Moderation and censorship is out of hand

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boi_anachronism_
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This is an M rated game. Meaning players are expected to be over 17. Clear? Clear. So why on earth are players getting multi day bans for for profanity. We have a profanity filter for god sake which you have to MANUALLY turn off. We arent talking about cursing someone out in chat, agressive behavior or a reported incident of any kind. We are talking about random bans for using a cuss as a descriptor. I recieved a whisper from a guildmate today warning not to say any 4 letter words in guild chat because he was concerned i might get a random ban and that one of our guildmates had recently been hit with a 3 day ban from zos for doing so. Who is even monitoring this? Cut it out. Focus on fixing your game not banning unsuspecting players. The community is already struggling. My god get your priorities straight.
Edited by ZOS_Volpe on January 16, 2025 1:16PM
  • Jierdanit
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    Agreed.

    The moderation has gotten to a point were lots of players are genuinely scared of writing anything in game at all, because they dont want to randomly get banned for something that should not nearly warrant a ban.
    That is definitely not something you want in an MMO that should have big social aspect.

    It has also even gotten past just in game chat, I know of at least 2 streamers who received warnings/bans for something said on stream and not even in game.

    ZOS really need to stop banning people for "social" stuff unless they are seriously harrassing or badly insulting other players.
    PC/EU, StamSorc Main
  • Sleepsin
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    It is rated M, not so players can use salty language, but because the crown store has loot boxes.
  • boi_anachronism_
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    Sleepsin wrote: »
    It is rated M, not so players can use salty language, but because the crown store has loot boxes.

    Congratulations on your wrong answer

    2vjikcyxsdqg.jpg
  • boi_anachronism_
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    Crown crates werent released till 2016
  • Sleepsin
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    Re-read your own pic. "In-game Purchases (includes random items) Users Interact". IE loot boxes.
  • wilykcat
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    It's rated m for blood and violence, not for profanity.

    Also I don't get why there needs to be so many threads about the topic of moderation. Heres one of them. https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/670907/forum-moderation-psa
    There's a thread about ai moderation and there are also a bunch of others within the past year.
    Edited by wilykcat on December 28, 2024 12:05AM
  • boi_anachronism_
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    See above. Crown crates werent introduced till 2016. When did the game come out? 2014. Its always been rated M.
  • JavaRen
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    Loot boxes are one of five issues sited, far from "the" reason.
  • boi_anachronism_
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    As was skyrim.... and oblivion... which have no in game loot boxes. So fail but by all means go off 😆
    Edited by boi_anachronism_ on December 28, 2024 12:07AM
  • Sleepsin
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    Having loot boxes is a guaranteed M rating. That other stuff, not so much.
  • Syldras
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    I think it might be better to focus on the problem of an increasing number of people feeling discontent about the rules? And for that, there's indeed already a thread.


    Edited by Syldras on December 28, 2024 12:29AM
    @Syldras | PC | EU
    The forceful expression of will gives true honor to the Ancestors.
    Sarayn Andrethi, Telvanni mage (Main)
    Darvasa Andrethi, his "I'm NOT a Necromancer!" sister
    Malacar Sunavarlas, Altmer Ayleid vampire
  • boi_anachronism_
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    [snip] Loot boxes were added later.

    [edited for baiting]
    Edited by ZOS_Icy on December 28, 2024 6:10PM
  • Sleepsin
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    I'm not disagreeing with you on over moderation. I'm just saying loot boxes have more an impact on game rating then other topics. Laws have recently been updated/changed/made to cover them.
  • JemadarofCaerSalis
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    It also doesn't say it was rated M for profanity, but rather other issues.

    Just because a game has a certain rating doesn't mean it has to allow everything that rating covers. IE, if the game didn't want the 'sexual themes' but still have violence, blood and gore and use of alcohol, it would still be rated M. Just as if they wanted to remove any of the other themes that fall under the 'M' rating.
  • boi_anachronism_
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    Sleepsin wrote: »
    I'm not disagreeing with you on over moderation. I'm just saying loot boxes have more an impact on game rating then other topics. Laws have recently been updated/changed/made to cover them.

    Its always been rated m. Just for you i went and found the og box art... you done now?
    Edited by boi_anachronism_ on December 28, 2024 12:22AM
  • boi_anachronism_
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    e5p43kpqy864.jpg
  • Sleepsin
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    That pic is for PS4 not the original box art. And the Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB. There's lots more to the rating system then just language.
  • ZOS_Hadeostry
    If you have a question or want to appeal an action taken in game, please check out the information here and place in a ticket. As a reminder. please follow Community Code of Conduct and refrain from posting about specific moderation/actions.
    Edited by ZOS_Hadeostry on December 28, 2024 12:47AM
    Staff Post
  • Ugrak
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    Sleepsin wrote: »
    Laws have recently been updated/changed/made

    This is an aspect a lot of people are missing. Platforms are generally being pushed toward being more proactive about moderating themselves. Meanwhile, the proliferation of various AI software has made that a popular approach to achieve it.

    The consequence of course is a mass of false positives and a general chilling effect.
  • SeaGtGruff
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    Sleepsin wrote: »
    It is rated M, not so players can use salty language, but because the crown store has loot boxes.

    Nope, it's rated M because the ratings organizations don't think the violence, sexual situations, drug use, and stuff like that is appropriate for younger players. From what I've read (although I don't know how accurate it was), ZOS appealed the rating, but did not want to make any changes in the game that would compromise its integrity as far as what players expect and want to see in an Elder Scrolls game. And also from what I've read, there are other popular MMOs out there which are getting away with some of the same kinds of content that earned ESO a rating of M, yet they have not received a rating of M for it.

    Congratulations on your wrong answer

    2vjikcyxsdqg.jpg

    Right, it says why it has a rating of M right on the ratings stamp.
    I've fought mudcrabs more fearsome than me!
  • Oceanchanter
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    Current state of moderation is confusing more than anything else.

    I've heard people saying that if you cuss alone in a dungeon, or in a private convo with someone who is okay with it, the susepnsion/ban hammer from the Big Brother AI Moderator will come in and get you.

    Meanwhile, I queue up for a Dungeon, waiting in the Enclave, and some player keeps challenging me for a duel, curses in /say channel cause I have auto-reject duels ON (thank you ZOS for such feature, I'm waiting for auto-reject friend invites), then fights some guy, curses as well when he's defeated, rinse and repeat.

    It went for about 15 minutes (queue was long during that time late in the night) and I don't even report people cause I've heard of "I got suspended for reporting a player" stories as well.

    As for profanity.
    OP makes a good point, but it is what it is cause of external factors.
    The profanity is just there to not censor words and sentences in the middle cause they just so happen to make a nono word in a normal sentence.
    Jierdanit wrote: »
    Agreed.

    The moderation has gotten to a point were lots of players are genuinely scared of writing anything in game at all, because they dont want to randomly get banned for something that should not nearly warrant a ban.
    That is definitely not something you want in an MMO that should have big social aspect.

    It has also even gotten past just in game chat, I know of at least 2 streamers who received warnings/bans for something said on stream and not even in game.

    ZOS really need to stop banning people for "social" stuff unless they are seriously harrassing or badly insulting other players.

    I'm one of those players.
    I reject friend requests, guild invites, I don't even say "hi" in the dungeon/PvP, I stop myself from participating in social interactions while waiting for the squat to be full before a Trial, I stopped asking people which sets are they using cause the VFX would look great on my character, if the dungeon/Trial goes wrong I pray people will catch up or I just quit and queue again hoping for a better squat, I don't even type "bb" or "gg" at the end of an activity.
  • Koshka
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    Honestly, it is just sad.
    Sure, banning really agressive people as well as bots and goldsellers is fair. But trying to sanitize the game to the point where people are afraid of typing anything in chat because you can get banned for mispelling words is simply not good.
    Being able to socialize in an mmo is a very important thing. I've actually met my husband in ESO, and I know several other couples who found each other in online games. So it is very sad to know that people are not able to freely communicate anymore. In my opinion, bans should be reserved for extreme cases, the rest can be handled by existing profanity filter.
  • OsUfi
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    Funny thing is, I swear constantly in game. Not even a suspension. On the rare occasions I do RNDs I always end up with bad fake healers that slow the group down, upon which I reign down every profanity laced cockney insult you could possibly imagine, and I still haven't had a ban. I've even had 3 people say they've reported me for tearing a fake healer a text-based new one, and still nothing.

    I need to go read that other thread to find some actual examples of what people have been banned for. Cause at the moment, I see no difference, and if we are getting bans for profanity I'd be losing my account on a weekly and sometimes daily basis.
  • Oceanchanter
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    OsUfi wrote: »
    Funny thing is, I swear constantly in game. Not even a suspension. On the rare occasions I do RNDs I always end up with bad fake healers that slow the group down, upon which I reign down every profanity laced cockney insult you could possibly imagine, and I still haven't had a ban. I've even had 3 people say they've reported me for tearing a fake healer a text-based new one, and still nothing.

    I need to go read that other thread to find some actual examples of what people have been banned for. Cause at the moment, I see no difference, and if we are getting bans for profanity I'd be losing my account on a weekly and sometimes daily basis.

    Seen similar situations last month when I was doing some Trials; a dude raging cause most of the squad didn't know the mechanics of the Trial.
    The group ended up disbanded but it left me baffled.

    I don't want to make definitive claims, but from where I'm sitting, to me, the system not only harms the community but also doesn't work as intended.
  • Servadei
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    Imagine posting well akshually it's not language - it's just violence, blood, gore, and sex.
  • Ruthless
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    I really wonder who does this serve, clearly not the players
  • Oceanchanter
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    Servadei wrote: »
    Imagine posting well akshually it's not language - it's just violence, blood, gore, and sex.

    I know how those mature ratings work, but cmon; if violence, blood, gore, and sex is already there, then nobody would be surprised by some profanity.
    I'd argue it's the tamest of the 5.

    Profanity filter is there, so you can turn it on if you don't want to see it.
    Ignore button exists, you can silence anyone forever if you want to.
    Report player button is there, so you can report that pesky player harassing you if ignoring them is not enough.

    There's no need for...whatever is happening now (whenever it's AI flagging and humans suspending, or AI doing both - doesn't matter).
    The system doesn't even block/suspend gold scammers, and I'd dare to say people slip through the cracks, while the rest of us is too afraid to use the chat.

    Also something I mentioned in the other thread; if both sides of the convo, especially private one, are okay with using profanity, there's no need for a third party in the room that decides it is not okay.

    You're bantering with your buddy and suddenly a stranger approaches you, says "you cant say that cause it upsets me", and suspends you from participating in society.
    That's how the current system looks and sounds like to me.

    I'm waiting for ZOS actually addressing this.
    If they did a link would be nice.
  • Servadei
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    OsUfi wrote: »
    Funny thing is, I swear constantly in game. Not even a suspension. On the rare occasions I do RNDs I always end up with bad fake healers that slow the group down, upon which I reign down every profanity laced cockney insult you could possibly imagine, and I still haven't had a ban. I've even had 3 people say they've reported me for tearing a fake healer a text-based new one, and still nothing.

    Because the AI and no one can understand your accent not even in text.
  • blktauna
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    Servadei wrote: »

    Because the AI and no one can understand your accent not even in text.

    oi me old china, load of pony right there
    PCNA
    PCEU
  • OsUfi
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    Servadei wrote: »

    Because the AI and no one can understand your accent not even in text.

    <Insert the "I am in this picture and I don't like it" meme here>
This discussion has been closed.