I could get on board with that.

Couldn't agree more. I've seen several really good female raiders in various guilds over the years leave because some jerk couldn't stop using that word. We raped that boss, we raped that gay boss, that gay faggot boss got raped. Give it a break, geez

Great article, and timely. Unfortunately the players who really need to think about their actions and words will probably dismiss the issue as gay.

/agree. I have posttraumatic stress disorder and "rape" actually triggers me, and can ruin what would otherwise be an enjoyable raiding night for me by turning it into a flashback-laden raiding night.

I also agree that it makes the game an uncomfortable place to be female. I actually transferred to Bronzebeard just to be in Daughters of the Alliance because even the LGBT-friendly guilds on Proudmoore made me feel uncomfortable to be female in.

THIS! Nothing takes the fun out of an evening like pre-battleground chat.

Excellent editorial Fox. I do hope Blizzard takes a good look at the words on their filter. I know the majority of players play with it turned off so once the bug is fixed it won't bother them one way or the other.

"Bad word" filters are tricky things. I had to compose one for a site I run. I started with a list I found on line that seemed to be very "complete" and then a partner and I sat down and took out words we didn't find that offensive or would have different legit uses within the context of our community.

Agreed. As a woman, it is really disgusting to see a lot of misogyny that goes on, on a daily basis, in trade chat.

I used to report the really bad stuff, but now I've just left trade chat. The misogyny is so pervasive, that even reporting the really bad stuff was only tackling a drop in the bucket. Sad that so many adolescent males seem to think it's funny to talk about hurting women. And that they say that anyone who is upset by it is "too sensitive." Yeah. I'd like to see how those same adolescent males would feel if they were females who actually experienced rape or other forms of abuse. Their tune might change mighty quickly.

It bothers me to hear 'rape' used so casually too.

I don't even bother with trying to change Trade chat, but if I'm around a group of people I know I'll be playing with often, I'll suggest alternatives to 'rape'.

e.g: "You mean you wrecked them? You annihilated them? You trashed, murdered, ruined, steamrolled, stomped, defeated, demolished, or exterminated them? :) "

Usually just a simple hint in that manner gets through to people that you don't want to hear rape used so casually. Besides, it's more fun to use words that people don't typically use.

I cringe when rape is used in guild chat, and usually make a comment or ask the person not to use it. One of the more insensitive uses of a horrible word.

I do agree with the statements here. "Rape" is such an ugly word. I'll use PvP words such as Gank when talking about getting wiped by a raid boss, etc. A lot of times too when going on a tirade I'll usually use the Brits methods. Calling people git, prat, etc.

I don't get offended very often, just angry at funsuckers and elitists in raid/dungeons. Most of the time I just iggy the person and put in a report on the offending toon. We need for space for the Ignore list. :(

World of Warcraft is a game and we are supposed to be having fun playing the game. Using such words, for me, would not make the game much fun. On the servers I play on, I turn off trade chat just to avoid the nonsense that has a tendency to go on there.

Have fun and relax.

Shinanji

Rape and rapist are both censored on my server, not really sure why they aren't for you.

I don't think they should be censored, but I'm not going to go into detail on why, because I can guarantee my view won't be respected.

Completely agree, would LOVE it if the word 'rape' was filtered out. Absolutely nothing angers me more than hearing people use that word so casually. It is a violation of so much more than the physical, it can literally destroy someone's very core being. I am a man, and whenever I hear people using that word it makes me want to beat the utter crap out of em. It isn't just women that get raped, its men, teenagers, children even. There is no place for it anywhere!

Even though I am a male, I agree with you. It is not so much that the word itself is offensive, its the multitudes of immature young males in the game that use it that way. Therefore, I'd just prefer never to see it, In-game.

But rape isn't an insult or foul language, and to ban the use of the word in a way diminishes the issues faced by rape victims by preventing it being discussed. Plus you'll end up with words like 'therapist' and 'physiotherapist' being censored as well, as they are in the official forums. Also, rape is not just a 'women's' issue. Men get raped too. Rape is a crime that can harm anyone.

I agree holeheartedly with the line of thought this thread of comments has produced. Besides, if it is censored, then it gives me cause to come up with more synonymous phrases for 'horribly murder' when referring to the following:

-Frost Mages
-Alliance Pigs
-Various Dragons
-Various Demons
-Frost Mages
-Gnome Rogues
-That Damn Darkmoon Turtle
-Frost Mages

@Zyrcona: The vast majority of instances in which people use the word "rape" are not to have any kind of meaningful discussion about the topic, but as a synonym for "defeat." THAT diminishes the issues faced by rape survivors. And if you really need to talk about it (my guild often talks about politics/current events in guild chat), there are other terms you could use.

And yeah, men get raped too, and that's horrible. But AT LEAST 1 in 4 women in the United States have been raped. Think of all the women you know in your life, and SEVERAL of them are almost definitely rape survivors--they just aren't going around telling everybody. I have not been raped, but I have been sexually assaulted, and I get sexually harassed on the street pretty much every day (I live in a large city). When we play WoW, we want to play a game where we can escape from that reality.

Oddly enough-go to the WoW forums and talk about a cloak called The Drape of Awesomeness, say.

It will appear as the D@#$% of Awesomeness.

Yup. Not censored in game, censored on the forums. Go figure.

While I can totally get behind you in "rape" being censored by the world filter, please let's not act as though you're speaking for women or on behalf of female gamers. I'm a female gamer and the word doesn't bother me, nor does it bother most of my female gaming friends.

I can understand why it would bother some women, but to say it creates a "hostile environment for female gamers" is a bit presumptuous and, I think, a bit insulting. Not all women are as sensitive to that word as those who have a terrible history with it.