I joined the game a few months ago and heartily approve of the chat filters and menu restrictions that protect young people while playing online. Adult, or unfiltered chat, is nice for those of us who don't need such protection. However, I am incensed that one can EASILY get around the adult chat filter by adding a space between letters! Of course the report feature is always an option but that generates excessive complaints and permits us to be subjected to words that never should appear. The problem isn't "creative swearing" when the actual letters are right there with a mere space or two as censor. The chat system turns a word red in mid-typing then back to yellow as the word is completed (e.g. "button") or when editing filtered chat it will turn a whole phrase yellow (e.g. boy friend). KI can just as easily program the filters to account for spaces then review the word against their filtered or banned list.
Now, let's turn to words that should be included in the filtered chat restrictions (yellow) because they are too often intended to be hurtful or harassing. An excellent example is a recent post that explained how the word "noob" is used to denigrate and harass other players. That's the definition of cyber-bullying and should be immediately addressed and restricted by KI staff.
Sure, web jargon and other common words have valid meanings, which is why they're allowed through the filters in the first place. Looking at our example again, many responses focused on the validity of "noob" as applied to players new to this game or gaming in general. However, when starting a new avatar, I was accused of being a noob in a context that was intentionally meant to be derogatory. My myth wizard just made level 80 so I certainly could have laughed it off but, even as an adult, I felt hurt. It's tantamount to calling someone an idiot, dumb, ignorant or the vast number of similes that are already on the filtered list. It means their gameplay is poor. To be completely frank, it can be used to say that they or their gameplay "stink" (substitute word of choice). Should someone wish to ask if a player is a noob or say that they are a noob, one can just as easily express that with non-filtered words: "Are you new? I am new."
I put forward this posting to generate discussion and requests by forum members that KI review and remove certain words from filtered chat that are used to be derogatory and harassing regardless of whatever other use they may have.
Ugh... Alright yes I do agree that adult chat is a bit lose but it's adult chat for a reason. You have to be 18 to get it so by that point it's just easier to ignore the person who is harassing you then rearranging the filter.
Now for noob I don't think it should be changed. Yes it can be used as an insult but one can argue that there are other words out there that can be used too. Really its the intention rather than the word itself.
