Racism in ESO

SeaGtGruff

Does anyone ever receive racist comments from other players while playing ESO?

I know that some players who are playing Dark Elf or High Elf characters sometimes like to RP and give players who are playing Argonian or Khajiit characters a hard time, talking about slavery.

And I've seen at least one player in one of the guilds I'm in being verbally abusive toward other players in the guild during AvA warfare in Cyrodiil, calling them "f*****s." I was shocked to see that, but I'm not sure if it was intended to be taken personally or was just supposed to be some sort of "army barracks" macho man talk.

Anyway, in my case I was playing a Redguard character and last night another player made a racist comment which I believe was aimed at me. Frankly, I tend to ignore the chat box while playing-- unless I'm doing a group activity-- so I didn't even notice his comments until afterward, and by then I'd moved away from the more densely populated area of the city I was in and couldn't see who had spoken. The reason I think he may have been speaking to me is because he asked whether I (or whoever he was speaking to) was a Breton or a "N*-**-guard," where "N*-**" was a 4-letter hyphenated form of "the N word." Although my character is a Redguard, he has a last name which might be taken as Breton. It was actually intended as an "occupational" name ("Outrider"), but in the real world I think it was mainly used in Britain-- at least, it got turned around to become a British surname ("Rideout") and its variant spellings.

It's possible that this other player wasn't even speaking to me, but he was clearly speaking to someone-- and his pejorative term for Redguard was clearly racist.

Although I found it to be offensive, the fact that I'm a 60-year-old white dude meant that I didn't react to it as strongly as someone else might have, but that's beside the point.

Do any of you ever receive racist or pejorative comments based on your characters? Or have you seen other players receiving such comments? How do you feel about this sort of thing? I know it's against the game's TOS, but that doesn't stop some people from doing it anyway.

cheifsoap

Why are you shocked? This is an online video game. Welcome to the internet

Hämähäkki

No, never received any racist comments.

Sometimes people write me to tell me they like my toon.

Narvuntien

I have recieved racist comments but I am not sure why there was nothing about my character that would warrant it. Just some guy at a crafting station whispering the N word to people. There was also someone in my guild constantly going on and on about "the Beast Races" which got him kicked out.

cheifsoap wrote: »

Why are you shocked? This is an online video game. Welcome to the internet

It is but it shouldn't be, if that makes sense just because it is that way doesn't mean anyone should put up with it.

Actually, it annoys me that redgaurds receive those comments also from a lore perspective when redgaurds in the ESO universe are the conquerors and were never the slaves (in this universe) they smashed the Aleyids.

Minno

just report it.

Though the Elder Scrolls series is a giant lesson in diversity of culture and the challenges that brings. Also damn those dirty, facist elves.

Nemesis7884

Never experienced any hate of any kind....eso and gw2 both have a very decent community...."worst" thing ive encontered are fake tanks, horrible dps or russians that dont understand english

ArchMikem

One time i dressed my Khajiit in a Redguard costume and Abahs landing whatever head wrap and someone said i was a Muslim Cat. Thats about it.

Honestly i get way more remarks about the big breasts on my cats and lizards.

TheShadowScout

If people are small-minded enough to make non-roleplay racist comments... I think I would choose to be amused at their foolishness rather then feel vexed.

After all, it IS a foolish concept. We all bleed red beneath the skin.

But... it is the internet.
So sadly, this is to be expected, every now and then.

People can be whatever they want to be in ESO - and some choose to be jerks. Pity them, laugh at their foolishness, then move on - and don't waste your energy getting "offended".

SeaGtGruff

Yeah, I was tempted to take a screenshot of it and report the player, but I was in a hurry to log out for dinner so I didn't. Also, I'd rather not get into the practice of reporting other players and getting them banned or whatever, unless it's for something pretty extreme.

zaria

Hämähäkki wrote: »

No, never received any racist comments.

Sometimes people write me to tell me they like my toon.

Once I healed an pug and got two comment on my title: clanmother, and the Raz pet.
Question about my outfit style, used Jorvuld’s Guidance robe before it was an motif.

Play mostly Khajiit and has tanked and healed on them a lot

Kova

I use those words as identifiers for people to troll. From my experience, growing up in one the more prejudice parts of the US, those who readily throw out racial and social slurs don't usually have the capacity to do much else. Hence why the baseline is to just "shock" and trigger people with a knee jerk response.

It's like when you were taught not to curse a lot because people will assume that's all you can do.

That aside, I run a discord and anyone that speaks this crudely on the regular gets banned. I've actually had people accuse me of being an intolerant dictator for kicking them out after they were routinely antisemitic. The brains coconuts are toasty with these types.

twev

I got 'racist' remarks once.

I random (Altmer) I was fishing near was making 'racist' comments about my Khajiit 'toon.

I love all God's creatures, but I never liked those Altmer anyway.

Kagukan

Sometimes trolls like to troll. I just cross the bridge they are under and leave them to find a more easily offended victim.

Wildberryjack

If someone is yelling racist crap in zone just to do it to be an edgelord then I will report them because that is absurd and they are acting like a dumb child and deserve a few days away from the game. Generally though I ignore people who make a single comment unless it is so over the top that it shouldn't be ignored but rather reported.

Druid40

Yes. Multiple occasions. However, most of the community seems to frown upon it or not partake in it. The bigots are like the obnoxious angry forum users -- they are here and get noticed, but they are not the majority. They are simply dysfunctional and impotent. I report homophobic and racist comments.

Devanear

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

Yeah, I was tempted to take a screenshot of it and report the player, but I was in a hurry to log out for dinner so I didn't. Also, I'd rather not get into the practice of reporting other players and getting them banned or whatever, unless it's for something pretty extreme.

Well, you choose the behaviour you choose the consequences. People that use that kind of language are fully aware of what might happen if they are reported. Their goal is to annoy, to disrupt, to be toxic, basically to make other people have a bad time. So no sympathy for the devil from me.

I would report and move on.

Kidgangster101

craybest wrote: »

dengodadegen wrote: »

N word? Neglected? Nag? Neurotic? Numb? Nuisance? Those are the ones i know off in sweden since we usually eat negerbollar here, its not offensive, maybe try some *** cultural diffrence as the reason before you jump to racism.
I used that word in the 80s and im sure as hell aint switching now because you got your pants in a knot.
its our food and cakes so if i cant ask for a damn negerboll i'd go nuts man, freaking nuts.

On a serious note though, stop being a nag and grow up. It's just words, not even spoken. Written by a dude you never meet, who gives two ***? If words offend you, i guess proper work must kill you inside and out.

there ARE rules to be followed ingame, specifically when talking to other people. it's not about something "offending" a person, it's about what should and sholdn't be allowed in a MMO. simple as that. If someone can't follow some simple rules (which in MMOs it's pretty much don't be a dickhead to others on purpose) then he/she shouldn't be playing in the first place.

Unfortunately I have reported a series of people that say lots of racists things in craglorn PS4 na and I never see anything happen to them. I log on the next day and back in craglorn they are saying racist comments in craglorn again. The devs don't follow up on racism in zone chat but I bet if there was a problem with the crown store it.would be fixed right away.......

Kikke

Let me guess... Console?

DocFrost72

Not racist, no. I even played an argonian and the worst I ever got called was "Boots" by my wife in RP.

The word you saw used is OOC. It's fine if a breton thinks all redguard are shifty in an rp (there's lore explaining cultural clash and mistrust), it's not fine to bring real world racism into game. If it upsets you enough to do it and you still have the chat or screenshots of it, report and let ZOS adjudicate.

p_tsakirisb16_ESO

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

.............................................
Anyway, in my case I was playing a Redguard character and last night another player made a racist comment which I believe was aimed at me.
...............................
Do any of you ever receive racist or pejorative comments based on your characters? Or have you seen other players receiving such comments? How do you feel about this sort of thing? I know it's against the game's TOS, but that doesn't stop some people from doing it anyway.

First of all this is Elder Scrolls. A game with deep background history.
Secondly, "racism" depends on what is someone racist about. The player or the character?

If is about the player then report them, however if it is about the character, it all depends the tone, the wording and context.

If my self as a Khajiit say "The good Argonians are only for handbags" am I racist against who? The Argonians in Tamriel or the Argonian players in person?
When a Nord says "who brought this flea bag for tanking?" in a trial, referring to my Khajiit tank should I perceive it as racism to me as player, or my character which then I should reply in kind about the Nords?

Though there are very sensitive people around. Someone in a guild was asking the other day "which is a safe Aldmeri Dominion cyrodiil campaign to do my missions?" when I respond "tsk tsk you are the shame of the dominion :P ", (in a Covenant guild), he started swearing to me in person cursing.

So is all about context. Some people are just sick. Cannot do anything else than right click on their name and ignore, but that doesn't mean RP bantering should be banned. Is an MMORPG not World of Tanks.

Imperial_Voice

I mean I see the occasional racist comment in zone chat but zone is a cesspit. Never had a guildie say anything like that.

Cpt_Teemo

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

Yeah, I was tempted to take a screenshot of it and report the player, but I was in a hurry to log out for dinner so I didn't. Also, I'd rather not get into the practice of reporting other players and getting them banned or whatever, unless it's for something pretty extreme.

It is pretty extreme, Twitch bans streamers for using racist comments, including viewers as well also nearly every online game that i have played perm bans your accounts as well for using racial slurs

Elwendryll

I personally love how the players are "racist" towards beast races, and how Altmers and Dunmers are just facists and slavers. That's an interesting element in this community, and funny, I like when people play with that.

Actual racism. No. I mean. There is no race and no gender unless you decide yourself there should be. You're more likely to come across toxic PvPers or inexperienced DD's who will blame the tank/healer and initiate votes to kick while they spend half the dungeon dead and the other half ignoring mechanics.

Goregrinder

I probably do, but I ignore everything other people say to me so I really have no idea.

ZOS_RogerJ

Greetings! While we completely understand everyone has their own opinions, thoughts, feelings and even frustrations, we want the forums to be a civil and constructive platform for the game and it's community as a whole. Please keep the thread civil, constructive and on-topic.

Danikat

I've seen some people get a bit carried away with "roleplay" racism - calling khajiit and argonians beastmen or calling everyone inferior because they're playing an altmer and think they're being creative.

There's only once I've seen someone throwing around real-life racist words, along with a lot of other offensive comments. My best guess is they were one of those idiots who don't seem to understand you can stop playing a game without being banned.

In situations like that the best thing you can do is report them, block them and move on. Anything else is just feeding the trolls.

I've not had racist comments directed at me thankfully but I have had people tell me I have psychological problems because of the characters I play - one who kept on (and on, and on) insisting the only reason anyone has ever played a khajiit is because they're a furry and if I say that's nothing to do with it then I'm a furry in denial. And one who said I must be transsexual if I'm female in real life and playing a male character and I need to see a doctor and get cured.

Honestly I don't see why character choice is such a big deal to some people. It's just a character. I have 8 of them in ESO (and concepts for 3 or 4 others I haven't made yet) and countless others in other games. Of course they're not all going to be just like me. (And if they were then personally I'd be more concerned about all the people they've killed than what they look like.)

Marcus684

It used to annoy me whenever another wannabe edgelord would type out the same stupid “hippity hoppity Argonians are property” line, but now I just ignore it and them. Life’s too short to allow trolls like this to rain on your picnic.

WuffyCerulei

To anyone saying “it’s the internet, get over it,” it’s no excuse to be a racist piece of garbage.

Note, I mean that slur and whatnot. Not the in-game racism between the races of Tamriel.

DocFrost72

Danikat wrote: »

I've not had racist comments directed at me thankfully but I have had people tell me I have psychological problems because of the characters I play - one who kept on (and on, and on) insisting the only reason anyone has ever played a khajiit is because they're a furry and if I say that's nothing to do with it then I'm a furry in denial. And one who said I must be transsexual if I'm female in real life and playing a male character and I need to see a doctor and get cured.

This one confuses the heck out of me. If you play a *character* in a videogame that is different than you are irl, you need help? Does every male playing tomb raider need help? Does every woman playing Carl Johnson in GTA:SA need help? I'd argue if you can only ever play a toon that looks like or is you, you're closer to needing help. Additionally, trans =/= gender dysphoria. Just by being trans, there's nothing medically to treat.

The furry one is right though.

Yes, that is sarcasm.

Wildberryjack

The thing with this is we live in an "outrage culture" and so many people are just looking for something they can get offended about. You do not have a right to never be offended. If someone crosses the line then yes report them but otherwise just let it roll off your back and move on. Don't be part of the outrage culture please.

Vietfox

Idk, i've never seen any racist comment towards people or frenchs.