry about the censors locking you out of online access in the first place, they are just going to make their own hub seem a joke.

If they had any idea how to interact with this generation, they would simply put on age/filter locks on that content, not ban the uploaders. That way, people who want to be protected from the big nasty words can be, and those that don't care won't feel like MS Mom is going to nag them every 5 seconds.

Ubiquity is what wins in the online space, and you achieve that through offering freedom (at least the appearance of it).
 

SecondPrize

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Mar 12, 2012
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It's against Live rules to curse in voicechat in game, why the hell would anyone think uploading video of gameplay with cursing is going to fly? The Skype thing is a big no no, though. If you don't monitor skype then there should be zero bans for behavior in a skype chat. None.
 

garjian

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Mar 25, 2009
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Remember back with their old plans how a ban would mean you couldn't play any of the games you had bought? Ever again?

Be very glad that didn't happen.
 

EclipsiumRasa

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Nov 8, 2012
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Kumagawa Misogi said:
UnderGlass said:
Completely support this move by Microsoft (oh boy, did I never think I'd see myself say that). The integrated XBox Live ecosystem is neither an open, creative platform nor a forum for expressing outlying socio-political attitudes. It's a playground ? and a very public one at that. Decorum should absolutely be exercised when interacting with others there and if not, it should be enforced, for the safety and comfort of the greater mass of participants. To be clear, I wholeheartedly oppose censorship in forums where private or artistic expression is the order of the day; where there is an implicit presumption of the author's prerogative to exercise their own judgement on the use of extreme language. Access to these sorts of platforms can, and should be filtered in a way which XBox Live simply cannot. In recent years Microsoft has been has been far too hands off, and the Greater Internet Fuckwad theory has led to it becoming toxic and unsafe (figuratively).
You do realise they are banning people for 1 to 1 Skype calls as well right? something they should not even be monitoring anyway.
Except Microsoft released a statement denying that and there's no real evidence beyond rumour (read: someone once posted it on a forum on the internet! It must be true!).

That said, I do support in the interest of serious journalism, 2 escapist writers having a ten minute swearing marathon over the Xbone Skype in the interests of testing whether its true or not. Debunking rumour from fact is an important part of a free press. Even if its not an especially dignified one.
 

Gregory Wollf

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Jun 13, 2011
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I like it. I'm glad Microsoft is moderating content that comes from their systems. Gaming culture needs to step it up if we want to be taken seriously and I think this is a step in the right direction. There are times when swearing is appropriate and even tasteful, there are times when it's pointless, and there are times when it is just damn offensive. If this puts a plug in the hateful filth flinging pie holes or toxic gamers and doesn't impede on normal gamers' ability to speak their mind then it's a solid win in my books. Obviously the moderation system will need to be updated and tweaked a bit until it runs as intended. And maybe, just maybe, some gamers will have to tone down their language (may the gods forbid) and learn how to be respectful in public.

It's not the end of the world or even all that controlling. Within a few years time nobody will remember or care that Microsoft started moderating what people post.
 

CJ1145

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Jan 6, 2009
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Cybylt said:
In unrelated news, older cod fans rejoice at the sudden absence of prepubescent players.
That's bullshit, because that demographic hasn't played CoD since United Offensive.

I can understand trying to make a better environment for people to play in, but this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. How far do these rules apply? They seem to be implying that, when possible, people will be punished for swearing no matter the context. Does this apply to Mature-rated games where the characters in-game are cursing just as much? And the Skype bans are bullshit. They are either bullshit in that the reports are made up, or they are bullshit in that Microsoft is trying to censor private conversations which is downright Orwellian.
 

Sofus

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Apr 15, 2011
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If someone dislikes the language used in a video that they aren't being forced to view, then they could just stop watching it?

Step 1 add a mute option for every game (like counter strike)
Step 2 make the games good enough so that people will want to host their own servers, that way people can just go and find servers which enforces civilized communication.
Step 3 stop reading or lisening to things that offends you.

I could uderstand the banning if the users had purposely been harassing people. Why not add a rating system and other functions so that videos containing "inappropriate" language don't end up as something that would be encountered unless searched for.

Shielding people from all forms of rude, harsh and unforgiving use of a language is not the way to go. "Oh buhu.. I got offended by what someone said in a video that I chose to watch".
 

AuronFtw

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Nov 29, 2010
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Gregory Wollf said:
I like it. I'm glad Microsoft is moderating content that comes from their systems.
Er... no, actually, moderating is what they're not doing. The root word here is moderate, aka, "kept or keeping within reasonable or proper limits; not extreme, excessive, or intense: a moderate price." "Moderating" content would be what other people have suggested in this thread and on forums around the net: use your XBL profiles' ages to determine what content that account can and cannot access. If someone uploads a video, they can use tags or the upload form to indicate the video has swearing (which would age gate it to over 13s) or intense violence/sexual references/whatever else (which would age gate it to over 18s). "Moderating" would be then checking to make sure the videos uploaded conform to the categories in which they've been put, and you'd be able to let children game "in safety" without ham-handedly censoring adults at the same time.

Because that's what it is; censorship. They are not moderating, because the approach they're taking is nonsensical, illogical and extreme. They're censoring all content, apparently unaware of their ability to simply make age gates, like most content providers in the last 40 years. What you are supporting is blanket censorship of every piece of content in lieu of an actual sensible response to the issue. Are you really okay with that?

Gaming culture needs to step it up if we want to be taken seriously
Yes, because speaking English and using common English-language words and euphemisms makes us less worthy of being taken seriously. Remember when books, movies and music had to blanket censor all their content, banning every person who made a book, movie or song with adult language or themes, to be accessible to the 10-and-under crowd in order to be accepted as a medium?

Oh... wait. They didn't. Because that would have been fucking retarded.

They simply put a labeling system on their media, warning consumers on the front of the DVD case or CD cover what they can expect as far as adult language. Sort of what rational people expected Microsoft to do here. (And, as an amusing aside, most books don't even have that; you're just expected to know what it contains before passing it off to children. Microsoft should clearly start banning books).


and I think this is a step in the right direction. There are times when swearing is appropriate and even tasteful
And that time is absolutely never, according to Microsoft, apparently unaware that great art from theatre to music to novels have had swearing for longer than they've even been a company.

The problem here is that you're attempting to apply "moderate" logic to a situation in which no moderation is present; Microsoft is blanket censoring all content regardless of anything, and you're trying to defend it with things like "there are times when swearing is appropriate and even tasteful..." apparently unaware that Microsoft is banning it ENTIRELY, so even those times when it is appropriate and tasteful are liable to be punished.

Protecting kids is obviously an important thing. But the market isn't about children. It's not the 80s anymore; 10-and-unders aren't the primary demographic. I would think this is painfully obvious given the biggest console franchises being stuff like Medal of Gears of Calladoody: The Dudebro Edition: This Time With A Dog. It's alright if the companies take steps to protect the children playing, with parental controls and age gates to block off adult content. That's *fine*. But it's not fine when they punish the entire userbase for an absolutely pants on head retarded decision to blanket ban all adult content because they're too incompetent to make any kind of an age gate. And that's what Microsoft is doing here. And that's what you're supporting.

Are you really okay with that?
 

AdagioBoognish

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Nov 5, 2013
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Cybylt said:
In unrelated news, older cod fans rejoice at the sudden absence of prepubescent players.
Wait all that swearing was from 12 year old boys? It's been happening so often and for so long, I thought COD just had terrible voice acting.
 

UnderGlass

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Jan 12, 2012
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Kumagawa Misogi said:
UnderGlass said:
You do realise they are banning people for 1 to 1 Skype calls as well right? something they should not even be monitoring anyway.
As has been pointed out and reported both in the video and elsewhere, those claims have not been corroborated and the rumour has been flatly denied by Microsoft. The confusion probably stems from MS's blanket ban also covering use of voice chat - Ridiculous to be sure and quite likely to be the unintended result of the interrelatedness of all the services involved. I'd look to stuff like this being smoothed out in the coming weeks/months as launch day furor calms down.
 

crotchdot

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Jun 11, 2010
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AuronFtw said:
Remember when books, movies and music had to blanket censor all their content, banning every person who made a book, movie or song with adult language or themes, to be accessible to the 10-and-under crowd in order to be accepted as a medium?

Oh... wait. They didn't. Because that would have been fucking retarded.
Actually, for a while there movies in the US were subject to a raft of inane restrictions that effectively prevented film makers from making movies that conatained any content unsuitable for viewing by children.

It was called the Hays Code, but that was way back in the 1930s. Although you were right about it being fucking retarded.
 

NoeL

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May 14, 2011
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I'm all for censoring hate speech, but not profanity. People that take offense at "rude words" are the ones with the problem - not the people saying them. But I'm all for Microsoft not letting people to use their platform as a means of broadcasting hatred.
 

Groverfield

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Jul 4, 2011
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Is upload studio owned by Microsoft? To go from the least mediated community that was so filled with intolerance and bile to one where you're not allowed to curse is a rather polar switch, and is probably going to make some people think that they want to start the revolution.