im a firm supporter of free speech and im firmly opposed to censorship of all kinds as its more of an insult than whatever was censored so when i got a pop up saying i had been voice banned i was a little pissed.
first id point out that it does not inform me of the actual reason behind the ban so i don’t know how they expect me to not repeat my offence. punishing someone without telling them why is no different than abusing them without reason.
second id note that i still appeared able to talk to my friend in the lobby but its not impossible he was talking to someone else and we were in a xbox live party aswell.
now i talk alot when i get into a good game online and yes i swear too so deductive reasoning suggests i was banned for ‘offensive language’? if this is indeed the case then that is a human rights violation.
free speech is a legally protected right specifically to protect speech that could/would be called offensive so to punish someone for something they said in any context is to spit on one of our most important rights.
on top of that its a 17 game and it has a mute function so i can only assume the voice ban is to protect ppl that r too stupid to use the mute button - of which there r many.
everyone has the right to say whatever they want regardless of how strongly u may disagree with what they say. nobody has the right to not be offended.
so, am i wrong? i don’t like being wrong so i like it when ppl show me i am.
To answer your title…no, it’s not illegal. You play online at the courtesy of MS and you agree to their TOS every time you log in. Free speech doesn’t apply to the internet as you still have to abide by their rules if you’d like to utilize their services. That means no excessive swearing or verbally abusing of people in game. And it most certainly is not a “human rights violation” and frankly that’s a completely inappropriate comparison to draw.
And just as you feel you have the right to swear with no repercussions, other people have the right to report you for being obnoxious or abusive if they feel that’s the case.
The game may be 17+ however online interactions are not rated and it is available to everyone. People are free to mute you, and likely many have, however you are just as free to use the party chat system to avoid being reported if you are unable to restrain yourself.
The “free speech” law you’re talking about only applies to government–it means you can’t be imprisoned strictly for voicing your opinion. It has nothing to do with Microsoft, Halo, the internet, or being voice banned because you were being obnoxious.
and fair enough if the law does not apply to u but free and unrestricted speech is a moral principle every reasonable person respects and adheres to simply 'cos of its importance in a free society.
i shouldn’t have to state this but just to be clear, ↑this is merely my opinion
if muting is a criteria for a voice ban, that is very short sighted and a little insulting.
being obnoxious or aggressive r not the only reasons ppl r muted, some ppl just talk too much, some don’t want to listen to trash talking, some might be recording and don’t want the lobby chatter in the way. all these would add to the mute count. (i obviously don’t know the exact criteria)
and if someone is being muted then the system is already working, there is no need to step in with a voice ban, i can, and would rather be able to, decide for myself who i listen to and who gets muted.
and the game is 17, end of. i know its available to everyone, infact i disagree with taking age restriction too seriously and do believe everyone who wants to should be allowed to play. but that is not the same as ignoring the age restriction entirely or ignoring the fact that the internet is open to lots of different ppl and its a parents responsibility to judge weather or not their child can handle that environment.
i would expect a competent parent to explain how internet interaction works before allowing their child unrestricted access to it. it is not the game devs responsibility to shelter kids from reality. and most kids r smart enough not to need sheltering from reality and those that do don’t have xbox live. jus saying.
and even if u disagree with me on everything else, u could at least tell ppl the reason they received a ban instead of just a pop up saying ‘this account has been banned’ if u don’t tell someone what they r being punished for how can u expect them to learn anything from it?
Don’t agree with it, stop playing online under somebody’s Terms of Service. No speeches, no personal moral lines, just stop. This is business between consumer and company - a private market issue. No free speech if they don’t want it.
> first, thank u for the responses.
>
> and fair enough if the law does not apply to u but free and unrestricted speech is a moral principle every reasonable person respects and adheres to simply 'cos of its importance in a free society.
> i shouldn’t have to state this but just to be clear, ↑this is merely my opinion
Think of Xbox Live like someone’s House or Restaurant, Microsoft is allowing you to use it, but will ask you stop leave if you get too rowdy.
Likewise in a Restaurant, you can say whatever you want in the restaurant, but if oyu start getting loud, insulting other customers, etc., the Management is gonna tell you to be quiet or leave, for the Courtesy of other people.
In Xbox Live, the system gives you a mute ban if enough people muted you, as a courtesy to the other people
> and the game is 17, end of. i know its available to everyone, infact i disagree with taking age restriction too seriously and do believe everyone who wants to should be allowed to play. but that is not the same as ignoring the age restriction entirely or ignoring the fact that the internet is open to lots of different ppl and its a parents responsibility to judge weather or not their child can handle that environment.
>
> i would expect a competent parent to explain how internet interaction works before allowing their child unrestricted access to it. it is not the game devs responsibility to shelter kids from reality. and most kids r smart enough not to need sheltering from reality and those that do don’t have xbox live. jus saying.
Just because people are 17+ doesn’t mean they’re ok with getting cussed out by random strangers.
Also, people have a right to play games unmolested, they DON’T have a right to harass others just because they’re on the Internet and this is “real life”.
Actually I find it really annoying if some one in the game is foul mouthing everyone. Grow up, there are kids playing this game, or at least watching big sister or brother doing so.
This post has been edited by a moderator. Please do not post inappropriate comments or flame & attack other members.
*Original post. Click at your own discretion.
let me make it clear; i do not verbally attack ppl or sit here talking -Yoink- with -Yoink- as every other word. u have assumed this based on me swearing? ur an idiot. just 'cos i swear does not mean i am insulting everyone or being loud and abusive.
also if ur over the age of 10 and find words offensive then u r stupid. this is not opinion, it is a fact. offence is taken not given, u have agreed to be offended by certain words and r willing to censor others in order to avoid them y? 'cos u were told certain words r bad? u should listen to whats being said not just the words used and i can demonstrate this;
when a racist uses ‘-Yoink-’ as an insult we all understand what they mean, its not the word its the racism we should look at. if they used ‘-Yoink!-’ instead the meaning remains the same. as does our understanding but a -Yoink!- is an animal the word -Yoink!- is not offensive the intent behind its use, is. the meaning expressed with it, is.
if i say ‘-Yoinking!- awesome’ in response to a good kill i am not expressing hate, i am not insulting anyone, there is no offense thus no reason to be offended.
‘-Yoink-’ & ‘poo’ r synonymous, yet only one gets labeled offensive, y? both words mean the same thing, regardless of which i use i am expressing the same meaning so y is ‘poo’ ok and ‘-Yoink-’ is not?
let me ask u this, did anyone ever explain to u what the words mean and/or y they r bad? 'cos i have yet to find a reason.
if i decide ‘and’ offends me r u gona censor it? r u abusive and vulgar for using it? ofcourse not, ud call me dumb and move on. just because the decision was made a long time ago does not mean its a rational one.
i do not agree to be offended, does this make me bad?
i feel like iv gone off topic but i believe some ppl need to read this and have a good think about language. tho i doubt this is the best place for such things.
my original point has essentially been wrapped up, my understanding has expanded and i appreciate the replies that didn’t assume me to be a loud mouth git simply 'cos i admit to swearing. i would still ask that it be left to the mute system, i like to hear kids talking sh- poo, someone who sounds 8 acting like a gangster or a hacker is funny and i don’t think the game devs should be deciding weather or not i listen to it based on what others want. we r not all the same what u may mute right away i may not want to. and id like that decision to remain mine.
See, at this point I would mute you because I don’t like having my intelligence insulted by some random on the internet who takes everything personally. Other people probably would too. If enough do, Microsoft will notice the trend and give you a voice ban to make sure you get the message. If you can’t follow the rules you will be punished; it’s very simple.
This post has been edited by a moderator. Please do not flame or attack other members.
*Original post. Click at your own discretion.
i did not insult anyones intelligence, i stated facts.
if ‘u r stupid’ is all u took from that then… need it be said?
if u don’t like being called on ur stupidity then don’t post it online. that stands for everyone.
–
and there may be a ton of shooters out there but if they were any good id already be playing them. ever heard of a thing called ‘gameplay’? some r better than others. yes its their system but rational ppl r open to discussion, i don’t like everything about their system so im voicing that opinion. i would hope it gets the attention of someone capable of forming a more reasonable response.
Except you DID insult my intelligence and I DIDNT do anything do deserve it.
You ASSUMED that when I talked about what you have a right to do online, that I was accusing you. I wasn’t. Funnily enough, in your response you have validated the non-existent critism you are arguing exists!
This post has been edited by a moderator. Please refrain from making non-constructive posts.
*Original post. Click at your own discretion.
> Except you DID insult my intelligence and I DIDNT do anything do deserve it.
no, i did not insult ur intelligence nor anyone elses. u put urself in the victims position when u claimed i was being insulting.
if u think i have been insulting then u have not understood my posts. again, this is a fact. there is no arguing this.
i admit to being condescending, but at no point have i made a personal attack, nor have i been name calling.
i do not go out of my way to offend anyone however i simply refuse to talk to ppl like they r -Yoinking!- 2 years old! i have more respect for ppl than that even if its not warranted.
im not going to censor myself or dance around an inconvenient/unappealing truth for fear of upsetting someone thats ignored what im saying in order to complain about the way i said it. i don’t believe its worth talking to ppl that do that as it demonstrates an archaic intelligence.
How many times do I need to quote it? I don’t care what you say you were trying to say, I don’t care if you say I can’t argue; the text is right in front of me! See?
“Ur an idiot.” -B1G N00B
And most importantly, I only stopped debating your points because you stopped debating mine by resorting to insults and “No u r wrong”.