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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Should guilds police member names?
by Robin Torres 
Jan 14th 2009 at 8:00AM
Vinna asked in the comments to yesterday's Breakfast Topic, "How do you feel when a guildmate makes a character with a questionable name, i.e. offensive/borderline offensive?" After all, your name appears above your guild name, so should guilds be policing their members' alt names?We already know that unless someone reports a name, it doesn't get changed. We also know that there are some extremely offensive names out there. So, if you are in a guild you want to stay in and someone makes an alt with a name that offends you what should you do, if anything?
Vinna's solution was to quietly report the offending name, which I think is a good one. The player could have been reported by anyone and this method avoids confrontation. On the other hand, it won't prevent the player or other guildies from trying again.
Another solution is to have a guild naming policy to uphold the reputation of the guild. But this could get messy, with people having to decide what to censor and what is acceptable. Censorship is always a touchy subject.
My favorite method is patience. Guildies who think offensive names are funny often have other issues that respectable guilds are unwilling to put up with and then bye bye offending guildie. Or the amusement value of a questionable name may run out and the guildie may change the name without any interference.
I know someone who named an alt after a porn star, which really irritated me. After a couple months of playing this character, he ended up turning himself in. He also got a funny story out of it because he had to make the GM google the name before he got the free name change.
Do you think guilds should police their members' names since they are representing the guild as a whole? What methods, if any, does your guild use to do this?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 8)
Yeng Jan 14th 2009 11:52AM
The Guild Leader has all rights to deny someone into their guild for any reason they want. Just because you pay $15 dollars a month doesn't give you any right to be in any guild unless they want you to be.
I'm not saying whether a guild should allow or not allow a name they feel is offensive, but the fact that you pay to play the game has absolutely no bearing on it. Guilds can do as they feel fit.
Pooh Jan 14th 2009 12:24PM
Ah, the old "I pay $15 a month, I'll do whatever I want" argument. This argument doesn't seem to work in any other facet of life, so I'm always amazed that people try to use it to justify out-of-bounds behavior in WoW.
Our guild is a large guild, and we simply deny membership to the few folks with truly offensive names -- those that are bigoted, sexist, or defamatory toward a religious or political institution. But honestly, those names would have been reported long before the character reached level 80 and filled out an application anyway. (I do imagine that levelling guilds must see this problem more often than end-game guilds do.)
Iwanttobeasleep Jan 14th 2009 5:08PM
Me and my guildies pay $15 a month too. I don't care if you're the nicest guy in the world, we have every right to not have you in the guild if we don't like your name.
And in my experience, nice people generally don't use offensive names, nor do they get offended by people disliking an offensive name.
There are plenty of guilds that will accept good players regardless of demeanor, don't worry.
Fancylad Jan 14th 2009 8:24AM
I could care less what they are named as long as they don't have those weird symbols in their name. That's my one pet peeve.
And after browsing through a couple of the links about censorship in this thread I've got to say, people take themselves far too seriously around here. Its just a name some anonymous asshole on the internet is using to get a rise out of you. Quit being so self-righteous and get over yourselves.
Bart Jan 14th 2009 10:30AM
YES!!!
OMG does it really annoy me for some reason when someone uses non-standard characters in their name.
I cant even explain why - Its like petting a hairless cat or something.
I generally dont group with people with names like that because 9/10 times they suck as people
Keyra Jan 14th 2009 11:16AM
I don't mind one or two non-standard characters, depending upon the name. Many non-English names have non-standard characters, so if it was something like this, it would be perfectly acceptable, in my view.
HOWEVER...people who make up their names with every single character being a non-standard character so as to "look 133tz"...please.
Anaughtybear Jan 14th 2009 11:24AM
I've said it before, but people with special characters in their names are the most unoriginal feebs out there in WoW. They can't seem to move past the fact that someone else got to the name before them, and and are incapable of coming up with anything new. Right behind these losers are the people with names like Hawkeyee and Allucarrdd. It's pathetic.
Yeng Jan 14th 2009 11:57AM
Not all of them fit in this category. There are names that are suppose to have accents or umlauts in them. They aren't necessarily people that 'someone beat them to the name first'.
Amaxe Jan 14th 2009 8:24AM
Quietly reporting names helps for a new member already established of course. Guild Policy would go a long way in preventing new alts with offensive names.
Of course the trick is dealing with a bringing about a policy for the first time. Those chara with offensive names will probably think they are being "picked on."
Sparkz Jan 14th 2009 8:27AM
I think a variety is the spice of life. I think it would be a worse place if we didn't have some crazy names out there.
When it comes to offensive names we all have different lvls of what is offensive. Im sure the really offensive names gets weeded out very fast.
In the end its comes to guild type, but why should a PvE guild reject a good player based on his name. They should all get a trial.
Calaana Jan 14th 2009 8:27AM
Well.. as far as the game goes, the only right a guild member has(As a guild member, players have far more rights than this, inb4 "OMG NOES") is to leave at any time for any reason. If you don't understand what I mean here, stop reading now and don't bother replying - it's a very core concept.
Given this, any guild can police member names - and the ones that care about that, and attract people who would have questionable names, should. If you wish to be in that guild, then you meet the rules and that's that.
Of course most guilds have the "Gm has final say on everything" rule, which this would fall under.
All that said, the best way to approach it is the report option - having a guild rule for names, regardless of how well intended, just comes off dictatorshipian(new word, honest). Additionally, this isn't really a guild issue but a player one - and should be approached that way.
Mike Jan 14th 2009 8:31AM
A general "no asshat" rule should suffice for most guilds. If you don't trust the officers of your guild (on the basis of guild debate) to be able to distinguish asshattery, how can you trust them to be fair with raid spots, loot or anything else?
Shawn Jan 14th 2009 8:33AM
I'm a guild master on an RP server as well. Really the main advantage of being on an RP server is there are less stupid names running around.
Last year we added a rule that no one would be invited to the guild with a name that we felt violated the server naming policy. If it was a new character, you'd be ask to start over. If it was a transfer from a different server, we'd ask the player to petition a GM for a free name change before they joined the guild, which they've done a few times for us now.
We had to add this after we had Minorhate, his brother Littlehate, Honeytiger, Sugerkitten, Baflock (and his alts Bafpriest, Bafpal, Bafhunter etc) join or attempt to join the guild.
Joyous_Oblivion Jan 14th 2009 8:35AM
I find that generally people with stupid names are stupid players.
Ok that is generic and offensive, but what I mean is that if people don't care to put any effort into their name, or at the least change it when they level up and are looking for a guild, then I don't trust them to be mature enough to do stuff with my guild.
And like someone else said, names like OMGlazers, Tankadin, coldmage, etc make me want to punch kittens...
I don't report these people, as they aren't offensive, but all the same I do shake my head.
But hell, its their WoW too, and they pay $15 a month like me, so name your character ashleyolsen, or bobstoops or whatever.
Plastic Rat Jan 14th 2009 9:40PM
Agreed 100%. I use it as a sort of 'idiot filter'. If you ask me to join my group and you have a retarded name, chances are I'm going to make some excuse or possibly just tell you straight out that you have a moronic name.
People with the whole 'names don't matter' just don't get the concept that in a world where the only thing that distinguishes you from anyone else is your name, it's actually a vitally important reflection of yourself. It's a first impression. It's your face.
If you don't care about that, then I can't expect you to care about anything else in a guild or a group.
Rhoe Jan 14th 2009 1:56PM
I'm not sure I can agree with you at all on reporting offensive names. I'm 100% behind you on guilds policing/booting based on names they don't agree with, its your guild and i is under your control.
You can boot him for any reason whatsoever, because the guild is player created and player controlled.
But reporting him to get his name changed, or other complaints to Blizz? This person is saying a bad word, or offensive reference so you want action to be taken against him?
Can't you just ignore him? not interact with him? Why spoil his fun? Are we supposed to report everything offensive to us then? Do the anti-theists get to complain to blizz about God related names? or Crusader names?
Matt Jan 14th 2009 8:42AM
Why exactly would naming an alt after a pornstar irritate you? Seems a little bizzarre to be irritated by someone's stage-name?
bz Jan 14th 2009 4:27PM
Report and then joke around in guild chat when the name change comes.
Indicating that the person should expect that for making such a silly / dumb / stupid name.
Hopefully they get the idea when most of the guild comments on how it is expected.
Tenchan Jan 14th 2009 8:43AM
I don't see the relevance of the guild tag when a name breaks Blizzard's naming rules (which a 'highly offensive' name most likely did).
Keyra Jan 14th 2009 9:04AM
Because the guild tag is like a "brand name" - they are representing you. If your guild is on an RP server and the character is named "Pwnzursoul" then that has a tendency to show to the rest of the realm that your guild doesn't adhere to the RP naming policy. If it's even worse, such as "Mehateiran" and Blizzard hasn't caught it, then that links said name with your guild as well in the eyes of others.