Guild Wars 2 officially launched today but after just 3 days of early access, less than 0.001% of players have met the ban hammer for use of bad language and/or offensive character names.
Whilst 0.001% is low, the total number of players signed up to play Guild Wars 2 is not. A number of banned players took to reddit with dismay wondering why they had been banned, ArenaNet replied in-kind with their own reddit thread to clarify what can get you in-trouble and even give details on specific bans.
“We want to clear up some of the confusion about GW2 name and behavior suspensions. To keep Guild Wars 2 a pleasant place to be, we take action against racist names, hate speech, and other unacceptable behavior. We have suspended some accounts involved in the use of offensive character names or inappropriate chat. The number of account blocks is miniscule: less than .001% of our total player base.
When an account is blocked for a chat offense, the account is given a three-day suspension. When an account is blocked for an offensive name, the player is required to rename the character name and, in most cases, the account is also given a three-day suspension.”
It seems that ArenaNet are sticking to their word when they say they wish “to keep Guild Wars 2 a pleasant place to be” , any use of hostile language accompanied by a swear word is likely to result in a three-day suspension.
It is certainly a new take on policing the virtual streets of an MMO, other titles in the genre often use a profanity filter to block bad language and tend to ban players, only after multiple reports and long investigations. Not all players will be happy with the strictness of current rules but most should appreciate ArenaNet’s effort to keep the mood happy and upbeat.
Source: PC Gamer
