offensive word?

Is crap considered offensive?

not to me.

It's up to the staffer whether it is or isnt in the context and if it's worthy of a warning etc.

3. BEHAVE WITHIN REASON WHEN PLAYING THE BAD GUY

Some players will choose to role play as 'bad guys' and can do so within the law. However staff will step in when role play becomes obstructive to other players progress, or when it becomes personally offensive or turns into real life harassment. There for:

Do not use offensive language in public or private channels such as /shout or /ctells.

Cussing in /tells must stop if other person objects. Vulgar, foul, abusive and rude language will not be accepted within our community, neither will sexual innuendos, regardless of who it is directed at or by what means its delivered by (i.e. #shouts, #tells or normal talk).

12. RESPECTING OUR STAFF AND THEIR DECISIONS

If a member of staff tells you to stop something, or informs you that you are breaking a rule. You must follow their instruction. Do not argue with our staff. If you disagree with what a member of staff has said or told you to do, then please follow their instructions and then email the admin team.

Arguing with our staff will get you into even more trouble. So please don't.

Huh, well, it was 'Holy crap, that must be a powerful new race...?' in reference to Necro's. And i was warned to watch language, so I asked staffer in tell 'c*** is an offensive word? Huh, didn't know, sorry'. He came back, kinda sounded mad and said 'I give you a warning, and only once.' I really apologized, he still came back upset. I wasn't playing bad guy or anything, didn't argue with him, just kind of asked if he was referring to what I said. I left shortly after that, dunno if he administered punishment though. Just curious as your guy's thoughts on it being offensive or not.

sounds like someone was a bit touchy that day.

There are a few issues you have raised that I will comment on in general, given that I do not know the specifics of the incident and do not want to have to spend the time investigating it.

Language is a funny thing and changes according to context.
What you say when making a presentation to a board of a major corporation or at seminar for nuns is different to how you may speak after 5 hours in a pub or when in a deep under ground mine with a bunch of blokes you have worked with for years. This is different again to how you would speak in a technical seminar with specialist scientists on some break through or if you were being introduced to your girl friends parents for the first time.
If you are skilled then you will know and recognise the differences and be able to adjust your tone and language to suit.

There are a great many of the online gaming environments where language is only loosely controled, if at all. You can say what you want when you want. You can be as foul or insulting as you want and don't need to consider the audience, except in the most extreme of examples. I personally do not like those environments and avoid them where possible.

I am not a fool. I know my kids play some of those games and use language that I consider to be inappropriate with their friends. However, they never use that sort of language around me or my family or my friends. They know and understand the difference and are able to adapt and I accept that.

Aranock is different to other online games in many respects, not just the technology.
We have a tradition of having what I would call family or kid friendly rules with respect to language and behaviour. Does that mean nothing bad ever happens? No. But we do our best to maintain some level of what could be called decency for want of a better word. I strongly and actively encourage all staff and players to do the same. I will also back any staffer or player who tries to encourage others to play within the spirit of those guidelines.

Now closer to the specifics of the case mentioned above. I have in the past and may well again in the future give a friendly warning about language for that word and a large number like it. I must confess to also letting it go depending on the context and what else I was concentrating on.
So giving a friendly warning of "language please" is appropriate and within the domain of a staffer or even a player to do.

However, if queried I would also try to explain the above to you so that you understood the context of what I said and why. This may not always be possible depending on what is going on at the time but that is the preferred course of events.

Language and behaviour are complex things to define specifically. Their use and meaning vary with context. However, we do tend to err more on the conservative side to try and maintain a family friendly environment.

I hope this helps you to understand some of the issue and what I expect. I am not and can not talk about the specific incident you mentioned. However and little tolerance and respect for each other by all sides and we can continue to all get along.

Actually it kind of solves my curiosty. I agree, i don't say "bad word" for poop in front of my 3year old, but in front of a 12 year old? why not. It just caught me off guard when I was warned. Really not upset

I can understand your confusion.

Shakespeare once said "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Now we are talking about something smelling not as sweet but I trust you get the jist of it.

It is wierd how, as a society, we have deliminated some words to be offensive and others to be acceptable even though they mean the same thing.

Take, example, the 3 words used to describe excrement. poop, crap, and the s word
Using the American MPAA movie rating system is not a good guidline as it is too flexible in how ratings are assigned.
I have consulted a research paper that had a little over 1000 respondants and their rating for certain words: http://www.asa.org.uk/Resource-Centre/~/media/Files/ASA/Reports/ASA_Delete_Expletives_Dec_2000.ashx

It is an interesting read when some that where interviewed had different "house rules" than what they accept the real world to have. The respondants also felt that their "house rules" should apply to tv programming. They also have a list of about 30 words I was surprised to see some words on there that some actually felt were not swearing an dsome words that I felt were completely benign to offend some of th erespondants.

Also this study was done in the UK and what is offensive there, may not be offensive in the States.

take for example the word spastic. I have always known that word to just mean something or someone that moves a lot. Our household refers to our dog as spastic and spassing out just because she wiggles so much.
Evidently in the UK it has a conotation unbeknownst to me since it rates higher on the obscene list than the s word[/]

I talked ot a black man from the Bahamas that laughs at us americans for the use of the [i] n word. They use it much the same way we use the term dude. it has no vulgar or offensive associations to it.

So, that all being said, I operate a two levels. I am not easily offended and will not be shocked ot hear stuff in tells that are not disrepecrful to my position. I am also one of the stricter enforcers of the the obscenity rules. I feel that the enviroment that we play in, and for some of us, have our children play in should be a clean enviroment that we should not be embarrased to show off to all walks of life.


I say the following statement with great apprehension. We all know what is widely accepted at vulgar and unacceptable. However there are a great many words that are to some unacceptable and ot others that are. If anyone, especially staff, tells they are offended- refrain from its usage. You can debate it in a respectful manner at a later time. No wfor my apprehension. I can see someone (ther is always one in a crowd) that will start saying thing s like trees, flowers, and all other everyday words are offensive just to get a reaction.

Just keep in mind that we are a world-wide audience and what is completely ok to some can be offensive ot other cultures.
I

I got automuted for talking about blueberry MUFFin that i baked. Just saying.

Can't talk about grapes either.

In answer your curiosity Flipper and in the spirit of sharing knowledge from all over the world, in the UK spastic is a derogatory word used to describe those with a visibly noticeable disability. The word is related to 'spasticity' which our medical professionals use to describe the way muscle tenses up and releases uncontrollably as a result of degenerative muscle diseases such as cerebral palsy which results in people having an odd appearance and unnatural bodily movements/co-ordination, and is believed to be from the latin word meaning to 'draw in' or 'tuck in'. However because of our colorful and ever inventive youth, there has been a corruption of the word and now saying 'spaz' between friends is usually to denote that they have been foolishly incompetent and have acted unintelligent about something to the point of being considered ridiculous. However in less friendly instances, the word can describe to how someone appears physically and used if you wish to express that they appear so ugly they might as well have a disability affecting them. This is in reflection to how our youth feel about those with physical or mental disability. Hence its rudeness

Andy wrote:

Cussing in /tells must stop if other person objects. Vulgar, foul, abusive and rude language will not be accepted within our community, neither will sexual innuendos, regardless of who it is directed at or by what means its delivered by (i.e. #shouts, #tells or normal talk).

What if the person doesn't object and it automutes me anyway?

Then you will be automuted until it runs out (at start of new day).

the original word was cut out of a program i watched, before the watershed (in GB), this allows me to make the assumption it's a derogatory/foul word, sorry to cause any confusion but this is where i stand on this word

Andy wrote:

the original word was cut out of a program i watched, before the watershed (in GB), this allows me to make the assumption it's a derogatory/foul word, sorry to cause any confusion but this is where i stand on this word

I'm in complete agreement.