What will get you Banned

this is common and if you think about it its the only way

you cant seriously ask for anet to give a definition for EVERY english word weather it is considered offensive or not


ive played like 5 mmorpgs or so before i came to guildwars and every game staff/GM draws his own lines, which is his job

just naming you in a way that might be considered offensive i your fault, by agreeing to the EULA you take a ban into account if you choose such a name


y, obviously there are some bans which sound strange, but this will always be the matter, nobody is perfect and like i said, everybody has his own definition of offensive.

I cant tell you how much I have been laughing at all the people who have a problem with my name, you have made my day. Its a long sad story as to how I came to that name, and belive me I claim no innocence in my previous name (Harry Wrecked Em), but when I got banned for it by a person who griefed over the price I was charging for dungeons, I tried to come up with something clever yet non offensive (Harrys Been Shaved). I had the old name for over a year and never an issue, but whatever.

What I would like to achive is to remove all the misinformation that is generated here as to what can get you banned. As we have seen there are some who claim they were banned for one thing and then as it turns out they were banned for something else, but the rumor that "Fame Farming" can get you banned is still out there. Clarity and Communication, as much as ANET can give, would be appreciated and allow people to play worry free without having to "wonder" if this will get them banned, or being able to safely ignore the threats of others, knowing that the GM's are going to uphold the standards that their own policies set.

As far as names go, mine is the perfect example. Some of you think it is offensive somehow and others say there is nothing wrong with it.

Maybe I should start another thread - "What does Harrys Been Shaved" mean to you? Its like that old joke where the doctor shows the lady the ink blots and she says they are all sexual things. The doctor tells her she has sex on her mind and she says "Well of COURSE! You keep showing me all those dirty pictures!!!". When you hear my name, what are you thinking is SHAVED? Guys shave their backs, chests, faces, even legs, yet you who found this offensive, well maybe your mind is focused elsewhere. And to the guy with the teen age kid, I don't play with teenagers, so your kid is safe, but if you found my name risque, please explain to me how you did, because to us normal adults, we just dont see it.

Unless a name is CLEARLY offensive, I think the GM's should execute some discression and read for the spirit and word of the policy instead of rubber stamp ban something marginal. Incase this isn't clear, here is what qualifies, they do not permit names that:

Have offensive racial, ethnic, or national connotations.
Reference sexual acts or real life violence.
Are pornographic.
Make inappropriate references to human anatomy or bodily functions.
Reference illegal drugs or activities.
Reference major religious figures.
Reference certain real-life people that may cause distress (e.g. Hitler).

I totally undestand why Harry Wrecked Em reffered inapropriately to human anatomy, but tell me how Harrys Been Shaved violates this? Maybe I am a real life person that causes distress? (I am, BTW).

And yes, I have read the EULA, RoC, and naming policy, which can all be found at:
http://www.guildwars.com/support/legal/ which is exactly why I post this, so clarity is increased and ignorance reduced.

I think that was tested during the Sanitarium event... (well,it was an Necro :P)
Suprisingly he was too tolerant on insults and rubbish talk...

Harrys Been Shaved!? lol. it's not offensive, it's just too freakin' stupid and funny as hell. Apply common sense next time. Stop making up excuses and take it like a man.

You should have also posted this part of the naming policy:

This policy may not cover all inappropriate or unpermitted names. ArenaNet reserves the right to reject any name it concludes, in its sole discretion, is indecent, obscene, or otherwise violates our naming policy or the Guild Wars User Agreement. ArenaNet reserves the right to examine names on a case-by-case basis and take whatever action we deem necessary. We may also amend this policy from time to time in our sole discretion.

The list they give are probably the most glaring examples. ANET can REJECT ANY NAME. They can determine that my name "The Ringmaster" refers to some sicko with a addiction to penis rings and ban me. Even though I would fight all day that this is a MM with a pet and it is a Circus reference. So if they want to say that your name refers to a female shaving her vaginal area you are screwed. We can come up with alternate meanings all day and still fail since they make and enforce the rules.

That paragraph is ANETs ultimate out and gives them the ultimate power no matter what we say. The policy does not make the GM adhere to a strict set of standards and I really doubt ANET will ever venture down that road. Playing games with names all day is not something ANET/NCSOFT will assign more time or manpower to, it just does not make financial sense to waste whatever resources they have to it.

Edit: Or male that has been shaved also

Wouldn't it be nice if there was some transparency in the policies and consistancy in the GM's decisions?

What i find interesting is that about 2 years ago, a wellknown guild called "Battery Powered Best Friend[vibe]" had a pvp tournament (gvg i believe) victory revoked because somebody complained to anet about their guild name/tag. Anybody with a quarter of a brain can see the reference to sex toys here, and yet when [vibe] appealed to anet they got their tournament champion status reinstated. They were allowed to keep their guild name and tag too. I am not upset at this, but I find it disturbing that there is an apparent double-standard at work here, kind of like when a well known celebrity gets a slap on the wrist but some joe-blow gets the book thrown at him for the same offence.

I think my comment got this whole thread off-topic:

Harry's Been Shaved has NOT been banned for his name, it's silly to complain about Anet banning him.

If the topic is "What will get you banned", so far it looks like only the obvious things have been proven to get you banned.

No evidence of dungeon run bans. No evidence of HoH bans.

So, in some ways, it looks like the OP got his question answered. What will get you banned?

A name like: "Harry Wrecked Em", which the OP comments "I totally undestand why Harry Wrecked Em reffered inapropriately to human anatomy."

So, where is the controversy? What is the point of this thread?

Also to the OP: did you do anything else to get your name "Harry Wrecked Em" banned? Like inappropriate language in general chat?

People are upset about capricious and arbitrary procedures. ANet's Naming Policy was an effort to clarify on that particular issue, but there's still plenty of wiggle room as well as the "lawyer clause" that permits them to ban anyone for anything at any time.

Valid points have been made in this thread. Even good customer service gets complaints. GMs do have to use discretion in interpreting the rules. However, the frequency, volume and magnitude of the complaints about the developer across a wide array of topics should indicate that something is wrong.

Policies are inconsistent, /report is used as a weapon, the latest content update added incentives for doing certain things rather than actual content, the last skill balance was a failure of epic proportions, and the developer is perceived as unnecessarily close-mouthed about the sequel.

Complaints about the Naming Policy are just one way that people are letting off this steam. If you've ever worked in customer service, you know that frequently people do not complain about what is really bothering them. They complain because they perceived someone didn't hear their concerns or heard them but didn't care.

In this case, people are complaining because they feel that the developer has totally lost touch with the player base.

In general, EULAs are broad spectrum. If an area seems gray, avoid said area.

If you have a thought that might even remotely sound disrespectful to other players, avoid it; lest you find yourself banned and crying to support because you were "unfairly" banned.

A guild name like Surprise Team Buttshizzle was banned for a bit I think. It makes me wonder how easily offended the people in game. TBH, I don't think devs really care about names with the word "butt" in it or something. I think they only care about strong racial names. I remember back in the day, Battery Powered Best Friends [Vibe] got their named banned...after a year of being top 20. If ANET did care, they would have banned that name within the first day it was made. It was obvious that many people reported that name.

All in all, I think if a name gets reported a lot, it gets reviewd by the devs, and then decided. The devs really don't care IMO otherwise. I could be wrong, and am happy to be proved wrong.

Kinda going off-topic here, but how would they know if I bought GW gold with RL money? I had about 400+k in storage last week(from mAT predictions), and I gave my friend 100k for free when he came back the other day. Would that be a ban?

No, you don't NEED to trade something to give someone gold. Guilds do it all the time, for Faction, or just to help other guildies.

Unless they are watching a known gold seller account, I don't see how they would know you bought gold.

Reading the official rules on Real-Money Trading:

http://www.guildwars.com/support/rmt/rmt-en.php

Notice it says "suspend" or temporarily ban.

Honestly when people say oh im gonna report you...first off i think its a joke..you haev to be in same district as them to report them..OR you haev to have screenshots of an actual offense which no one takes anymore

Exactly this.

"We want Guild Wars to be a safe and fun space for everyone. Guild Wars is a global game, played by people from different countries around the world. People may disagree about what names are offensive. A name that is not offensive to you may be very offensive to another player. There are some types of names that we consider unsuitable for Guild Wars.

We do not permit names that:

* Have offensive racial, ethnic, or national connotations.
* Reference sexual acts or real life violence.
* Are pornographic.
* Make inappropriate references to human anatomy or bodily functions.
* Reference illegal drugs or activities.
* Reference major religious figures.
* Reference certain real-life people that may cause distress (e.g. Hitler)."

Seriously, it's not that hard. If you are creating a name because it will be funny for having some suggestive meaning to it, then don't. I've played a free online game that had no name/chat restrictions, and it was just terrible and completely immature. I'd rather have a naming policy that is strict than to have none at all. Anet will ban reported names as long as they fit under these categories. They shouldn't have to judge names that are borderline like Harrys Been Shaved. Ya, it directly doesn't mention anything but I bet you were thinking of another meaning when you created it and it can easily be interpreted in different ways by other people. Seriously, we can live without the bad jokes and names in this game. You run the risk of getting banned by creating such names.

I have been playing since 2005 and haven't been banned one single time. Now don't take this as an attack, but I think if you've been banned twice, somehow you had it coming. Just my $0.02.

When I joined in like June 2005 or something, I was never banned once. Sounds like A-net is just bored now and banning people as something to do. I remember my GL was B I T C H Censored and he got banned but it's pretty obvious to see why. Others such as the guild SuKa is plain retarded.

Anet just ban any name which can be in breach of the naming policy in even the slightest way.

For example, to Anets /banhammer team, the guild tag 'SuKa' is in a tiny breach of the following rule:

Because sucking on christmas canes / sweets / lollies is an innapropriate human bodilly function ....

If anyone is offended by the word 'suck', then I suggest you avoid any stores which sell sweets, because they might cause your brain to explode from the level of offence caused by selling sweets which one must suck.

^Brush up on your Russian.

It's also important to keep in mind that Guild [SuKa] was banned for an inappropriate name BEFORE.

Not russian actually polish

suka=bitch

also not sure how that is a bodily function or part of the anatomy or has anything to do with sucking.

check out the link I provided in post #6 of this thread it goes over the whole SuKa issue....

suka = like, in some other language.

ANYTHING can get you banned. Anet themselves (NCSoft support) don't know their own rules and regulations.

People getting banned for using special keyboards, for running people in HA, for having semi-offensive to non-offensive names, etc...

Your best bet is just to keep a low profile. Refrain yourself from using all chat at all times, try and use H/H as often as U can, as team members might randomly report you for hacking (It happened to me, got permed for it aswell, even tough I have NO clue what I did wrong) and most importantly, do NOT, EVER say anything bad about Anet in-game.

They are watchin you

I see this talking point repeated a lot...

usually with no evidence.

Show me PROOF someone was banned for running people in HA, running a "special keyboard", etc. and I'll jump on the hysteria bandwagon.

I finally joined the ban club for mouthing off some noob in HA but he took screenies and sent to anet and I didn't.

I actually was looking forward to a forced break so I'm happy.

you should know in ur heart of hearts whether or not something is offensive ;-) what were the names that got banned? didn't post em because it would decline from ur position of righteousness? as for banning for fame farming, that is rediculous. that's like saying you can't sell a weapon to someone because the person that is buying didn't put the work into farming it. like, wtf... if a person is willing to spend tons of gold on fame, who gives a flying fvck. their true skill will be revealed in actual gameplay, lol. w/e, anet can be retarded.

Wasnt there was recently a thread where someone got banned for charging to run low ranked players through HA? Anet definately responded to them saying that this was a breach of their T+Cs.

Wasnt all this mentioned in this thread? I cant remember.

As for my previous post, I speak English and live in the UK. And I am expected to know everysingle swear word in any other language? How?
If I see the work Suka, to me it reads as a shortened version of 'Sucker'. I dont know and Polish or Russian, and neither did any of you know prior to reading this thread what that word means in Russian.

P.S, in English, the names Bendah and Shagu are far far more offensive then Suka is in Polish, so regardless, I do not agree with Anets naming policy when they fail at following it themselves.

My heart of hearts tells me that neither the name SuKa, nor running fame services in HA are offensive.

I fear playing my Mesmer ever again, because my name 'D Is For Lysdexia', a popular internet culture reference, will be offensive to someone and get reported and banned.

Yes I have been banned for 2 bad names, but they were fully done on purpose and someone already went and stole one of my banned names because it was that good.

My Dixie Normus will live on forever in Guild Wars, regardless of how many times he gets banned, someone else will make the name .

The last thing I want to do is agree with Bhavv, but he is right on this point...

I'm UK and english speaking and to me Suka (and knowing it was Kaon that started it) is what Mr T used to say in the A - Team... (showing my age there)

and yeah, Bendah (Bender) is another name for Gay...

Although what has happened to the world... I grew up watching Carry On films and names like Dickus Maximus, etc were FUNNY back then... Political Correctness at its worst (and yes, that film has been rereleased on dvd and edited... WTF?!?!)

Perhaps you are suffering from TLDR, but the point of this thread is to elicit a response from ANET in which they give us some if any clarity on what will get you banned in naming and running. This is not me complaining about getting banned my self. My current name, Harrys Been Shaved was being discussed because there seems to be a lot of people who think that is offensive too.

No I didnt do anything else offensive. As many people who know me here can testify to, I do not not use offensive langugage in dealing with even the most aggrivating people and I do not spam. The name alone is what got me banned by someone who was upset because I was charging 20k to run a dungeon and they thought I was "ripping people off".

Actually all you have to have is their IGN. You can go to ANETs website and report them.

Just so everyone knows, ANET doesn't check names when they are created and they don't spend alot if ANY time looking for names. The appearent approach to offensive names is that they dont find it offensive until someone else does and reports it.

What inspired this is the post "Warning to all Fame Farmers" where we were given the impression that fame farming and even dungeon running might get you banned, which according to the regs should not, but it scared enough people to think it might and GOD FORBID one of the GM's reads it and starts actually banning people for it.

So what? Support misunderstood the case, and noone is banned now.

Jesus, people gettin so paranoid.

Your ignorance does not justify a word for being unleashed to the community who knows what it means. Stop being so self centered.