On the WoW Forums’ forced profanity filter

In the World of Warcraft, players have the option of turning the profanity filter on or off. In the forums however, it’s a different story altogether.

Sholandre of the WoW Europe Forums asked why Blizzard has the forums under forced profanity filter – meaning words are automatically censored or turned into gibberish. Players also asked who decides which words are deemed profane and which aren’t. Blue poster Thundgot answered the query:

The word filter is far from complete, and there might even be some words in there we can take out. However, the point of it is mainly to give a strong hint about what kind of language we don’t appreciate on these forums. (No, it’s actually not there to give people an excuse to use those words.) The forums are here for the enjoyment of the entire community, and I’m sure the thick skinned of us can survive very well without the cussing. Find a mirror and give it your best if you really need your daily dose.

Okay, so you haven’t the slightest idea what the other guy said to you in the forums. Maybe you best not know, anyway. In the meantime, be good boys and girls. Don’t let the CMs bring the soap.

In the World of Warcraft, players have the option of turning the profanity filter on or off. In the forums however, it’s a different story altogether.

Sholandre of the WoW Europe Forums asked why Blizzard has the forums under forced profanity filter – meaning words are automatically censored or turned into gibberish. Players also asked who decides which words are deemed profane and which aren’t. Blue poster Thundgot answered the query:

The word filter is far from complete, and there might even be some words in there we can take out. However, the point of it is mainly to give a strong hint about what kind of language we don’t appreciate on these forums. (No, it’s actually not there to give people an excuse to use those words.) The forums are here for the enjoyment of the entire community, and I’m sure the thick skinned of us can survive very well without the cussing. Find a mirror and give it your best if you really need your daily dose.

Okay, so you haven’t the slightest idea what the other guy said to you in the forums. Maybe you best not know, anyway. In the meantime, be good boys and girls. Don’t let the CMs bring the soap.